Little Hands, Big Plans - Motherhood and Business

How to build or buy a family business with Mariela Pecoraro

• Emilia Coto • Season 1 • Episode 18

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Mariela Pecoraro shares her journey of entrepreneurship, faith, and family life as she and her husband Brian have built and sold shower door businesses while raising three young daughters. Listen to learn more about...

• How their entrepreneurship journey was started after relocating to Florida to be close to family support
• Prioritized becoming debt-free
• How to prepare a business for sale
• How to establish boundaries between work and family life to maintain balance
• How to be guided in major life and business decisions through their family verse, Proverbs 3:5-6
• How they recently transitioned into homeschooling their oldest daughter to reclaim lost time and create more freedom
• Discovered that starting each day with prayer leads to greater productivity and peace

Connect with Timeless Shower Doors at TimelessShowerDoors.com or find Mariela on Instagram where she loves connecting with and praying for other moms.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with another mom who needs encouragement. Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and connect with me on LinkedIn.

For other episodes and resources, visit our website at https://littlehandsbigplans.co/pages/podcast

Emilia Coto:

I'm joined by Mariela Pecoraro. She and her husband, brian, own Timeless Shower Doors and have grown and sold multiple businesses together. Mariela is also a mom of three young girls stepping into homeschooling this year, and she has a powerful story of faith, entrepreneurship and family life. Welcome to Little Hands Big Plans the podcast for moms who want to reimagine work after kids and build a life where family comes first, without giving up your dreams.

Emilia Coto:

I'm Emilia and I know firsthand how much motherhood shifts our careers, our priorities and our pace. But instead of seeing it as a setback, what if we saw it as an invitation, an opportunity to design a life with a little more freedom, a little more presence and a little more freedom, a little more presence and a little more fulfillment? Each week, we'll have honest conversations with moms who've shaped their work and business around what truly matters. Whether you're considering a career pivot, dreaming of a slower pace or just wondering what's possible, you're in the right place, so grab something warm, settle in and let's explore the possibilities together. For those who don't know you yet, can you tell us a little bit more about your family and the work that you and Brian do together?

Mariela Pecoraro:

Yeah, sure I'd love to. So it's my husband, brian, me and my three girls I have a nine, a six and a one and a half year old. I'm originally from Florida, he's from Michigan. We met in Florida and I moved up here and we got married here. When we decided to start a family, we decided to move back down to Florida because my family's down there and my help was down there. We were also both working for a church. When we got married, we were both in a lot of debt, so we were really now that we were really thinking more long-term. We both wanted to be debt-free and we both wanted something more meaningful. That was something we were doing before we started the business.

Mariela Pecoraro:

We moved down to Florida and Brian has always been in the shower door industry and he loved entrepreneurship. He worked several jobs and we actually started working for a church for a little bit. But we moved down there and he wanted to start a shower door business and at that point he had to get a license, and so it took some time because you have to take a test and pass that point. He had to get a license and so it took some time because you have to take a test and pass that test, and if you don't, you have to study again and wait a certain amount of time. During that time, he said in order to start this, I'm going to go full on study this, quit my job and have you be the sole provider for a little bit. We didn't own a home yet, so it was okay. We're just going to trust the Lord and see where this goes. I was working at a dental office at that time. My background is administration and I went to school for business management. So he studied. After the second time he passed his test and we started Timeless Shower Doors Our bread and butter is shower doors.

Mariela Pecoraro:

During that transition, we also got pregnant. Shower Doors Our bread and butter is shower doors. During that transition, we also got pregnant with our first daughter. As we started Timeless Shower Doors and being pregnant during my last trimester, brian said hey, I think we're doing pretty good. If you wanna quit and enjoy the last couple months of your pregnancy or the last month, I think we can do that. During this time, we were also saving a lot and bringing our debt down, which was great, because that was one of our goals to be debt-free and to leave a legacy for our family that didn't have any financial debts. So that's our story about how we started Timeless Shower Doors debts. So that's our story about how we started Timeless Shower Doors. As we talk, I'll share a little bit more about how we grew this business and how we've grown in our faith and as a person, and the struggles that come with a small business, but also the blessings that come with it.

Emilia Coto:

We can't wait. I think something that you and Brian have uniquely done is been able to grow a business, sell a business and then start again. That is a unique opportunity because your experience is something that not a lot of people get to do. Sometimes people start the business but never sell it, so I'm excited to talk more about that. Before you became a mom, what did you envision your career and family life would look like?

Mariela Pecoraro:

It's funny because I was thinking about it and I didn't envision owning a business. First of all, in my family there wasn't a spirit of entrepreneurship, but there was in Brian's. So I never even envisioned that was even a possibility. And as far as children, I knew I wanted to have children, I just didn't know how many or what I wanted that to look like. I knew that, coming from my culture, I'm Mexican. Coming from my culture, I'm a first generation where my parents moved here to the US and so for me I saw a lot of struggles there and I just didn't envision where we are now.

