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.