Wanda's Auto Palace trying for funding to stay in business

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Wanda Colon always had a dream to be in the automotive aftermarket industry.

From the time she was a child, her parents tried to pull her away from the life of a mechanic, but she knew that was what she wanted to be.

In May 2014, Ms. Colon saw her dream realized when she opened Kissimmee-based Wanda's Auto Palace. That dream, however, is in danger of evaporating as she struggles to obtain loans and acknowledges the repair shop needs funding to remain open.

Ms. Colon launched a GoFundMe campaign a few months ago — www.gofundme.com/continuemydreamwap — and is exhausting all avenues to keep the shop going.

She told Tire Business she began her career in Massachusetts, at Commonwealth Motors Honda Division in Lawrence, Mass., as an automotive sales representative before going into the service end of the business.

After leaving Massachusetts for a warmer climate, Ms. Colon settled into work at Coggin Honda Orlando in Orlando, Fla. She then left to work for a Pep Boys — Manny, Moe & Jack outlet. After working for a few years there, she took a position with Tires Plus Total Car Care for two years, then returned to Pep Boys. Due to layoffs, Ms. Colon was let go.

“I was heartbroken.… It hit me pretty hard,” she said.

Ms. Colon said she decided to start up her own shop because this was the career she dedicated her whole life to. She has since discovered just how difficult it is to receive funding for a new business.

She and her husband Nestor Colon put what money they had into Wanda's Auto Palace and have been trying to get loans to assist the fledgling business as it gets off the ground.

Ms. Colon said she recently signed a contract for a Hertz Corp. Local Edition account to service its fleet of rental vehicles by performing such as things as oil changes, brake jobs, etc. But that means she needs to hire more staff, since she and her husband are the shop's only employees, along with subcontracted ASA-certified technicians as needed.

Wanda's Auto Palace's two-bay shop spans 3,000 square feet.

“After looking at many places, I chose my location because it's along a very busy, highly known tourist-traveled route,” Ms. Colon said.

Additionally, from her experience Ms. Colon said she saw the “necessity of having a woman-owned business that would offer stellar service at a fraction of the cost of some larger named companies.”

While she spent significant funding on marketing the business, she admitted it has not brought in the traffic she thought it would.

Ms. Colon has been working with the IRA Network L.L.C. to get funding and is hoping to receive an infusion of capital shortly, but is hoping her GoFundMe campaign will pick up beforehand because she fears she will have to close before any loans kick in. As of the end of January, Ms. Colon still has not received any funding.