Solving entrepreneurial challenges by tackling them head on
To celebrate Women’s History Month, we’re speaking with some of the inspiring women in the Driven Brands portfolio. Meet Crystal Robinson, owner of the Meineke Car Care Center in Slidell, Louisiana.
It all started with a sharp eye and asking some questions. Little did Crystal Robinson know that her initiative, attention to detail, and knack for problem-solving would result in opening a Meineke franchise.
In 2015, Crystal and her husband, LeMoine, left their full-time jobs. As a couple, they were interested in diving headfirst into entrepreneurship. Later that year, they opened their own insurance agency in New Orleans, LA.
Three years later, they joined Amazon’s delivery service partner program. Thriving as entrepreneurs, Crystal and LeMoine were interested in the opportunity – and situated in the perfect spot. “New Orleans was one of those growing areas, so we applied. We had no background in logistics whatsoever, but they selected our application out of a few ten thousand,” she shares with a chuckle.
As some of the first to join the program, Crystal and LeMoine were able to voice their feedback to help improve the beginning stages of the program. “We would say, ‘We need to fix this. We need to fix that,’” she explains. Amazon was listening – they asked Crystal to be a part of the community advisory group, a group of delivery service partners engaged to help steer the program in the right direction.
Then came 2020 and the pandemic. Their delivery business took off at an unprecedented pace. During peak season, the couple employed more than a hundred employees. With a new, quickly growing business, Crystal started homing in on the business details. “At the time, I didn’t know anything about the automotive industry. So I was taking vans to the shop, or my fleet team was taking them, and they would come back with these receipts,” she begins.
What caught Crystal’s attention one time when looking at the receipts? Ignition coils. “I didn't know at the time that there were six of them, but the mechanic would only replace one at a time, even though it was more cost-effective to replace all of them at once,” she remembers. “I thought, ‘why are we not getting this done right the first time?’” That’s when the lightbulb went off; “I said to myself, ‘let’s not be ignorant. I’m going to figure out how to solve my own problem.’”
Weighing her options, Crystal spoke with other business owners and one of them suggested Meineke as a reliable brand. “We did some research and made some phone calls, and we basically opened a Meineke shop to solve our issues with high fleet repairs and mechanic shops that lacked integrity,” she says. They opened their Meineke Car Center in Slidell in November 2021.
Entering a male-dominated industry might seem like no small feat, but Crystal refuses to let the stereotypes affect her or how she does business. “It doesn't matter whether it’s male-dominated,” she affirms. “If you desire to do something, do it – you can do whatever you want. I'm so locked into what I'm doing that I forget sometimes it's a male-dominated industry. But at the same time, I forget so that I don't get drawn into the negative aspects of that.”
Instead, Crystal leverages her platform to help other women feel more comfortable understanding their cars. “I get to help women to know more about their vehicles,” Crystal begins.
This month, they’re partnering with an organization that educates women about vehicles. “In the last session, the ladies learned how to change a spare tire. For me, we’re helping them to see the things I didn't see as a new business owner. And then not knowing enough to make sure that my business was being treated fairly. If I do more of that educational piece, then when women do come into the shop, they will know and understand what’s going on.”
In addition to their Meineke franchise, Crystal and LeMoine still own their delivery business, the insurance agency, and are raising two young daughters. When asked how they keep it all together, Crystal believes that it’s part practice, part innate gift.
“I always say that we need to be present where we are. If the kids need something, we're parents at that moment. If LeMoine needs something, then I'm in wife mode. If I need some time for myself, then everything else is quiet. If it’s a peak season in the business, then that’s my focus,” she notes. “But I also think I was born to do entrepreneurship. My dad also always had side businesses growing up; me and my sisters kind of learned along the way just by watching him. It comes naturally to me.”
As for how she wants to carry on the family legacy of entrepreneurship to her daughters, Crystal has made them a part of it since day one. “Our daughters are very involved in our businesses. When we opened the insurance office, the girls would be in there answering calls with me. My oldest knows how to receive parts and do some stuff with the tickets in the system at Meineke. We fully engage them in what we do so that they understand it,” she says.
Crystal knows that if she wants her daughters to grow up feeling empowered to become the type of woman leader she strives to be, she needs to lead by example.