We recently had the chance to connect with Mr. & Mrs. Fix-It and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Mr. & Mrs. Fix-It , we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for us always starts with a much-needed cup of coffee before we wrangle the kids off to school. Once that’s done, the real work begins. Most mornings include analyzing the day’s job site, picking up materials, and checking in with our small crew, who often take on independent projects while we’re on another. We usually tackle at least one full job a day, whether it’s a repair, remodel, or something in between.
By midday, we pause for a quick break—sometimes it’s a proper lunch, but more often it’s those “highly nutritious” gas station snacks (gotta love the contractor lifestyle). Dennis, being the perfectionist that he is, spends the last few hours of the workday fine-tuning details and making sure every project meets our standards before we call it done. One thing we always take pride in is leaving a space cleaner than we found it—our mess never stays behind.
After work, it’s back to family mode: cooking dinner, helping with homework, and making time to just be together before we reset and do it all over again the next day.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We’re Dennis and Charlotte Peña, the husband-and-wife team behind Mr. & Mrs. Fix-It, a local home repair and remodeling company serving Middle Tennessee. What makes our brand special is that we’re not just contractors—we’re a family-run business that treats every client like a neighbor. From drywall and painting to remodels and repairs, we’ve built our reputation on honesty, affordability, and the kind of personal touch you don’t always find with bigger companies.
What really sets us apart is the way we balance it all—we’ve got a small, trusted crew that handles independent projects, but Dennis and I are deeply involved in every step, from scheduling and planning to making sure the final details are perfect. We take a lot of pride in leaving behind work that not only looks great but lasts.
Right now, we’re heading into one of our favorite times of the year—exterior lighting season! Whether it’s holiday lights that make a home sparkle or permanent smart home lighting that keeps your space glowing year-round, we love bringing that extra bit of joy and curb appeal to families in our community.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told us who we had to be, Dennis was serving in the Navy and Charlotte was teaching in the classroom. Those roles shaped us in discipline, patience, and hard work, but we knew deep down that our dream was to build something of our own together. So we stepped away from our full-time careers and took the leap into running Mr. & Mrs. Fix-It—a business that lets us combine our skills, serve our community, and create the life we truly wanted.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
One thing we’ve changed our mind about after failing hard is the idea that we had to do everything ourselves. In the beginning, we tried to juggle every single role—estimating, scheduling, bookkeeping, jobsite work—without asking for help. It quickly became overwhelming and led to burnout. Failing at “doing it all” taught us that building a successful business isn’t about carrying the entire load alone—it’s about teamwork, trusting our crew, and leaning into each other’s strengths. That shift in mindset has not only made us better business owners but also given us more balance at home with our kids. Failure is also a part of life.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
For us, the truths that are so foundational we rarely even say them out loud are pretty simple: family comes first, hard work pays off, and honesty matters. Those values guide everything we do, whether it’s raising our kids or running Mr. & Mrs. Fix-It. We believe in treating clients like neighbors, doing the job right the first time, and standing by our word. It’s not something we feel the need to constantly explain—it’s just how we live and how we work every single day.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Today, we’re investing in building a business that we know won’t fully pay off for years to come. The reality is that most small businesses don’t turn a real profit until the 7–10 year mark, and we’re only three years into growing Mr. & Mrs. Fix-It. It’s a grind—long hours, reinvesting into tools, marketing, and our crew—but we see it as laying the foundation for something bigger. Every project we complete, every relationship we build, and every lesson we learn now is setting us up for long-term stability and limitless potential for growth.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mrandmrsfixit_tn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19jECcV2Z3/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Image Credits
Megan Pinson – Prose Photography
