BY María González Amarillo
Pedro Espinoza opened his business in June 2005 and, from that time, his satisfaction level has not stop growing. His business Espinoza Heating & Air Inc. offers bilingual services in repairs and installation of heating and air con systems.
“I always knew that I wanted to be my own business owner”, he tells La Prensa de San Diego. “I knew it would be hard because of being Hispanic but I was very qualified, I was young and I wanted to help other Hispanics to have access to these services.”
According to him, the decision of opening his own business was difficult but it was highly influenced by the closest and most emotional aspect possible: his family. His own house’s heating and air con necessity created the connection between Espinoza and his work.
“When I was young, we never had a heater at home. My parents emigrated from Mexico to California searching for a better life and I was 12 or 13 years old when my mother made me see the situation within an atmosphere that did not help Hispanics too much. That’s how I decided to try this job and then I knew that it was for me”, he says.
After many years of work experience within other heating and air con-related companies, Espinoza felt ready to create his own one ten years ago. Nowadays, his operational area includes San Marcos and the towns of Vista, Escondido, Fallbrook, Rancho Bernardo and Temécula.
“Since I always did my job properly before creating my business, nobody complained and I had references that caused some word of mouth. Most of my work is based on it and it’s divided into new systems sales and existing systems repairs”, he informs.
His membership in the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce also considerably collaborated in his way to success because it allowed him to make contacts, to make his name public and to attract smaller and local groups to the essence of his services.
“They helped me to make my name popular. I wasn’t known before being a member and you can communicate in Spanish in the Chamber, which let many people know about me. Besides, I was the only Hispanic owner that had his own air con business”, he remarks.
Espinoza Heating & Air Inc. assists between 7 and 15 clients per week, which can be commercial or residential. The consumers’ profile covers any age and kind since as the owner says: they satisfy a basic necessity in the territory that they covered, which has a warm and humid weather.
“I love what I do, I love going to fix this to homes and it’s what I will do until I die”, he happily states. “We have many houses where people are thankful that we speak Spanish. It’s a good business that I’ll leave for my kids”.
In the words of this businessman, it is crucial to be daily motivated since you have to create your own projects and possibilities. This is not necessary in case of working for others because the work to do comes to you. “When you are your own boss, you can only blame yourself when there’s no work”, he says.
Espinoza also defends the importance of the education in order to achieve professional objectives. “Life is tough but, without education, it’s tougher. We have to try to succeed and get as much education as we can because it’s the best way to reach our goals.”