The Handyman Startup Podcast · Dan Perry: Handyman | Small Business Owner

How to Hire and Manage Employees with Rick McFadden

·1 hr 15 min·5 clips

Rick says W-2 employees require payroll, workers' comp, and a field-service platform before hiring.

Dan Perry opens by introducing Rick McFadden and the Colorado handyman company he built. Rick says the business employs nine people and is on track to pass a million dollars in revenue this year. He traces the business back to getting laid off from his corporate job six years earlier. The conversation stays focused on hiring and managing employees, a topic Dan says he has not covered in detail before. Rick starts with a blunt lesson: it can take about three hires to find one good one. He says a lot of trades owners sabotage themselves by hiring the first person who applies and not wanting to pay enough. That usually leads to the kind of employee who no-calls, no-shows, or lasts only a week. After that, owners decide there is no talent out there. Rick argues the real issue is the filter, not the market. He wants his hiring pitch to stay short and specific. The technical side is basic handyman work like light fixture and plumbing fixture installs. The soft side matters just as much: punctuality, clean work, and being friendly with customers. Dan helps sharpen that into a simple fundamentals list. Rick says he hires adults and treats people as adults, and if someone cannot be treated that way, the fit is wrong. The episode also gets into firing, including the cost of letting too many people go because it can raise unemployment rates. The whole conversation keeps circling back to one idea: set expectations early so the team stays practical, calm, and usable.

As heard by us

A grounded hiring conversation for trades owners who need better people and a cleaner screen.

Rick McFadden and Dan Perry focus on a hard truth in the handyman business: hiring is not just about skill, but about finding someone who can work with customers and still do the basics well. McFadden's story gives the advice some weight, too.

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Why you'd press play

Trying to hire your first helper without learning the hard way?

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