From Bronx Projects to Launching a Dealership Empire

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 This episode is brought to you by: 1. @TARGITBI - TARGIT is an end-to-end business intelligence platform that gives dealers complete visibility and control over their data. They’ve created an exclusive guide just for our listeners to show you which metrics you should be tracking in every department at your dealership. Download your copy and learn more about TARGIT @ https://www.targit.com/car-dealership-guy-q3. Headed to the 2026 Digital Dealer Conference? Come meet TARGIT at Booth #737. Visit @ https://hubs.li/Q04xf5VK0 for more info. 2. @openlaneus - The world’s best online dealer marketplace for used cars, bringing you exclusive inventory, simple transactions, and better outcomes. Learn more @ https://www.openlane.com/cdg Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: For dealers: CDG Circles ➤ https://cdgcircles.com/ Industry job board ➤ http://jobs.dealershipguy.com Dealership recruiting ➤ http://www.cdgrecruiting.com Fix your dealership’s social media ➤ http://www.trynomad.co Request to be a podcast guest ➤ http://cdgguest.com For industry vendors: Advertise with Car Dealership Guy ➤ http://cdgpartner.com Industry job board ➤ http://jobs.dealershipguy.com Request to be a podcast guest ➤ http://cdgguest.com Car Dealership Guy Socials: X ➤ https://www.x.com/GuyDealership Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/cardealershipguy/ TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@guydealership LinkedIn ➤ https://www.linkedin.com/company/cardealershipguy Threads ➤ https://www.threads.net/@cardealershipguy Facebook ➤ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077402857683 Everything else ➤ https://www.dealershipguy.com

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