Who We Are

For now, Handy Doods is just me (Matt). I would someday like to bring on more folks and build it into something more, but until then it’s a one-man operation!

I always wanted to be a handyman.

All through college, and for a decade as a full stack software engineer I would stare out the windows at the landscapers as they worked, or the maintenance guy as he casually fixed the coffee machine. It always looked a lot more fun, or at least interesting, than debugging the same 12 lines of code for the umpteenth time.

I finally reached my breaking point in 2019 when I said, out loud, “Screw this. I’m making waffles!”

I then rounded out the last two days of my contract answering emails and making waffles for anyone who wanted them in the break room. Waffle Doods was born soon after. I crafted delicious waffles for people and dogs (different products), and built my first small business from scratch.

Things were going pretty well until the Covid pandemic shut down the entire food industry. Unfortunately I could not afford to ride it out and had to shut down Waffle Doods. After a brief period at Amazon, I decided to take the plunge and become a handyman. First strictly using gig apps like Taskrabbit, then venturing out on my own as Matt of All Trades, then as Handy Doods.

Handy Doods was born out of a pipe-dream. When a close friend was screwed by the corporations he worked for and unemployed, I invited him to create Handy Doods with me and literally create his own job! This arrangement worked out well for a while, but it was clear this was not the path for him, and thus Handy Doods became just me.

I built the business slowly, one client at a time. Eventually word got around and I was able to survive on word of mouth and direct advertising at events like festivals and trade shows. Business was really good out in Denver, but family was very far away and with aging parents and new nieces all on the east coast, it was clear we needed to move.

So it’s time to start over! After years of research and planning we made the leap to Western Virginia, starting in Greenville. As of this writing we have not purchased land, but the plan is to eventually own some property with a few RV parking spaces and small cabins for rent. I will be specializing in RV maintenance and repair, and getting certified sometime soon.

So that's the story and the plan!

Book Now
Two smiling men and a golden doodle dog taking a selfie outdoors with a background of trees and a blue sky.
A smiling man wearing sunglasses and a gray hoodie taking a selfie with two dogs on a mountain with a city view in the background. One dog is a curly-haired brown poodle and the other is a black curly-haired dog, both wearing harnesses.
A person snowboarding down a snowy slope surrounded by pine trees under a partly cloudy sky.
Smiling man with beard and woman with shoulder-length hair taking a selfie on city street with shops and outdoor seating.
A man dressed in a white chef's coat and chef's hat standing outside with hands on his hips, smiling, with greenery and a house in the background.
Two dogs sitting on a wooden dock by a lake under a partly cloudy sky, with boats in the water.
Two dogs, one black with curly fur and one brown, are in a living room. The black dog is lying on the carpet, yawning, while the brown dog is sitting on a dog bed in the background, looking at the camera. The room has a table with papers, a bookshelf, and various furniture and objects.