Intro-From Accidental Landlords to Business Triumphs: The CV Hustle Entrepreneurial Journey
Mar 07, 2024
Robert & Fina Meraz
Have you ever found yourself daydreaming about trading in your day job for the thrill of running your own business? That's precisely the journey Fina and Robert Meraz, embarked upon, and we're here to take you through each twist and turn from accidental landlords to the proud owners of not one, but three thriving businesses right here in Coachella Valley. We peel back the curtain on the challenges and triumphs that come with entrepreneurship, sharing our insight and experiences with grit and unwavering determination. Our story isn't just about us; it's a beacon for anyone in our community who's felt the flicker of that same entrepreneurial flame.
This episode is chock-full of honest reflection and actionable advice for those ready to make their move into the business world. We talk about the significance of belief, the power of mentorship, and the delicate dance between planning and instinct. Meanwhile, Fina recounts the mesmerizing tale of how Tile Designs by Fina took a simple spark of creativity and turned it into a stunning, successful enterprise. There's a harmony in our partnership that resonates throughout our ventures, showing that with the right synergy and a touch of creativity, the possibilities are limitless. So, listen in and let our stories embolden your spirit to hustle hard for your dreams.
Have you ever found yourself daydreaming about trading in your day job for the thrill of running your own business? That's precisely the journey Fina and Robert Meraz, embarked upon, and we're here to take you through each twist and turn from accidental landlords to the proud owners of not one, but three thriving businesses right here in Coachella Valley. We peel back the curtain on the challenges and triumphs that come with entrepreneurship, sharing our insight and experiences with grit and unwavering determination. Our story isn't just about us; it's a beacon for anyone in our community who's felt the flicker of that same entrepreneurial flame.
This episode is chock-full of honest reflection and actionable advice for those ready to make their move into the business world. We talk about the significance of belief, the power of mentorship, and the delicate dance between planning and instinct. Meanwhile, Fina recounts the mesmerizing tale of how Tile Designs by Fina took a simple spark of creativity and turned it into a stunning, successful enterprise. There's a harmony in our partnership that resonates throughout our ventures, showing that with the right synergy and a touch of creativity, the possibilities are limitless. So, listen in and let our stories embolden your spirit to hustle hard for your dreams.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to CV Hustle, the podcast created to educate, inform and inspire entrepreneurship here in our Coachella Valley.
Speaker 2:
So what are we doing here?
Speaker 1:
What are we doing here? I know that's a good question. Well, we're here to you know, to promote CV Hustle, our new podcast about entrepreneurship here in the Coachella Valley.
Speaker 2:
Can you believe we're here doing this?
Speaker 1:
I can't. This has been a long time coming.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, you've been talking about it for a long time and I'm excited that we're here today to do that and to see this come to fruition, because I think it's something that the Valley needs. I think we have a lot to offer. I hope Wink, wink, right, yeah, what do you think? What do you think we're doing here and why it's important?
Speaker 1:
So I think what we're trying to do is promote local entrepreneurship and especially nowadays, I think, the younger generations of kids under our age. They don't want to work a nine to five. They want to kind of go out and do their own thing. They see the potential of working for themselves. So you know, when we were coming up as locals in the Coachella Valley, we didn't have a ton of role models kind of showing us the ropes and telling us what to do. So that was kind of the inspiration behind this CV Hustle podcast. You know, this is something that I think the community needs. It's a way for us to give back right as entrepreneurs.
Speaker 2:
Oh, absolutely. I think it's something that we need. I'm excited that I'm hoping that we can inspire young and old, right, you know, you've got people that might be out there and they're looking to start a new business, or maybe they're stuck in a rut and they want to do something new. Right here we are and we can kind of push them and see if there's something that we can see. I'm already fucking losing it.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, edit that out.
Speaker 2:
But no, but I mean, I think we've always talked about, um, we've always talked about being an entrepreneur. It's kind of in our blood, we love it, we thrive on it, right, and so we want to share those experiences and our expertise. You know, I don't I don't know that I'm an expert, but I can tell my story and I hope that it can inspire somebody to get going on their end.
