Today we’d like to introduce you to Leo Villaverde.
Leo, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am here in California because of love. I met my wife in Argentina more than a decade ago while she was studying Spanish abroad. We fell in love, but I didn’t want to leave Buenos Aires. She ended up moving there to live with me. A few years later she asked me to do the same for her and the rest is history.
I have been passionate about building and real estate since I was a boy. My father is a civil engineer and a real estate broker. He taught me since I was very young much of what I know now about building and real estate. I studied business in college, but I have been an entrepreneur my whole life.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I believe there is no smooth road if you follow your heart. Maybe even less if you are an entrepreneur. I arrived in January 2009 during the worse recession since the Great Depression. It was not easy, to say at least. I knew I wanted to start my own business here too, but I didn’t speak English, which made it hard to get my license and to communicate with my clients.
A lot of people were losing their houses and business were closing. It was not the perfect time to start a construction business in San Diego. But I knew that it was not about my circumstances, it was about what I was going to do with them. I said to myself you just do it. You need to believe in yourself, hustle, and keep moving forward.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The name of my company is REMOCA General Contractors. The name comes from Remodeling California. We specialize in whole house remodeling, kitchens and bathrooms. Next year we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary. I would say that my clients know me as a friendly and proactive person that has a passion for building, and for real estate. I combine both of my specialties to help them get the most from their remodeling projects now, and in the future. I always keep in mind the possible future resale value and how the to remodel could increase future equity.
My team and I were able to build a company during really a difficult economic era. We didn’t give up and I am proud of that. We kept improving and hustling every day to be the best that we could be. Nothing has changed in that aspect. I just came back from the international building and construction trade fair show in Shanghai, China. We are always looking for something new to bring, and something more to be able to offer to our clients. We are still hungry to be better.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Most of my mentors don’t even know that they are my mentors. Like Robert Kiyosaki, Tony Robbins, Art L Williams, Brain Tracy, Will Smith, Oprah, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Sara Blakely, and many others that I have followed, read about, listened to, and studied for many years now. Success leaves clues and I try to learn from successful people in life as much as I can.
My whole team deserves credit without a doubt about REMOCA’s success. They bring their best attitudes every day and are a hard-working, dedicated team.
I definitely need to say thank you to some amazing clients that have helped us along the way like George and Jan Devries, Aaron Freeman, James Okland, to name a few. Who believed in me and allowed me to grow in many ways by giving me the chance to do incredible projects outside of my comfort zone. “Pressure is a privilege,” Billie Jean King would say.
Contact Info:
- Address: 16903 Avenida de Acacias, #6, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067
- Website: REMOCA.COM
- Phone: 760-639-8021
- Email: leo@remoca.com
Image Credit:
Jon Upson
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