Money
You're handy, and people are ready to pay you. So you tell yourself: if I charge a good hourly rate, I'll make more than on a salary. True… on paper.
Before you pick your rate or your job, do the math few people do. It could change your decision.
The trap: mixing up your hourly rate and your income
What you bill per hour isn't what you earn per hour. When you're self-employed, a good chunk of your time is billed to no one:
- client calls, emails and texts;
- estimate visits and quotes, whether they're accepted or not;
- driving between clients and back and forth to the hardware store;
- invoicing, chasing payments, bookkeeping and taxes;
- slow weeks, vacations and sick days.
The real math
To know what you should charge, start from what you want to earn, not from your competitors' prices:
hourly rate to charge = (target annual income + all your business expenses) ÷ hours actually billable in the year
In your expenses, count your vehicle and its gas, your insurance, your tools, your phone, your advertising and your accounting fees. In your billable hours, count only the hours a client actually pays for. For a lot of people, the result is a surprise: the rate they'd need to charge is much higher than the one they had in mind.
Making money without carrying it all alone
If that math makes your head spin, know that there are other ways to be well paid for your talent. At Beau-frère à louer, we offer two, and they're very different.
Guaranteed pay: Handyman
In this job, every hour is paid, even the ones you wouldn't spend at a client's home:
- $26 an hour from the day you're hired, $27 after 12 months;
- 35 paid hours every week, guaranteed from your first day;
- a company van, gas paid, and $400 a year for your tools;
- no selling and no chasing clients: your schedule is prepared by the call centre, and you create your invoice on site, in the Beau-frère à louer app.
Plus a career path: after 6 months, if you want, the Residential Maintenance Lead role at $28.50/h.
Earnings that follow your effort: the Pro role
Got trade experience and like writing quotes? In the Pro role, you manage your own schedule and quotes, but the clients come to you through our call centre. You create your quote and your invoice on site, in the Beau-frère à louer app, and hand it to the client. Your earnings are tied directly to your work: our Pros earn $50,000 to $80,000 a year. And after 3 months, group insurance, 50% paid by the employer. The terms of this role are different from those of the Handyman role: it's all explained on its page.
And if you stay self-employed?
That's a choice worth respecting. Do the math honestly, charge accordingly, and don't be afraid to say no to jobs that don't cover your costs. And if your company works in a trade we don't offer, let's talk: become a network partner.
Key takeaways
- Your hourly rate isn't your income: when you're self-employed, a good chunk of your time is billed to no one.
- Rate to charge = (target income + expenses) ÷ hours actually billable.
- Handyman at Beau-frère à louer: $26/h, 35 paid hours every week, guaranteed from day one, with no selling and no chasing clients.
- Pro role: earnings tied directly to your work, $50,000 to $80,000 a year, with clients provided and group insurance 50% paid after 3 months.
Connect-forces
Get paid for your talent
Applying takes 2 minutes. Attach photos of your projects: they're worth more than a résumé.
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Connect-forces, the Beau-frère à louer network.