We were lucky to catch up with Saul Martinez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Saul , appreciate you joining us today. How do you think about cost-management? Growing a business is always exciting, but often businesses run into issues when costs grow faster than revenue – have you experienced such an episode? Any advice for other operators around how to keep costs in line?

It has definitely been a learning process to keep costs under control wether it’s saving up for tools and equipment or even just dealing with unforeseen repairs and material issues. As the time goes by I’ve gotten better at budgeting accordingly for certain things. As they say your first years in business are the hardest which is why it’s important to keep costs low and reinvest as much as possible back into the business as it’s in the growing stage.

Saul , 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?

I have always worked in the outdoors, my dad owns his own landscaping business so since I was young I was instantly introduced to tough and labor intensive work. I learned a lot working with him and soon found out that I enjoyed concrete work and wanted to focus more on that. So I started Solstice Construction, wether it is just a simple concrete pad or a more intricate concrete pad we do it. There is many ways and applications to concrete work. You could add color, textures, and designs to make your outdoor living space more attractive. I also install paver patios which is also very versatile and adds a lot to your yard. One of the most satisfactory things to me is bringing an unusable space into something that someone can enjoy! It is always amazing to see the transformation of a piece of dirt and knowing that we put a lot of hard work and preparation into building something that will last.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I was always under the impression that I needed a lot of money to start a business. Although this is true in some cases, I started with very little and slowly began my business. I worked on getting more work and more work led to more money which little by little is allowing me to grow and purchase more things that are needed in my business. Not everyone has the opportunity to start with a lot of cash on hand and it can be difficult but it is definitely possible!

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

As I was doing landscaping I started getting concrete jobs, every time I would need to buy a new tool, that was always exciting because I wouldn’t have to borrow or rent out tools anymore. A big turning point was when I bought my second truck, an F-350. This allowed me to be able to do more, to take on bigger jobs. I would complete one job and then get referred to someone else. Eventually I was at a point where I had to choose between working in landscaping or going full time and doing my concrete jobs. And that’s how Solstice Construction started!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @solstice_construction
• Other: Google- Solstice Construction LLC