The professional team at Tint World® headquarters is instrumental in providing the support and services that help franchisees grow, thrive and succeed in their businesses. We believe that investing in a Tint World® automotive franchise means gaining access to the best minds in the industry, and that’s why we cultivate the best home office staff we can find.
In this Headquarters Q&A, we sat down with Tint World® Director of Marketing Jacob Eisenberg to find out his perspective on Tint World® operations. Here’s your chance to get to know Jacob!
Question: Tell us about your background. What did you do before coming to Tint World®?
Answer: Well, taking it from the top, my first job was at a movie theatre concession stand, and it was there that I first fell in love with advertising. Over the summer of my junior year of high school, I landed an internship with a large advertising agency and was the youngest in my intern class – an opportunity that solidified my decision to pursue a path in marketing and advertising. I later graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2008 with a double major in marketing and business management, and was fortunate to be offered a full-time position right back at the same agency. Fresh out of college, I cut my teeth on some of their nationwide automotive accounts, eventually working my up to representing larger pieces of business, like Lennar Homes, Party City and Office Depot.
After the agency run, I decided to switch things up and studied for law school over the course of a year. It was a great experience, but I was ultimately discouraged from enrolling due to the number of current graduates in the market who were already having a hard time finding a job. A short time later, I found myself working in affiliate marketing for a company in the financial lending industry, where I worked for about five years. It was another great experience, but after missing my work in true marketing and advertising, I decided to open my own online marketing and traditional advertising agency, which I operated full time. It was there that I bumped into Tint World® founder Charles Bonfiglio on LinkedIn. I originally wanted to take Charles on as a client – but after a few meetings, I was quickly enamored by his energetic spirit and passion for the company. When I was presented with an opportunity to work for Tint World® full time, I couldn’t say no! Being a car guy and also someone who’s equally passionate about marketing, it was a chance to get the best out of both worlds – I really love what I do here!
Q: Why did you decide to join the Tint World® headquarters team?
A: Like I said a minute ago, I really love marketing and advertising. They’re a passion of mine. I literally spend my free time reading about the latest industry trends and researching the next new thing. But when I think of things outside of work that I enjoy, cars are at the top of the list. So again, being in a position where I get to combine my passion for marketing and advertising with my interest in cars was a no-brainer for me. I really love working in this industry and am constantly intrigued with everything that is rolling out. Not to sound cliché, but these are some really exciting times! The electric vehicle market is really hot right now, and we’re getting a front-row seat to seeing it go mainstream. Just talking about this stuff is getting me fired up! Haha.
From a company culture standpoint, Tint World® has the kind of environment that I thrive in. I take pride in building relationships with my colleagues and our franchisees – we’re really like one big crazy family. I hate to use the expression but we’re very “work hard, play hard” here. Sure, we might curse like sailors and keep each other laughing throughout the day, but we also work really hard to get the job done and exceed expectations. We’re a tight crew, but we run a big ship, and Captain Charles doesn’t pull any punches either. It’s very refreshing to be able to collaborate without the red tape that you sometimes get with bigger agencies.
Q: What does a typical day include for you?
A: The truth is, the only thing that’s predictable about a day at Tint World® is that it’ll be an unpredictable day. Sometimes you’ll come into the office with a full list of things to tackle, and as soon as you sit down, you’ll get pulled in so many directions that you never even touch those things until the next day. I would probably have better luck nailing Jell-O to a tree, haha. I think the more important thing to focus on, is to make sure that you’re always moving forward. Progress, right? I can’t sleep until I know that I’ve done at least one thing that day that makes me better than yesterday’s me.
Q: How does your job and expertise build value for Tint World® franchisees?
A: I like to think of each of us as consultants for our franchisees. It’s almost like the Marketing Department here is a mini-agency within the company, and we are all working for our “client,” the franchisees. Anytime a franchisee comes to us with a question or they need advice, they rely upon us to provide a solution. And truly, that’s not a responsibility we take lightly. Like I said earlier, I think of us as one big family, and so we look out for each other. We know it takes trust from the franchisees to rely on someone for their business — that’s like their baby. Someone is putting their faith in us to advise them on the best course of action, in waters that they’re not familiar navigating. That’s a huge component of what we provide the franchisees, that extension of knowledge, so they can have confidence knowing that we’re just an email or a phone call away.
Also, I’m just now realizing I’m throwing a lot of sea-references in here. I’m not really sure where that’s coming from, but hopefully I’m sailing through these questions smoothly, haha.
Q: What is your favorite thing about your job?
A: Probably my favorite thing about my job is collaborating with my team on kicking off a new project. Deja Holley is our Marketing Manager, and Maria Landaeta is our Creative Designer, and they are both experts at what they do. Together, we’re always working on that next initiative to keep us ahead and put our best foot forward when it comes to representing our stores. Working so closely together, we’ve quickly learned each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and how to balance each other out really well. Plus, it’s very rewarding to see a successful initiative launch knowing that we all had the opportunity to work on it together. We take a lot of pride in the work that comes out of this department.
Q: What is a Tint World® experience that really stands out for you? Do you have a favorite moment?
A: I love experiences that bring me face to face with our franchisees. When we have a new store that comes on board, that’s an opportunity to forge a relationship with the new owner. Especially when we get to meet them at our Annual Convention. Getting to interact with the franchisees in person helps form a bond and creates a foundation that you can build great things upon.
It’s also that trust factor again, right? Getting to know each unique franchisee … each unique store and each unique demographic. No two are alike! I want to learn everything about them inside and out – the more I learn from them, the better I am able to advise and conceptualize. That’s vital to developing and launching an effective program that performs well – because it’s tailor-made for that specific market. There is a lot of hard work that goes into putting these together and we build everything custom.
Q: What are your goals in your career with Tint World®?
A: Big picture-wise, I want to build out an even more robust Marketing Department. The more specialists we are able to add on, the more we increase our expertise and our offerings for our franchisees. Looking in the more immediate future, I want to launch a consumer rewards program for our customers that encourages long-term value and more specifically caters to their individual needs. We’re also working on polishing some of our current tools that help add to the “turn-key” concept for our franchisees coming on board.
Q: Tell us about your dream car. If you could drive anything, what would it be and why?
A: I had a few model cars when I was a kid, and my favorite was this deep blue, Ferrari 550 Maranello. On the weekends, when my dad was washing our car in the driveway, I would take that model car out to the driveway and just sit and polish it. I knew all the stats for it, like the 0-60 time, the horsepower – everything. Fast forward – it’s still sitting on the shelf in my bedroom, and it obviously has a lot of sentimental value now. Someday, I’d like to have the real thing in my driveway to polish and clean, like I pretended to when I was a kid. I think that would really be a “full-circle” accomplishment.
If you love cars and would like to work with professionals like Jacob, Tint World® would love to hear from you! Just download our franchise kit for more information.
