Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rodolfo Lobera. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rodolfo, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, what do you think about family businesses? Would you want your children or other family members to one day join your business?
The vast majority of the industry in our country is classified as a small business, without much hesitation, the vast majority correspond to businesses managed by a family nucleus. That means, dad, mom working together in some trade or business which represents the main source of income for the family. The difference between success and failure will lie in the couple’s ability to adapt to changes, understanding that as business couples there are differences that have to be managed differently not involving personal feelings, a family business must learn to delegate and to invite outside specialists or professionals to the organization, such as, an accountant or a manager, otherwise growth will be limited and failure probabilities will be substantially high.
Rodolfo, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My wife Leticia and I decided to make a substantial change in our lives 6 years ago, we left our professional careers and our secured payroll to enter into the car wash industry as entrepreneurs, In this sense, Speedy Car Cleaning was created. We immediately sought to separate ourselves from the industry by establishing a mobile service, which means, to bring the convenience of the service directly to the client’s home or office. For these purposes, we adapted small vehicles with all the necessary equipment like water, power and chemicals to carry out the service. We offer a large range of services, from a regular wash to detail specialties such as paint corrections or ceramic coating. The company was nicely accepted by the clientele and actually, we have been voted as the best car wash in our community for 3 consecutive years.
In 2019, a new line of services was introduced including home cleaning. Although the pandemic, like many other businesses, affected our operations, sanitization for both, car and homes were added, We also included carpets and floors cleaning in 2020 and by 2021, we expanded the company to also offer a pool cleaning line. With this, Speedy Car Cleaning becomes Speedy Integral Services, being a one-shop cleaning company, from your driveway to your patio.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Every company must build an organizational culture, which must be translated, among other elements, into brand reputation. Certainly, it is a long process, it takes time, effort and dedication, also considering that it is extremely easy to lose it. I think that in order to build your reputation, you must always be aware of your customer’s experience. Thinking that the customer is only expecting a good priced product is a mistake, we must understand that the optimal customer seeks quality and above all, an amazing experience in terms of attention and interaction, they want to be heard, they want answers when they need them and, obviously, solutions to his problems. The reputation will be built to the extent that the corporate culture is strengthened.
Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses
The expansion of your business can be based on organic growth, it means base on clients and sales growth, and of course on buying an existing business, which can increase income, expenses, geographies. payroll, etc in one day. However, acquiring a business without proper planning can trigger a nightmare, and instead of business growth, we can generate losses and cost inefficiency. It is very important to be sure that the target company is the right one, that all financial reports are accurate, that the customers are real, and that in general, the target does not have legal, labor or tax problems that could affect the future operation, so a exhaustive due diligence It is recommended, keep in mind, that if the seller is not willing to give us access to their information, it is not a good sign.
It is vital that the purchase/sale agreement is prepared and legally advised by a business lawyer, to be sure that all property titles, assets, inventories are properly supported. Finally, you should be clear about the integration strategy (short and long term), since we are talking about two different cultures that will coexist together, not leaving aside the strategy to integrate systems, collection methods, accounting, etc.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.speedycarcleaning.com
- Instagram: speedycarcleaning
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Speedyintegralservices