Page 7 - BusinessWest February 3, 2025

higher risk, there’s higher liability,” she said, adding that there was an involved ramp-up to getting started, including attainment of sev- eral certifications.
She started with a 2006 Honda Odyssey minivan (that is still in service) and the requisite ambition. But she knew she needed more, so she quickly sought out many of the resources within the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, starting with EforAll Holyoke, now EforAll Pioneer Valley.
She would also take part in programs put on by Valley Venture Mentors, the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network, Interise, and others, while being mentored by several suc- cessful Black business owners, including Mychal Connolly, a serial entrepreneur and owner of Stand Out Truck. And with that support, she has grown the business, pivoted to providing services to agen- cies and school systems in addition to parents, and broadened her reach to communities in the Berkshires.
Samalid Hogan, CEO and principal consultant for Greylock Management Consulting and former director of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center’s Western Mass. office, is another of her mentors.
She described Rozki as having a real thirst for learning and someone determined to do what was needed to get her business off on the ground and on the right track.
“She was very motivated and tenacious in pursuit of this busi- ness,” Hogan said. “She’s very dedicated to improving her knowl- edge on how to run her business, and it’s great to see, several years later, that she’s at the point where she’s looking to grow even more.”
Route Causes
There have been many ups and downs along the way, most nota- bly the pandemic, which closed schools for a large portion of 2020. But Rozki is now on what she considers solid footing, or pavement, with plans to serve more communities, perhaps expand into other states, and move into a larger facility with room for a bigger fleet of vehicles; at present, her buses are housed on a lot in Springfield.
“I love Western Mass., and I want to be in every city in our area,”
she told BusinessWest. “I’d love to be in every state, God willing; there’s a lot of potential for growth, but I have to make sure I build a solid team and am able to grow effectively. I don’t want to grow for the sake of growth; I want to have quality transportation. That’s the most important thing to me — quality and safety.”
While growing her company, Rozki is also a frequent speaker at events hosted by agencies promoting entrepreneurship and support- ing entrepreneurs, and her message resonates on many levels.
Indeed, she is the first in her family to start a business, and she started from the ground up, with an idea, an apparent need, and a little capital.
And, like all entrepreneurs, she’s found that the road to success has many curves — and a number of potholes.
“It’s amazing to work for yourself, but it’s hard,” she said. “Who- ever says it’s easy isn’t telling the truth. But I knew there was a need, so I keep following my heart and my passion.”
This is the advice she passes on to others who are pursuing their own dreams in keynote addresses for several agencies, from Common Capital to EforAll; from BECMA to the Pioneer Valley Conference for Women.
Her overriding message is one of empowerment.
“I tell them that they don’t need to come from a wealthy family — you can start with little or nothing and get to something big,” she said. “And I talk about persevering through the ups and downs.”
Rozki’s office features a small collection of model school buses. She found one in Puerto Rico while visiting there with friends and has added more of the years.
That collection mirrors the business itself in many ways, espe- cially in the way it has grown and reflects her passion for what she does.
With the real school buses in the parking lot, she intends to keep growing the fleet and thus extending this company’s reach. Like all that has come before it, this growth won’t come easily, but Rozki has the requisite drive, determination, and willingness to reach out to those who help and mentor her.
She’s not exactly in the driver’s seat — literally or figuratively — but she is on the road to success. BW
“I tell them that they don’t need to come from a wealthy family
— you can start with little or nothing and get to something
big. And I talk about persevering through the ups and downs.”
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