I did the same thing last spring with a guy who runs a mobile bike repair van. He needed his whole website redone because it looked like it was built in 2002, and I needed my old Trek tuned up plus a new chain. We spent a Saturday afternoon in his garage and it worked out great. He knocked out the tune up in about an hour and then we sat there with his laptop while I rebuilt his site on Squarespace. The only weird part was when he tried to pay me cash on top of the repair and I had to remind him we already made a deal. I say go for the fence swap, just be clear about what each job is worth before anyone picks up a tool. Get the scope in writing too, even if it's just a text, because a fence can turn into a way bigger job than a sink leak.

LegalZoom can't give you legal advice; they just fill out forms. A local firm like Sullivan Law will advise on entity choice, liability issues, and help with contracts. It's worth the extra cost if you're building a real business. I've referred a few clients to them and they've been happy.

Reading about your book club almost fighting over office politics is wild. Honestly, I can't believe it got that heated over a book. Adamclark has a point though, picking messy workplaces probably gets people really talking. It's crazy how stories about bad jobs can make everyone so fired up. But almost coming to blows? That's next level.