Today we’d like to introduce you to Maribel Gonzalez- García and Filemon Garcia.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Our story started with discussions between my husband and I late at night when we would lay in bed. We were tired of our 9-5 jobs. I worked long hours as a dental assistant and my husband worked from dusk till dawn at a labor job. We were tired of working so hard for long hours and barely making any progress. We barely made enough to make ends meet with two very young children. It has always been our dream to have our own Concrete Company. Especially for my husband because he has always had a passion for it. But he did not believe we could get there because there was so much to it. Not only just coming up with a business structure, but getting the permits, licenses, and finding clients who would trust a brand new company. We didn’t know where to start or better yet how to start! Entrepreneurship doesn’t come with instructions. We have never been business owners we have always worked for someone else. We didn’t know what it would take to create a flourishing business. We just knew we had to just go for it and take the first step, then another, and eventually, we would be closer to our goal than we were yesterday.
We first partnered up with other individuals but quickly realized it was not going to work. There were many issues that kept popping up and agreeing mutually was an issue. We split up and decided to start a business on our own with our own terms. We believe dreams do come true we just had to put the effort into it. So we decided to move back into my parent’s house and turn their garage into a bedroom and grind our faces off and work hard to save money. Thankfully with the support of our family, we were able to start Lexus Concrete with our own personal savings and never took out any business loans. It was difficult getting the vendors to give us a credit line because we were brand new in the concrete industry. My husband quit his job and took the first step. Eventually, word got out and we started getting more business to the point where I quit my job to help out due to the high demand. We are so grateful for the opportunities that were presented to us. Because with those opportunities, we were able to show what we were truly capable and we are so thankful for our accomplishment. Slowly we started making Lexus Concrete a known name in the Houston Construction industry all by hard work and quality service. We hope to inspire people to go for their dreams. Just work hard and focus on your dreams.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There were some struggles in the beginning since people didn’t believe in us because we were a new Hispanic owned company. We were young and people didn’t believe we could do it. They didn’t think we knew what we were doing since we haven’t been in the business industry for a long time. We started out with one employee and there were many struggles along the way, we learned so much and now we are up to thirteen employees. We are thankful for those challenges because they were perfect learning experiences and shaped us for the better.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Lexus Concrete story. Tell us more about the business.
Our company deals with pouring concrete foundations and the logistics of it. We do driveways, patios, and patio extensions. We started out specializing in residential, which is home foundations. And since we’ve started to scale, we have started doing commercial pours. For example, Chick-fil-A parking lots, chemical plants, and also other bigger projects. Our biggest company we work with is LGI Homes. They trusted us and truly opened the doors without knowing what we’re really capable of and now we are all over the Houston area with them.
We are proud we’ve had a lot of doors opened by people who didn’t even know us and trusting us by just referrals. People’s dream homes were built on a good strong foundation and knowing we contributed to that with good quality work makes me very proud. We are passionate about what we do. My husband loves the concrete industry. I believe my husband always puts 100% in every job site and everything we do with a great passion and the goal is to get it done on time and on budget. What sets us apart from other Concrete Company owners is he’s not only a boss but a leader. He is on job sites and teaches our team everything he knows and how to be better. He spends hours upon hours on job sites, sometimes from dusk to dawn, to make sure everything is done with quality and efficiency for our clients. He loves what he does and you can trust you are in good hands when it comes to your concrete needs.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We have had a mixture of good and bad luck in our business, like any other successful business has had. We are grateful for both because the bad luck taught us to keep moving forward despite all the bumps on the road and things we could not also control all the times we’ve felt like giving up. The good luck has taught us to be grateful for all the obstacles we have faced and have been able to overcome. We have had people not believe in us and we’ve also had people who pushed us to be greater. There is no straight road to success. What sets us apart is to keep moving forward and not to give up.
Contact Info:
- Address: 10540 Farm to Market 1960 Rd W, Houston, TX 77070
- Website: lexusconcrete.com
- Phone: (832)688-8378
- Email: maribel@lexusconcretellc.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/lexusconcrete
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valuesmakesusdifferent
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lexus-concrete-houston?osq=lexus+concrete
- Other: facebook.com/lexusconcrete
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