"I started to see my own dealership as the only viable [career] possibility," says Luna Brem. "I remember inquiring with Chrysler, and they told me I needed $800,000. To me that may as well have been $8 billion."
Undeterred, she went home, opened the Yellow Pages and looked up "venture capitalist," a term she didn't even comprehend. She put together a portfolio of her experience and plans, then sent it to about a dozen local financial planners and accountants. About two weeks later, she got a call from a CFP. One of his clients wanted to meet her.
"I formed a partnership with this physician," says Luna Brem. "He had the checkbook and I had the resume."
The duo purchased a new Chrysler franchise in Corpus Christi in 1989. Today, she owns two dealerships: Love Chrysler Plymouth in Corpus Christi and Love Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Alice, TX. She employs 105 people, including her two sons, Brannon and Travis.
Luna Brem admits that the happy ending didn't come easy. She was the only female salesperson at the dealership. When she interviewed for a management position, her boss asked what the wives of other salesmen would think. When she bought her dealership, she entered two male-dominated industries, automotive and franchising.
Even today, she remains one of the few female owners of automotive franchises - they make up just 3 percent of the rank and file.
Still, she loves franchising. "There's plenty of room, particularly in automobile franchises, for individualistic thinking and innovative processes," she says. "I have what we call a kids' center in my dealership. I have a little coffee bar."
And she has big plans - like a new, larger facility outside of Corpus Christi and new communications equipment. She also plans to expand the advertising agency, Marion Enterprises, she established several years ago. Until recently, the agency has concentrated on producing campaigns for her dealerships. She'd like to build on the four outside clients she now has to transform Marion Enterprises into the premier agency for auto dealerships.
Luna Brem is also expanding her horizons beyond the automotive world. She recently launched a real-estate development firm and a book publishing company. The first book? Auto Motive, An Auto Dealer's Expose of the Care Selling Business, written by none other than Luna Brem.
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