For Mr. Transmission/Milex and its parent company, the Moran Family of Brands, it’s all about the drive: Dedication, Respect, Integrity, Vision, and Enthusiasm. The co-branded unit offers a one-stop shop that keeps loyal customers returning. By Lizzy Yeserski
For Mr. Transmission/Milex and its parent company, the Moran Family of Brands, it’s all about the drive: Dedication, Respect, Integrity, Vision, and Enthusiasm. The co-branded unit offers a one-stop shop that keeps loyal customers returning.
It’s a total pivot from when the automotive market was fragmented into separate brake shops, tune-up shops, transmission shops, etc. For franchisees, the cohesive model leads to lasting relationships.
“The real advantage to that is you’re rebuilding those relationships that the customer lost when everything was specialized. Now that you can do everything to that customer’s car, they’re coming to see you four to five times a year,” said Pete Baldine, president of Moran Family of Brands. “You become their shop, their mechanic, and you’re able to build that relationship based on trust. People want to come back and get work done with shops and business owners where they have confidence they’re not being ripped off or sold services they don’t need.”
In these days of contactless door deliveries, the opportunity to create trusted connections is special.
But why the automotive business? According to Baldine, it makes perfect sense. “You have new car sales down. Normally in the U.S., they sell 17 million new cars a year. It’s been down to 14 million for the past three years because people are having trouble affording significant notes on a new car,” he explained.
Baldine confirmed that the average vehicle on the road is now 12.2 years old. “That’s happening because of the cost to replace the cars and the lack of inventory. Therefore, people are hanging on to the ones they have and fixing them. People are driving cars for 200,000 miles,” Baldine said.
Typically, the automotive business is known to get stronger in a recession, and Baldine has seen this firsthand. “We’ve enjoyed two fantastic years back-to-back. In 2021, we had a 20% increase system wide. In 2022, we had a 14% increase system wide on top of the 20% from the previous year. So, we just had fantastic results,” he said.
And there’s never been a better time to start a Mr. Transmission/Milex business, especially with current corporate world conditions. “It’s different than it used to be,” Baldine noted. “People don’t work in the same place for 30 years and retire anymore. In today’s corporate environment, people get downsized and consolidated due to mergers and acquisitions. People are very cognizant of that, and they want to control their destinies. Starting your own business is a great way to control your own destiny.”
Another appealing factor is financial freedom. “You have to know how to diagnose the cars, and you have to know how to fix what you’ve diagnosed. Because of that, we enjoy very good margins,” said Baldine. “Between new car sales being down, the average age of the vehicles being up, and the potential profitability, all of that makes for an automotive franchise to be a great business.”
All in all, it’s incredible to be in the driver’s seat for the chance to control where you’re headed.
Lizzy Yeserski