Self-Proclaimed Car Guy Follows His Passion to Tint World Franchise Success

Blog June 18, 2024 4 min to read

With over 4,000 franchise concepts on the market today, it’s important to focus on finding a franchise opportunity that ignites your passion. Such is the case with John Mitchell and his successful Tint World franchise in Pensacola, Florida. John is a self-described “car guy” who previously enjoyed a successful career in automotive accessory sales and a stint in the events industry. These experiences, combined with his passion for all things automotive, made Tint World a unanimous choice to go with for owning a franchise of his own. In fact, he never seriously considered any other alternatives. That said, it wasn’t a pleasant Sunday drive during the early months, as he faced staffing issues right off the starting grid. Undeterred, John learned how to do the tint installations himself, proving his “whatever it takes” attitude is destined to take him quite far as a business owner—perhaps all the way to Victory Lane. In this article, John shares his journey to franchise ownership and entrepreneurial success.

Why did you purchase a Tint World franchise rather than start an independent business?

Rather than starting my own business, I purchased a franchise for the corporate backing—the name recognition, marketing, branding, and operational templates that create a plug-and-play start-up.

Were you focused on a specific industry or brand from the start?

Yes, I have always had a passion for the automotive industry. I found Tint World through my previous career in automotive accessory sales and knew it would be a perfect fit from the beginning.

Which of your prior skills and experiences are most helpful in operating your business?

My lifetime love and experience in the car industry gave me the knowledge to make my franchise a success. In addition, my previous management jobs in the event industry are where I gained the additional customer service and management skills necessary to run a successful business.

When researching franchises to buy, what criteria mattered to you most?

Honestly, I only researched the Tint World franchise. It was about opening my own business and doing what I loved, not just owning any franchise with the potential for success.

Did you speak with other Tint World franchise owners?

Yes, Tint World has a great validation and introductory process. Before finalizing my decision, I participated in four different validation calls and visited the Tint World Headquarters. I asked questions about how long it took to open and make a profit, how many employees they had, the best approach for finding and retaining top talent, best practices, and whether they were happy with their choice to become a Tint World franchisee.

Which questions did you ask the Tint World leadership team?

When we attended the Discovery Day at Tint World Franchise Headquarters, we asked specific questions about locations (size, layout, etc.) and toured current locations. We also discussed marketing, opportunities for multiple locations, and general business practices and systems.

What were your biggest challenges when you first started out?

Attracting talent was by far my biggest challenge in opening the doors. Our opening was actually delayed by about five months due to location availability and securing qualified employees. Eventually, we reached a point where we had to open, so we took who we could get at the time. Our options were very limited, and I even had to learn how to perform installations myself in the first few months. However, we’ve managed to overcome those challenging times and are better for it. That being said, talent acquisition and keeping great employees still continue to be a daily challenge.

How does the Tint World franchise support and encourage your success?

The Tint World franchise provides training for employees and techs, access to supportive vendors, marketing and social media presence, and a dedicated operations manager to help get you up and running. The franchisor also hosts an annual convention to unite all franchisees, fostering a great community and collaborative support system.

What are you most proud of and why?

I’m most proud of how far we have come in just one year. Six months in, it was still a rocky road, but we persevered, and now our business is booming.