In less than a year, Dan Plante has gone from optimizing search engines to performing odd jobs for folks around the house.

He couldn’t be happier.

Dan worked in digital marketing for 15 years since graduating from Champlain College but was laid off in 2024.

“The job market is terrible, especially for digital marketing jobs,” Dan said. “I sent out about 300 resumes and had six interviews.”

During one of those interviews, he found himself wondering if it might be time to rethink his future.

“I’ve always been handy, I’ve helped friends build, and I used to work with people who would say, ‘I can’t hang a picture,’ and I’m thinking, ‘What?’”

So if he couldn’t optimize search engines for a living, why not optimize his other skill set? There are, after all, people out there who are simply not handy.

Thus was born Handy Dan Homes Services, which he runs out of his View Street home. (His wife also runs Jenn Plante Photography from the home.)

“I like to say I’m filling the gap between jobs that are too big for a homeowner and too small for a contractor,” Dan said.

Does a wall need a repair? Handy Dan won’t despair.

Carpet need a steam-clean? Handy Dan’s on the scene.

A piece of furniture that needs assembling? Handy Dan’s not trembling.

The services listed on his website include general home repair, painting and drywall, steam-cleaning, furniture assembly, lawn care, and moving and organization.

Oh, and if that’s not enough, he’s also a “professional-level” car detailer.

“How can I help you?” he said. “It doesn’t have to be with tools. It can just be, how can I make your life easy?”

And if he can’t do it, he’ll tell you he can’t and offer another solution.

“I may say no, but I’m probably going to point you in the right direction,” he said.

And because his training is in digital marketing, he also knows a thing or two about designing effective websites. He created his own – www.handydanma.com – and it turned up in a California woman’s search for a handyman.

“I got a call from a woman in California, and she said, ‘Where are you located?’ I said, ‘Massachusetts.’ But I asked her what her problem was, and I was able to tell her, ‘I think you need to contact a plumber.’”

On his website, Handy Dan says he’s “dedicated to providing top-notch service with a friendly, no-pressure approach. From changing lightbulbs to remodeling rooms, we take pride in delivering quality work at affordable prices.”

“Some jobs are 40 minutes, others have taken a week and a half,” Dan said. “It depends on the project and what it’s going to take. I’ve helped get homes ready for sale, done some painting, patching holes, running baseboard, steam-cleaning.

“I was helping a woman move out of her old house and into her new house, and she had broken the side mirror on her Acura. She was telling me it was going to cost over a thousand dollars just for the parts. I took out my phone and found one for 300 bucks at a junkyard up the road. It ended up costing her 500 bucks for the parts and labor. She was very grateful.

 “I’m enjoying it,” he added. “It’s such a change of pace. I want to make sure I devote the time to each customer that they deserve, so there’s been a learning curve about how to manage the business. I’m trying my best.”

For more information on Handy Dan Home Services, call 802-249-8859, email dan@handydanma.com, or visit www.handydanma.com.