Jeff Kinkade, TruBlue of North Johnson County

Jeff Kinkade knows the home services industry inside and out. After building a market-leading window and door replacement company in Kansas City, he stepped away from business — but never lost his passion for quality service. When his youngest son Will graduated from college, the duo decided to launch something new together, focusing on handyman and senior home modification services.

They found the perfect fit with TruBlue, a brand that not only offered a strong business model but also aligned with Jeff’s personal experience of watching his father struggle with mobility during the final years of his life.

Now, with TruBlue of North Johnson County officially open, Jeff and Will are bringing a shared drive to help families live more safely and comfortably at home.

Personal background

Jeff Kinkade: I’ve been in the home improvement industry my entire career. I started my own company in 2000 — focused on upper-end residential window and door replacement — and built it into a market leader in Kansas City over the next 20 years.

Eventually, we decided it was time to sell. The company is still thriving under new ownership, and I was technically retired for a few years. But I never lost interest in the industry.

My youngest son, Will, graduated college a year ago and had always been interested in the business, but was too young to be involved at the time. So we started looking around and landed on the handyman space. We evaluated all the major brands in that space, and when we broke down the benefits and value proposition of TruBlue, we felt they were superior in a lot of ways. We signed on in late winter and launched in the Kansas City area this past May.

Franchising experience

Jeff: It couldn’t have been just any franchise — inherently, franchising isn’t always the best system unless you’re with the right franchisor.

That said, I knew that if we partnered with the right group, a franchise could really help us facilitate a quicker startup, especially with the tools required in today’s market. For us, the investment was well worth it.

Jeff: I had conversations with multiple brands in this space, but I immediately sensed that TruBlue’s people were different — highly intelligent folks with a cohesive passion for their mission. That was infectious.

TruBlue business model

One of the biggest differentiators is their full-on commitment to setting franchisees up for success in senior home modification. That’s significant on multiple levels — it’s an attractive revenue stream and it meets a real, growing need. People want to stay in their homes longer, but they need modifications to make those homes safer.

The training TruBlue provides and the opportunities they offer in that space are pretty exciting.

Jeff: We’re already making good headway — in addition to Will and myself, we’ve built a team of four from day one.

We’re scaling to serve a broad range of clients with a robust menu of services. Our goals are aggressively realistic, and we’re off to a great start. We expect to be a vibrant company in a short period of time.

Personal motivation

Jeff: I watched my mother care for my father, who had Alzheimer’s, during and after COVID. As he became less mobile, navigating their home became really difficult. That stuck with me.

When I read more about the need for home safety modifications, it struck a personal chord. This is a chance to help people who need a service not many companies are offering — and do it through a strong business model.

Also, having Will involved is really exciting. His older brother was part of our previous business, and now I get to work with Will. It’s a family story, and we’re interested in helping other families.

Jeff: Push to ramp up quicker than you think you can. The opportunity and the need are so significant that there’s every reason to push through the fear and that initial instinct to be cautious.

Don’t hold back from hiring people or building your team early. Once the team is in place, the business will come. We’ve been fortunate to break through that glass ceiling — and I think others can too.

TruBlue Home Service Ally® provides a unique and affordable approach to helping busy adults and seniors live a worry-free life by offering trustworthy handyman, home maintenance and senior modification services. Helping you maintain your home both inside and out, TruBlue’s services include handyman projects and to-do list chores, preventative home maintenance programs, kitchen and bath remodels, seasonal work, and senior modification services, all handled by professional, bonded and insured Tru-Pro® Technicians. TruBlue franchise owners are required to complete senior home safety certification programs through the NAHB and Age Safe America.

As certified specialists, TruBlue franchisees are able to perform aging in place home safety assessments and can make recommended safety modifications as needed.