Guillermo Perales Celebrates Over 15 Years since First Franchise

Over twenty-five years ago, in 1997, the CEO of Sun Holdings, LLC purchased his first franchise restaurant with a meager $100,000 Small Business Loan. From those humble beginnings, Guillermo Perales has proven that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the US.

Mr. Guillermo Perales, who was trained as a CPA, but graduated with an MBA from Texas A&M University after immigrating to the US, took expertise in restaurant operations and combined it with his leadership and expertise in franchise finance and created one of the largest franchise holdings companies in the US. In fact, Guillermo Perales’s Sun Holdings is one of the fastest growing Hispanic-owned companies in the US, and is also the 29^th largest Hispanic company in the nation. Under the leadership of Guillermo Perales, his restaurant franchises have expanded to include the largest minority employee pool in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which includes him being the second largest Popeye’s franchisee in the nation.

Sure, his career has taken its ups and downs, but Guillermo Perales has shown what it takes to be recognized as a business leader and impactful member of the Latino community.

The dedication Guillermo Perales shows to ethical business decisions, his employees, and to making smart choices in development all started with that one franchise so many years ago. Not many people in the US can boast of such success, especially when it started in such a small way. Surely that small business loan has been paid off, but the ways that loan helped to begin the journey of this American success story will never be forgotten.

Ernst & Young Award Winner Guillermo Perales Shares Principles of Entrepreneurial Spirit

Winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2008, Guillermo Perales, has not only exploded with success since being honored—he has proven that the award was well-deserved.

Guillermo Perales shares this distinction with numerous CEOs, business leaders, and professionals from across the US and the world, though he has shown a much longer history of being recognized for his entrepreneurial spirit. He has been acknowledged for his business excellence and leadership since 2005, and since then, many local and national organizations, have recognized Guillermo Perales for his business acumen, influence, and leadership in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and amongst the Latino community. Recently, Guillermo Perales expanded his portfolio once more by opening his first T-Mobile store in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in Dallas, and now the company operates 15 T-Mobile stores. He was also the recipient of the 2013 American Dream Award.

The entrepreneurial spirit might come easily to Guillermo Perales, but it doesn’t have to for others. Here is some advice he offers:

Motivate yourself. This is the most fundamental component of being an entrepreneur. No one will take over your success except yourself, so find the best things that motivate you to try new techniques, take on leadership roles, or help you see success in the future, notes Guillermo Perales.

Be willing to fail. From Henry Ford to Bill Gates, success never comes easy. Every entrepreneur knows that failing is another attempt to get it right. Just like falling, be sure you know how to fail and minimize the damage, says Guillermo Perales.

Be ethical. Guillermo Perales knows that entrepreneurs always need support for strong business visions, and the best way to get that support is by having a reputation as an ethical, fair, and smart leader. Guillermo Perales speaks from experience - Franchise Times awarded him the 2013 Franchise Dealmaker of the Year, which he was proud to receive on account of his ethics. Support in business breeds loyalty, which is a timeless measure of success in business.

Guillermo Perales and Sun Holdings: The Largest Minority Employer in the US

Guillermo Perales of Irving, Texas, is the founder and CEO of Sun Holdings, which was established in 1997. In case you are not aware, Sun Holdings and its leader Guillermo Perales are in the restaurant business. Starting with only one franchise in 1997, the savvy and smart entrepreneur Guillermo Perales took Sun Holdings to the top in the fifteen years it has been in existence. In fact, Dallas Business Journal named Sun Holdings number one of the Top 25 North Texas Minority-Owned Businesses at the beginning of 2013 - Guillermo Perales knows what he is doing!

Guillermo Perales’s Sun Holdings supports the successful establishment, management, and services offered by a wide range of family-style and fast food restaurants in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and has done so with professionalism, grace, and by employing the largest amount of minority workers in the area. The franchises that make up Sun Holdings, then, not only indicate that success occurs through growth and professionalism, but has also shown that a diverse workforce is part of the future of the entrepreneurial spirit. Guillermo Perales has leadership to spare - he has ranked as the largest Golden Corral and Cici’s Franchisee and the 4^th largest Burger King Franchisee in the country! Additionally, he has recently acquired 52 Arby's restaurants.

Through his strengths in leadership, strategic business development, and fostering annual growth, Guillermo Perales has guided Sun Holdings through the most significant job growth of any company for the past five years, creating one of the largest Hispanic owned companies in the nation. Guillermo Perales, however, would be the first to recognize that none of this success was possible without the support of dedicated employees.

Amongst the almost 400 franchises that make up Sun Holdings, Guillermo Perales recognizes that employees are what create success, and that—especially as it pertains to restaurant operations—a smile, hard work, and loving what you do are always what makes for success.

Sun Holdings Founded by Guillermo Perales

Sun Holdings is one of the fastest growing minority-owned businesses in the United States. Guillermo Perales founded Sun Holdings in 1997. He created the company after he completed his Master of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University.

