Tim Allen is building a multimillion-dollar business based on marketing Tim Allen.

The 42-year-old actor-comedian, who plays the handyman host of a how-to cable TV show on his series, will introduce his own line of tools later this month that his manager, Richard Baker, confidently predicts will reach annual sales of $100 million. Test sales last June were phenomenal with one item, a $20 autographed hammer, selling 40,000 units in only a few weeks.

Allen has an exclusive contract with Envision Industries in Reading, Ohio, manufacturer of the tools, which before its deal with Allen had only ten employees and annual sales of $2 million. The project was initiated after Envision finally got one of its tools into Allen's hands and he was impressed with its quality and design. He negotiated for the production of a signature line, including an $89 starter set. In three weeks of test sales of the signature line, the company sold $2.5 million worth of Allen power drills alone.

Thanks to Andrea Dennninger for sending this article.