Tint World Franchise
With its proven model and polished reputation, the franchise brand is the real deal when it comes to success.
Established in 1982 in Tamarac, Florida, Tint World has been a household name in the automotive styling industry for over four decades.
“Tint World was something that I dreamed about when I was 21 years old. As a teenager, I was a car guy,” says Charles Bonfiglio, chief executive officer and president of the international franchise brand, which offers window tinting, automotive accessories and more to car lovers around the world.
With over 150 locations in four countries, Tint World now sits at the top of its game after achieving a level of growth and success that’s rare in the franchising world. But the journey to the top wasn’t always easy for Bonfiglio, who has navigated the brand around roadblocks and obstacles since acquiring the company in 2006 and opening its first franchise store the following year.
“Once you get over 100 (units), it gets tougher. It gets different, and you got to rely on other people around you, and you hope that they're just as good as you were when you were having the relationship with these franchisees,” Bonfiglio says.
Despite those challenges, Bonfiglio has taken Tint World to unexpected heights in nearly two decades as a franchisor. With a mindset focused on growth, innovation and trust, it’s no surprise the franchise brand claims to be “the nation's largest and fastest-growing window tinting and auto styling business opportunity” – and Bonfiglio isn’t showing signs of slowing down any time soon.
The Road to Success
As a seasoned business owner from an enterprising family that operated clothing factories in New York in his youth, Bonfiglio was no stranger to success when he bought the Tint World brand from its original owners in Florida nearly 20 years ago.
In his late teens, the budding entrepreneur took over one of his father’s factories, launched a clothing line, landed a million-dollar order from a department store (it couldn’t be fulfilled due to cost-related issues) and co-owned a busy pizza restaurant in New York City alongside his brother-in-law. By age 21, though, Bonfiglio was ready to set out on his own – and determined to bring his dreams of owning an automotive business to life.
“I decided I wanted to do something that I really loved, and I loved cars, so I told my parents, ‘I want to move down to Florida. I love palm trees and cool cars, and I want to open up a car stereo shop that does aftermarket accessories.’ And they were cool with it,” Bonfiglio recalls.
But after moving to Florida from New York, Bonfiglio hit roadblocks trying to finance a startup business and decided to take a job at a car stereo shop instead. It wasn’t until a serendipitous trip back to New Jersey for a wedding a few months later that he discovered an opportunity that would change the course of his career – the chance to join Meineke Car Care, an automotive service brand, as a franchisee.
By 1983, with 10 successful franchise units under his belt, Bonfiglio was appointed CEO and franchise developer of the company. Still, despite his success in the franchise world, Bonfiglio knew he wanted more – he wanted to launch his own brand.
“I said (to my wife), ‘I just want to open up the business that I always dreamed of. No, there's no franchise out there like it,” Bonfiglio says.
Taking the Fast Lane
In 2006, Bonfiglio found the opportunity he’d been looking for when he invited the owner of Tint World, a multi-unit window tinting chain he’d admired since moving to Florida years earlier, out to lunch to discuss selling the business to him.
“We went out to lunch. I said, ‘Listen, I'm interested in buying your business.’ And we talked about it, and a few months later, I bought the company and the rights to the name, and I trademarked Tint World,” recalls Bonfiglio, who spent the next year drafting a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) and registering the new franchise system in all 50 U.S. states before opening its first franchised location in Hollywood, Florida, in 2007.
For Bonfiglio, the key to scaling Tint World as a new franchisor was adopting a growth-oriented mindset – something that set the brand apart from competitors and put him in the driver’s seat early on. It’s also a strategy he says franchisees can benefit from.
“The reason you can be successful is because you can go with the mindset, ‘I'm going to build this thing.’ Don't compare yourself to other people, other franchisees. You can learn from them, but your only competition is yourself – the way you were last year,” Bonfiglio says.
Although growth is critical for every franchise system, Bonfiglio also stresses the importance of knowing how to operate a franchise system properly at every stage of the franchising journey. Because running a large franchise system is different from owning a small business or startup brand, it usually requires a different approach.
At Tint World, that meant developing a system based on trust, accountability and teamwork. It also meant taking advantage of technology to automate administrative tasks, like accounting, to create extra time to focus on growth and developing a future exit strategy.
“A small brand is great and fun, especially if you're a loving person that doesn't need the money, where you can treat your franchisees really well and it's not about the money, it's about this build. But at the same time, once you start getting over the 100 mark, you got to think about how you can operate that business, because it's not going to be the same,” Bonfiglio says
Staying the Course
To support a fast-growing brand like Tint World, Bonfiglio focused on creating a system that supported franchisees at every step of their entrepreneurial journey.
To make sure franchisees are set up for success and able to replicate the brand’s systems and processes from the first day they open their doors, Tint World boasts a seven-point formula for success that emphasizes franchisee profitability, high-quality personnel, quality products, services and more.
Support for new franchisees includes assistance with site selection, construction help during store build-out, assistance with real estate and lease negotiations, store opening training, grand opening promotion, recruitment assistance and more.
For Tint World franchisees, the company’s high level of support and attention has paid off in big ways, with the brand claiming accolades as a top franchise from prestigious outlets like Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc. 500, the Franchise Times and more over the last decade.
With its proven business model and extensive history of growth and success, maintaining legal compliance has been critical for a powerful franchise brand like Tint World.
To make sure the company and its franchisees are up to speed with franchise laws at the federal and local state levels, the company began working with The Internicola Law Firm in 2021 – a service Bonfiglio, who says he’s always disliked dealing with some of the legal aspects of franchising, has appreciated.
“One of the reasons I started working with (The Internicola Law Firm) – what I love most about (Charles Internicola) – is because you're just what a franchisor needs, because you care about the franchisee. It's never about being upset or being angry or not understanding them. It's about how we get them to love us and be better. You really have that human intelligence. It’s not legalese – you're a guy with a heart,” Bonfiglio says.
As Tint World moves into its 42nd year of operation, The Internicola Law Firm is proud to be part of the brand’s continued success – and we’re looking forward to decades of future growth ahead.
To learn about franchising opportunities at Tint World, visit https://www.tintworld.com/franchise-opportunities.