Speaker 1:
Yeah Well, speaking of that, why should people listen to us? You know, I don't think we've really touched on that. So I'm Robert Maraz and this is. I'm Fina Maraz and we're CV, hustle and the, and we own three businesses here locally in the valley. We've been business owners for over 10 years now.
Speaker 2:
We started in what 2003 yeah, no that's when we met 2013.
Speaker 1:
Something about lucky number three, yeah it's how, designed by Fina, was opened up in 2013, but before that, we even had a business that we weren't even aware about, you know.
Speaker 1:
We moved we rented out our first home because we didn't want to sell it, and we became landlords. So really, our first business, without us even knowing about it, was Maraz enterprises, which is our real estate holdings company. Now, that was really our first introduction. Even though at the time, it wasn't meant to be our first business, it really was. And then also in 2017, 17 2017.
Speaker 2:
Bobby used to proudly wear the badge slum lords.
Speaker 1:
Oh, you know, you gotta make your money. Somehow you ain't making no money.
Speaker 2:
The rent's low.
Speaker 1:
You know, you gotta, you gotta make your money. So, but in 2017, this comes our third business right, and that's I pay solutions, which is a payroll HR firm here in the Coachella Valley, and it's it's been, you know, that's been quite a ride, right it's. We have tile designs by Fina, which is run by my wife for over 10 years. Yeah, I pay solutions, which is now going into its sixth year of existence.
Speaker 2:
It's so crazy just when you first started and how hard it was to get you to start. But once you did you were on a roll and you've really grown this business and it's exciting. It's exciting to see and here we are, you know, going into a fourth business, right, our podcast.
Speaker 1:
And well, this is a nonprofit, we're not gonna make no money off this no.
Speaker 1:
It's not designed for that really. It is really for community services, something that we've always wanted to do. We've always, we've always wanted to kind of give back to our community. And you know, as business owners, you know, you see the younger generations coming up going. You know, hey, you know I want to do this, but I got no roadmap on how to do it, and so the reason we wanted to come in here and put this on, you know, on film and on podcast version, is because we want the word to spread. You know, not just, not just for you know, people, people, young people, but old people, well as well, that that have been thinking, hey, do I want to go out and do this? It's not, you know, it's not something I'm real comfortable with. Well, if I can do it and she can do it, we're telling you that anybody can do it. If you're willing to grind it out. There's no secret sauce. It's hard work and talent and you grind it out, you can be successful as an entrepreneur.
Speaker 2:
I think, if I think you could do it, it was really hard for me to do it because I had no role models. You had a great role model, your parents were great role models, your dad was a dentist. You went to college. I didn't do any of that stuff. I didn't grow up any in any kind of. You know, my mom was a single mom, that kind of thing. But you know, I think it takes grit, determination, ambition and a little bit of passion and a little bit of craziness to get it going absolutely Well.
Speaker 1:
That's where you coming in craziness and I'm okay with that.
Speaker 2:
I embrace the crazy, you know she's the creative.
Speaker 1:
I'm the, the accountant in the in the relationship as you, as if you don't know us some and account with flair little bit. You know, I try, you know I try and not look like an accountant or act like an accountant, but I'm an accountant by trade, you know. But yeah, so I did have role models, but at the same time, if you remember our story, I was not the one that wanted to go out and do all that.
Speaker 1:
I was the one that took the paper and we're like, okay, we got to make this much and we got to cover rent and I put the, you know, put the, the pad of paper, and you know, I remember this is what we've always talked about.
Speaker 2:
I'm the, I'm the is the dreamer, and then you're the ones that puts the brakes on and says, hold on. Absolutely we got to like check it all and I'm like, no, let's go, let's jump. You know, Even I'm scared to jump from like a airplane or something.
Speaker 1:
But you know you're scared of heights. She was not happy at where she was. She's very talented at what she does, she's very good, she has base, a real big following of clientele, and she was ready. She was ready to kind of stop working for somebody else, absolutely, oh well, that's that's the story that we tell with TDBF.
