The concept of making something new — or new again — is very familiar to John Rozsypal, “Rozy” to his friends.
John Rozsypal, CCI of Southeastern Michigan
The old-school architect, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is accustomed to using the fine point of liner pens and drafting pencils to hand-sketch custom homes, additions and renovations. But after 45 years in the design business, Rozy and his wife Mary — a former marketing executive for multi-billion-dollar companies in corporate America — are building something new for themselves. They are building what they hope will be a monopoly in southeast Michigan in the leather, vinyl, plastic and fabric goods repair industry, through their Creative Colors International franchise business.
The nation’s leading on-site repair and restoration franchise is giving the Rozsypals a late-in-life career (she’s 59 and he’s 67) that hits all the right marks. No more cross-country and overseas travel. No more sitting in an office all day. No more working on someone else’s schedule. No more working for Wall Street. As a bonus, Creative Colors appealed to the couple’s creative side; and gave them an opportunity to work side by side, with their hands, in a business model with great potential.
“We hit the jackpot with this,” said Rozy. “It’s an art form that really drew me in. There is instant satisfaction, unlike in the house building business.”
Rozy recalls the moment he was sold on Creative Colors. He was at “Discovery Day” at the home office in Chicago to learn more about what makes CCI so special and discovered what he called “the magic.”
“It was that ‘aha!’ moment when I saw them take something that looked beyond repair, bring it back to life and look like new again,” Rozy explained. “Now I do that, and people are amazed every day at what we can do. They say, ‘Are you some kind of magician?’ It’s the magic of the repair process. And everybody loves magic!”
Executive-Style Owners
The Rozsypals started with one van, as Rozy hit the road to build a loyal customer base with his repair work. Now he gets booked for service a month in advance and gets calls from 3–4 hours away. That’s how good he is.
“He is very good at making repairs and making them look superb,” Mary boasts of her husband. “He is an artist and a perfectionist and has really developed a reputation as being the best.”
Although Rozy enjoys getting out and building relationships and gaining the respect of his clients, he also has bigger plans — more growth as an enterprising executive-style owner.
In the first year, the Rozsypals added a second service van and technician and have plans to add a third soon. They aspire to be executive-style owners who gradually build up their fleet of vans and technicians and even add new territories.
“It’s exciting. We are moving toward the place we want to be in building the business. Within a few years, we hope to be at the level where we can step back and just manage the business,” said Mary.
In the meantime, Rozy strategically schedules his days and is working on developing programs with customers for routine service calls so that he has the flexibility to schedule some long golf weekends.
Just another perk of being your own boss in the Creative Colors International franchise family.
If you would like to learn more about franchise opportunities available in new and expanding markets, visit us today to learn how you can build a thriving business at CCI.
