“I dropped out of high school,” says John Turnbull, Owner of Starlit Tint in Meridian, Idaho. “I had to work and provide for my mom. One of my biggest drivers in life is getting told I can’t do something.”
Turning the Tide
The odds were stacked against Turnbull in the early 2000s. The son of a single mom, Turnbull did what he could to turn the tide.
“My mom tried her best,” says Turnbull, who grew up in California. “We didn’t live in the best areas; she would drive an hour just so that I could attend a better school. But when you’re a kid that has two pairs of pants, two t-shirts, and two pairs of shoes, people notice. You’re wearing the same thing everyday. I’d ride public buses when kids were riding in Mercedes. That really drove me. I wanted what they had.”
Turnbull adds, “In your youth, you build up resentment. But as an adult, if you learn to go into your dark places, you can find the best sides of you there. It was just about trying to provide for her initially.”
Turnbull worked in the automotive repair and service industry prior to moving to Idaho when he was 21 years old. He then worked as a stonemason until he entered the window film and paint protection film (PPF) space in his 30s.
“I moved to Idaho to chase whatever that young version of me needed,” he says. “I think it’s important for a boy to grow up with a male figure.”
Freedom With Film
“At the end of 2019, I was working about 100 hours every week,” Turnbull says. “I was constantly traveling as a stonemason. I woke up one morning, looked at my wife, and said, ‘I’m not getting out of bed for someone else ever again.’ She told me to go back to sleep.”
That afternoon, a newly-unemployed Turnbull shared a conversation and hot wings with his friend, Jon Francey, Owner of The Sticker Mafia in Meridian, Idaho. Francey encouraged Turnbull to pursue a career in the window tinting space. He did just that, founding Starlit Tint in Meridian, Idaho.
“I spent three or four months wasting film in my garage,” Turnbull says. “I started by tinting my car and my neighbors’ cars. I then tinted our house and a couple of the neighbors’ houses for free. My wife started marketing the business, and we blew up.”
Targeted Marketing
Starlit Tint, an Autobahn, Huper Optik, and Edge dealer, specializes in architectural and automotive window film, PPF, and ceramic coatings.
“The economy is up and down,” Turnbull adds. “I market to those with newer or higher-end vehicles. Those are the clients that will still have money to spend [during downturns].”
Turnbull collaborates and shares projects with several industry professionals, including Vic San, Owner of Exclusive Quality Tint in Caldwell, Idaho, and Hunter Lloyd, Owner of The Shade Shop in Layton, Utah.
In addition to owning Starlit Tint, Turnbull and his wife, Samantha, sell various automotive detailing supplies, and own a property management company.
“We do everything together,” Turnbull says of his wife. “We work so well as a team. She is my ultimate supporter.”
Fatherhood and Film
Passionate about being present for his children, Turnbull says fatherhood–not film–is the most important facet of his life.
“I’m instilling the passion to conquer life,” shares Turnbull, a father of three.
Growing up without his father present, he embraces the pain of his past to propel his kids forward.
“The past makes you who you are,” Turnbull says. “I am extremely hard on my kids. I remind them every day to get out there to work and get it. No one is going to give success to you.”
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