Speaker 1:
But but in terms of how we started you, you were the one that you were the one that did not want to work for somebody else. You want to make your own path, be a master of your own destiny. I was the one, you know, I was the one sitting back looking at the numbers, going okay, if you don't get a paycheck anymore, you know how much do we? I got to bring in to support this other business and at the time, I mean, we didn't have any money. We were. We were living paycheck to paycheck, like most people do. You know that's what I'm saying. Like, this is our story. If you listen to it, you can probably find some some similarities in your own story. Because we were living paycheck to paycheck. We had, you know, we had four kids. You know we had, you know, all these bills that we had to pay and I had a wife, that was said she didn't want to work for nobody anymore.
Speaker 1:
So so maybe the the accountant brain that I am, I'm like okay, so how long can we sustain this? You know we have a couple of thousand dollars in our savings account and that's it. You know how are we going to build a business? Yeah, it's terrifying. It's terrifying and exciting all at the same time. You know, you get to be the master of your own destiny, but at the same time you're going to be broke for a little while, and you got to be comfortable with being uncomfortable for a while as an entrepreneur, because you know you got to get out there and you got to grind it out and that's the only way to do it and that's what we had to do. I mean, you know, with her business we only had a couple thousand dollars in the bank account, in our savings, and it either worked or it was either a sink or swim Bobby was totally freaking out about it before you're going to be able to pay the rent right and do all this.
Speaker 2:
Because we had just had $2,000 in the bank and I had to spend $600 on my first month's rent and $600 deposit to get into my new little showroom or what have you. And I was like, well, here we go, man, and luckily we had vendors that stuck by our sides and gave us product. We used furniture from our garage and we bought things off of Craigslist. And my husband was, you know, I think he was a little bit reserved and scared, but it was like once we started going, you know, people kind of really started looking for me and then I think you started saying, oh, this is she's, she's, she can do this, you know, because we it was kind of proof of concept.
Speaker 2:
That's always how it is with you, I have to prove it to you, and then you like, let me run with it. So that's what. That was pretty interesting. So I think you were kind of a long for the ride on that one. I think that you really, you know, had to see it first, and then, once you started your business, it was like, oh, she can do it.
Speaker 1:
I can do it for sure Right, and that's kind of why we're here today is because, if we can do it, you can do it and I, I, I really, you know, I really truly believe that. Now I will say this entrepreneurship is not for everyone. It's not for everybody. Sometimes, you know, we get fooled into. You guys will go online and see some hustle porn, like, oh, you just do this and this and that it's easy. It's not easy, it is not easy, but if you have the determination and the work ethic and the skills, it's absolutely something that you should do, because it equals freedom. It equals freedom of being your own boss and at the same time, you're going to work twice as hard for yourself as you will for somebody else. You know, especially early on, right Early on, you really got to grind and put that time in it. There's no, there's no way around it.
Speaker 2:
I think for me, you know it was, it was sink or swim, right, you really was like you know, it was like I got to go get that next sale because I got to bring money in, right it's, it's, it's one of those things where I've got to survive and there, you know, and if I already am an expert at what I'm doing and I'm comfortable and I'm good at what I do, then then I'm going to go out and do it and that's, you know, you kind of always have to, you kind of have to believe in yourself, right, you got to be the first one to believe in yourself and then just go out there and just start getting getting those jobs, grinding and and and not being afraid to ask for for people's business.
Speaker 2:
I mean, I remember going and knocking on a you know a couple of designers door saying, hey, I just started my business. You know what's your next project that you're working on? Can I help you source any of the products or that kind of thing? And and it. Let them know that. You know, hey, I'm willing to work for for you know, for you, right, and help you out and and return. You know, give me your business and and I'm going to, I'm going to be, and maybe your partner in this and and I'll come through for you, because so many times you know you just really need somebody that's reliable on the other end of whatever you're purchasing or whatever, or you know you're working on really, so I think that helps.
Speaker 1:
And remember when we first started, you know we were both kind of terrified and had no idea what, what, what to do, right, you know, we were just like okay, my wife wants to start a new business. But you know, what do we do, do we? How do we even, how do we even go about starting, starting that, that transition from being an employee, how do we even set up a business? So, remember we went to a place called score. Score is a small business, small business organization and it's sponsored by the SBA.
Speaker 1:
SBA sponsored and we went to score and we sat down with a mentor for probably about a month.
Speaker 2:
right, we went to a couple meetings couple meetings for sure.
