After spending 27 years in the U.S. Air Force, Ron Sanders wanted to step outside the box and start his own business.
In 2017, after taking a new job in the Las Vegas area, his boss introduced him to a sandwich shop called Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop.
“I had never heard of this shop before and my wife and I really liked it when we tried it,” Sanders said.
When his Nevada job didn’t work out, Sanders and his wife moved to Colorado, where his wife, Christen, wanted to open a restaurant so the two began looking into franchises.
“I thought about the sandwich shop and was interested in opening a Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop in Colorado,” he said. “It just felt like home.”
After working to open the shop in 2020, COVID hit and delayed his ability to open the sandwich shop in Colorado Springs.
“COVID hitting was hard because we had planned to open in 2020 and it just made things complicated,” he said.
Because of Sanders’ dedication and determination, the shop ended up opening in Dec. 2021. Sanders said that the military helped him become the successful entrepreneur he is today.
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“Other people struggle with having people skills and organizational skills,” he said. “So having those skills, among others, has really helped me.”
Sanders said the ability to look at the big picture and understand what has to get done in order to be successful, is an important key.
“Another thing I really have enjoyed is being able to lead, coach and train people at the sandwich shop, just like I did in the military,” he said. “And it’s great to bring in new people and help them grow.”
But Sanders can’t take all the credit in his success; his dad was a huge inspiration.
“My dad was a military guy and taught me growing up to trust my NCO’s and listen to them while also learning to balance life and work,” he said. “That has translated over into me owning a successful business.”
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Since the Colorado Springs sandwich shop has been a success, Sanders and his wife are in the process of opening a new Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop in El Paso County in late June.
But they won’t stop there. They plan to open up to five sandwich shops in the county.
“We have really enjoyed owning a business and want to continue to open more and more,” he said.