Mariela Pecoraro:

I'm so grateful to the Lord for that, because as we grew as a family in faith, I just saw him open doors and give me, as we've come together as a marriage, like that entrepreneurship spirit has also kind of latched on to me in the long term. It's been amazing to see, amazing for the Lord to tap into that area of my life where I'm like okay, like I would love to do this or I'd love to start this. Never had I ever thought that I would do that. Even though I went into business management, my background has always been administrative, so anywhere I'd go, I used to work for bank. I used to work for the dental office. It was always administrative and even at the church and I love it, the administration part of it, databases and I'll share a little bit. But that's kind of where my role fit into Timeless Shower Doors that.

Emilia Coto:

Brian's family, by being entrepreneurial, passed on that legacy to him. I find that really encouraging. That means my kids might someday think I can do that too, because they think we'll grow up seeing it. What role do you play in the business now and can you share how that has evolved over time?

Mariela Pecoraro:

Sure, so currently we have an admin. So that's amazing because now, having three kids, it's tough to be there and at home at the same time. I come in about once a week if I'm able to, if not about two to three times a month. But I still keep in communication with my admin throughout the week where I can work from home. If she has a question, I can come into the office real quick and answer any questions. Look into the QuickBooks. I still do the most important things, like end of month stuff.

Mariela Pecoraro:

The great part of it is now that I'm on my third child, I'm able to step back a little bit. Just really let the Lord do his thing. You're in control of the business, versus me being there in the business 24-7, as it was in the beginning. I was there when I first had Sophia and I remember those days are so precious because I remember I had to pack the pack and play, put her in there, answer phone calls and people would come in and most people were understanding. They knew it's a small business, family owned, so they appreciated that as well.

Mariela Pecoraro:

So, yeah, so that's where. That's how my time at the business has evolved, and not only that, but like important decisions that have to be made. Brian and I just kind of talked amongst ourselves after work or at night, and unfortunately that is one of the downfalls for small businesses that you're not really ever off the clock. Your mind is constantly at the business and at home. So that's been a challenge, which we'll talk about in a little bit, but that's where we've really had to set our boundaries to be able to be together as a family again.

Emilia Coto:

You can relate with that as well. Sometimes it feels like work, but sometimes it feels fun when you're just maybe on a walk or doing something with the kids and you get this idea that you want to implement in the business. Can you share a little bit more about some of the challenges, but also blessings that have come from you stepping into the family business, even though it did involve leaving your previous careers behind?

Mariela Pecoraro:

So I think for me, even though, leaving the administration as far as in the corporate, I really stepped into administrative in the business and I gained more knowledge as far as QuickBooks and how it's run, how things work, and it's yours, you know it's yours and you take priority in that, knowing that I see what our doctors were looking at or I see what the bank was looking at when they were looking at reports and stuff, and so that stepping out of my career into the business wasn't too much of a transition since I was still in the administrative role. A challenge would have been. You know, I didn't realize a lot of the important decisions you have to make, because now it's your business and it's your finance and your goals and your vision that you're trying to implement, and so it's taking it more serious. You're not just an employee clocking in, clocking out. This is yours and so you take it serious.

Mariela Pecoraro:

Have a lot of meetings with your spouse and it's like where are we failing? Where do we want to go? What can we change and what brings us peace? The unexpected blessings well, it wasn't much of an unexpected because we already wanted to be debt-free, but we are just so grateful that the Lord was able to bless our business in Florida where, by the time Sophia was a year old, we were able to pay off our last debt for school or any other stuff that we had. And so that freedom that we felt, we honored the Lord in that, that we honored him saying, lord, we don't want to be in any kind of debt, we give you our finances and him blessing us through that has been so peaceful. And then not only that, but going forward in any decisions that we make as far as buying even buying stuff for the business, like major purchases, like a truck or materials we sit down, we talk, we strategize what can we do to become debt-free, not only in our personal but in our business. And you know, sometimes you know there is moments where you have to bring in a loan.

Mariela Pecoraro:

But knowing that if all else fails, can we pay this without getting into debt again, that was a big thing for us. We love Dave Ramsey. It was given to us prior to kids, when we got married, and we just really tackled that on and really focused and honed into just becoming debt-free but also saving for the future. That's so awesome to hear.

Emilia Coto:

I really like Dave Ramsey too. I think sometimes with entrepreneurship I don't love some of the stuff, but I thought in the personal side it was really great, and I'm still paying off my student loans, but I use the snowball method that he talks about a lot. I was hoping to get a little bit of insight about what goes into preparing a business for sale. Do you have to do it over a long period of time? Did you get guidance? How does that work?

