We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Oz Morales a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Oz, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear your thoughts about family businesses.

I secured an outstanding internship during my college years, working with a venture capital firm. Throughout this experience, I had the opportunity to closely observe angel investors conducting due diligence in seed round funding for early-stage tech startups. In some cases, these startups were merely conceptual with no established cash flow. Interestingly, what caught the investors’ attention more than the lack of cash flow was the composition of the core team, particularly if it consisted of family members.

I could understand their concern, considering the frequent instances we witnessed where relationships within the core team became strained and, at times, severed due to the inherent stresses and unpredictable challenges associated with startups. Instances of husbands and wives later filing for divorce and fathers and sons becoming estranged were not uncommon. This phenomenon prompted me to reflect on situations where individuals, often relatives, assumed leadership roles without merit merely due to familial ties. When investors have a say in personnel changes, and they decide that individuals like “daddy’s little girl,” straight out of high school, are no longer fit to manage the company’s financials, it creates an awkward situation. Investors actively seek to avoid unnecessary family drama. Realizing that such occurrences were not uncommon, made me better realize why it was such a red flag in the venture funding industry.

Yet, when executed properly, a family business can successfully navigate the challenging terrain inherent in startups. Prior to the inception of our family software company startup, my father had the foresight for me to seek employment as the end-user client to gain essential domain knowledge. This proved to be invaluable advice that greatly benefited me when I eventually joined the family company. Having experienced the role of an end user allowed me to empathize with the pain points of our clients. This would foster a sense of trust and understanding with the client. Quite a crucial aspect in the realm of sales, which revolves significantly around building strong relationships. I didn’t begin my career in a leadership position with a substantial salary. Instead, I started at the entry level, performing what could be termed as “trench work.” Over time, I worked my way up the ranks by consistently delivering results, and as my responsibilities gradually expanded, so did my role within the organization. This approach was applied to varying degrees for the rest of my siblings and other family members. I just believe my crucible experience was slightly more intense, but that’s inherently part of being the firstborn son in the family :)

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I currently co-own a software company named True Prodigy that was established in 2017. During my early childhood, I was fortunate to observe my father initiate a couple successful companies following our Grandparent’s immigration from Piedras Negras, Mexico, to Texas. With other positive entrepreneurial influences from my aunts and uncles, who also established their thriving companies, I had valuable mentors shaping my journey. With the guidance of these mentors and many others, I launched a mobile car wash company immediately after high school, and later ventured into residential flips. Now I purely focus on True Prodigy and cOZmic Props L.L.C. Essentially, our company is the tip of the spear as it stands as the leader in the industry of the innovative edge by providing elite software for appraisal districts and an appraisal system for ad-valorem purposes. This ultimately helps county governments to fund local services like schools, fire and police departments, and roads. I am responsible for supervising the software conversion process, providing software demos, and ensuring that the training provided is sufficient to enable a smooth takeoff. I like it because a big passion of mine is building things for the benefit and improvement of the human condition, serving as the driving force behind my other economic pursuits. 

I am a huge Batman fan, and I would alter my suit in such a way to make it more practical with more realism. Upon winning costume contests, I began to recognize that I might possess some talent in this hobby. It wasn’t until I would get invited to children’s events where certain experiences sparked something inside my heart that has been the fire in my gut ever since to pursue this. To also see a physical manifestation of your work and witness the joy that it brings to them has been very motivating. This side endeavor is also helping me to break free from negative habits and unwind from work, which is ultimately helping me become a better person as a father and husband. I really would like to thank my wife for being super supportive. 

I recently just established a small startup named cOZmic Props L.L.C., dedicated to assisting the goals of others in fulfilling their dreams of costuming or props for their favorite characters. The future objective, once I break even, is to utilize a portion of the net profits to support a similar goal for children with special needs, enabling them to dress up comfortably as their favorite characters at no expense to them.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2016, I was going through a tough time after my divorce and decided to move back to Texas and start fresh. Spiritually, I hit an all-time low, but unexpectedly, later that year, I received a Batman suit as a gift, reigniting a passion that had been lost. This eventually led me to engage with local non-profit charities in Texas, such as Capes for Kindness. I eventually attended an event at a nearby children’s hospital. All these events played a crucial role in my swift recovery from personal challenges. 

