"I think I've always been a handyman," Tim Adams declares.
 

A self-described "do-it-yourselfer," Tim enjoys taking on household tasks, including building some of the furniture in his family's home. Over the years, whenever neighbors needed help with projects around their homes, he was happy to lend a hand. During his years in the Navy, Tim was the fellow his shipmates called when they needed something built. He gladly took on the projects, often only charging them the cost of any new tools he might need.

"I've been working with wood for years," Tim explains. "Carpentry and building furniture are my hobbies. I've built or repaired everything from decks and sheds to fences and garages."
 

Tim served in the U.S. Navy for 26 years, then spent the next 10 years working as an analyst and project manager for a defense contractor at Suffolk's Joint Forces Command Center. But when his daughter, Katherine, graduated from the University of Virginia, Tim decided to parlay his knack for fixing things into a business of his own. When he discovered the Mr. Handyman franchise, it felt like a perfect fit. After he and his wife, Lauren, visited the company's headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, they signed on, and in September 2015, opened Mr. Handyman of Virginia Beach.

Hampton Roads residents quickly learned that when something around the house needed fixing, they could turn to Tim and his Handyman crew. "They got us on the schedule after just an email," satisfied customer Jori Beck says. "I didn't have to follow up multiple times like I often do with other professionals. I cannot recommend them highly enough."

"Customers have learned they can trust us to get the job done," Tim says. "Our motto here at Mr. Handyman is ‘fix it right, or don't fix it at all.' We get the job done right the first time. It's important to find the cause of the problem, fix the cause, then fix the cosmetics. For instance, if a customer wants us to fix a stain on the ceiling, we ask what caused the stain. If we don't determine and eliminate the cause of the stain, in a week or so, it'll be back, and the customer won't be satisfied. If to cut corners and save money, a customer wants us to simply paint over the stain without treating the cause, we'll turn that job down because we won't be fixing the problem."

What kinds of problems will Tim and his crew tackle? "There's no job too small for Mr. Handyman," Tim replies. "Often, small jobs that take anywhere from one hour to one day are what people need help with the most. We tackle that Honey-do List. Whatever honey can't do, won't do, doesn't have time to do, or doesn't know how to do, those are the jobs we take on. If honey is deployed or if someone doesn't have a honey, we're here ready to step in."

Because the COVID pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives, one might assume that a Honey-do list is the last thing on anyone's mind, but Tim asserts that business is actually booming.

"COVID caused a slow down last March and April, but since then, we've been busier than ever," he says. "In fact, if we've had any slowdown at all since then, it's because we're using all our available manpower. Despite the pandemic, people still have things that need to be fixed. Maybe because people are spending more time at home, they're seeing things there that need to be taken care of. Many are focusing on stuff outside of the house, but with more people setting up at-home workspaces, they're calling us to do a lot of inside work."

For a growing number of people who now work from home, dining room tables have become office desks. Family meals have moved into kitchens or elsewhere in the house. Workspaces set up in the corners of larger rooms aren't conducive to the privacy or quiet needed for business calls and zoom meetings. This is particularly true when homebound children are attending school virtually. But Tim Adam and his team at Mr. Handyman can quickly erect non-loadbearing walls, complete with doors, that will give anyone working from home the same privacy they would enjoy

in an office building.
 

"Winter is usually our slowest time of year," Tim says, "but since Christmas, we've been more in demand than ever."

Most days, Tim can be seen driving to job sites and follow-up visits with Mr. Handyman's Chief Security Officer and Chief Fun Officer-a beautiful black lab named Quincy.

"Quincy just turned two in January," Tim says with a smile. "He's really grown since joining us. Some people have seen his photo online, called to ask if he is our mascot, and when we say, ‘Yes,' they've scheduled us for a job. Some have requested that I bring him along with me on follow-up visits. I like to say that Quincy closes more sales than anyone else working here. Best of all, he gets paid with doggy treats and belly rubs."

Booking Tim and his Mr. Handyman crew has never been easier. "If people visit our website, they can request services right there," he explains. If they want immediate answers to specific questions, they can also chat with someone on the website in real-time. Or they can call the office. When people call us, they'll get a person on the other end of the line; we have a live answering service-not a recording."

That is part of the personalized, hands-on approach that Tim perfected years ago when helping his family, friends, and co-workers with household repairs.

"We take pride in really getting to know our customers," Tim concludes. "When life happens, and help is needed, it's good to have someone to call who you can trust. When something needs fixing, we pay attention to the details and get the job done right the first time."