 |
Mike
McNeill,
who owns
a
handyman
business
in
Oceanside
called
Baldguy
Repair
Inc.
Waldo
Nilo
|
North County
Standout: Bald
Guy out to
change an image
By: JESSICA
MUSICAR - For
the North County
Times
OCEANSIDE ----
Local handyman
Mike McNeill
says he wants to
change the
stereotype that
portrays the
average handyman
as
unprofessional
with his
business, Bald
Guy Repair Inc.
Formerly the
inventory
manager for a
glass and tile
manufacturer,
McNeill said he
has brought his
professionalism
from his prior
career and has
applied it to
his new
enterprise.
"If I say I'm
going to be
there, I'm going
to be there,"
McNeill said.
Just as his
company implies,
McNeill is a
6-foot-4-inch
bald man who
decided to use
his appearance
as a selling
point.
An
all-encompassing
business, Bald
Guy handles
repairs and
remodels just
short of dealing
with
load-bearing
walls.
McNeill said he
is not a
contractor and
won't do
anything he is
not licensed to
do. He added
that he is very
honest with his
clients,
informing them
when a job is
too big for him
to handle.
Whether doing
basic plumbing,
installing
kitchen
cabinetry,
repairing
drywall or
fixing and
constructing
decks, McNeill
said he works in
residential and
commercial
locations. One
of his accounts,
a group of Taco
Bell
restaurants,
required him to
renovate
bathrooms to fit
Americans with
Disabilities Act
guidelines.
For residential
customers,
McNeill said he
is filling a
need for men and
women who
haven't the time
or the ability
to do repairs
themselves.
About 50 percent
of his client
base is repeat
customers.
Run out of his
Oceanside home,
McNeill's
business started
up in 2003 and
was incorporated
a year later.
McNeill handles
all repairs,
while his wife,
Toni, deals with
the business
side of the
operation as the
director of the
company.
McNeill said
that without
Toni's help,
Bald Guy Repair
might never have
existed.
Client Karen
Jordan of Carmel
Mountain Ranch
said she used
Bald Guy Repair
to fix up a La
Jolla house she
plans to sell.
She said McNeill
installed
kitchen
cabinets,
bathroom
fixtures,
vanities and
toilets, put up
blinds, took out
carpets, and did
other tasks to
get the house
ready for
resale.
"He goes above
and beyond what
is expected,"
Jordan said.
"I'm going to be
using him again
in the next
project, that's
for sure."
Jordan said
after he
finished the
house's value
has jumped from
$770,000 to
between $965,000
and $985,000.
"I couldn't have
done that
without Mike,"
she said.
McNeill said he
and his wife
decided to open
the business
after he was
laid off from
the tile
business. He
said he worked
for a party
rental company
for a short
time, but wasn't
happy.
Within the first
year they made
$30,000 with
McNeill working
part time. Last
year they earned
$72,000, and
they believe
that number may
double for 2005.
"I thought if I
really put my
heart and soul
in it, I could
make a go of
it," McNeill
said.
Standout
Facts
Name: Bald Guy
Repair Inc.
Address:
Oceanside
Phone: (760)
717-6172
Year
established:
2003
Products and
services:
assorted home
and commercial
repairs.
Number of
employees: 3
Size:
800-square-foot
home office.
Gross sales:
$72,000 for
2004.
Contact
freelance writer
Jessica Musicar
at
gwyllion@aol.com.
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