She Started a Niche Business in Her Basement with $10,000. Now It Does $113 Million in Sales: ‘Took Off Like a Rocket.’

Colette Bell and her husband, Andy Bell, began a handyman enterprise in Denver, Colorado, in 1998 after figuring out a singular want. 

They discovered that massive specialty contracting corporations didn’t need to do small tasks for householders. For instance, if somebody had one sticky window and referred to as a window firm, the agency needed to promote them 25 new home windows for his or her home. 

“We discovered that householders had a very exhausting time discovering any person skilled and dependable for small tasks,” Colette tells Entrepreneur in a brand new interview. “That was the area of interest market we constructed this enterprise to serve.”

They knew instantly that they’d struck gold. Their first 12 months in enterprise, the corporate “simply took off like a rocket,” Colette says.

They ended up franchising the enterprise, referred to as Handyman Issues, in 2001. Andy led the enterprise as CEO whereas Colette took on a number of management roles over time, together with chairman of the board. In 2018, they linked with Ace {Hardware}, which acquired the enterprise in 2019. 

“That is the one profession I’ve had my entire life,” Colette says. “For 28 years, I’ve been engaged on the handyman enterprise.”

Andy is now the CEO and president of Ace Handyman Providers, and Colette is the vp of franchise improvement, a place she has held since 2019. She continues to steer enlargement, serving to the model develop from 119 territories on the time of its 2019 acquisition to 383 territories as of April this 12 months, greater than tripling its footprint.

Ace Handyman Providers grew by 12% from 2024 to 2025, with complete gross sales exceeding $113 million in 2025.  

The next interview with Colette has been evenly edited for readability and concision.

Development ways

What have been the principle components that allowed the corporate to develop so shortly? What did you do to facilitate development?We set precise appointment instances and coach our workers that “in case you’re not early, you’re late.” They should arrive on time, look skilled and put on logoed shirts. In the event that they stroll up and see the trash cans nonetheless on the curb after pickup, we coach them to maneuver the cans again up the driveway — little issues that present we’re there to assist with the entire home, not only a single venture.

We do in depth follow-up: calling the day after to ensure the client is glad, and once more at 11 months as a result of we provide a one-year guarantee. Including that prime stage of customer support to a low-tech, fragmented business made a giant distinction.

Getting issues proper with franchising

Trying again at that 2001 determination to franchise, what did you get proper about franchising, and what did you underestimate about how exhausting it will be?We underestimated every part. However we did get a few vital issues proper. One was creating protected territories for franchise house owners delineated by ZIP codes. ZIP codes are clearly outlined by the submit workplace and have accessible demographic information, so we may construct territories utilizing that information. Franchise house owners then had protected territories and didn’t have to fret about competitors from neighboring house owners. We did that from day one.

The opposite factor we did proper, which was extra unintended, was our billing mannequin. Despite the fact that we’re a handyman enterprise and development typically estimates tasks as fastened greenback quantities, we determined to invoice prospects utilizing a time-and-materials format. Time is common — an hour is an hour all over the place. Pricing, however, varies considerably between, say, Connecticut and Arkansas or Illinois and California. As an alternative of attempting to pressure one common value construction throughout the U.S., we made time the fixed and allowed every proprietor to decide on their very own hourly price. 

That made the enterprise rather more possible in numerous markets. About 85% of our work is labor and solely about 15% is supplies, as a result of we give attention to small repairs and restorations, not massive remodels.

Selecting franchising over company areas

What satisfied you that this concept would scale higher by means of franchising than by means of company-owned areas?We realized that firsthand after we expanded to California. At one level, we have been successfully working six company areas — three in Colorado and three in California. We shortly realized we couldn’t give each worker, and due to this fact each buyer, the time and management they deserved.

It was clear this enterprise mannequin ought to be accessible throughout the U.S. Each home-owner deserves knowledgeable, dependable handyman service for small tasks, however there was no approach we may construct that nationally as a purely company chain — particularly since we began in our basement with $10,000, each little bit of financial savings we may scrape collectively. 

