Mike Fletcher

One afternoon not long ago, Mike Fletcher of Lehigh Acres was at his condo installing a fan and a neighbor and friend of his mom came over.

“She was watching me put up the fan and she jokingly asked my mom if she could rent her son to do something like putting up a fan at her house, too,” Fletcher said.

His mom laughed and replied,”Sure you can rent him, he’ll do the work for you and you’ll be satisfied.”

That was when Mike Fletcher’s business literally began.

“I like the sound of what my mom said and thought to myself ‘that’s a good name for my business’ and I’m going to use it,” he laughed.

The idea caught on Fletcher who was already doing odds and ends for people, decided it would make it official and he named his company Rent Inc.

Word of mouth got around and before Fletcher knew it, he was getting calls and he had to hire another person part-time just to keep with the demands.

That was back in 2003 and Fletcher says things have been going strong every since. In face, when asked how business was during the recession, he modestly said he was doing well.

Rent a Son is a 24/7 business, Fletcher said.

“I have my cell phone all the time, 24/7 and if someone calls me in the night for help, I will do what has to be done,” he said. That number is 239-470-0615.

Much of his success can be attributed to the fact that he is a nice guy, a trustworthy guy who is licensed to do what he does, and that he is well connected, too.

Being well connected, Fletcher said, is knowing someone who can do something that he can’t.

“I have a long list of people I trust, people who won’t cheat people and take them for what they’re worth. I call on these people and they don’t let me down.”

In 2006, he was named by the County Commission as its Businessman of the Year.

Before beginning his Rent A Son, he worked for a cable television company, but he didn’t like the way he said some people were treated by them, so he left his job.

He said he believes his business is successful because during these uncertain times,there are unscrupulous people out there who are coming to people’s home and giving them estimates that are far too high to fix a simple problem.

He’ll do anything you need having done from pressure cleaning to pulling weeds. If you think you have a problem with a major appliance, he’ll come out and repair it. If it’s major and he is unable to do the work, he will refer you to someone who can, someone he says will treat you right.

That what it means when he says he has connections. Those who people he trusts when he make any referrals.

And he said his prices are fair, mainly because he is “a fast worker.”

“I’m from Massachusetts and we fast workers,” he laughed.

Asked what probably the strangest chore he has been asked to do and it was this past Thanksgiving, when someone called him for his service and asked him to find two turkey drumsticks to go with her small turkey breast that the woman had ordered for the holiday.

“She said her husband wanted two turkey drumsticks because he didn’t care for the white meat. He didn’t want the smokey kind and that was the wife could find.

“I’ll get ’em, he promised on his cell phone.

“I’ve drink people to the the casino at Biloxi, Mississippi, and to the local at Immokalee.

“I’ve put up flag poles for folks; you name it and I’ll see that it gets resolved,” he said.

He has a long list of snowbirds who have asked him to keep an eye on their properties. He has keys to each of the homes and during the summer, he keeps an eagle open to make sure nobody has broken into the house or done vandalism.

“A lot of people call me when they have a major cost come up, like just recently when an older woman called me and told me her air conditioning wasn’t working and when she called for a service call, the man gave her such a high figure, she became upset and knew she didn’t feel right about it.

So she called Rent a Son and Fletcher came out and told her she was being taken by someone, and that the unit could be fixed for very little money and he would send someone out, and he did.

His grandmother is Delores Fletcher and her grandson has been living here for about seven years.

“Hello, this is Mike,” answering his cell phone. “You think you need a garage opener, I’ll get right back in touch with you,” he said, as he stopped to answer his phone during the interview.

“I always follow up with my customers, too,” he said. If I have had to refer them, I want to make sure things went right.”

His grandmother says her grandson has earned a good reputation in Lehigh. She said people know they can trust him and he won’t rob them.

I’m always here; my office is my cell phone and that is what I do, answer the calls, do their work, or get someone else to do it if I know I can’t.

“But I guarantee you that it will be someone who know what they are doing and they won’t rob you either,” he said. They’re the type of people I stay connected to.