Handibee provides handyman services at a subscription model
Ever tried hunting down a reliable handyman in Malaysia? If you have, you probably know the drill—endless calls, vague quotes, flaky appointments, and that sinking feeling of not knowing if the job will be done right. It’s frustrating, to say the least.
Experiencing this gap firsthand, Mohamed Shakir launched Handibee in 2022. The startup is built around a subscription model that gives homeowners access to trained technicians, transparent hourly rates, and ongoing maintenance instead of ad-hoc, one-off fixes.
Before Handibee, Shakir’s career was rooted in the oil and gas industry—a stark contrast to home services. The pivot only came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when a frustrating search for reliable maintenance work pushed him to explore the industry more seriously.
“The home services market in Malaysia is so fragmented and reactionary,” Shakir claims. “Most people only call when something breaks, and pricing is often unclear or inconsistent. It’s not just inconvenient—it breeds mistrust.”
Reinventing home repairs with continuous preventive care
Inspired by how home warranties work in countries like the US and Japan, Shakir saw an opportunity to reshape the idea for the Malaysian market. Instead of reactive, one-off fixes, Handibee offers continuous preventive care delivered through structured subscription plans that make home maintenance simpler to homeowners.
Still, the idea wasn’t an easy sell. “We assumed people would quickly embrace home warranties, but in Malaysia, the term often carries negative connotations—people expect complicated fine print and poor service,” Shakir expresses.
To counter this, the company began reframing its model away from the kind of warranties that Malaysians tend to distrust.
This became what Handibee now calls its “HomeFix Membership”—a service positioned closer to “roadside assistance” for homes, offering accessibility and reliability without the baggage of warranty fine print.
Shifting consumer habits proved to be another hurdle. Malaysians are more accustomed to getting quote-based estimates than paying by the hour, which made Handibee’s approach unfamiliar at first.
To bridge that gap, the company structured its pricing tiers to highlight fairness and clarity, while gradually helping customers adjust to a different way of valuing repair work.
Raising the bar with TVET-trained technicians
At the heart of Handibee’s promise is a simple truth: quality home repairs start with skilled people. Every technician hired comes from a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) background, ensuring a solid foundation before they step into service.
According to Shakir, the recruitment process is thorough. Handibee partners closely with local technical colleges, vetting candidates through practical assessments and customer ratings during probation.
Priority is given to those who treat this as a long-term, full-time career, reinforcing the company’s commitment to building a professional, dedicated workforce.
Beyond technical know-how, the company also drills its technicians in soft skills. Drawing inspiration from the hospitality sector, Handibee trains them to greet customers properly, listen actively, and resolve issues without unnecessary friction.
To maintain standards, jobs are matched to technician capability through an internal rating system: higher-rated staff are assigned to more complex or invasive repairs.
Every service is documented through before-and-after photos taken by Handibee’s technicians using the company’s internal app. Customers then provide confirmation with a signature. If the homeowner isn’t around, the process is completed through WhatsApp instead.
Image Credit: Handibee
Unlike customer-facing platforms, this internal app is designed solely for Handibee’s technicians and is still being refined over time.
“We don’t just want technicians who can fix a problem—we want professionals who understand that great service is about respect, transparency, and building trust one home at a time,” the founder explains.
The roadblocks to growth
Scaling a service business comes with its own set of hurdles. For Handibee, the biggest challenge has been expanding geographically without compromising on quality.
Each new area brings different property dynamics, demand patterns, and technician networks, making it difficult to maintain consistent standards across the board.
To avoid growing too quickly and diluting the service, the company has opted for a more measured approach, expanding in clusters and prioritising recurring revenue over vanity metrics.
In its second year, for example, Handibee paused new recruitment for several months to rebuild its technician routing system and simplify internal processes. Similar pauses were made on certain partnership deals to strengthen its membership model, ensuring clarity and confidence before scaling further.
When plans don’t go as expected, the company relies on transparency to maintain customer trust. If delays arise, homeowners are promptly informed of the cause, the next steps, and are provided with a temporary solution whenever possible.
“In this business, no one expects perfection—but they expect accountability. That’s where we deliver,” Shakir shares.
The bigger vision
Running a company like Handibee has surfaced lessons that don’t always show up in pitch decks. One of the biggest, Shakir notes, is that the business isn’t really about technology or flashy marketing—it’s about reliability.
“You’re only as good as your last job. People don’t remember your ads; they remember whether the technician came on time and fixed the problem,” the founder expresses.
That focus on execution has also shaped how he approaches leadership. In the early days, he admits to over-analysing decisions, but now he leans more heavily on data, feedback from the frontline, and moving quickly when something isn’t working.
Looking ahead, Handibee aims to strengthen its presence in major Malaysian cities while expanding retail warranty services for businesses.
The bigger ambition, however, lies in the long term: tying its product directly to home loans so that wear-and-tear coverage begins from day one of ownership and lasts throughout the loan tenure.
Featured Image Credit: Handibee