My story: Five years ago, I was watching the Sex and the City episode where Samantha can't hang new curtains by herself. It made me think: Why doesn't she have the right tools? And if she did, what would they look like? Having worked in construction practically my entire postcollege life, I knew there wasn't a hammer or a screwdriver with an iota of style, let alone the right grip and weight distribution for a woman's hand. Then it hit me. I sat up and said, I'm going to make tools for women.

Femme-friendly hammers were all well and good, but to succeed I needed to build a lifestyle brand. That meant creating buzz—lots of it. I had to tell my compelling story to the right people. I was an unknown, but I'd done something few women had done: From 1995 to 2002, I'd run my own New York City construction company and worked on everything from Carnegie Hall to Polo Ralph Lauren stores. Ironically, at home I was very much like Samantha. Fix a leaky faucet? I left those tasks to my husband, a fellow contractor. When we divorced in 2001, he took the tools and suddenly I had to hang my son's basketball hoop myself. To brand my story simply but directly—buzz principle number one—I splashed Barbara K! on all my products.

Which brings me to my second principle of buzz: Attach a big idea to your product. Instead of tackling home improvement, I decided to go after self-improvement. I knew firsthand that when a woman patches a wall, hangs a picture or fixes a wobbly chair, she feels empowered. So I made sure my tool kits included instructions on what to actually do with the tools, along with a level, hammer, hooks and everything necessary to complete a task--like hanging a picture.

To launch my business, I raided my savings—all $50,000 of it—and hired a business-plan expert, a money-raising pro and an industrial designer. After developing a tool-kit prototype, I flew to Taiwan and convinced a major tool manufacturer to partner with me. Then I came home and cold-called JCPenney, Bloomingdale's and Linens 'n Things. Why not The Home Depot? I figured "women's stores" would create more buzz.

When I started landing six-figure orders six months later, I knew I was on my way. But building a brand—which I'm only just beginning to do—means constant innovation. You have to give the media a reason to keep talking about you. So I've added a dorm survival kit and a roadside safety kit to my product line. Currently I'm working on a kit for girls. But I have competition for the kids' market. My son, Zach, is pitching me on Zach K!—his own tool idea for boys. Could be a buzz bonanza.

Lessons
1 Good design gets attention. I went against the grain and designed a product for women that's blue and gray, not pink. I created a curved case that looked like a handbag. I wanted a tool kit that was thin enough to put in a kitchen drawer and attractive enough to leave out on the counter.
2 Let success breed more success. Once my tool kit debuted, I had the name recognition to write a book (my latest: Invest in Your Nest). A book gave me the recognition to be an AOL home-improvement coach. With each success, you create buzz and then trade on that to climb a little higher. My latest venture: chic, sturdy and stainproof barbara k! clothing.

3 It pays to think big. I decided I wanted a manager, so I sent a business plan along with my best tools to Joe Simpson, father of Jessica and Ashlee. I thought he would get who I was. We met, and he agreed to represent me. Now I have a TV show in the works: You Can Do It With Barbara K! is slated to be on E!'s Style Network this fall.

4 Tenacity triumphs. Get on the phone and don't hang up until you get a yes. When I wanted to place my products in Bloomingdale's, I cold-called the housewares buyer and through sheer persistence arranged a meeting. Then I asked if my wares could be featured in a window display. I'm here to tell you that chutzpah works: The answer was yes.