This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Charles Bonfiglio, CEO of Tint World. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I was only 18 when I walked into the family home in Brooklyn and told my mom, dad and sisters, “We’re rich!”
I showed them the order I’d just received: $1 million worth of products for a young lady’s clothing brand I’d designed. I was thrilled, but my dad — who operated a clothing factory in Brooklyn — flipped the paper over and read the fine print. I’d be paid 90 days after delivery, but I’d have to front the costs of production: about $500,000, my father guessed.
My dad offered to put his house up as collateral for a loan, but I wasn’t the type of kid who was going to risk the family home. So, I called the buyer back and explained I couldn’t fulfill the order.
I started selling at smaller mom-and-pop shops, rather than department stores, because I could produce clothing as-needed, rather than laying out capital up front.
I struggled to get a loan without an established brand
I learned an important lesson then: as an entrepreneur, you have to think about a whole business plan, not just creating something you’re passionate about.
I made decent money with my clothing line, and partnered with my brother-in-law to open a pizzeria. But I dreamed of opening an aftermarket stereo shop.
When I’d saved about $30,000 to invest in my business, I moved to Florida to start my stereo shop. I had drafted a business plan that told me it would cost about $80,000. I thought the numbers were great, but the bank wouldn’t give me a loan, and a landlord wouldn’t give me a lease. Both wanted to work with established brands.
My cousin got me into franchising
Around then, I attended a family wedding where I talked with a cousin who operated a Meineke Car Care Center. My dad and I visited his shop and saw he was happy, busy, and profitable. On the way home my dad told me, “Charles, take the path of least resistance.”
I took his advice. In the back of my head I figured I could learn from the franchise, and use that knowledge to open my own business later. The Meineke name opened doors: I was able to get a lease, and a loan through the Small Business Administration. Suddenly, everyone wanted to work with me, because Meineke was such a great brand.
Before too long I had three franchises: one to pay the bills, one for my toys — like the brand new Corvette I wanted — and one to pay for my real estate investments. When Meineke started to use computers, I volunteered to test them at my stores. Because of that I had quarterly meetings with all the C-suite executives, where I learned even more about running a business.
I bought a company to create my own franchise
By 2001 I owned 10 franchises, but I still had the dream of opening the business I’d always wanted: aftermarket auto enhancements.
I decided to buy an existing company, called Tint World, where I’d been taking my own vehicles. It had a cool name and six locations, and I would see it working well as a franchise.
In 2007, we signed with the first franchisees. I spent the next 17 years building the franchise model I would have wanted during my 30 years as a franchisee. Today, we have over 150 stores, with about 40 more in development.
My con convinced me to sell a portion of the business
I’d always hoped my son would take over the business, but after his junior year of college he sat my wife and I down and told us we should consider selling. He made some good points: about how hard we’d both worked, and how much we could make even selling a portion of the business. I thought about what my dad had said all those years ago about taking the path of least resistance.
In 2025, we sold a portion of the company to a private equity group. Unlike some founders, I loved going through the due diligence process. It gave me a chance to show off the systems I’d built that no one ever saw.
Today I’m very, very wealthy. And it all started with the lessons my dad taught me: how to work with my hands and how to work with people.
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