At TruBlue Home Service Ally, a national franchise providing handyman services, home maintenance and senior home modifications, women franchisees are proving that leadership in the trades isn’t about swinging the hammer — it’s about building relationships and delivering meaningful service to the community.
The stories of Dara Sharma, owner of TruBlue of Franklin and Brentwood, Tennessee, and Paula Pasquinelli, owner of TruBlue of North Pittsburgh, illustrate how women from diverse professional backgrounds are using franchising to create businesses that combine purpose, leadership and opportunity.
Before becoming a TruBlue franchisee, Sharma spent more than two decades building a successful career in interior design, architecture and construction in the Nashville area. Her experience included designing healthcare facilities, universities, commercial offices and luxury residential spaces. Yet after years of climbing the corporate ladder, Sharma realized she wanted something more.
Opening a TruBlue franchise gave her the opportunity to take control of her career while creating a business that aligned with her values and experience.
Today, Sharma leads TruBlue of Franklin and Brentwood, focusing on serving busy families and helping seniors safely age in place. But equally important to her is building a team that creates opportunities for other women in the industry.
“I have a handywoman who was working with us as an assistant, and she has been with the company for over two years now,” Sharma said. “As we’ve grown, she’s been able to grow in her role as a handywomen, gain more skills, as well as be involved in the day to day operations of the business. That has allowed me to step back from the day-to-day operations and be more involved with the marketing and networking side of the business.”
That evolution in her team recently led to a promotion that Sharma says she’s especially proud of. “I recently promoted her to have more responsibilities within the company, and now there are two women making this TruBlue franchise a success,” Sharma said. “We are always happy to help people start a new career path and offer training in certain trades.”
While Sharma entered the business with a strong background in design and construction, she emphasizes that the TruBlue franchise model supports entrepreneurs from diverse professional backgrounds.
“There are many TruBlue owners who are women that have no background in construction or handyman services or repair and maintenance,” she said. “I would say don’t be scared to venture out into something you don’t know — the support team has your back.”
She gives some of that credit to TruBlue’s corporate support network and franchise community as major reasons for her growth over the past three years. “I leaned heavily into the corporate team and other TruBlue owners who may have gone through similar growth challenges and growing pains,” Sharma said. “Other franchisees were always there to help and offer advice.”
For Sharma, owning a TruBlue franchise isn’t about personally performing every repair. “We are set up to hire team leads who have years of experience in the industry, so the business is really about building relationships with our customer and with the Trublue team,” she said. “While I may not be able to do the repairs myself, I know how to heavily lean on my team, be a good communicator, organize the jobs and take care of the customers.”
And increasingly, Sharma sees women playing a larger role in an industry that once excluded them. “There is really a movement right now in the construction industry with women becoming contractors, builders, and business owners of trades companies — it’s not just a man’s world anymore,” she said. “My customers also love working with a woman in this industry because they feel a little more comfortable sharing their feedback and getting the attention to detail that they are looking for.”
Pasquinelli's path to franchising was a little different. She'd spent her career in health care technology and nonprofit work, with a focus on services for older adults. Through that, she saw firsthand how tough it can be for seniors to stay safe in their own homes. When she discovered TruBlue, she saw an opportunity to address a real need in her community while running her own business.
She purchased an existing TruBlue territory in North Pittsburgh, allowing her to begin operations with an established customer base. “We hit the ground running because we already had a good customer base that trusted the company and the technicians,” Pasquinelli said.
Since then, the business has grown steadily. “We started out with just a few technicians, and we now have six employees,” she said. “We are doing more work in the senior space, more home modifications to help people stay safe at home.”
Those senior-focused services are the part of the business she finds most rewarding. “That is my favorite part of the business — home safety assessments and talking to seniors to understand what support they need,” Pasquinelli said.
The franchise has also allowed Pasquinelli to combine business ownership with something equally meaningful: working alongside her family.
“One of the reasons I bought this business was so that I could work with my sister,” she said. “She had been living out of state for almost 10 years. When she moved back to Pittsburgh, I wanted to reconnect and make sure we stayed close. She works with me now, which has been so great.”
Having that trusted support system has helped Pasquinelli maintain balance as the business has grown. “I’ve been able to maintain a good work-life balance because I have trust in my sister and the team,” she said.
Like Sharma, Pasquinelli initially wondered how customers might respond to a woman leading a handyman and home services company. Instead, she found it became an advantage.
“When it comes to a woman owning a handyman business, I was a little worried because I can’t physically do the work, and I thought maybe customers wouldn’t believe I was credible,” she said. “But I found the opposite to be true. In any space, being a female entrepreneur is a valuable asset. If you put the work into it, people do trust you. They trust me, maybe even more, because I am a woman succeeding in a man’s industry.”
She encourages other women who may be considering entrepreneurship to embrace the opportunity, even if it feels uncertain at first.
“For any female entrepreneur, the hardest part is making the decision to leap because it is risky,” she said. “But there is no reward if you don’t take risks. You just have to be ready for a ride.”
As more women enter industries like construction, property maintenance and home services, the definition of leadership in those sectors is evolving.
Franchise systems like TruBlue are helping accelerate that shift by providing structured processes, training and support that empower entrepreneurs from a wide range of professional backgrounds.
Whether empowering women on their teams, helping seniors age in place or creating opportunities for their families, both franchisees represent a new generation of business owners redefining what success looks like in the home services industry.
“There is really a movement happening right now,” Sharma said. “Women are stepping into these roles and proving that they belong in this industry.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/trubluehousecare/info.
