‘Every success is a personal one’: Meineke franchise owner on business and community connections
IT executive and Meineke franchise owner Edwin Fromayan on investing, running a technology-driven business, and giving back to the community.
Few people simply wake up one day and decide to operate an automotive-services center during their spare time. They’d have to be impulsive or at least lifelong car people who could resist indulging their passion no longer.
Edwin Fromayan is not one of those people.
Instead, the road that led the veteran tech-industry executive to opening his own Meineke Car Care Center was one marked by careful analysis, smart financial decision-making, and a survey of the different options available to him as he sought a way to diversify his personal investments – all without giving up his day job.
Historically, when investing in traditional securities like stocks, Edwin had always been good about identifying and investing in companies he believed in. Still, he realized that the satisfaction of investing in other people’s companies only extended so far.
“The romantic idea in terms of owning a business has always been something that’s been in my mindset,” Edwin says.
He considered whether he should start a new business from scratch. Or perhaps buy an existing one. But there was also a third option: “When I looked at the opportunities, one of them that came up was franchise ownership.”
Despite not coming from an automotive background, Edwin’s research indicated it was the right industry for him to target, and Meineke was the right brand. In 2021, he purchased a Meineke franchise and opened his store in Marietta, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.
Key factors in attracting Edwin to Meineke ownership were the support he could count on to get the business running initially, as well as the technology-driven operational systems that franchises leverage every day.
“I needed something from a viability standpoint that almost had a road map, meaning a proven methodology,” Edwin says. And based on his 25-plus years in the tech sector, it was always a given that “technology was going to be a huge influence and factor in the final decision.”
Edwin highlights the integrated, “100 percent digital” monitoring and notifications system that allows techs, managers, and customers to stay on top of each service visit as it unfolds. And even though he’s not personally inserted into the service process, Edwin is able to stay engaged throughout.
“They don’t need me to diagnose cars. They don’t need me to make customer calls. I still have my finger on everything that’s happening. I have complete insight into what’s going on and I can communicate in real time with the team there.”
Beyond the deep engagement Edwin has with his business, another value he’s discovered through franchise ownership is how it has enabled him to forge deeper connections with the community.
He participated as a sponsor in a charity golf tournament benefiting Heirborn Servants, a nonprofit whose Give Rides program provides vehicles and automotive services for single mothers impacted by trauma. Following that sponsorship, Edwin’s Meineke center continues to support the charity by donating repair services. Edwin says that, since opening his Meineke franchise, he’s been able to appreciate just how important a working vehicle can be for someone, so he jumped at the opportunity to support the Give Rides program.
“Your vehicle is an enabler,” he says. “It allows you freedom, the ability to generate income, to support yourself and your family. If that’s taken away, it makes life very challenging.”
While immersing himself in a new industry and discovering ways to give back to the community, Edwin has also enjoyed the diversification that his franchise provides from an investment and business-performance standpoint. Branching out from traditional Wall Street vehicles, where stock price and dividends are the primary metrics, Edwin appreciates being able to engage with real-time KPIs like cash flow and operating profit, both as the owner of a business and the manager of his own portfolio.
But, Edwin says, “it’s not by accident. It’s planning, having the right people running it, et cetera.” Even in his semi-passive capacity as owner, he’s had to put in the time. “It’s because of the sweat equity.”
Ultimately, that emphasis on hard work and smart planning is something Edwin had no trouble bringing from the corporate world to a Meineke center. The secret, Edwin says, is understanding that every success – be it in the form of corporate leadership or helping a single mom get back on her feet – is an interpersonal one.
“Whether I’m having a conversation with a CEO/CIO, it’s the same-level engagement as I do with the team at the facility, the vendors, dealing with them and the customers. In the end, it’s the same thing. It boils down to just people.”
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Editor's Note: Some of Edwin's remarks in this story were made during an appearance on Atlanta Franchise Today on the Atlanta Small Business Network. Watch that appearance and hear more from Edwin about his journey into franchise ownership.