Below are six places where tradespeople in Poland actually get work. For each one: what it gives you, what it costs you, and when it makes sense. Some cost money, some cost time, a few cost both. At the end I explain how HandyMan24 works, and you won’t find any promise of a full diary there.
1. Referrals: the best jobs, just not on day one
A happy customer tells a neighbour, a brother-in-law, someone at work. That job arrives with trust already built in, so there’s less haggling and less explaining why you charge what you charge.
- Pros: the least haggling, customers come back, and you pay nothing to get them.
- Cons: building a decent flow of referrals takes months, sometimes years. Move to another city and you start from scratch.
After every job, leave the customer something to find you by: a card, a link to your profile, a request for a review. Otherwise the referral dies within a week, because nobody remembers the name of “that guy who did the wardrobe”.
2. Classified ad sites
Plenty of traffic in every region, and you can post an ad in fifteen minutes. In smaller towns it’s often the first place people look for a tradesperson.
- Pros: quick to start, and people see you outside the big cities too.
- Cons: a single request can draw a dozen or more replies, customers often compare price and nothing else, and featured ads usually cost money and need refreshing.
It works for people who reply fast and have photos of their own work on the profile. A concrete quote based on the customer’s photos beats “depends what’s there” every time.
3. Local social media groups
Groups for an estate, a district or a small town (the Polish “polecajki”) work the same way in a big city and out in the county. People ask straight out: anyone who can fix a dripping tap or put a bed together?
- Pros: jobs close to home, free, and you talk to the customer directly.
- Cons: a lot of messaging, some chats end at “how much?”, and many group admins delete anything that looks like an ad.
Treat it as a side source. And don’t paste the same post into twenty groups at once, or you’ll be kicked out of half of them fast.
4. Your own website and Google Business Profile
A customer types “plumber” plus the city name and sees a map full of business listings. If yours isn’t there, you don’t exist for that person.
- Pros: customers come straight to you, the reviews stay yours, and nobody else’s rules apply.
- Cons: it’s a long game. You need photos and reviews, and a website nobody visits brings nothing.
A Google listing is free to set up, and I’d do it right away, even with just a few photos. Leave the website and SEO for later, once you know what you want to specialise in and which area you want to cover.
5. Subcontracting for crews and renovation firms
A firm has more work than people, you have free hands. You join a building site or a flat being finished and do your part.
- Pros: bigger jobs, the diary fills up quickly, and someone else finds the customer.
- Cons: rates are usually lower, getting paid depends on the main contractor, and you never meet the end customer, so your name doesn’t grow.
Before you start, put the scope, the deadline and how you’ll be paid in writing, even just in a message. If payment drags, don’t piece together procedures from forums: ask a lawyer or an accountant what you can do in your situation.
6. Platforms where customers post jobs
The customer describes the job and tradespeople send offers. These services run on one of two models. In the first, you pay for access to a job or for a bundle of leads, whether or not the customer picks you. In the second, you pay a commission only on jobs you actually win.
- Pros: the people writing are already looking for someone, and the service does the marketing.
- Cons: you compete on offers with other tradespeople, the service sets the rules, and with paid leads you pay for the duds as well.
We wrote a separate piece on how to compare these services: a construction job board guide for tradesmen in Poland.
How not to burn money on paid leads
Paid leads can pay off. They can also eat your money for a month without a single job. Before you buy a bundle, go through this list:
- Find out exactly what you’re paying for: the contact itself, sending an offer, or a job the customer gave you.
- Ask, or check the terms, how many tradespeople get the same lead.
- Read the refund rules for fake and outdated requests before you pay, not after.
- Don’t stock up on bundles, especially in a city where the service is only just starting.
- Reply only where you can do the work and get there in time.
- For a month, write down how many leads you bought and how many turned into a job.
That last point matters most. Say ten leads you bought turned into two jobs. Then one customer really cost you the whole bundle price divided by two, not the price of a single lead. That’s the only number that tells you whether a source pays.
How it works on HandyMan24
HandyMan24 is an app where the customer describes the job and tradespeople send offers with their own price. Signing up and sending offers is free. Commission comes off your HandyCoin account only when the customer picks you; what it depends on is explained in the commission article. The customer pays you for the work directly, in cash or by card, and if an invoice is needed, you issue it.
Once you’re chosen, both sides see contact details and the address, and you agree the time between yourselves. You add before and after photos in the app, the customer confirms the job is done and leaves a review that stays with your account. Without ID verification you can have at most two active contracts at once and no urgent jobs. Verify, and you get a commission bonus.
You pick your city when you sign up and see jobs from there. To be straight with you: most jobs right now are in Warsaw and the surrounding area. Clients can post jobs anywhere in Poland, though outside Warsaw there are fewer of them for now. How many jobs you get depends on your city, your trade and your prices, and nobody honest can give you a number here.
Everyone here works for themselves. Many start out under unregistered activity (działalność nierejestrowana) and, once the work grows, set up a sole proprietorship (JDG) or a company. You choose the form and handle your own paperwork, with no need to fit around us. You can work in English, Ukrainian, Russian or Polish, as long as the customer understands you. Details are on the jobs for professionals page.
Where to start
At the start, combine two or three sources. One fast one (classifieds, a local group, or a platform with offers), plus a Google listing and a proper request for a review after every job. Subcontracting fills the quiet weeks nicely.
After three months, look at your notes. You’ll see where the jobs that paid off came from, and that’s where your time goes. The rest is noise.
FAQ
What’s the fastest way to get first jobs in a new city?
Classifieds, local groups and platforms where customers post jobs get going fastest. Referrals and your own website come later, so early on it pays to combine a few sources.
Are paid leads worth it?
Sometimes. Count the cost of one finished job, not one lead, and don’t stock up on bundles until you know how many leads in your city turn into work.
Do I need a registered business to take jobs?
Not always. Many tradespeople start with unregistered activity and set up a JDG or a company when the work grows. The thresholds change every year, so check the current ones with the tax office or an accountant.
Does HandyMan24 work in my city?
Yes, we take client jobs across Poland. You choose your city when you sign up. Most jobs right now are in Warsaw and the surrounding area; elsewhere there are fewer for now.
How much does it cost to sign up for HandyMan24?
Signing up and sending offers is free. You pay commission only when a customer picks your offer.
Want to see it for yourself? Create a tradesperson account, pick your city and trade. You’ll see what it looks like where you live before you spend a single złoty.