The franchise mannequin made nationwide enlargement potential as a result of it depends on native house owners rooted of their communities. Handyman companies are very community-centric; you’re principally working to your neighbors. Franchising suits the mannequin completely.

The most important shock about franchising

What’s one thing about franchising that stunned you?The most important shock — although everybody tells you this upfront — is how a lot the success or failure of the enterprise mannequin will depend on the connection between franchisor and franchise house owners. Till you’ve lived it, that doesn’t totally sink in. This relationship needs to be robust and reciprocal. It could possibly’t simply be the franchisor giving and the franchise house owners taking; franchisees additionally must contribute concepts and suggestions.

Early on, we had franchise house owners with incredible enterprise concepts we by no means would have developed on our personal, they usually have been prepared to share them so we may roll them out systemwide.

An amazing instance was throughout Covid, when the entire nation shut down, and nobody may enter prospects’ houses. We spent that downtime on convention calls with franchise house owners, determining the best way to make the enterprise as touchless as potential.

As an illustration, we used to take buyer signatures on invoices. Throughout Covid, we shifted to studying the contract language aloud and recording “verified by voice” as a substitute of a signature. 

Franchise house owners helped design new customary working procedures, which we rolled out to everybody. So after we have been designated important in April and will return to houses, we had safer, smarter procedures in place. That stage of assist and collaboration is important in franchising.

The best franchisee

For an entrepreneur evaluating Ace Handyman, how do you outline the perfect franchisee by way of background, expertise and mindset?Our house owners come from all types of backgrounds. Considered one of our prime franchisees is a former horticulturalist. Now we have individuals from finance, advertising, plant administration, a lot of veterans, former academics, and former coaches and mentors.

The by means of line is a ardour for bettering their neighborhood and robust management expertise. As an proprietor, you don’t go to each buyer’s home; our quantity is simply too excessive for that. The way in which you ship nice service is thru your workers, which implies you should be a superb chief. That features paying good wages, offering coaching and mentoring and providing actual development alternatives. Management is on the coronary heart of our most profitable franchisees.

For us, a crimson flag is when a potential proprietor focuses extra on cash than tradition and folks. Our enterprise has strong numbers — you don’t develop in any other case — but when the first focus is monetary, it usually isn’t a very good match.

How a lot does it price to begin an Ace Handyman franchise?In our 2026 franchise disclosure doc, Merchandise 7 reveals startup prices starting from $132,200 on the low finish to $226,000 on the excessive finish. That features a $70,000 franchise charge.

Lengthy-term imaginative and prescient

Whenever you think about Ace Handyman Providers 10 years from now, what does success appear to be for the model, for particular person house owners and for the shoppers they serve?First, success means our present franchise house owners are nonetheless right here. Longevity is essential in franchising. Ace has all the time believed in generational companies; many {hardware} shops have been handed down from great-great-grandparents by means of a number of generations.

In our system, we have already got franchise house owners who’ve been with us 24 years. I’m very pleased with that. They caught with us after we have been younger and figuring issues out and contributed concepts, ardour and solutions. We’ve seen transitions the place a father handed the enterprise to his daughter and uncles handed areas to nephews.

My purpose for the subsequent 10 years is that we’ll not solely broaden to cowl maybe half of the U.S., but in addition see extra of our areas develop into generational companies, with children taking on for his or her mother and father. That sort of longevity could be an actual measure of success.

Colette Bell and her husband, Andy Bell, began a handyman enterprise in Denver, Colorado, in 1998 after figuring out a singular want. 

They discovered that massive specialty contracting corporations didn’t need to do small tasks for householders. For instance, if somebody had one sticky window and referred to as a window firm, the agency needed to promote them 25 new home windows for his or her home. 

“We discovered that householders had a very exhausting time discovering any person skilled and dependable for small tasks,” Colette tells Entrepreneur in a brand new interview. “That was the area of interest market we constructed this enterprise to serve.”