Youngest Owner Runs Two Car Franchises: How to Earn Respect as a Young Dealership Owner
The youngest new car franchise owner Mike Crothers knows runs two stores. Here is how he earned his team's respect instead of leaning on the family name.
To Mike Crothers' knowledge, Joey Massarelli is the youngest owner of a new car franchise, and he owns two of them.
Joey did not grow up as the typical dealer kid working as a porter; his dad wanted him to stay out of the business and decide for himself.
His view on taking over a family car dealership: if you are in it, you have to be in it full heartedly, with both feet in.
He chose to lead from the bottom up: changing oil, making calls, and selling cars alongside his team.
The goal is not to run the store as "my way or the highway" but to earn respect and elevate alongside the people who work there.
Every dealer kid who steps into the family store faces the same question from the team: are you here because you earned it, or because your name is on the building? Figuring out how to earn respect as a young dealership owner is not a soft skill problem. It decides whether your managers, techs, and salespeople follow you or just wait you out.
In this video, Mike Crothers, CEO of MOTO(acquire), sits down with Joey Massarelli. To Mike's knowledge, Joey is the youngest dealership owner of a new car franchise, and he actually owns two of them. The conversation gets into what it takes to run two dealerships at such a young age, and why he started from the bottom.
Taking over a family car dealership: both feet in, or not at all
Joey's path was a little different than most. A lot of dealer kids are porters, washing cars, and essentially forced to work in the dealership growing up. His dad went the other way and wanted him to stay out of it.
The point was to make him really decide. As Joey puts it, "if you're in it, you got to be in it full heartedly. You have to be both feet in." That is a useful filter for any family store thinking about succession. A reluctant heir running a store is a problem the team will spot fast.
Once he made the choice, he went the traditional route: from the bottom up.
How do you earn respect as a young dealership owner?
Joey's answer is simple and hard to fake. You get in the trenches with your people. He did not want to be the guy who walks in and announces that this is his family dealership, his show, his way or the highway.
Instead, he set out to prove it. In his words: "I can change oil with you. I can make the calls. I can sell cars. I can do everything that you can do. And I want to elevate alongside you."
That last line matters most. He is not just showing he can do the work. He is telling the team that his success and theirs are tied together. For a young owner, that is the difference between authority people tolerate and leadership people buy into.
What dealer principal leadership from the bottom up looks like in practice
Do the jobs, not just tour them. Joey points to changing oil, making calls, and selling cars. Every department sees you put in real reps.
Drop the title as a tool. "My way or the highway" is exactly what he wanted to avoid. Respect has to be earned, not announced.
Commit fully. Half in does not work. The team can tell whether you chose this business or got handed it.
Grow with the team. The goal is to elevate alongside them, not above them.
None of this is new advice in the car business. What stands out is hearing it from someone running two franchises at a young age, where the temptation to lean on the family name would be easiest.
Why this matters beyond succession
Whether you are a dealer kid, a newly promoted GM, or a used car manager who just got the keys to a second rooftop, the dynamic is the same. People watch whether you understand their job. If you can make the calls and sell the car, your direction carries more weight when you ask them to change how they work.
That is especially true when you roll out new processes, like buying more cars from your own customers. Teams adopt tools faster when leadership is visibly in it with them.
Where MOTO(acquire) fits
MOTO(acquire) builds software that helps hundreds of dealers acquire used vehicles from their own customers. Several of the tools are built around the whole team taking part, not just one buyer at a desk.
MOTO(drive) handles service drive acquisition using DMS data and automated texts, and the sales team is alerted when a customer is ready.
MOTO(social) gives each person posting on social their own link, with leads attributed in the CRM, so individual effort gets credited.
MOTO(retain) sends past sales and service customers their vehicle's value every month.
MOTO(convert) is a website trade tool with instant valuations, firm offer requests, and monthly value tracking.
If you want to see how that would work at your store, book a demo. For more conversations like this one, browse our Odds and Ends videos.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the youngest new car dealership owner?
To Mike Crothers' knowledge, the youngest owner of a new car franchise is Joey Massarelli, who actually owns two of them. In the video, Mike talks with him about what it takes to run two dealerships at such a young age.
How can a young dealer principal earn respect from a veteran team?
Joey's approach is to get in the trenches and prove you can do the work: change oil, make the calls, sell cars. He wanted to avoid the "my way or the highway" posture and instead elevate alongside his team. Respect comes from showing up, not from the title.
Should dealer kids be required to work in the family dealership growing up?
Joey's situation was the opposite of the typical dealer kid who works as a porter or washes cars. His dad wanted him to stay out of it so he could really decide for himself. His takeaway is that if you are in it, you have to be in it full heartedly, with both feet in.
What does leadership from the bottom up mean at a dealership?
It means learning and doing the jobs across the store before directing them. For Joey, that included service work, phone calls, and selling cars. The goal is for the team to see that the owner can do everything they can do and wants to grow with them.
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Full transcript
To my knowledge, the youngest dealership owner that owns a new car franchise actually owns two of them, Joey Massarelli. Today, we're going to learn all about him and what it takes to run two dealerships at such a young age. A little bit of a different situation than most, I would say, dealer kids where they're a porter and washing cars and forced to work in a dealership.
My dad wanted me to stay out of it and really decide. If you're in it, you got to be in it full heartedly. You have to be both feet in. And from there, that's where you get more of the traditional from the bottom up. I'm in the trenches with you. I didn't want to be a guy that just comes in and says this is my family dealership, this is my show, my way or the highway.
I want to earn the respect. Look, I can change oil with you. I can make the calls. I can sell cars. I can do everything that you can do. And I want to elevate alongside you.