What if knowing nothing about your industry was actually your greatest strength?

For many entrepreneurs, the path to success starts with technical expertise—they master their craft and then build a business around it. Carrie Kelsch took the opposite approach.

In 2004, she was encouraged to start a garage door business, despite having zero experience in the field. Instead of seeing this as a limitation, she used it to her advantage.

By focusing on leadership, marketing, and scalable systems rather than being a technician, Carrie transformed A Plus Garage Doors from a small operation into a $35 million revenue company with 30% EBITDA margins.

Her ability to step back from day-to-day operations made her business highly attractive to acquirers. In 2024, she sold a majority stake to Guild Garage Group, a private equity-backed home services roll-up, in a deal valuing the business at $70 million.

Her story is a blueprint for working on your business—not in it—to achieve a high-value exit.

Carrie didn’t pick up a wrench—and that was intentional. Instead of being a technician, she focused on building a scalable business.

What You Will Learn:

• Why not knowing the industry helped Carrie scale faster
• The key systems and strategies that made her business attractive to acquirers
• How she structured her exit for both immediate liquidity and long-term upside
• The biggest mistakes business owners make when preparing for an exit
• How you can apply these principles to increase the value of your own business

The Case Study: Scaling Through Leadership, Not Expertise

Starting with Zero Experience—And Why That Was an Advantage

When Carrie was first encouraged to start a garage door business, she had no technical knowledge about repairs or installations. Most entrepreneurs in the home services space start as technicians, learning the trade before they scale up.

But Carrie never picked up a wrench—and that was intentional.

• She didn’t install doors.
• She didn’t handle service calls.
• She didn’t train as a technician.

Instead, she focused entirely on:

• Branding & marketing – Establishing A Plus Garage Doors as a premium service
• Hiring and leadership – Finding the right people to run the day-to-day operations
• Building scalable systems – Creating an infrastructure that allowed the business to grow without her involvement

This approach forced her to build a company, not a job. Many small business owners struggle because they remain deeply involved in operations. Carrie, on the other hand, ensured from the beginning that her business would thrive without her.

How Carrie Scaled A Plus Garage Doors to a $35M Business

By 2022, A Plus Garage Doors had reached $35M in revenue with 30% EBITDA margins. Here’s how she did it:

1. Delegating and Building a Strong Leadership Team

Many business owners struggle to let go of control. But Carrie understood early on that she couldn’t scale a company alone.

• Hired industry experts to run operations while she focused on growth
• Developed a strong management team to oversee technicians and customer service
• Created profit-sharing incentives to align key employees with business performance

Key takeaway: If your business operations depend on you to function each day, it’s not a sellable asset—it’s just a high-paying job.

Actionable Tip: Start documenting the tasks you do daily. Which ones can you delegate? What hires would allow you to fully remove yourself from day-to-day operations?

2. Investing in Systems & Process Automation

Carrie knew that processes, not people, should run the business. By implementing standardized operating procedures (SOPs) and automation, she reduced reliance on individuals.

• Developed step-by-step SOPs for everything from customer intake to service calls
• Implemented CRM and job management software to track performance and automate scheduling
• Built a training system to onboard new hires efficiently

Result: These systems increased productivity, reduced errors, and made the business more scalable.

Actionable Tip: Review your current processes—are they documented? If a key team member left tomorrow, would your business be able to continue without disruption?

3. Branding and Marketing—Not Just Word of Mouth

Most small home services businesses rely on referrals and word-of-mouth marketing. Carrie took a different approach.

• Invested heavily in SEO, paid ads, and local search rankings
• Created a premium customer experience to differentiate from lower-cost competitors
• Built a recognizable brand in the home services industry

Why this mattered for the exit: Buyers weren’t just purchasing a revenue stream—they were acquiring a scalable brand with strong marketing and repeatable lead generation.

Actionable Tip: If your business relies solely on referrals, start diversifying. Create a predictable marketing strategy which might include SEO, paid ads, and social media presence just like Carrie. 

4. Aligning Incentives to Retain Key Employees

Employee turnover is one of the biggest risks in a service business. Carrie mitigated this by:

• Offering phantom equity & performance-based bonuses to top managers
• Implementing a clear career path for technicians to increase retention
• Creating a strong company culture that emphasized professionalism and growth

Why this mattered for the exit: Acquirers look for businesses with a stable leadership team that will stay on after the sale.

Actionable Tip: Who are the key employees that drive the most value in your business? Have you structured incentives to ensure they stay long-term?

If your business relies solely on you, it’s not a company—it’s a job. The less your business depends on you, the more valuable it becomes.

The $70M Exit to Private Equity

By 2024, A Plus Garage Doors was an ideal acquisition target for private equity. The business had:

• Strong brand recognition
• Scalable systems & processes
• Consistently high profit margins (30% EBITDA)
• A leadership team that could run the business without the owner

Carrie sold a majority stake to Guild Garage Group, a PE-backed home services platform.

• Valuation: ~$70M
• EBITDA Multiple: 10-11x
• Structure: Immediate cash + retained equity for future upside

Because she had already stepped back from day-to-day operations, the transition was seamless.

Actionable Tip: Buyers want a business, not a job. What steps can you take in the next 6-12 months to reduce your company’s reliance on you?

Key Lessons for Business Owners Preparing for an Exit

Work on Your Business, Not in It

• The less your business depends on you, the more valuable it is.
• Build a leadership team and let them run the operations.

Systematize Everything

• Document processes, automate where possible, and reduce reliance on individuals.
• Acquirers want scalable businesses with repeatable success.

Invest in Marketing & Branding

• A strong brand makes your business more sellable.
• Buyers want predictable lead generation, not just word-of-mouth referrals.

Align Incentives to Keep Key Employees

• Buyers want to see that your team will stick around post-sale.
• Profit-sharing and career growth plans help retain top talent.

Acquirers don’t just buy revenue—they buy systems, leadership, and a business that can grow without its founder.

Conclusion: Is Your Business Sellable?

Carrie Kelsch’s journey proves that a strong leader with the right systems can build an extraordinary business—without being a technical expert.

Her $70M exit was the result of strategic delegation, process automation, and a relentless focus on growth.

Thinking about your own exit? How sellable is your business without you in it?

Additional Resources 

• Home Services Home Run: How Carrie Kelsch Built and Sold a $35M Business: Carrie’s exit story as told on the Built to Sell podcast. 
• The Overlooked Key to a Successful Scale-Up: Understanding key elements of successfully scaling a business where you have no prior experience. 
• Guild Garage Group Announces Partnership with A Plus Garage Doors: Details of the Exit Acquisition.