The Tint World® leadership team works tirelessly every day to help potential location owners join our growing automotive franchise brand. In this Headquarters Q&A, we spoke with Tint World® Director of Franchise Development Anthony Foley about his experiences growing up in the franchising industry and his commitment to continue building our world-class organization. 

Question: Tell us about your background. What did you do before joining Tint World®?

I was raised in a franchise environment in my father’s franchise “Sign Business”, a franchise company started back in 1986 out of Miami FL. Growing up in a retail store environment provided front row tickets on a day in the life of a business owner in the franchise world. A few years later, my father sold his sign business and came on board with the parent company as a Vice President at United Franchise Group, which owns about 10 brands today. That experience expanded into summers in middle school and high school as an intern.

After high school, I went to Florida State University and graduated with a degree in Finance. Following graduation, I worked as an executive recruiter with Randstad Staffing Solutions. I later returned to franchising with United Franchise Group as a Regional Vice President. Shortly thereafter, I headed up a department called Franchise Greenhouse, which was a franchise development arm for different franchisors and where I also met Charles Bonfiglio, CEO of Tint World®. We started working together on a store-by-store basis at first, but shortly after I came on board as the first corporate team member of Tint World® in 2008. I wore many hats back then…development, marketing, demographics, lease negotiations – fast forward 140 licenses later with international stores developed, and here we are still growing strong!

Q: Why did you decide to join the Tint World® headquarters team?

Ever since I was a child, I was always a passionate car enthusiast! Some kids played Nintendo, but I’d be the one reaching for the Matchbox and the Hot Wheels cars!

Combine that with my background in the franchise world and meeting Charles – and it was an instant fit for me. Charles’ passion is contagious and I was thrilled with the idea of being able to couple the aspect of the automotive industry with franchise development!

Q: What does a typical day include for you?

I can’t say there is ever a typical day in the franchise development business – no two potential franchisees are identical. As a worldwide franchise, we are always interacting with people from diverse backgrounds and introducing them to our brand. Almost like an ambassador and representative. First impressions are everything in this world, and I take a lot of pride in getting to introduce our potential franchisees to the different teams and departments at our Corporate Headquarters!

Q: How does your job and expertise build value for Tint World® franchisees?

As I mentioned a moment ago, I’m not only the Director of Franchise Development – I’m also the Director of First Impressions! I’ll speak with a potential franchisee and assess what they are looking to accomplish. From Marketing to Franchise Development – it’s important for all of us to understand exactly what compelled someone to click that button on our website to ask for more information. It’s my responsibility to identify what someone’s interest is in owning a Tint World® location and if they are the right fit for our culture – and if we are equally the right fit for them as well!

In addition to those duties, I do my best to coach potential franchisees along the way to help set their expectations and establish timelines. This helps to ensure a smooth transition and handoff once they are ready to be onboarded and trained. There’s a lot that we will learn about each other throughout this process and we really establish a lifelong bond from it. 

Q: What is your favorite thing about your job?

I always get a huge smile on my face when a new owner opens for business and takes a second to send me a text about how excited they are. There is so much that went into place to get them to that day, and it’s a powerful feeling to know that I helped them in that process. I get incredibly motivated by that kind of feedback and it helps fuels my drive to bring in the next potential franchisee.

Q: What is a Tint World® experience that really stands out for you? Do you have a favorite moment?

I’ll never forget the first franchisee that came on board. Compared to today, it was a very manual process back then, but I learned a lot about how to streamline the system for the future. I always think back to that humbling experience and try to push myself to find ways to improve the systems we have today. More recently, we had our first international license, which was also very exciting and something we will always remember.

Q: What are your goals in your career with Tint World®?

I strive to pass along as much of my experience as possible to help my colleagues within this organization continue to grow. We learn a lot from each other as a team and pool our knowledge – it’s really the only way an organization can have the kind of growth we are experiencing! 

Q: Tell us about your dream car. If you could drive anything, what would it be and why?

If I could only pick one car, it would be the classic Porsche 959 – but good luck finding one! Back in 1986, it was the fastest road-legal vehicle available. I can’t help but also think about my first car – a 1989 Honda CRX and I loved it. It brings back so many memories any time I ever spot one on the road. I think maybe someday a great project would be to find a shell of that car and build one out.

If you’re interested in learning more, we want to talk to you about becoming a Tint World franchise owner. Download our franchise kit today.