03 Aug Acquiring Minds: Acquiring Isn’t Always a One-Way Door
Searchers are warned that buying a business is a one-way door — once you’re in, you’re in. Today’s guest went in with the opposite assumption: that if it didn’t work out, he could sell the business. And two years later, that is exactly what happened. Gabriel Cruz Avila bought a Houston-area remodeling business in early 2024. Katy Tile & Marble is a 30-year-old residential remodeler that had endured many cycles and had strong characteristics, like favorable working capital dynamics and a network of longtime subcontractors rather than employees. But Gabriel also stepped into a rockier situation than he realized. The business had just had its worst year in over a decade, and the sellers weren’t exactly forthcoming about it. Listen for how that shows up in his advice to you, searchers. But the harder story here is personal. Gabriel went through a divorce in his first year of ownership, unraveling the family vision the acquisition was built around. Working alone, seven days a week, he ultimately chose to sell — not to maximize price, but for what he calls emotional health. This isn’t a failure story, and it isn’t quite a success story either. It’s the middling outcome, where frankly probably many more ETA stories than we realize land. But — Gabriel comes out the other side sharper, seasoned. With two years of intense operating experience — in his words, “a very expensive MBA” — he’s well equipped for whatever comes next. If you want to see Gabriel in person, he’ll be on stage at ETA Circle in Houston in a few weeks, August 24th at 5pm. Register at etacircle.com Here he is, Gabriel Cruz Avila, former owner of Katy Tile & Marble.
