When he first launched his family’s Ace Handyman Services business in 2021, Robert Moschorak's wife, Samantha, had to remind him he no longer worked in corporate America.

“She told me to stop using the corporate buzzwords like ‘thrive’ and ‘survive’ when talking to our employees,” said Moschorak, followed by an eye roll and a smile. “To be perfectly frank, it wasn’t an easy transition for me. I was used to having 200 employees report to me in some of my past roles. I now have my beloved family and about a dozen craftsmen.”

Moschorak, whose 35-year career included lead franchise development roles at Midas, Bally Total Fitness and Ace Hardware, reinvented himself as an Ace Handyman franchisee with four territories in central Florida. He said the new business venture reinvigorated his career and brought his family closer together.

Moschorak is an articulate businessman who gets philosophical when talking about his professional life. He referred to his dramatic career switch, going from franchisor of global brands to franchisee, as a “kind of renaissance in my career ladder.”

“I’m loving this journey that we’re on now,” said Moschorak, president and co-owner with his wife of Ace Handyman Services of Central Florida. “For the first time in my career, I own my own company and I feel like I have control. Plus, I get to work with my wife, my son and my father-in-law now. How good is that?”

The four Ace Handyman territories the Moschoraks operate are in Brandon, Celebration, Lakeland and Plant City, which covers the Interstate 4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando. In the multi-generational family business, Samantha Moschorak runs the home office in Lakeland while her husband handles field operations and marketing. The Moschoraks’ son, Nicholas, is a junior craftsman apprentice, and Samantha’s father, Michael Bynoe, a painter by trade, helps supervise the company’s craftsmen.

Just three years after signing their agreement with Ace Handyman, the Moschoraks’ business has been recognized by corporate for its overall sales success. In its first 90 days of operation, revenue soared to put it in the top 10 systemwide in a brand with 393 territories in 47 states. The business ranked seventh last year in sales for the system.

Average sales for multi-unit Ace Handyman franchisees operating for more than three years were $846,409 in 2023, according to the company’s franchise disclosure document. While Moschorak didn’t share sales specifics, he did confirm the family’s four locations continue to perform well and that their average ticket runs about $800.

Moschorak said his decades in franchising mean he’s set some lofty expectations for himself and his Ace Handyman business. As the former president and general manager of Ace Hardware International from 2010 to 2015 and a managing director at Bally Total Fitness from 2005 to 2009, he led franchising and corporate sales for multimillion-dollar global brands.

Moschorak cut his teeth in franchising with Midas, where he held a number of executive positions including chief operating officer for the development in Spain. There, he helped guide expansion from 30 to 100 locations. He also supervised master franchise operations for the brand in Brazil.

He said his years of experience in franchising taught him several invaluable lessons about running a successful business. He used the analogy of tacking a sailboat to steering a powerboat when comparing going from franchisor to franchisee.

“When you run your own company, you can drive the business from the center and then you focus on execution and adjustments,” he said. “Being a franchisee is all about leading by inspiration and by guidance. A lot of it is the motivation of your team.”

Moschorak said owning his own business is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. He said he was determined to make his family’s business successful from the start because “what I found in franchising is that the first 12 to 18 months you’re open determines the future of your business.”

“If you start fast and your volume is in the top 25 percent with the brand, that’s how your business usually continues,” he said. “If you start average, you’ll stay average. I’ve seen it time and time again during my years on the franchisor side,” he said.