Immigrants Find Success as First-Time Business Owners with SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service

Husband and wife team Jennifer and Jimmy Chow never imagined that they would one day be successful business owners. But with the support of SpeeDee’s franchise system and a lot of hard work, they’ve been able to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality.

Both Jimmy and Jennifer immigrated to the U.S. from Myanmar when they were young — Jimmy made the move at 14 years old, while Jennifer moved when she was 20. Said Jennifer, “I was only 20 years old when I came here and I didn’t speak any English at the time. I was the oldest sibling of five, so I had to work to take care of my family and then I went to classes at night. I got my degree in business administration from San Francisco State University, and later met my husband, who was a U.S. Army Veteran.”

The Chows didn’t dive into business ownership right away — Jennifer worked at the University of California-San Francisco’s medical school in the pharmacy department, while Jimmy worked in both the electronic and construction industries. However, Jimmy had a longtime interest in the automotive industry that he decided to explore.

“My husband wanted to open a business of his own, and his family back in our country are in the automotive industry. He’s the youngest of nine siblings, and his brothers are all mechanics. That’s how he became interested in the automotive industry,” said Jennifer. “We found SpeeDee because there was a location 15 minutes away from our home. We spoke to the owners to see how their business was going, and they encouraged us to pursue the business opportunity. They told us that SpeeDee is a great business, and we felt very supported by the other owners.”

Jimmy and Jennifer worked with a developer to build their SpeeDee location from the ground up. When they opened the business, Jimmy worked full time at SpeeDee, while Jennifer kept her full-time job and helped with accounting and other parts of the business at nights and weekends. Ten years after opening their location, the Chows brought in a manager who helped them run the shop, and now, both Chows are working with SpeeDee full time.

Since opening their SpeeDee franchise in 2003, their location in Vacaville, CA has grown tremendously.

We’re very proud,” said Jennifer. My husband and I didn’t have a business background, per se, and this is our first business, but we worked really hard and we’ve been a $1 million store for the past three years.”

This growth shows that following the SpeeDee system and leaning on the brand’s built-in support network has the potential to help entrepreneurs realize long-term success as franchisees.

The investment level for opening a SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service ranges from $197,305 to $537,970 with a $35,000 franchise fee. SpeeDee offers veterans and first responders a discount on their franchise fee and a substantial royalty rebate for their first two years of business. Candidates should demonstrate financial capability of a minimum $250,000 net worth and $60,000 to $75,000 in liquid assets, per unit developed. To learn more about franchising opportunities with SpeeDee, visit *