Building structure and finding clarity in CEO Now

Building structure and finding clarity in CEO Now

When Martin Garcia launched Four Brothers Construction, he brought a lot of management experience from his prior career, but little formal business training. Before long, he started to feel the impacts, he was busy but didn’t feel like he had a lot to show for it.

“I thought it was like the more we work and the more busy you are, you're just doing good, right? But I was never running numbers because I didn’t know how to do a balance sheet and all this other stuff,” said Martin (pictured to the right).

He realized he needed some business fundamentals, some structure, and some strategy to get his business on the right path.

When applying, he told Elevate Hennepin staff that he wanted to “go back to the beginning. I am still trying to structure everything, make this make sense, learn the systems, learn budgeting, and make it sustainable.”

During the seven-month cohort, he started implementing new ideas, building out that structure, and taking a close look at his business with peers. During that close look, he and his peers talked a lot about how to make hard decisions. He realized he had to make one himself.   

Martin’s initial business partners, friends and family who had some construction experience, didn’t seem to have the same ownership mindset he did.

“I couldn’t see it because I believed in them as people and friends,” said Martin. “But if I didn't go through CEO Now, I would have never been able to put it together and see things needed to be changed now or I might not be around in a couple months.”

He tried building some financial systems, strategic planning, and business structure he learned in CEO Now to build accountability and spread out more of the essential ownership tasks. But eventually he realized he had to part ways with his business partners and re-focus the business.

He said it was the hardest decision he has made as a business owner. As painful as it was, that moment became the turning point that allowed Martin to rebuild.

“I changed my structure which made me more sustainable and allowed me to take on more work without more stress,” said Martin.

With a streamlined business and fewer fires to put out, he finally had the space to plan, strategize, and lead rather than simply react. He worked closely with peers in CEO Now to look ahead and build something sustainable.

Today, Martin approaches his business with confidence and clear direction. As he put it, “Elevate Hennepin opened my eyes to actually being a business owner instead of just being busy,” said Martin. “I'm so happy that I went through it. Otherwise, I don’t think I’d still be in business.”