Gavidia credits ColorTyme franchisee Mike Houseworth, for whom he worked for six years, for helping him achieve his goals. "You see the efforts and graciousness of many of the owners. They pave the way for you to go out on your own."
Mike Gavidia, ColorTyme Franchisee

Mike and Lisa Gavidia. Mike has worked throughout the central Florida region. He said opening their store in Gainesville, home of the famed Florida Gators, will be to their advantage.

Listen to podcast interviews with ColorTyme executives and franchisees. PLAY : Bob Bloom - President, ColorTyme PLAY : Amy Woods - Director of Marketing, ColorTyme PLAY : Ken Schimpf - 2006 Franchisee of the Year PLAY : Rick Rineberg - Franchisee PLAY : Tom Neyhart - Franchisee

Mike Gavidia worked in the rent-to-own industry for almost 20 years when he decided that he wanted to own his own business. But for him and his wife Lisa, the prudent thing was to explore several RTO franchising options before they settled on purchasing a ColorTyme franchise. It didn't take Mike long, however, to figure out that RTO was in his heart. On September 15, the Gavidias got their opportunity to be store owners when they opened their first ColorTyme location in Gainesville, Florida.

"When rent-to-own is in your blood, it's in your blood," said Gavidia, of their decision to open a RTO franchise. "We took a break and were able to see what other RTO opportunities were out there. After careful investigation, we came to the conclusion that ColorTyme was head and shoulders above the rest."

Gavidia credits ColorTyme franchisee Mike Houseworth, for whom he worked for six years, for helping him achieve his professional goals.

"You see the efforts and graciousness of many of the owners. They pave the way for you to go out on your own," he said. "Working with Bob Bloom and Pat Sumner, there were no hoops to jump through, no red tape. They simply provided the vehicle necessary for us to get going."

Gavidia, who began his RTO career in 1987, has worked throughout the central Florida region. He said opening their store in Gainesville, home of the famed Florida Gators, will be to their advantage.

Gavidia credits ColorTyme franchisee Mike Houseworth, for whom he worked for six years, for helping him achieve his professional goals. Gavidia is seen here accepting ColorTyme's Gold award with Mike and Jill Houseworth and ColorTyme President Bob Bloom (left) at the 2005 ColorTyme Winter Operations Meeting in Dallas, Texas.

"Our market is different because we're in a college town with about 60,000 students," Gavidia said. "Our clients will be the people who support the students."  

The Gavidias intend to specialize in high-end items like flat screen televisions and computers, but they expect superior customer service to give them a competitive edge.

"With a lot of companies, once they get established they forget what got them to the top and who helped them grow," Gavidia said. "We don't want to forget that taking care of the customer comes first because that's what is going to make us successful." 

ColorTyme, Inc. is the oldest franchised rent-to-own company in the United States with approximately 206 traditional rent-to-own stores, one pay day loan store and seven custom wheel and tire stores for a total of 214 stores. The company was founded by Willie Talley 26 years ago.