From a young age, Will Hren loved working with his hands.
“My dad, who was a welder and fabricator, saw I had a natural talent for taking things apart and putting them back together early on,” says Hren. “So much so, he would even go to local auctions and get items most would sell for scrap to see me tinker around until I got it working again.”
By his teens, Hren could fix nearly anything, including small appliances and old cars.
But he did not immediately go into the handyman business.
First, he chose to serve his country.
“In middle school, my best friend’s brother served in the Army, where he worked on the bomb squad,” says Hren. “It sounded like the coolest job of all time.”
After high school, in 1987, Hren enlisted in the Air Force. It provided a direct route from basic training to bomb squad training.
As with small appliances and cars, Hren had a natural talent for working with bombs and other machinery, leading him to a successful first career in the military. In addition to working on the bomb squad, Hren carried out a series of successful confidential other projects and even assisted with secret service duties when presidents and presidential hopefuls—including George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton—were visiting Texas, where he was stationed.
By 1995, Hren completed his service. At the time, he also had an infant daughter and was eager to spend more time with the family.
“I wanted to find a second career that allowed me to work with my hands but a little closer to home,” he says. “So, I took an entry-level job as a laborer running a shovel at an asphalt plant.”
His talent was immediately evident. In short order, Hren was overseeing four of the companies’ large-scale plants, a role he continued for more than a decade before getting into construction with similar leadership roles, as well as work on light rails across the country.
By the early 2020s, Hren found himself traveling often again and—as a member of his company’s leadership team—no longer working much with his hands.
“So I decided to make a big change by starting my own business,” says Hren.
He began researching franchises that fit his skillset for two years before investing in Mr. Handyman of North Tempe and West Mesa in 2023.
Mr. Handyman was different from similar businesses in the area, many of which have owners sub-contract the work to others.
“Through Mr. Handyman, I have my own team who work for me that I am able to train and mentor, while getting coaching support from our franchisor every step of the way,” he says.
Now a year into the business, Mr. Handyman is thriving by offering expert services that range from small painting projects and appliance installation to drywall work and cabinet removal/installation.
“We also take care of some of the tougher items on the ‘honey do’ list, like repairing doors, small tile projects, helping make informed remodeling purchases, and ceiling fan installation,” says Hren.
No matter the project’s size, Mr. Handyman warranties its work and has a “done right” promise that Hren stands behind.
“We do the work until the customer is satisfied every time, no matter what,” says Hren.
“We also take care of some of the tougher items on the ‘honey-do’ list."