Speaker 1:
Couple meetings like in a month, right, yeah, they kind of gave us, they kind of gave us a blueprint on how, on how to do it. You know, because we had no idea. We, I knew that my wife was good at sales and she had good taste and she could probably sell it. But how do we structure a business? How do we open a bank account? What kind of business is gonna be in a corporation, a sole proprietor, things like that? That you haven't, you don't even even thought about when you're thinking about going out there and starting your own business. Score was a great, great way for us to get some first hand knowledge of how to do that.
Speaker 2:
Well, I think too, they had also said they talked about business plans and I was like no, screw that, I'm not doing a business plan, I'm just gonna run with it, because that's my personality, I'm gonna run with it, I'm gonna make it work, and that's that. You, on the other hand, were like no, we need a business plan. So that's why we work, because you're structured and you kind of keep me in line, you kind of keep the wheels from falling off, if you will. But once they gave us the, really gave me the confidence that I could do this, and you like, oh, okay, well, if they believe in her, then I guess I bet her too right, as her husband. Like, obviously you always do.
Speaker 2:
But it was just that little push that we really needed to just feel like, wow, these are business owners and they are telling me that I can do this. So guess what? I'm gonna do it, you know, and it was just. I'll always be grateful to those guys. They really are, they're really great at what they do and they've helped a lot of people. I'm sure we're not the only ones, and that's kind of what we're kind of after, just kind of on a broader scale, if you will right.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely well. The thing about score and what it did for me at least is it kind of took the blinders off right, like I wasn't so uneducated on how to do it, like they kind of gave us a blueprint okay, do this, do a bank account, do this. And from that education it made it to me somebody that's really risk averse go. Okay, I think these guys did it. Why can't we do it? Like now they're giving us a blueprint on how to do it? So I think this is something that we could at least try and it's not so scary For somebody like me who's a big conservative financially. I'm like, hey, this is something that we should try. The upside is way bigger than the downside, so let's give it a go.
Speaker 2:
And then I had to have trust that my wife was gonna that I could sell yeah my wife was gonna go out there and sell ice to an Eskimo, which she's very good at, but and that was something that kind of kicked me in the butt and said, okay, you go do this, because this is a good opportunity sitting right in front of your face you better take advantage of it Well, and I think also one of the other pluses is that you worked for a payroll company, right, and so you could do my payroll, you could figure out all the financial stuff that just makes my head go like boing, you know, like I can't, I don't wanna deal with that part of the business, and that's why it worked really nicely for us, because you just came in and I just was like here you go, oh yeah, what's this thing called sales tax? Right, Like you helped me figure out all of that stuff. And then we also aligned ourselves with right what's his name? The CPA guy? Oh God, the guy with the beard, the older guy.
Speaker 1:
Oh, gus, yeah, yeah, gus Gonzalez, shout out to Gus.
Speaker 2:
Hey Gus. So Gus really was kind of your mentor as well, and really mine, because we had no idea that we were gonna get hit with a $25,000 tax bill our first year. We were like shitting bricks here.
Speaker 1:
I was an eye-opening experience, wasn't it?
Speaker 2:
But thank God we saved for a rainy day right.
Speaker 1:
It's one of the okay anyway.
Speaker 2:
But so I think by us aligning ourselves with Gus that kind of also quieted. You know, you're okay, I've got somebody that I trust and has been doing this forever, and we have a lot of mutual clients and he really just helped you out too and I mean we made us believe in ourselves too. You know, it was just kind of with that part, that financial part was taken care of for me and that was a huge help.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely Well, it's all. The devil's always in the details. Right there's always. You don't know what. You don't know until you're facing it, you know, Until you get a bite in the ass, yeah until it comes in and kicks you in the ass and you're like, oh, I better figure this out, so you know. But speaking of the big tax bill, that's one of the reasons we ran down the very next day and incorporated, which is another.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, we started off as a sole proprietor, because your parents were sole proprietors in their dentistry business. And so we were like, okay, well, we'll just do that. And then you had no idea your wife was gonna be a selling machine and we had, you know. So we had to learn like, oh gosh, we're 12% for this and 12% for that, and we got to pay. The man you know is 25% or what have you, yeah.
Speaker 1:
So I mean, that's a whole different podcast on why you should incorporate. But maybe we'll get to that. But Well, you know what?
