The Journey Behind Donnie McMillan Jr Building DaBella

Donnie McMillan Jr.'s journey to becoming the founder and CEO of DaBella, a thriving home improvement company with 57 locations across 22 states, was never part of his original career plan. Instead, his path was shaped by unexpected turns, resilience, and a commitment to people that would eventually define his leadership style.

From Computer Sales to Windows

"Yeah, no, it was a complete accident. Actually," McMillan candidly admits when asked about his entry into the home improvement industry. His professional life began far from roofing and windows - he started in computer sales. "For the first few of those years, I was selling computers, believe it or not, which is kind of odd, because I can't turn one on currently. But back in the day, I'm gonna date myself, Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 was a fun little time to be a computer salesperson," McMillan recalls.

This technology sales role seemed to be setting his career trajectory until an unexpected disruption occurred. "The company I worked for is called Future Shop. But it went out of business," McMillan explains. When his manager at the time noticed McMillan was struggling to find "a suitable position in that industry anymore," he arranged an interview that would change McMillan's career path entirely.

That pivotal moment led McMillan into home improvement sales, where he sold windows for 12 years at his next company. While this transition wasn't by design, it provided McMillan with valuable experience and industry knowledge that would later serve as the foundation for DaBella.

Distinction Between Construction and Home Improvement

As McMillan built his expertise in this new field, he developed a clear understanding of the distinction between construction and home improvement. "Construction and home improvement are two very different things," he emphasizes. "In my opinion, construction firms build something. And home improvement is kind of like the ugly stepsister to construction."

He elaborates on this distinction with a touch of humor: "We're gonna go out there after you guys do your job right? And 20 years later, re-side their house or put a new roof on or windows." This perspective gave McMillan insights into the unique challenges and opportunities in the home improvement sector.

The Unexpected Beginning of DaBella

McMillan's entrepreneurial journey began not from a burning desire to start his own company but from necessity when his employer shut down. At his previous company, he had worked his way up from salesperson to National Sales Manager, eventually becoming President before the closure.

"I didn't think I had a choice but to start the company, to be brutally honest," McMillan reveals. "The last company I worked for, I was promoted from National Sales Manager. I worked up through the ranks from being a salesperson up to actually, the last time I had the president of the company to shut it down."

The closure left not just McMillan but many colleagues in a difficult position. "My best friend at the time and a few other people kept saying, 'What are we going to do?' And I said, 'I'm gonna become a bartender.' And they said, 'That's not gonna work for us.'"

Feeling the responsibility to provide for those who had worked alongside him, McMillan leaped into entrepreneurship. "I kind of feel like I was forced to start this thing, to be honest. So I started with 12 people who were remnants of the former company. They all needed a place to go," he explains.

Building From the Ground Up

In 2011, the same year his twins David and Isabella were born, McMillan founded DaBella, naming the company after his children. According to the Qualified Remodeler profile, this naming choice was intentional: "When we started the company, we wanted to make sure we had a family atmosphere, so I named it after my two twins, David and Isabella. I wanted to name the company [after them] so everybody could keep it in their mind that this is all about family."

The beginning was modest but promising. McMillan gathered what he describes as "12 very high-powered, capable people that helped me start this company." This founding team brought valuable experience and shared McMillan's vision for building something meaningful.

Their loyalty speaks volumes about McMillan's leadership—remarkably, "I still have five of them that work here today," he notes, demonstrating the strong foundation upon which DaBella was built.

From these accidental beginnings, McMillan transformed what could have been a career setback into an opportunity to build something meaningful. What started as a necessity has grown into a thriving business that spans 20 states, with ambitions to expand "from sea to shining sea."

The accidental entrepreneur's journey continues to unfold, but Donnie McMillan Jr.'s unexpected path demonstrates how embracing life's unexpected turns with resilience, people-focused values, and determination can lead to extraordinary outcomes.