Today we’d like to introduce you to German Chicas Villanueva.
Hi German, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As you know I’m a Guatemalan immigrant that was looking for a better live for my family, my wife and I have 26 years married with 3 children, we came to US on 2011 as I said looking for a better live, with open mind to do anything could help us to grow in this country, I forgot that I was bank worker in my country and we started to accept any opportunity came, working by night in cleaning business, helping others to moving, and many things that provide the cash for living.
We were received by my wife family into their house and the husband of her cousins was running a home improvement business in Northern Virginia and he gave the chance to work for him for a short time, earning $7 dollars per hour and working 8 or 9 hours per day I started to learn a bit more the construction field in United States; in the basement where we lived were sharing with two men father and son from Guatemala as well and the father knew to a man Gino from El Salvador whom worked in painting and other stuff, he hired me for $10 per hour and I went with him; Gino was a good person with me and I learned many things but his lucky days was counted and one day he was imprisoned for something that I do not know until today; that day I felt in the limbo, I just finished the work we started that week and done, no work and nothing, my only source of money was my night job in Washington DC for cleaning services and that was shared with my wife.
But a person whom met when I was working with Gino contacted me to help him to finish a job, he and his partner talked me to continue helping them each time they finish their part of the job as disaster cleaners and restoration, then I started to reconstruct the drywall and refinish and paint to complete the job, I’ve got more skills in those days.
I consider myself like a self-learner because when I see to other person or help anyone to do something then I feel comfortable to do it myself and that has helped me to get more knowledge and skills in my business.
The web site Craigslist helped me a lot to get clients and people that needed any repair service, around 2012 to 2015 that website in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC let you publish your service without cost and I used that a lot and until today I have many clients from that web.
My philosophy always is about if the job like me and I feel that is good I know that this project will like to the client and the people will feel comfortable too.
Every time when I started to do something different the people referred me to another, and I’ve used that references to grow every day, trying to keep the people happy with my skills and showing a good behavior in theirs houses, not all has been happy but I can say that a 90% of my client are happy with their projects done.
Now I am not the person with $10 dollar per hour income but I always remember from where I am, every day remember all the pathway I’ve walked and watching my family let going forward and continue to being better, I help other when I have the opportunity and share my history to inspire someone else but I know everyone has different path and way to do the things, use the opportunities and get more.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The smoother road was the way of we came to this country, then all has been to climbIng to up, the first thing we face was that my wife family did not understand our family way, that why we needed to move to another place to live, one person Mr Jose helped us renting his basement for almost one year, he was good person and something take me out to help him in his AC business, one day he offer me the opportunity to work with him but the condition was that I needed pass a basic course of HVAC, with not too much money I make all arrangements to pay it, then when I finish I was ready to going forward into a different job and field buy unfortunately his wife was not happy with us living in their house and they requested us to moved out quickly without not too much time to find out another place, with not too much money and few English knowledge we went to apply for an apartment in the low income zone, they accepted us and we lived there for short time.
The business started to grow long journeys every day, just sleeping 3 hours per night we worked night in cleaning and day in home improvement, some days was empty from projects, but others one or two services came along the week.
Some people never pay me for my services, my children were sick sometimes, we needed to move again to try in pay less possible, only we had one car and that car needed many repairs but I tried to keep running for work and take my family to the church or just going to relax in natural park close to our house or somewhere we may disconnect our minds. Now not all is solved, we still going to up, sometime the path is flat and then start going to up again but every time the times are hard that means for us the something special is coming, we appreciate all hard times because those make us more resistant and learn us to get more patience and work harder to obtain the best result in our journey, make us being more grateful with what we have.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Like I said before, with the open mind when I came to US and thanks to Alfredo whom introduce me to the home improvement business every day I felt that I was able to get better things done, my skills became better and my two years of English student was the foundation to improve more and more the interaction with others, on February 2014 we decided to open like License Contractor in home improvement business and my wife and I created GR Chicas LLC, focused to give home improvement services, help the the people to get their remodeling dream reality.
The company is focusing on Bathrooms, kitchen, carpentry, drywall repair and new installation, ceramic tile, hardwood floor, handyman services, painting and more things.
Lately our experience has been focused on Kitchen and Bathrooms, the clients are looking make their own style, and we are helping them to get it, probably all those things are not nothing in special but my idea is giving to the client a personal treatment in every step their project has, every time I look born a new bathroom or kitchen or any other project we make I feel like a proud father, giving the chance to other enjoy my creations and they can feel part of my feeling each time they use it.
Probably I am not special in compare to others but I’ve working hard to give my client a good service, trust worth, the chance of my clients know that anything they need I am here for them, I am still small business owner but the satisfaction in my service is my own presentation letter.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
There are not luck in my life, I understood that in the day when I arrived to this country, when one person like I just think in the luck nothing will happen, in my life the God hand is who has driven me to everything I have walked until today, I am member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint, the Heavenly Father is whom bring me to this country with my family, he opened all doors in many ways that until today I do not understand how he done but my luck if I can call it in that way is my Lord Jesus Christ.
I met him one year later of my arrival and let me tell you that from that day all in my personal life, business life and family life has changed to many good things, without God and Jesus Christ I do not have anything, all my appointments for new projects, all my interaction with old and new clients is because God has his hand on me, until my work way is belong to him, every day I pray before start to work, the day when I do not do it, that day is more difficult with many issues.
Someone may say all in my life is for luck and other may say all is for my ability to make business or my behavior or whatever they say but I know that God and Jesus Christ are the captain in my boat, not all has been good, the test time made me to organize the things in different way, become humble and let the lord carry me to where he wants and sometimes I need to understand that the pathway where I am is not the right, then I pray and pray again until I understand what is the next step, my luck is my God and Jesus Christ and I really love it have this CEO in my life and business.
Pricing:
- Is better make an appointment to get a good price.
- I can offer 10% of discount if the people show me this interview
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.grchicasllc.com
- Instagram: GR Chicas LLC
- Facebook: GR Chicas LLC Painting and remodeling
- LinkedIn: German Chicas