TruBlue Home Service Ally
SPONSORED
Women entrepreneurs are thriving in historically male-dominated fields like home services and construction, building successful companies and reshaping expectations about business leadership.
At TruBlue Home Service Ally, a national franchise providing handyman services, home maintenance and senior home modifications, women franchisees are proving that leadership in the trades isn’t about swinging the hammer — it’s about building relationships and delivering meaningful service to the community.
The stories of Dara Sharma, owner of TruBlue of Franklin and Brentwood, Tennessee, and Paula Pasquinelli, owner of TruBlue of North Pittsburgh, illustrate how women from diverse professional backgrounds are using franchising to create businesses that combine purpose, leadership and opportunity.
Before becoming a TruBlue franchisee, Sharma spent more than two decades building a successful career in interior design, architecture and construction in the Nashville area. Her experience included designing healthcare facilities, universities, commercial offices and luxury residential spaces. Yet after years of climbing the corporate ladder, Sharma realized she wanted something more.
Opening a TruBlue franchise gave her the opportunity to take control of her career while creating a business that aligned with her values and experience.
Today, Sharma leads TruBlue of Franklin and Brentwood, focusing on serving busy families and helping seniors safely age in place. But equally important to her is building a team that creates opportunities for other women in the industry.
“I have a handywoman who was working with us as an assistant, and she has been with the company for over two years now,” Sharma said. “As we’ve grown, she’s been able to grow in her role as a handywomen, gain more skills, as well as be involved in the day to day operations of the business. That has allowed me to step back from the day-to-day operations and be more involved with the marketing and networking side of the business.”
That evolution in her team recently led to a promotion that Sharma says she’s especially proud of. “I recently promoted her to have more responsibilities within the company, and now there are two women making this TruBlue franchise a success,” Sharma said. “We are always happy to help people start a new career path and offer training in certain trades.”
While Sharma entered the business with a strong background in design and construction, she emphasizes that the TruBlue franchise model supports entrepreneurs from diverse professional backgrounds.
“There are many TruBlue owners who are women that have no background in construction or handyman services or repair and maintenance,” she said. “I would say don’t be scared to venture out into something you don’t know — the support team has your back.”
She gives some of that credit to TruBlue’s corporate support network and franchise community as major reasons for her growth over the past three years. “I leaned heavily into the corporate team and other TruBlue owners who may have gone through similar growth challenges and growing pains,” Sharma said. “Other franchisees were always there to help and offer advice.”
For Sharma, owning a TruBlue franchise isn’t about personally performing every repair. “We are set up to hire team leads who have years of experience in the industry, so the business is really about building relationships with our customer and with the Trublue team,” she said. “While I may not be able to do the repairs myself, I know how to heavily lean on my team, be a good communicator, organize the jobs and take care of the customers.”
And increasingly, Sharma sees women playing a larger role in an industry that once excluded them. “There is really a movement right now in the construction industry with women becoming contractors, builders, and business owners of trades companies — it’s not just a man’s world anymore,” she said. “My customers also love working with a woman in this industry because they feel a little more comfortable sharing their feedback and getting the attention to detail that they are looking for.”
Pasquinelli's path to franchising was a little different. She'd spent her career in health care technology and nonprofit work, with a focus on services for older adults. Through that, she saw firsthand how tough it can be for seniors to stay safe in their own homes. When she discovered TruBlue, she saw an opportunity to address a real need in her community while running her own business.
She purchased an existing TruBlue territory in North Pittsburgh, allowing her to begin operations with an established customer base. “We hit the ground running because we already had a good customer base that trusted the company and the technicians,” Pasquinelli said.
Since then, the business has grown steadily. “We started out with just a few technicians, and we now have six employees,” she said. “We are doing more work in the senior space, more home modifications to help people stay safe at home.”
Those senior-focused services are the part of the business she finds most rewarding. “That is my favorite part of the business — home safety assessments and talking to seniors to understand what support they need,” Pasquinelli said.
The franchise has also allowed Pasquinelli to combine business ownership with something equally meaningful: working alongside her family.
“One of the reasons I bought this business was so that I could work with my sister,” she said. “She had been living out of state for almost 10 years. When she moved back to Pittsburgh, I wanted to reconnect and make sure we stayed close. She works with me now, which has been so great.”
Having that trusted support system has helped Pasquinelli maintain balance as the business has grown. “I’ve been able to maintain a good work-life balance because I have trust in my sister and the team,” she said.
Like Sharma, Pasquinelli initially wondered how customers might respond to a woman leading a handyman and home services company. Instead, she found it became an advantage.
“When it comes to a woman owning a handyman business, I was a little worried because I can’t physically do the work, and I thought maybe customers wouldn’t believe I was credible,” she said. “But I found the opposite to be true. In any space, being a female entrepreneur is a valuable asset. If you put the work into it, people do trust you. They trust me, maybe even more, because I am a woman succeeding in a man’s industry.”
She encourages other women who may be considering entrepreneurship to embrace the opportunity, even if it feels uncertain at first.
“For any female entrepreneur, the hardest part is making the decision to leap because it is risky,” she said. “But there is no reward if you don’t take risks. You just have to be ready for a ride.”
As more women enter industries like construction, property maintenance and home services, the definition of leadership in those sectors is evolving.
Franchise systems like TruBlue are helping accelerate that shift by providing structured processes, training and support that empower entrepreneurs from a wide range of professional backgrounds.
Whether empowering women on their teams, helping seniors age in place or creating opportunities for their families, both franchisees represent a new generation of business owners redefining what success looks like in the home services industry.
“There is really a movement happening right now,” Sharma said. “Women are stepping into these roles and proving that they belong in this industry.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/trubluehousecare/info.
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