Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Cruz.
Hi Lisa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I worked for 25 years as a Registered Nurse, mostly working with families in Labor and Delivery. Although the work was very meaningful to me, after many years in the health care industry, I felt a significant change within myself. I began to realize how many years of my adulthood had been spent in survival mode and wondered what it would be like to create something of my own.
At the same time, my husband Ricky was running an auto repair shop from a 2 car garage. I began helping Ricky with his business (answering phones, managing paperwork, developing systems) in my free time. That part-time help eventually transitioned into a larger decision to leave my nursing career to assist with the growth of the business full-time. The first few years of this journey were trial-by-fire. We purchased a building that had flooded during Hurricane Harvey and completed the renovation mostly by ourselves. In order to keep costs down, we even lived in the shop for 3 years and reinvested all money back into the business.
Currently, our company has a 10,000 square foot repair facility and we are now expanding to a second location on Main Street in Pearland. The experience has taught me a great deal about entrepreneurship, reinvention and the distinction between living a life that appears to be successful and designing one that truly reflects you.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The early years of our business were very chaotic and stressful like most small businesses are.
When I left my nursing job, I went from having a steady income to nearly none for some time. The physical exhaustion from renovating our flood damaged building on our own was a real challenge and when we lived inside the shop, we were literally surrounded by the business 24/7. We even had to deal with tow trucks dropping off vehicles in the middle of the night that woke us up.
There were new skills sets that we had to learn as well. Ricky was a mechanic and I was a nurse, but suddenly we were now expected to be business owners, leaders and decision makers and therefore had to learn how to handle finance, employees, systems and strategies all while trying to grow the business.
Those difficult times ended up shaping the business more than anything else. It taught us to be much more disciplined, much more strategic and much more resilient.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Today, Ricky and I operate our two auto repair shop locations. Ricky brings three decades of experience as a mechanic. I focus more on the business side – finance, systems, branding and strategy.
One thing that sets us apart is that we’ve intentionally built the shop to feel different from what people expect from an auto repair business. Our Ella Street location has an 80s rock and roll theme. Our Main Street location has a bright, eclectic vibe with a vintage gas station theme. But the main difference is how we create a positive experience for all of our customers.
Most people find auto repair to be intimidating. So, we work hard to create an atmosphere that makes people feel at home and taken care of.
I am the proudest of the journey that Ricky and I took to get here. We did not buy into a large company. We weren’t given an established system to work with. We started Cruz N Carz from the ground up through risk, sacrifice and many lessons we learned along the way.
Those experiences are the reason why I’m writing a book titled From Survival Mode to Design Mode: An Unfiltered Story of Reinvention.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I think one of the biggest lessons is that entrepreneurship rarely looks the way people imagine it will.
When looking at a successful business from the outside, it probably appears to be well planned and intentional. Most likely, the experience was much more learning as you go and figuring things out in real time.
The skills that help you start something aren’t always the same skills that help you grow it. At some point, you have to move from doing everything yourself to building systems and trusting other people to help carry the load.
I would also say to not be afraid to start small or make temporary sacrifices for your business. In our situation, we took over a building that had suffered from flood damage, did most of the renovation work ourselves and lived inside the shop for three years to give ourselves the ability to put every penny we earned back into the growth of our business.
Although it was certainly not the glamorous route, it allowed us the freedom to create and grow our business – ultimately leading to our ability to design both our lives and our businesses more intentionally.
Pricing:
- Mention this Voyage Houston article and receive a free vehicle alignment check
- $100 Off for First Time Customers
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cruz-n-carz.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cruzncarz
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