Frank Peña grew up sleeping on a relative's floor in Washington Heights after his family immigrated to the United States when he was two years old, and by the time he left the company that gave him his start, he had spent twenty years working his way from used car salesman to company president. He says that same climb is exactly why he believes the knowledge gap, not talent, is what keeps so many capable operators from ever owning a store. He walks through how he took over three dealerships in South Florida without losing a single employee, and argues that most owners lose their people not because of pay, but because they disappear the moment things get hard. Frank Pena is the President of Dare to Dream Automotive in South Florida, where he owns three dealerships and is closing on a fourth. A first-generation dealer with no family connections in the business, he built his foundation in finance and insurance before working his way into store leadership, and now leans on organizations like NAMAD to help other operators find the same path he did. He speaks candidly about the persona people mistake for arrogance, why he still calls the bank himself to rehash deals, and what it means to build a company for a son who might someday take it over.
He explains:
◼ Why he believes the knowledge gap, not talent, is what keeps so many capable people from ever owning a dealership
◼ How he kept every single employee after buying three stores in the middle of an active construction zone
◼ Why he still calls the bank himself to rehash deals, and how his team reacts when they see him do it
◼ Why losing a customer to the exact same brand somewhere else is the phone call he dreads most
◼ Why he named his company Dare to Dream, and what it has to do with the store he's building for his son
Topics:
02:35 Why Selling Cars Wasn't Enough
06:35 The Organization That Built A Dealer
08:35 The Knowledge Gap For New Dealers
11:45 Why Factory Relationships Matter
16:35 Why F&I Is A Puzzle
18:55 The Worst Sales Call
19:15 Why Frank Kept Every Employee
20:55 Surviving A Dealership War Zone
29:30 Successful Operators Have To Be Crazy
34:25 Why Frank Chose Growth
38:20 Why Frank's Son Won't Get A Free Ride
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