Speaker 2:
it was. It was 800 and some dollars to incorporate. So we were like eh, we'll hold off on that yeah, but think about the.
Speaker 1:
The $800 ain't really nothing if you think about the savings right. Hindsight's 20-20, right, Always right.
Speaker 2:
So you just, you don't really know until you know, oh, you're always, always it's a good. You know what it's a good lesson. I'm thankful that we just didn't go out and spend the money we were making right. That's that, I think, is key to any new business is you've got to save, save, save, save save, save and I've got to cash flow.
Speaker 1:
yeah, you've got to cash flow.
Speaker 2:
And I think, like you were saying, you know what are some of the best or questions right Was some of the best advice I've been given, and I think it was Tisa who said you need to save everything that you make and you know obviously you know you're going to spend where you need and things like that. But I always was so scared of losing all the money I was making Not I'm not saying I was bringing in billions or anything like that, but it was a whole heck of a lot more money than you and I were ever used to seeing.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2:
You know we talk about that. We're like, oh my God, we have $10,000, or $5,000 in the bank, holy shit. And then it was 10,000, and then it was 25,000. And then it just went up and we were just like whoa.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
And we had never, we just had never had money like that in our accounts.
Speaker 1:
We had never experienced anything like that because you know we would live in, like I said, paycheck to paycheck.
Speaker 2:
Absolutely.
Speaker 1:
And you know that. I mean nothing wrong with that, I mean that's. But you know, once you, once you change your cash flow situation, think about changing your tax plan as well, because you're not, you're not going to be running down to do your taxes on the first day the IRS opens up filings. You know, once you, once you open your own business, you will need to wait. And you know, and it's like almost like we run extension every year now, right Before we'd run down there and try and get our refund, and now it's like, oh, it's just, you know, it's always a painful day, so let's work to the wise. You know when you that will. That will change when you open your own business. You will not want to be running down to do your taxes anymore. Yeah, you know, you're always going to. You want to be about, even if you do it right With Uncle Sam.
Speaker 2:
I think you know that's. You know, when we sit here and we talk about what, where we, where we started and stuff, and it is, it is remembering all of these little pieces that came together to build what we have today. And and that's what's pretty cool, you know, because, like I said, my mom was a single mom. My mom was on welfare. We didn't. My mom didn't pay taxes. We didn't get, you know, we didn't.
Speaker 2:
Nobody in my family knew anything like that, right, I didn't. I didn't go to college, I didn't know. I also grew up Jehovah's Witness, so we weren't allowed to necessarily go to college, but it was just those things. And all I knew from watching my mother was I did not want to be like that. I did not want to live like paycheck to paycheck and, you know, not have food, and I, you know, I wanted to go out and buy things and just be, just do have money to go do things. And so she taught me what not to do and I think that's that was one key lesson for myself was what can I do right and what can I? What can I give to my kids right? And so just now I'm going off the fucking kilter over here and you like that's why it's a podcast, it's long form.
Speaker 1:
babe, you can, you can, you can ramble as much as you want. You know it's a good teaser, you know, for you know for this the first episode, which will be about tile designs by Fina. You know this. This young lady over here took a, took a business you know from From nothing to to basically a multimillion dollar company, and it's all you know. She's from Coachella. She's from Coachella. She grew up in the Coachella Valley on no college education, right, you were just like talented and you worked hard.
Speaker 2:
I don't know I'm definitely a hard worker. For sure I've got grit and I think that's what you need, you've got.
Speaker 2:
I always have had that little burning flame in my belly, as you say. I'm always, I'm always looking to to do something, to create something, to make something. I love seeing our businesses grow. I like to crush the competition, you know, it's just things like that. I'm, I'm very competitive, and so you just got to use your, your strengths for you. Right, you know? And and don't concentrate on that the weaknesses I mean they come up and that's where, like my weaknesses, are your strengths, and vice versa.
Speaker 1:
Right.
Speaker 2:
That's why we make a great team.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely so. Episode two or episode one coming up tile designs by Fina. We're going to get into the weeds and give you her whole story on how we how we did took something, took nothing and made it into a lot of something and it's a pretty. It's a pretty cool story. So stay tuned. I hope to hear from you guys next time.