Guillermo Perales does more than operate Sun Holdings. He has also used the limited liability company to purchase a number of fast food restaurant franchises. After Guillermo Perales founded the company, he enjoyed close to an annual growth rate of 50%. The success of Sun Holdings, LLC is due to the business genius of Guillermo Perales.

By 2005, Guillermo Perales’s company was named one of the fastest growing companies in the Dallas and Fort Worth areas by Southern Methodist University’s Cox Business School’s annual Dallas 100 rankings. Between 2001 and 2005, Guillermo Perales’s Sun Holdings saw an employment increase of 400 percent. This made it the largest Hispanic minority-owned employer in the Dallas and Fort Worth metropolitan area. 

Guillermo Perales has built himself a fast food empire. In 2012, Guillermo Perales’s Sun Holdings, LLC had 250 stores in its portfolio. In 10 months’ time, Sun Holdings jumped to 400 stores. This phenomenal growth was due to Guillermo Perales’s purchase of 50 Arby’s stores in Dallas. Some were converted to Burger Kings and Popeye’s stores. By June, Guillermo Perales purchased nearly 100 Burger King franchises in Orlando.

Guillermo Perales is grateful for the success he has achieved. While he has demonstrated repeatedly his skill at acquiring and managing a chain of fast food franchises, he also purchased 13 T-Mobile stores. Guillermo Perales gives back to his Texas community now by providing free meals to tens of thousands of people each year. Additionally, Guillermo Perales gives around five million free meal certificates to local students each year.

Remarkable Growth in Guillermo Perales’s Sun Holdings

Some people spend their entire lives running a business and don’t receive half the recognition Guillermo Perales receives for his work as a minority business leader in Texas. Guillermo Perales is the owner of hundreds of fast food restaurants. Guillermo Perales created Sun Holdings, LLC in 1997. It was through this company that he began purchasing a portfolio of fast food stores.

Guillermo Perales is an entrepreneur and CEO. In the 15 years since he created his business, he has guided it throughout all of its rapid growth. Jumping to a portfolio of 400 restaurant franchises, Guillermo Perales is among the top franchise owners in the United States. He is the largest Latino franchisee in the United States. 

The largest number of franchises under Guillermo Perales’s Sun Holding’s portfolio are Burger Kings. He is the fourth largest Burger King franchise operator in the United States with 172 stores. Among the other top owners, he is the biggest minority franchisee in the United States, with control of 72 Popeye’s restaurants, 33 Golden Corrals, 46 Cici’s restaurants, 6 Del Tacos, and 51 Arby’s restaurants. 

With such an impressive portfolio, it is easy to recognize why Guillermo Perales has been rewarded for his success. Some of his earlier awards are from 2005. He was recognized by the City of Dallas for the positive impact his Golden Corral restaurants had on the local economy and received an award for Outstanding Business Excellence in 2006 from the North Texas Regional Certification Agency. 

Guillermo Perales doesn’t need awards and recognitions to tell him he has been an exceptional businessman. He sees it for himself with the continual growth of his Sun Holdings portfolio. Guillermo Perales has come a long way from a student studying in Mexico. Out of gratefulness, he helps children and the military with free meals.

Hispanic and Latino Entrepreneur Leader Guillermo Perales

America is a country built by immigrants. Throughout America’s history immigrants have worked in the mines, worked in the factories, and done a lot of drudgery. However, those jobs kept the country running. Even today, the topic of immigration still raises debate but Guillermo Perales is a shining example of how successful immigrants to the United States can still be. 

Guillermo Perales originally studied to be a Certified Public Accountant at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Learning in Monterrey, Mexico. After graduating with honors, he moved to Texas where he attended Texas A&M University to complete his MBA.

It was with the completion of his MBA that Guillermo Perales was ready to take on business in the United States and be recognized for his skills. He created Sun Holdings, LLC in 1997. In 15 years, Guillermo Perales used his skills as a business professional to grow the company at an annual growth rate around 50%. 

The growth of Sun Holdings, LLC meant Guillermo Perales became of the most successful Latino businessmen in the United States. In 2005, Hispanic Business had ranked Sun Holdings as the fastest growing Hispanic-owned company in the United States for the last five years. This ranked Guillermo Perales’s company as the 29^th largest Hispanic company in the United States. 

Since then, Sun Holdings has only grown. Through his company’s portfolio, Guillermo Perales was the owner of 250 restaurants and fast food franchises in 2012. In 10 months, Guillermo Perales increased the company portfolio to 400 restaurants, over 100 of which are Burger Kings. 

In 2012, Guillermo Perales received a lifetime achievement award from the Latino Hotel and Restaurant Association and was featured in Latino Leaders magazine’s “101 List” as one of the most influential Latinos in the United States.