Entrepreneur · Brand Builder · Investor

DavidMcKinnon

Four decades spotting opportunity, building brands people recognize, and backing the entrepreneurs who build what's next.

Read the story The brands built

Years

building companies

1,000+

Franchises

across six countries

Countries

global footprint

Recessions

navigated and outlasted

01 — The Throughline

A builder, not a bystander.

David McKinnon has spent forty years doing one thing exceptionally well: seeing an opportunity in the market, building a brand people recognize, and helping other entrepreneurs do the same.

His interests have spanned technology, home services, business-to-business telephony, and consumer products. As co-founder of Service Brands International, he grew Molly Maid, Mr. Handyman, ProTect Painters, and 1-800-DryClean into more than 1,000 franchises across six countries.

He built — and kept building — straight through three major downturns, including the dot-com bust and the Great Recession. Today he invests in the public and private markets through TriniD, and endows a global program that hands the next generation the same shot he took.

Read the full profile →

02 — Brands Built

Brands you already know.

David co-founded Service Brands International in 2001 with partners Lynn Drayton and Bob Ufer, scaling a family of home-services brands into a global franchise network — three of them acquired by the Dwyer Group in 2015. The brands operate today under new ownership.

Molly Maid

Residential Cleaning

The residential home-cleaning brand David brought to the U.S. in 1984 and grew into a franchise network.

Mr. Handyman

Home Repair

Professional home repair and improvement, delivered through a national franchise network.

ProTect Painters

Residential Painting

Residential and commercial painting, built on a repeatable franchise model.

1-800-DryClean

Dry Cleaning

Pickup-and-delivery dry cleaning, franchised under the Service Brands International umbrella.

1984

Molly Maid brought to the U.S.

2001

Service Brands International founded

Brands built under one roof

2015

Acquired by the Dwyer Group

03 — Today

Where the capital goes now.

Through TriniD, David invests in the public and private markets and partners with growing entrepreneurial companies across healthcare, consumer, and technology.

TriniD Capital

Public Markets · 2011

Built as an alternative to the large institutions — investing in public markets with the goal of double-digit compounding over time.

trinid.com →

TriniD Ventures

Private Equity · 2015

Private equity and transformative partnerships for growing entrepreneurial companies.

trinid.com →

04 — Legacy

Handing the next generation the same shot.

In 2015, David endowed the International Franchise Association Foundation's NextGen in Franchising program — a worldwide initiative supporting young entrepreneurs as they launch and scale their first brands.

Each year, NextGen runs a global contest for aspiring franchisors. The winner receives the David McKinnon Global Entrepreneurship Award.

Learn about the IFA Foundation →

The Award

The David McKinnon Global Entrepreneurship Award

Presented each year to the winner of NextGen's global contest for aspiring franchisors.

05 — Recognition