At 18, I ran home yelling, 'We're rich!' My dad quickly proved me wrong.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

And it all started with the lessons my dad taught me: how to work with my hands and how to work with people.