A memorable moment that left a lasting impression and allowed me to spring back was one of the initial occasions when I visited a local children’s hospital dressed as Batman. I saw many children that had some sort of terminal illness or a physical handicap and sometimes an unfortunate combination of both. I try to alter my suits to look as real as they possibly can. This allows the children I interact with to be immersed in this fictional universe. I even went as far as investing in my own Batmobile as I would sometimes show up in a black Polaris Slingshot, which is a 3 wheeled trike motorcycle. It is during the time that they spend with me where they can momentarily escape their mortal challenges. 

It was at this event where I was prepared to create an unforgettable positive experience as the caped crusader, little did I know that what transpired afterward would serve as a perpetual source of fuel for my passion to continue this endeavor.

I noticed this child in a wheelchair that had a piece of Batman art on his lap. He was the perfect fan to surprise. I positioned myself behind him and elevated the rods in my cape on both sides, creating a colossal 6-foot wingspan that engulfed him in this sudden shadow. Realizing that he was suddenly in this shade, he turned around to see the source of this phenomenon. His eyes met mine and I quickly snapped both ends of the cape in the air as I quickly brought them down. I extended my hand out and whispered, “I’m Batman” and gave him a subtle smile. His caretaker and parents quickly jerked around to see what made that snapping noise and we all witnessed a miracle.

His eyes light up with excitement and he quickly started rocking back and forth in his wheelchair. He was noticeably gaining momentum with each sway. I did not know how to interpret this, but it seemed like the caretaker did and she rushed towards him. In that split moment, I realized that he had propelled himself out of the wheelchair, raised both his arms, and with his frail legs took one step toward me. His other foot did not follow, and he started to fall forward. I then lunged forward and caught him before he touched the ground. I embraced him as if he was giving me a hug. It may have been the muscular dystrophy that contributed to his lack of weight because he was light as a feather. However, his visible excitement was as evident as a lead cannon ball in my arms. I was quickly met with his caretaker asking me If I had him secured in my arms and I gave her a nod of confirmation. As I looked behind his head, I observed that neither of his parents had budged, and the mother, with her hands over her mouth and eyes, was suppressing tears. She seemed very happy despite seeing their child almost falling out of his wheelchair. It turned out that he had never gained the ability to walk or achieve mobility on his own, despite undergoing extensive physical therapy. In that moment after a considerable period, they witnessed their child summon the strength to stand on his own and take his first step.

It signified progress and hope for them, and for me, it marked the beginning of a special spiritual journey that boosted me to persist in this pursuit for other children in need of that extra push of encouragement in whatever they are going through. 

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I’ve always said that the 2 main drivers that set you apart from the competitors that are worthy of high investment are the right people on your team and the customer service you provide.

One of the biggest expense line items is payroll. Good work is not cheap but cheap work is never good. The right people are worth the investment and expense but can be expensive when you don’t have the right people on the bus. When you find that person, believe in them and fight for them. The right team players are passionate and self-motivated and do not need micromanaging. Since they are passionate, they are constantly looking for ways to improve the product to benefit the client. Listen and become empathetic instead of sympathetic to their needs and concerns. Fight for them when the external factors of covid and recession are pressing you to make layoff decisions. When the people see that you are willing to make sacrifices for them to keep their job, they will become loyal and that is a powerful team that will allow you to eventually compete with the 800-pound gorillas in the market.

We are aggressive with the software that we provide by literally pushing out at least 2 releases every month. This communicates to the customer that they are NOT merely being heard but are ACTIVELY LISTENED to. We work after business hours sometimes and provide multiple avenues for them to contact us. We also conduct sporadic in-person visits to ensure that everything is progressing smoothly. Sometimes clients will suffer quietly until you make the effort to discover it in person. It communicates to the client that they can place their trust in us, fostering additional future clientele through their referrals. While having cutting-edge technology is invaluable, it is not sustainable without excellent customer service. The moment you stop innovating, you die like a shark deciding to stop swimming. This is why we restrict the number of clients we take in each year. Don’t take in more than you can chew because eventually you will pay for it at the expense of your company’s reputation for your clients and your team. 

Through continuous product innovation aimed at providing exceptional customer service with our stellar team, we have achieved a fully booked schedule by the end of 2023, securing clients well into 2025.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://trueprodigy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cozmicprops
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/true-prodigy-tech