Starting a new business is never easy. For wife and husband girlfriends Rosa and Carlos Reyes, dealing with prejudice is even more difficult.
When the Reyeses started their Round Rock-based lawn care business, it was difficult to get clients. Rosa said a lot of people make assumptions based on their looks.
“I’m Mexican[American]so there’s a lot of people who shut the door and say bad things about me,” she said. “It makes me sad.”
As the nation celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, Reyes said he feels honored to be a small business owner and Hispanic. She recognizes that some people might look down on her because of her looks and her ethnicity, and she uses that to push herself.
“We came here with a purpose,” said Reyes of starting the family business. “Yet you treat us like nothing. That’s all the motivation we need.”
Reyes is from California and her husband is from Veracruz, Mexico. She now lives in Round Rock.
Rosa and Carlos started Reyes Lawn Services & More in 2018 after growing up mowing lawns for their neighbors and family.
RosaReyes said starting a business wasn’t easy because she and her husband didn’t have anyone to support or teach them inside and outside the industry. Reyes says he uses what he’s learned in business-related college courses to get his company up and running.
“It was really hard,” said Reyes.
Between competing with other lawn care services and being cheated by customers, Reyes, 29, said it’s been difficult to keep the company on track. When the pandemic started two years after her, she said it made it even harder to keep the business going because people wanted to do it all themselves.
Reyes said at one point she and her husband considered closing the business because they had to lay off three workers. She says she’s been able to keep up with increased promotion through flyers and social media, as well as building relationships with current and potential clients.
Although we now operate with just the two of us, we continue to provide services such as edging, mowing, spring/fall cleanup, landscaping, trimming, and junk cleanup. Although based in Round Rock, Reyes says he also works in Fluggerville and other areas around Austin, often in Waco, Dallas, and San Antonio.
“People doubt me just because I’m a small business,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t grow.”
more:What You Need to Know About Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in Austin This Year
Carlos Reyes said he is proud of what they have achieved so far. He said he initially carried a push lawnmower and a leaf blower in a van, but now has multiple tools, trucks and trailers.
Rosa Reyes said she wanted to build her own business so she could franchise it. “I want my name to be a household name,” she said.
Reyes hopes other Hispanic business owners can learn from their struggles and know that they can do anything if they set their minds to it. Reyes said the unique thing about being Hispanic is that your family will always support you.
“Go what you want,” said Reyes. “No one can tell you when to stop or when to stop. It’s all up to you.”
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