Barrie Blum of Copy Express says running a successful business requires a combination of hard work, a positive attitude and luck.

“I believe there are no problems, only solutions,” Blum said, pointing to a floating head shot of John Lennon above a picture of Jerry Garcia, two of Blum’s idols. The phrase was first coined by Lennon in his song, “Watching the Wheels,” and Blum has used it to guide his decisions through 20 years of service.

When he first took over the business, Fountain Hills Reprographics serviced the local real estate industry - printing blueprints for new residential and commercial builds. During the 2007-2008 housing crunch, Blum’s blueprints were no longer a popular complimentary good, prompting him to change his name to Copy Express, and expand his business to encompass graphic design, banners, copying and more.

Despite his diversification, Blum, along with many others, were feeling the pinch financially and emotionally. It was around this time when a woman entered his store wearing a shirt that bore the name Cox Communications.

“Before she could even say a word, I go, ‘I am not buying anything. No offense, it’s just not gonna happen,’” Blum said.

What Blum thought was a door-to-door sales agent was in fact an offer to run a third-party exclusive retail store for the telecommunications giant out of his print shop.

“That kinda marked the bottom of things for me,” Blum recalled, who began to see an uptick in customers and later expanded into the adjacent office space to house the two businesses.

The Cox representative found Blum through a chance encounter with a colleague who happened to mention Blum’s name. This was the type of luck that Blum says contributed to his success, and it came around again as the pandemic crept through communities across the world.

“Blueprints and telecommunication services were designated as essential services,” Blum said. “My sales went up because people started doing a lot of stuff at home and not going on vacation.”

As the housing market started to heat up, he began to churn out more blueprints again. Now, Blum splits his time running the two businesses and works part-time with his wife.

Blum moved to Fountain Hills in the summer of 2002 after spending two decades working in finance for a major banking chain in California. He wanted to nix the stress of corporate life in exchange for desert living.

“I liked the idea of boring,” Blum said of his initial business venture in Fountain Hills Reprographics. “I didn’t need stress anymore; I’d been there, done that.”

Despite receiving a degree in accountancy from California State University, Northridge, with the amount of graphic design and printing he does, Blum relies on his time studying art at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

During his 20 years in Fountain Hills, Blum has found ways to give back to causes that he cares about including the Boys & Girls Club, food banks and most recently the Red Cross in Ukraine. One charity that is close to him is Fred’s Bikes, which provides new bikes, helmets and locks to children whose family cannot afford a bike. The charity began after the passing of his younger brother, Fred, whose passion was cycling.

“I was pretty sad, but there’s no problems, only solutions,” Blum said, reiterating his motto. The charity soon became affiliated with Phoenix Children’s Foundation, where kids would compete in academic contests based on grades and class attendance to earn a bicycle.

A father to two accomplished entrepreneurs, Blum is hesitant to take credit for their success, saying their mother’s positive influence and their own work ethic earned them their success. However, with a resilient and enterprising spirit such as Blum’s, it is easy to see his children had a good example to follow.