Meet Chad & Jessica Brazee | Co-owners of The Fix-it Fox. Chad: General Contractor. Jessica: Coordinator & Bookkeeper.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chad & Jessica Brazee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chad & Jessica, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The success of our handyman business The Fix-it Fox has been due to word of mouth & excellent communication. Businesses in our industry live and die based on reviews and word of mouth. We are members of several local Facebook groups and have built a good brand. Though we are not allowed to advertise in the groups, we can ‘comment’ with our contact information if someone is asking for referrals. We have awesome clients who tag our Facebook page and recommend us. When new clients contact us, they often say we have come “highly recommended.” We realize how important customer service is, and we strive to communicate well with our clients by responding to calls and texts the same day, letting them know ahead of time if our employee is running late, answering all their questions regarding their estimate/invoice, giving referrals, and keeping them informed through the whole process.

What should our readers know about your business?
My first job in high school was working as a handyman for an office. I would basically do whatever they asked me to…assemble furniture, etc. College was a struggle for me. The university I attended was highly academic and did not offer majors that I was inclined toward. I worked through college as a handyman assistant and learned a lot about performing maintenance and renovations. After changing majors several times, I decided to pursue firefighting. I attended a fire academy, EMT school, paramedic school, got my Bachelor degree in Fire Management, and got every certification I could get to make myself a competitive candidate. In CA, firefighting is highly competitive and it takes years to get hired-if you get hired at all. Three years into applying to fire departments, my wife Jessica got pregnant with twins. We took a hard look at our future. I changed directions and took a maintenance manager position with a commercial development company. I really enjoyed this job and learned so much: how to manage subcontractors, how to interact with tenants, how to perform electrical and plumbing repairs, etc. After 7 years at this job, my employer/owner of the company passed away suddenly. This sad and shocking event caused me to reassess my career goals once again. Though my wife was working part-time as an RN, we had been struggling a bit financially. We love living in Southern California, but it is so expensive. To supplement our income, I had been working on the side for friends doing handyman work. I kept getting more and more requests from satisfied clients. It was my wife’s idea for us to start our own business. She has always supported me. After many, many discussions, we decided to start a handyman business: “The Fix-it Fox.” We were excited and terrified at the same time. Starting out, I did all of the estimates & work while Jessica has donevall the bookkeeping. We hired my sister to do scheduling. After a few months of working long hours, I felt exhausted and overwhelmed. The long hours were not allowing us the family time we were hoping that having our own business would afford us. We truly did not realize the amount of work that goes into running a business: managing the daily schedule, doing free estimates, following up with clients, performing the work, sending out invoices/collecting payments, recording receipts, customer service, returning emails, payroll, figuring out taxes…..the list goes on and on. We asked Jessica’s recently retired dad if he would be interested in doing estimates for us, and he agreed. This took a tremendous load off me and has allowed me to focus on performing the work. With my 22 years handyman experience, I qualified to test for my general contractor license. A year ago, I took the test and passed! It felt like a huge victory for our family. It has allowed me to perform a larger scope of work and to hire employees. We recently celebrated The Fix-it Fox’s 1st anniversary. We feel proud of what we have accomplished, but it has been challenging. There are days we wonder what we have done. There are times the schedule feels too busy. There are good days where we feel accomplished. No matter what, we remind ourselves that we are capable, we are willing to put the work in, our clients value our honesty and good name, and together we can accomplish anything. We have never gone without a day of work and we are very grateful for our life together and all we have been blessed with.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Living in Southern California is fun because friends that live all over the country come here for vacation. Our favorite family-friendly beach is Zuma in Malibu. The waves are great for boogie boarding and surfing, the sand is soft, and the weather is lovely. Disneyland is a must! We like to go in early September, early December, and January to avoid the heat and crowds. Our favorite treats there are the jalepeno Mickey pretzal in Frontierland, churro in Fantasyland, & ice cream on Main Street. Our favorite museum is the LA Natural History Museum. It has something for everyone: massive dinosaur skeletons, lifelike animal/habitat scenes, beautiful outdoor gardens and areas for the kids to explore, a butterfly pavilion, and an exhibit hall filled with amazing rocks and gems. Last but not least, a hidden gem…The Huntington Library. It has been one of our favorite places to bring our kids and visiting relatives. It is an expansive property filled with themed gardens, including a children’s garden, beautiful Japanese & Chinese gardens, and a desert garden full of huge succulents. There are several homes/buildings filled with artwork and sculptures. Everyone always has a fun day there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When we announced our idea to start our own handyman business, our families were very supportive. It was quite a frightening leap of faith, to give up a steady paycheck and employer-sponsored health insurance. Though our parents were likely nervous for us, they were encouraging. Since we have started our business, each of our sisters have worked for us, helping with scheduling and Jessica’s dad does our estimating. It’s a family affair and we couldn’t do it without their love and support.

Instagram: @thefixitfox

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFixitFox

Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/the-fix-it-fox-moorpark

Other: thefixitfoxhandyman@gmail.com