At 18, I ran home yelling, 'We're rich!' My dad quickly proved me wrong.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Charles Bonfiglio, CEO of Tint World. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I was only 18 when I walked into the family home in Brooklyn and told my mom, dad and sisters, "We're rich!"

I showed them the order I'd just received: $1 million worth of products for a young lady's clothing brand I'd designed. I was thrilled, but my dad — who operated a clothing factory in Brooklyn — flipped the paper over and read the fine print. I'd be paid 90 days after delivery, but I'd have to front the costs of production: about $500,000, my father guessed.

My dad offered to put his house up as collateral for a loan, but I wasn't the type of kid who was going to risk the family home. So, I called the buyer back and explained I couldn't fulfill the order.

I started selling at smaller mom-and-pop shops, rather than department stores, because I could produce clothing as-needed, rather than laying out capital up front.

I learned an important lesson then: as an entrepreneur, you have to think about a whole business plan, not just creating something you're passionate about.

I made decent money with my clothing line, and partnered with my brother-in-law to open a pizzeria. But I dreamed of opening an aftermarket stereo shop.

When I'd saved about $30,000 to invest in my business, I moved to Florida to start my stereo shop. I had drafted a business plan that told me it would cost about $80,000. I thought the numbers were great, but the bank wouldn't give me a loan, and a landlord wouldn't give me a lease. Both wanted to work with established brands.

Around then, I attended a family wedding where I talked with a cousin who operated a Meineke Car Care Center. My dad and I visited his shop and saw he was happy, busy, and profitable. On the way home my dad told me, "Charles, take the path of least resistance."

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I took his advice. In the back of my head I figured I could learn from the franchise, and use that knowledge to open my own business later. The Meineke name opened doors: I was able to get a lease, and a loan through the Small Business Administration. Suddenly, everyone wanted to work with me, because Meineke was such a great brand.

Before too long I had three franchises: one to pay the bills, one for my toys — like the brand new Corvette I wanted — and one to pay for my real estate investments. When Meineke started to use computers, I volunteered to test them at my stores. Because of that I had quarterly meetings with all the C-suite executives, where I learned even more about running a business.