Why I Decided To Organize My Work Van

Being in this industry for over two years, I’ve seen how many different handymen run their businesses. Not surprisingly, it seems that for many of them their work vehicles are disorganized. For a while, my van was the same way. It was so messy. I kind of had places where I would keep specific tools, but it wasn’t as good as it could be. Tools would often get completely lost in the heap of supplies that built up as I acquired more. Avoiding the frustration of dealing with the mess, I would just toss tools in my van after a long day. After a busy week, the inside of my van looked as if it had tumbled down the side of a hill.

I would often spend 5, 10, even 20 minutes looking for one tool! You can imagine how inefficient this was, especially over the long term. In today’s article, I’d like to discuss the catalyst for change with my van rebuild. I’ll talk a bit about the process of building it and finally how my new tool system benefits you.

Why I Decided To Organize My Van

As a self-employed handyman, it’s easy to get caught up working in my business instead of working on the business. By this, I mean building systems and improving the business so I can provide you with a better service. It’s important to me that I build the best business I can and continually improve so that you have the best service possible. I realized the negative effects that the disorganization was having on my time and the frustration was taking a toll.

I remember one particular instance where I knew it was time for a change. I was working at a client’s house. He came over to ask me a question as I was opening the back doors of my van only to reveal the giant heap of tools and supplies. I couldn’t help but be so embarrassed by the mess. He didn’t seem to mind, but I felt unprofessional and knew I had to do something about it. I saw myself as a professional, but my organization system didn’t reflect it. Later that week I started planning my rebuild.

The Process Of Designing And Building

I knew that the stock shelving that came with the van wasn’t going to cut it, I needed something completely custom. I’d have to completely gut the shelves and start from scratch. I searched online for weeks to gather ideas for the build. I took account of what I valued in a tool system, i.e. limiting the number of times I’d have to actually get in the van. The goal was to make everything, especially the large tools, accessible from the outside. I also wanted to make things modular so I could move them around if I ever needed to. I designed it from scratch using a 3-D design program. After I felt comfortable with the design, I took a week off to build it.

The build has greatly improved my business. No longer do I get frustrated having to look for something. Everything has a home. I even created enough space to have a center runway running down the middle of my van to be able to put materials for new jobs or debris. Having had the time initially when things weren’t organized gave me the experience to understand what I wanted in a system.

Before my van was organized, I spent on average 3 hours per week between cleaning and looking for tools on the job. To put this more in perspective, that’s about 144 hours per year or 6 full days spent cleaning and searching! Comparatively, after organizing my van, I only spend about 20 minutes per week which works out to about half a day for the year!

How It Benefits You

Below I’ve listed several benefits to you from having organized my van:

1. Saves you money because I am more efficient on the job. Also, I have better control of my inventory and know if I have a part or not. This means I won’t have to take a trip to the hardware store if I think I don’t have a part when I really do.
2. Displays professionalism. It adds to your overall impression of my service in a positive way.
3. Shows that I care about doing quality work and care about keeping your home clean.
4. I’m able to respond to your calls more promptly and have more availability to take care of your projects because I’m spending less time cleaning.
5. You feel comfortable referring me to your friends and family because you know that I care about your experience.

As you can see, a handyman who values caring for his belongings is reflected when he is in your home. A handyman who keeps an organized work vehicle means they are a professional and that’s who you’re getting when you hire me. I strive to make your experience an excellent one and keeping on top of the many tools and supplies I use is one way I do that.

If you’re in need of a home repair professional to help with your to-do list or a specific project, then look no further. Click the button below to be taken to a form where you can enter details about your project. It gets sent directly to my email and I will respond quickly to your request.