Last week I had the privilege of spending three days with Canada’s most trusted contractor, Mike Holmes as we promoted his two new Make It Right titles, Make It Right: Kitchens & Bathrooms and Make It Right: Attics and Basements. We spent a Saturday afternoon at Costco meeting fans and signing books (well, he signed books), Monday and Tuesday driving all around the city for various TV and radio interviews, and a lovely evening at Chapter’s Queensway meeting more fans and signing more books (again, it was really only his signature that people wanted).
I’ve compiled a list of my Top 5 Mike Holmes Moments – but let me be clear: it was tough to pick just five!
1. Mike has a little competition: At the Saturday afternoon Costco signing, Mike was approached by an 8 year old boy who walked up to him, crossed his arms, looked Mike in the eye, and warned, “Watch out: you’re going to have some competition, because I’m going to be the next Mike Holmes when I grow up.” Mike was thrilled by this fan’s confidence, and loves the fact that boys and girls like this will be the future of his industry!
2. Speaking of boys and girls, Mike empowers women! I loved hearing Mike talk about wanting to get women into the trades, recognizing that, as in all industries, having more women in the field will only make it better! He was great with his young female fans that approached him for his signature – always encouraging them to get into the business.
3. And speaking of women…well, women love Mike. There were many fans of both genders approaching Mike for advice, but I couldn’t count the number of women who sidled up to me and whispered in my ear that they wish he had shown up in his overalls!
4. I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but Mike is kind of famous. This was my first time out with an author where I really couldn’t go anywhere with him without getting stopped by fans. When we went to Costco for an interview with ET Canada, we had fans coming up and grabbing books to be signed by Mike before we could even get the camera set up! And as we finished lunch at the Rosedale Diner, fans started approaching Mike to tell him how much they appreciated all the work he does. One man drove three hours to surprise his wife with meeting Mike on her birthday at the Costco signing! Mike is extremely gracious, and takes the time to acknowledge all his fans, and while I can imagine it can be tiring, it was fun to soak up some celeb-like attention for a couple of days.
5. Mike gives great advice: I spent a lot of time with Mike driving from interview to interview, and as we got to chatting, Mike gave me lots of great advice – about home buying, financial planning, my career, and maybe even about boys! By far my favourite moments with Mike were the times I got to hang out with him and chat like friends (see the picture above – don’t we look like old friends?).
I would like to add that I also had some wonderful moments with Mike’s colleagues Amanda and Liza. Like most successful people, Mike has clearly surrounded himself with the best, and I was happy for the chance to meet them!
Meghan
Follow me on twitter @meghanpaton
Start reading Make It Right: Kitchens and Bathrooms by Mike Holmes
Start reading Make It Right: Attics and Basements by Mike Holmes
Check out the Mike Holmes Make It Right app!
