They Quit Their Jobs to Build an Auto-Repair Empire

Jack Foster and Jake McLaughlin left careers in investment banking and private equity to build one of the fastest-growing Meineke platforms in the country. In this episode, we break down: Why they chose Meineke and auto repair over flashier franchises The real unit economics and margins of a Meineke location How they scaled from 3 stores to 25 through small, disciplined acquisitions Why people, culture, and operator excellence mattered more than financial engineering What they’re building next beyond Meineke This is a rare, transparent look at what it actually takes to scale a blue-collar, brick-and-mortar business.