Featured Franchisee Spotlight!

The Trujillo’s Story

In 2017 Marc Trujillo was working as a highly trained mechanic for Lexus. He had been in the job for 10 years, taking part in their training and certification program. While he was working for Lexus he met Bill Sachse, Bill would come into the dealership where Marc worked. If you have met Bill, you probably know that he is personable. You might even say chatty. Marc and Bill got to know each other; over time and shooting pool they became friends. As friends do, they talked about Marc and Chelzie’s baby on the way and the benefits of managing your own schedule and income with a Color Glo Franchise. As luck, or divine intervention would have it, Bill was selling his territory, and a deal was made.

The Early Days

Marc and Chelzie welcomed baby Aurora into their lives 8 years ago, just as Marc was starting his Color Glo business. With a new baby at home, Marc did his training with Bill in Colorado and got to work. During his first couple of years of working with Color Glo, Marc mastered repairs and restorations. He perfected the systems that Bill taught him and made them work in a variety of applications. Color matching is always tricky; it was the one thing that demanded the most practice.

Perfecting the Craft

Repairing plastic is one skill that Marc has perfected. It’s a great area for expansion; there are so many possibilities not only for vehicles but in homes and businesses.  All Color Glo professionals have their moments. One day while repairing a door panel on an Infinity, the kind that should probably be replaced, Marc had set his heat gun down next to him. Sometimes when you set a heat gun down, the heat control gets bumped. This was one of those times.  Not willing to give up, Marc thought he would try one more thing. He grabbed the gun and pointed it at the door panel and watched in horror as it burned a 3” hole in the door panel. For sure it needed to be replaced after that. I’m sure we can all relate. That repair was no-charge.

Advice From Marc

Because Marc purchased an active territory, he did not need to do much marketing in the beginning. He likes to show his appreciation by bringing doughnuts and doing a few extras for his clients. Referrals are always welcome!  Some tips from Marc on building and keeping a successful business include:

• being clear on what to expect from a repair.

• always do the best work possible.

• Understand the value of your business and your hard work.

• be sure to price your services in a way that is fair to you and your customer.  

Marc isn’t looking at expansion right now, he does know that there is untapped potential all around him. He said finding the right person is key. And while retiring isn’t in sight, he wants to set himself up to be able to sell his franchise when the time comes.