Palisadian Teens Create All-Purpose Handyman Service for Local Residents

By BRETT ABRAMS | Intern

Hunter Hammarberg and Sam Pass, two 17-year-old Palisadians and Palisades Charter High School seniors, recently embarked on a business endeavor that not only gives them the opportunity to gain entrepreneurial experience, but one that also benefits the Palisades community.

Hammarberg and Pass created their business, Hunter and Sam’s Odd Jobs, in January 2020 at the age of 16, and it has only continued to grow since then. The services Hammarberg and Pass offer include, but are not limited to, moving, shopping, furniture assembly and basic technological support for Palisadians.

“Hunter and I have always been very hard workers with a strong passion and drive for business,” Pass explained. “We decided to create Hunter and Sam’s Odd Jobs because we were both in need of a job, and wanted to be of use to our community.”

The pair first began their business venture by posting an advertisement on Nextdoor.

“The response we got was amazing,” Hammarberg said. Since then, the business “has simply spread through word-of-mouth and positive referrals.”

Although the job requests Hammarberg and Pass receive tend to vary depending on the clients and their needs, moving has clearly been their most popular service.

“The first weeks of the pandemic were surprisingly our busiest as people scrambled to move,” Hammerberg said.

“When we first started, we had basically infinite jobs and were working almost every day,” Hammarberg continued. However, after their fast start, their business experienced “a lull over the summer.” Fortunately, the duo received more job requests in recent months, and their business is back in full swing.

“Hunter and I are both hard working, and we always wanted to make a business,” Pass said. “I got this idea one day: ‘What if we just do every kind of job for people in the Palisades?’”

With that thought, Hunter and Sam’s Odd Jobs was born.

Although the company originally started with “two hard-working friends doing all types of jobs in their local neighborhood,” Pass and Hammarberg discovered some unintended benefits from communicating with their clients.

“We get to network with different people from all over Los Angeles and hear stories about how they got where they are, and learn about their business tactics and skills,” Pass said. “I think that’s the coolest part—networking and building relationships with other businesspeople that we get to learn from.”

When starting their business, Hammarberg and Pass did not need to purchase and spend money on appliances; together, the duo already possessed all the equipment required to complete jobs.

“This isn’t a company in the typical sense where we could sell it or its assets,” Hammarberg said. “The only assets are our trucks, our tools and ourselves.”

Set to graduate from Pali High in June 2021, Hammarberg and Pass have already started to plan how they will use their business profits. Pass shared plans to “pay for college and make investments with the money [he’s] made.” Pass also shared hopes to have a future as an entrepreneur and use the tactics and skills he has “learned from clientele to continue with future business ventures.”

Similarly, Hammerberg has already accomplished what he wanted from the business, “which was to gain valuable experience and save money for the future.”

Although their business and some of the jobs have gotten more complex over time, Hunter and Sam’s Odd Jobs has preserved its original foundation.

“Two 16-year-old boys were able to create a company with a stable income and build connections with all these people—that’s what it’s all about,” Pass said.

The two high school students plan to continue Hunter and Sam’s Odd Jobs for as long as possible. Pass said that he firmly believes his work, and the experiences it comes with, have been critical to his growth as a person. Additionally, Hammerberg values his time “helping out the community, and the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.”

For any business inquiries, call 310-384-0108 or email huntersamoddjobs@gmail.com.