Meet Victor Lewis Jr. and his sister, Netanya, the owners of a Batteries Plus franchise based in Huntington Station, New York. Their father, Victor Sr., had always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur and was making his dream come true after signing a Batteries Plus franchise deal but, unfortunately, he passed away. His family, however, have come together to keep his dream alive and are now running the business together even as they grieve his death.
It all started six years ago when the Lewis family discovered Batteries Plus when their car broke down while on a family trip. Victor liked the store’s concept which provided them with immediate assistance. Since then, he became interested in investing in it even though he didn’t have any previous entrepreneurial experience.
In May 2021, Victor and Audrey signed a 3-store deal with Batteries Plus. Sadly, Victor died of cancer just 2 months later. It was a difficult time for the family as they dealt with the loss of their loved one. But they decided to continue the process of franchise ownership while depending on each other.
Audrey and her three children, Victor Jr., Netanya, and James, opened their first Batteries Plus location in Long Island, New York in April 2022. Each family member has a valuable role that contributes to the success of their business. They also remain conscious of the life lessons that Victor Sr. taught them when he was alive.
Their mom, Audrey, runs the back-office operations. Victor Jr. works as the general manager. Netanya oversees the commercial clients, and Joshua serves as a salesperson at the store. They say that running the business has brought them closer and also has also helped them throughout their healing process.
In an interview with Entrepreneur, Audrey told, “It’s almost forced time [together]. To sit together and talk and work out how the scheduling is going to look, the staffing, all those little pieces. I thank God for my children because they helped me not only through the passing of my husband, but when I doubted I could do this.”
