The first Ace Handyman Services office was in the basement of Andy's Denver home, where he conducted business from a sheet of plywood placed atop an unused pool table. On that spot, he opened a phone book and began calling people randomly to ask two questions: "What are the biggest frustrations you experience when dealing with a repairman doing work in your home?" and "What would make the experience better?" Some 200 calls later, a clear pattern had emerged, and Andy was on his way to creating a more customer-friendly home repair business based on a simple credo:
We show up on time, looking and behaving in a courteous, professional manner, communicating clearly with our customers about every aspect of the job, and leaving the area cleaner than before we arrived.
The results were immediate—and overwhelmingly positive, so much so that Andy was encouraged enough to open a second office in Boulder a year later. He further proved the durability of the concept by testing it in California with three additional locations. The success there led to the decision to franchise the concept. Ace Handyman Services currently has 125 territories in 23 states.
"When we began, 'handyman' wasn't even a category in the phone book," Andy says. "I'm proud of the fact that we helped initiate that listing as a professional concept, one that has slowly gained acceptance and added respectability."
