Handyman Connection’s own Patty Hatfield is Recognized During National Women’s Small Business Month!

In October, the reputation management experts over at WebPunch recognized National Women’s Small Business Month, featuring several spotlight articles on their Facebook page. One of their articles focused on Handyman Connection’s own Patty Hatfied, owner of Handyman Connection of NW Arkansas. We wanted to share their article and celebrate Patty and all of Handyman Connection’s women business owners for their dedication and perseverance!

Patty Hatfield co-owns and operates Handyman Connection of NW Arkansas. You guessed it, they provide handyman services to her hometown and Patty takes great pride in providing her community with a much needed service:

Patty says she’s a “hometown” girl and takes great pride in that. She was born, raised, and still lives and works in her hometown in Arkansas and for the past 11 years she’s been the co-owner and operator of a well-known franchise right where she wants to be.

For 15 years Patty worked during the day while her husband worked nights for FedEx. They rarely saw each other except the occasional pass-by in the mornings, or dinner in the evenings and maybe on the weekends. After their two daughters had left to start their own lives, Patty and her husband began looking for an opportunity they could both and enjoy growing together.

They ended up buying Handyman Connection of NW Arkansas. Patty knew the owners and knew that the franchise already had a great reputation in the area, which was important to her in choosing a new venture.

The first couple years were challenging for both Patty and her husband who had been working independently on their own accord. She and her husband had to learn the ropes and understand what their roles were in the business.

For the most part, Patty says they were able to apply their skills from their previous jobs to building the franchise. Eventually they found out how to maximize each other’s strengths: Patty had a background in sales, networking, bookkeeping and community engagement while her husband was familiar with management and field work.

“I’m thankful that we put our heads together and made it happen,” continues Patty. “I think that part was not always easy but it was certainly worthwhile in the end.”

And it showed. Within the first 11 months of purchasing the franchise, Patty and her husband showed higher profits than any previous year. They quickly started to tighten things up, managing inventory in relation to jobs and pushing hard to further the quality reputation in the town, which in-turn brought in more business.

People were quick to respect Patty as a woman business owner and while she does have pride in that aspect, where she really gleams is the fact that she operates a business in her hometown, a business that fills the void for many. There are plenty of homebuilders in the area willing to take on large, costly contracts projects, but there aren’t as many interested in working on the small to medium-sized contracts that Patty and her husband take on.

“The pride for me is being a part of the community I grew up in, contributing to the community, and providing a service for people that is lacking in the town,” says Patty.

Today she is involved in her local Springdale Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board and as an ambassador. Just recently were voted the Best of the Best for Handyman Service for the seventh year in a row—a testament to their consistent quality and commitment to the community.

As for women looking to start their own business or franchise, Patty says, “Get involved, join the chamber that your business is in, get involved in your community. It’s all about honesty and integrity.”