Today we’d like to introduce you to John Koza.
Thanks for sharing your story with us John. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Shortly after getting married and buying our first home in October 2015, my wife and I sat down and talked about the things we wanted in life. She talked about how she wanted to start a family as soon as possible. I talked about how my dream has always been to start my own business. With 12 years of experience and customers that trust me I was so ready to take the next step. I worked at multiple performance shops as well as maintenance shops. I was so eager to show my work and finally have my name on the vehicles. At the time I was working at a maintenance shop and doing side work at our home. When my loyal customers wanted me to do bigger jobs that required a lift, I was ready to begin my journey by opening my own shop!
In August 2016, we opened Koza Automotive & Performance in Schaumburg, IL. I worked in a 1,000 square foot space and soon realized that I was going to grow out of that quickly. A year later my hard worked and countless hours at the shop paid off. In August 2017 I expanded to a space in Carol Stream, IL that is 3,000 square feet and I now work off of 3 lifts!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running your own business is very different than working in a large company. It’s me working on the vehicles, answering the phones, checking out customers, ordering parts, managing social media. I juggle a lot of plates and keeping them straight can be a huge challenge. It’s hard to balance business and a social life. Friends and family are very understanding that I’m a one man shop but, at times it’s very difficult missing out on social gatherings. The countless hours I have spent at the shop is so exhausting and rewarding at the same time. My slogan is precision, speed and quality, I put 100 % into every vehicle I touch. No one taught me how to run my own business, I have learned over time the struggles and obstacles faced everyday with the unknown. The road hasn’t always been smooth but at the end of the day failure is not an option. I will always push forward to the next goal.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Koza Automotive & Performance – what should we know?
We do a wide variety of automotive work to any make and model vehicle. Whether it’s an oil change, brakes, suspension, or an engine rebuild we can do whatever desires/needs you may have. We do specialize in Gm Based Performance vehicles. We are known for building/designing turbo kits as well on many Chevy vehicles including Camaro, Trans Am, Chevy Ss, Pontiac G8, Cadillac Ctsv’s. We fabricate everything in house and have multiple results to prove our systems work under heavy abuse and Regular Street driven vehicles. What sets us apart from others is of course a fair price and being honest with customers on truly what is required and not just an upsell. You know you’re in good honest hands when we are working on your vehicle.
Contact Info:
- Address: 311 Village Drive
Carol Stream, IL 60188 - Website: Kozaauto.com
- Phone: 847-252-9946
- Email: Kozaautomotiveandperformance@yahoo.com
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