I started out in Notting Hill — the area where I was born and raised — and my customers and reputation in the area means everything as everyone around here knows me.

Having acquired various trades and working in numerous construction and handyman roles, as time went on, it became apparent to me that the big contractors were not interested in taking on the smaller jobs.

I am a big believer in getting the little things right too, so with years of experience behind me and having spotted a gap in the market, I started Notting Hill Handyman.

At the foundation of our approach has been professionalism, customer care, attention to detail and a good working relationship with clients as the modern customer needs to understand the job, the schedule and proposed work so that they know what they are paying for.

Everything in our customer relationship management is geared towards keeping clients happy — right from the first phone call or email to the moment one of our highly skilled staff arrives to do the job. 

More bookings have come in as that trust has been built which has meant we have tripled in size since we first started, but we will continue to grow within smart financial parameters.

To do that, we monitor callouts and jobs on a daily basis — we are obsessed with the data and can tell you at any one time where our work is coming from.

For example, 47% of our work comes from complete property renovations — full strip-outs, plumbing, electrical, gas, flooring, and painting and decorating — while around 33% of our work is handyman services.

Knowing the numbers is so important as there is always the temptation to take a bigger job on and stretch resources, but we are not interested in a smash-and-grab approach and have instead opted to steadily build our reputation and customer base by working largely from referrals, recommendations and repeat clients.

Of course we want to extend our reach as we are competitive and ambitious, but it is really important for customers to trust us and that process requires patience.

One of the key lessons from that has been to run the business lean and not to make unnecessary hires — everybody at Notting Hill Handyman must be bringing in business in some form because the turnover of cash is so fast.

We always say: cash is not king, cashflow is.

Without access to available funds, you cannot pay suppliers and staff, and then you are in a world of trouble.  

Everyone has a different way of working and we do not want to tell people how to run their business, but these principles, approaches, and lessons have been at the crux of our success.