Former banking exec bets on himself with handyman repair bus. . .
After decades at Wells Fargo and Bank of America, James Smith left corporate life to launch ProTime Handyman in Charlotte, targeting retirees and building a community-focused team. James Smith, founder of. . .
After decades at Wells Fargo and Bank of America, James Smith left corporate life to launch ProTime Handyman in Charlotte, targeting retirees and building a community-focused team. James Smith, founder of ProTime Handyman, a full-service repair company. Courtesy of James SmithJames Smith spent more than two decades in high-level banking and finance roles, leading technology, risk and compliance work at Wells Fargo and Bank of America, before moving into strategy and business consulting. These days, though, he's traded his corner office for pipes and appliances, runningProTime Handyman, his full-service repair, maintenance and renovation company. Smith says it's been the most rewarding chapter yet. "Entrepreneurship is about risk-taking, and if you're not willing to risk something for yourself, you often may regret it later on in life," Smith said. James Smith, founder and owner of ProTime Handyman. Courtesy of James SmithBuilding a habit, then a businessSmith’s résumé reads like a case study in corporate ascension — a bachelor's degree from Rutgers, a master's from Johns Hopkins and more than two decades of executive leadership. But alongside his finance career, he was building his handyman skill set. At 24, he bought a foreclosure and rebuilt it almost entirely on his own. "I wound up gutting the whole house myself over about 15 or 20 weekends. "Smith continued to grow that real estate portfolio and home repairs experience. "I owned investment properties for the last 30 years, and I did most of the maintenance and repair work as well as upgrades to those properties," Smith said. There wasn't one exact moment when Smith decided to make his career pivot. He said the idea kept surfacing in casual conversation over the years. "I kept hearing people ask if I knew of a reliable handyman. I said, 'This is an opportunity,'" he told QCity Metro. He stepped away from his full-time corporate job in 2020 and worked as a consultant for a few years while considering his next steps. He said he asked himself: "What can I do that gives me enjoyment, allows me to control my time and earning potential, and at the same time provides employment opportunities to people who may be entry-level?"While conducting market research on the repair industry, Smith said he discovered a market valued at $650 billion annually. He officially launched ProTime Handyman in November 2024, serving the Charlotte metro area. He zeroed in on retirees, a segment that often owns homes outright but lacks the time or ability to maintain them. "I had to make an initial investment in the company — an investment in myself," Smith said. "People don't bet on themselves; they bet on others. I said, I'm going to bet on myself. "While he has only one full-time employee, he has hired on staff as many as 10 people. Depending on the size of a project, Smith says he will scale up to 15 people for various jobs. His goal is to eventually put people on payroll as the business grows and lands longer-term contracts. Helping customers with their needsOne of the ways ProTime stands out, Smith says, is by helping customers consider their needs. He recalled talking one customer out of a $45,000 kitchen demo and pitching a refresh instead (new cabinet color, countertops, lighting and flooring) for a fraction of the price. ProTime Handyman, a full-service repair, maintenance and renovation companyTwo moments stand out to Smith as proof that he made the right call in leaving corporate life. The first was a job for two nuns in Monroe, N. C. , with a broken, mold-infested shower door. He said he fixed it and never charged them for the mold remediation. "You would've thought I gave them a million dollars," Smith recalled. "They were so happy and grateful. "The second was an emergency call from a customer whose attic overflow tank burst, flooding her garage and ceiling. Smith dropped his plans and drove over, quoted her $750 for a remediation job he could have charged $2,000 for, and walked her through what to tell her insurance company for the rest. "This is what my business is all about," he said. "How can I give back and make people's lives better?"Lessons learned and next stepsThe work hasn't come without hard lessons. With older customers, especially, Smith found himself underpricing jobs out of empathy. "I have a big heart, and oftentimes I give too much and don't expect as much in return," he said. "I had to take my heart out of things and get transactional to a certain extent. ” He continues to give discounts to customers who need them most. Looking back, though, he says he wouldn't change his timing or approach — a bet he'd make again, without hesitation. He has contracts with Home Depot and Lowe's, with a long-term goal of a retail partnership that would let customers book a repair or install the moment they check out. He's also planning to launch a tiny-home initiative, building affordable housing units between 500 and 1,500 square feet that customers could lease with an option to buy. In the coming months, he's looking to hire and train new helpers from the community that he serves. That instinct traces back to his corporate days, when he managed as many as 25 direct reports. He wants ProTime Handyman to offer new hires the same thing: not just a paycheck, but a mentor. "Oftentimes, especially younger adults, they don't have a mentor that they can rely on that have experience," he said. "If I make myself and my company successful, how can I impact the community positively?"