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

Irvin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

One of the most misunderstood things when you start a business is that you should give discounts to family and friends. To some extend when you start off from scratch in business your prices will definitely be lower because you’re brand new in the game and nobody knows your name yet. You need to build clientele and a portfolio of projects or products that you’ve successfully sold. You have to legit know what your product or service is worth and don’t go below that. You charge a new client full prize then why would you give friends or families free or discounted rates?? It doesn’t make sense because friends and family are supposed to be your biggest supporters but they ask to pay for a cheaper price. They don’t want to pay you full price for your business but they go shopping and spend full price with a big company no problem.

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 was born into the electrical industry at the age of 10 years old when I started to work for my dad in his electrical business. He would take me to work with him during my vacations from school until I graduated high school. During my high school years, I would study the National Electrical Code book (NEC) after school and my soccer practices. After studying throughout my high school years, I took my Journeyman Electrician test and I failed it the first four times and the fifth time I finally passed it. I’m thankful that my dad taught me to keep pushing and never quit. I took a break from the industry when I left to college for a full semester. When I came back home and kept working for the next two years, I then took the Master Electrician test and passed my first try. I ended up moving to Houston, TX after I passed the test in May 2018 and that’s where I started my own electrical business in the residential game. I lived in Houston for 2.5 years until I moved to Austin, TX in January 2021. We now work with multiple General Contractors in residential remodeling. We turn our clients dream home into reality.

We believe we do the best work in town because we truly focus on our client and what’s best for them. We don’t sell anyone anything that they don’t need in order to solve their specific problems.

Aside from our electrical services that we provide, we host a monthly construction networking event in our office with people that are involved in the construction industry that want to meet other people that are kicking ass in their respective fields. We also have a construction dedicated podcast called Construction Royalty that focuses on bringing the information from the professionals that are winners at what they do to the audience that wants to learn from legit people.

Discipline and personal development has been an essential part of my life since March 2020. That’s when I realized that taking care of your physical and mental health is the most important thing for yourself and that should be the case for every single human in this planet. If you can’t take care of yourself then how on earth will you take care of your friends, family, and clients?

How did you build your audience on social media?

We’re 11 days away from 2o23, if you don’t have social media pages then you’re behind. Start a social media page and start posting constantly to build up the page with projects and products. I started my Instagram business page as soon as I started my business. I started posting things that came to mind and I started spending small amounts of money on marketing on Instagram and Facebook. That the way I build up my clientele in Houston and I can tell you that was the cheapest and best way I could’ve done that.

The main thing you need to keep in mind is that you need to ALWAYS be authentic and real. Most people put on a front and create a character to play online vs the person who they are in real life. DON’T do that, people will smell your bullshit. Be real, be authentic and always have people’s best interest in mind. Make sure that everything you post brings value to the people consuming your content. Does your content entertain, inform or persuade the audience to do something?

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Making money in business in not the priority. Solving the problems of your clients in the main priority. If you always do things with your clients best interest in mind, the money will come. Of course money is important. It’s as important as you need air because without having money then you’ll be out of business. But don’t focus on getting as much money as possible from each person because that when you’ll start doing unethical shit just to make the amount of money that you want. Also become friends with your clients, make a friend and you make a sale. When you make friends with them in a genuine way, they will tell their friends about you and that’s the best kind of marketing available.

Contact Info:

• Website: retizelectric.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/retizelectric/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/retizelectric
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retizelectric/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@retizelectric
• Other: https://linktr.ee/retizelectric

Image Credits
Irvin Retiz Marco Retiz