About
Who’s behind I Know a Guy.
It’s me — Luke. A local landlord who got burned enough times hunting for honest contractors that I decided to build the guide I wish I’d had, and mail it to every homeowner in town.
Luke Sturm · Founder · Plymouth, MN
Everybody used to have a guy. You’d ask a neighbor, they’d hand you a name, and that was that. Somewhere along the way we traded that for a page of search results and a stack of robocalls — and finding someone good to work on your house got a lot harder than it should be.
I own rental property around here, so I’ve hired more contractors than most. Some were great. Plenty weren’t. Every time I found a good one, I wanted to tell the whole neighborhood. So that’s what I’m doing: checking companies out by hand — license, insurance, real finished work, references — and putting the five best in each trade into a printed guide that lands in your drawer.
No ranking, no pay-to-win, no star averages anyone can game. Just the people I’d call for my own place. The first Plymouth edition (ZIP 55442) mails free in Fall 2026, with more ZIP codes to follow.
How it’s paid for
Straight about the money.
The companies in the guide pay a season fee to be there, and that fee is what pays to print the guide and mail it to every home in the ZIP for free. That’s the entire business — no per-lead fees, no selling your information.
Paying gets a screened company one of five spots. It does not buy the screening, and it can’t get an unqualified company in. Here’s exactly how I choose companies.
Get in touch
Real person, real number.
Questions, a company to recommend, or a problem with one in the guide? Reach me directly.