Sueño Millonario: Sergio Monsalve, the Man from the Auto Repair Shops

• Sueño Millonario shares the story of Sergio Monsalve.
• His family owned an auto repair shop, which burned down and was the family’s only source of income.
• Gradually, he thought about how he could start his own business and make it grow.

Sergio Monsalve arrives in the U.S. from Pachuca, Hidalgo, at just one year old. He received all his education in the country.

Since childhood, he was involved in the family business: auto repair shops. When he arrived in Georgia, that was the first thing he thought of doing. In 1994, he established it in that same state.

In 2007, his dad’s shop burned down, just a few days before Christmas. This event greatly affected the family. It was their only source of income.

Sergio left full-time university to work part-time at a large auto repair company.

Starting a Business

He saved the necessary money to open his own shop. The amount he saved was approximately $30,000. His business grew within two years. At that stage, it was just him, but then he hired one more person and his father.

The feeling of giving his father a job brings him great joy. His father, in turn, shares that feeling.

The company Car Star specializes in repairing cars that have been involved in some type of accident.

Their clientele varies, not only Latinos. They have contracts with various types of insurance companies to handle accidents, that is, the repairs.

What Makes Us Different

It requires sacrifice to get to where he is. He comments that he did not have a salary and that everything he earned was used to pay his employees.

His wife, at that time, was the one who helped cover the other household expenses.

To continue growing, he began to devise a strategy. Sergio wanted something that would put his business on the map, something that would make it stand out.

He decided to make deals with car companies to have a specialization in those types of cars. He managed to get a couple of brands, and that made his business able to shine among others. In total, he has certification from 10 brands.

Business Association

Being Latino has had those two sides of the coin. Banks are an issue because suddenly they do not see the typical entrepreneur they usually see, but they also see that you have the desire to do things.

To accelerate the growth process, Sergio partnered with another company that shares the work philosophy.

Together, they now have a structure that helps them reach other types of situations so that they can work on them.

Sergio points out that he could do it alone, but he also recognizes that thanks to this, he was able to speed up the growth he was so looking for his company.

The Story of Sergio Monsalve

Sergio says that we all have those qualities for success. Do not be afraid to try. There are challenges everywhere. An «I Can» attitude.

Sergio’s message is clear: do not give up. Failure is part of success. You will never know what you can do if you do not take risks.

When you think you’re not going to make it, keep in mind that everything is a learning experience and you’re not starting from zero. Defeats serve to know what to improve. Find out what makes you different.

Sueño Millonario says goodbye and hopes you liked this story. See you next time!