Why This Air Force Veteran Is Turning To Entrepreneurship with TruBlue Total House Care

After losing his 67-year-old mother to cancer in 2020, Stephen Schester, an Air Force veteran of 23 years, started to question his own mortality and what he wanted to accomplish while he was still alive. He also came to the end of his military career and chose to retire a year later. He soon learned terrible news shortly after retiring, that his grandmother now had cancer. Schester had to go back to his hometown in Michigan to help his family care for their dying loved one. When she passed shortly after, he lost his mother and grandmother, less than a year apart.

“After my grandmother’s funeral, something felt different inside of me,” said Schester. “I buried my mother and grandmother in back-to-back years, retired from the Air Force, in my mid-forties, not married, no kids and asked myself, is this what’s life about? I didn’t need to work technically. I could’ve just enjoyed retirement, but I wanted more in life than just sitting at the pool, collecting a government check.” 

The Road to TruBlue

Schester eventually moved to Tampa and applied for a variety of jobs but had a challenging time finding a good match. He did not want to waste valuable time on a job that did not bring purpose to his life. Then the idea of business ownership started to intrigue him, so he explored it further. He then discovered TruBlue Total House Care, the franchise that provides subscription-based home maintenance and handyman services, for busy adults and seniors. Schester saw a way to not only turn his personal experience of loss by helping others, but also follow his newfound entrepreneurial aspirations. 

“I was always being told what to do in the Air Force, but now I wanted to be my own boss,” said Schester. “I had my doubts and wasn’t sure if I was qualified enough to own a business. I reached out to the original owner of a TruBlue here in North Tampa, who was ready to sell. I didn’t know anything about handyman work and was never interested in doing it either. I preferred to hire people to do it.”

Yet, the more he researched the TruBlue business model, the more he liked what he saw. He realized he could hire the handymen, and his main job would be to manage and oversee operations of the franchise. 

“The biggest thing for people to know about franchising is that you’re going into it with help from corporate,” said Schester. “I can’t imagine starting from scratch without that assistance. It removes some stress, but not all, from owning a business. It is your job to run it, but you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.”

Additionally, Schester knew from personal experience that there will always be a demand for TruBlue’s services. 

“Everyone needs to take care of their home, owning one myself in the past,” Schester said. “It’s your biggest investment. I tried getting my grandma to sell her oversized house multiple times, but she wanted to stay there. I understand how important that is for the elderly. In Florida, there is a huge market for those who want to age in place and need their home modified for their safety. When I mention the business TruBlue in conversations, I was amazed at how many complaints I came across regarding the handyman industry and how hard it is to find good help. I see it as an opportunity to make my mark in the industry.”

A New Purpose

Schester officially purchased TruBlue of North Tampa in November of 2022 and is fully operational, providing customers with five-star service in 2023 and beyond.

“Being in the military, you’re taught to have integrity and do the job right, no matter how long it takes, and I'm bringing that to my business,” he said. “The aging community, along with busy families and those little jobs that contractors won’t do, is our focus. It’s important for homeowners to spend their time where they want, not on repairs. My goal is to be the number one handyman service in all of Tampa. With customers struggling to find someone just to show up or pick up the phone, I have a head start on the competition.”

With a personal story of loss and major life changes, some veterans or prospective entrepreneurs may be eager to follow in Schester’s footsteps. “Learn to take risks,” he says. 

“You can’t listen to the nagging fear inside your head all the time,” said Schester. “I don’t know what will happen in the future, but you got to make a move. Of course, take your time and ask questions, even the ones that seem silly. I’m a first-time business owner and have so much to learn. When I have my bad days or my doubts, I think about the risk I took and remind myself that your time on earth is brief.” 

Now, as awareness around aging in place continues to increase and TruBlue makes waves in the industry, the TruBlue team is excited to continue welcoming new franchise owners like Schester into their system. 

“Busy adults and seniors are increasingly in need of our trustworthy home services, which is why TruBlue has been expanding rapidly over the past few years,” said Sean Fitzgerald, TruBlue’s president. “Now, we intend to keep that momentum going as we make major gains toward our goal of over 200 units by 2025. We are looking for qualified, passionate, and community-driven professionals to help us expand our footprint and establish ourselves as the leading provider of home maintenance services for busy adults and seniors.”