Mariela Pecoraro:

Sure, so it kind of works almost like you find a realtor like you would for a home, but it's different because it's a longer process. In Florida, even before making the decision, we had a lot of talks when Brian and I decided that it was time to sell. We looked into. It was tough to find a realtor that you could connect with and that was doing the best for your company. We started with a company and they look at all your financial records.

Emilia Coto:

They do comparisons For a few years or five, like is it, do, they do it.

Mariela Pecoraro:

They look at the last three years of your profit and loss. If they see that you have been growing over the last three, if they see that you have been growing over the last three, then that's how they compare it. They put it in their database and they have all these spreadsheets and so that helped them analyze how much and they compare it to all other. Depending on your business, they compare it to any other shower door company that was selling out there. So compare it to that and what they were selling for. Even the process can take long, as far as getting someone to inquire or to look at your business. In Florida it did take a little while, but for us it was more like okay, lord, you're going to do it whenever you think it's ready.

Emilia Coto:

Well, do you have any tips for finding? How do you find someone that you know? I feel like it's less common than a realtor, right? So I imagine it is.

Mariela Pecoraro:

It's not the same because it's not really out there for everyone to see. So there's an actual website and I can get to the name so that we can pull up a link, but there's websites that you can go that it's just for business to sell, kind of like realtorcom, but this is specifically for people that are searching for businesses to buy. It's different in every state. So in Florida you've got your realtor, he puts it on there and you basically wait until someone reaches out and has questions about your business, or if they want to come and see your business, or because they ask you for your financials, they sometimes look at that before even coming in to look at it. Does that kind of answer your question?

Emilia Coto:

Yeah, so interesting and then you get to meet the person. Or is it similar to real estate that it's between the business brokers, let's say, that are going back and forth and you don't actually interact with the potential buyers?

Mariela Pecoraro:

Yes, you can do it after hours. At this point you don't share. You wait until after hours and a person comes in, looks at the business, can ask any questions to the owner and if they feel comfortable, if that is what they're looking for, then they go ahead and make an offer. And that, really, even making an offer, still they could still back out. And we've had where they put an offer and then they step back. They didn't want it for X reason. For us it just kind of happened the day before a contract ended with the business realtor. There's a contract that you enter where they get X amount of time depending.

Mariela Pecoraro:

In Florida it was a year for them to sell our business. The day before a contract we got an offer and we said yes, they came, they looked at it, they were good with it and then really everything after that is the first thing that happens. You get your lawyers involved and make sure in paper that what you agree to what you don't agree to For example, for us in Florida, brian agreed to work for a year for them and helping them transition. We you agree okay in this process, new jobs that come in belong to the new business and jobs that we already ended still need a deposit from. Those are ours.

Mariela Pecoraro:

All those little details go into the very bottom line like, okay, what is going to be ours, what are you going to keep? And it all has to be in writing. Once you're done with that, you do your paperwork, you agree, you overlook everything. Make sure that what you agree to is on that paper. After that it's really more transferring all the information for them and letting the employees know. And and there's also what happens as well is we agree to a five-year? There's a clause that you, that you agreed to not do any business within. I think for us it was like a 50 or a hundred mile range that we wouldn't start another shower door business for five years within that mileage, which is crazy. But it just depends on your business when you're selling, it just depends on what kind of business it is. For us, we sold shower doors so we could go as far as an hour out to get a quote. The buyer is going to do what's best for him and fair.

Mariela Pecoraro:

That's kind of a little bit of us and there's so much that I'm sure I'm not thinking about right now, but there's just so many tiny little details you really have to think through because you're like, okay, are we sure we're not going to be back here Florida doing shower?

Emilia Coto:

doors. Yeah, do you have any advice for other entrepreneurial families that perhaps have a business and want to sell in the future? How do they build something that has value, that other, you know what was the most valuable to them? So someone that wants to do it can think about that.

Mariela Pecoraro:

Yeah. So they mostly looked at our financials and saw how we were growing year to year. Even if we had a bad month, we still kept growing each year, for example, last August compared to this August, if it grew and it didn't make less. That's enticing for them. For anyone trying to sell a business, whether you use QuickBooks or any other database, it'll show you your reports or your profit and loss, will show you how much you've grown and what areas are you weak in and what areas are your strengths. And so, really, looking at each account that you have, and where are you spending your most money on? Where are you not spending money on? How much are you spending in marketing and is it worth it? For example, I think we were using a magazine and it wasn't bringing us that much job, so we had to tweak it a little bit and say, OK, maybe we don't use it during this time and maybe we use it during this time. So, like I said, it depends on the type of business you have. But really, your financials will always tell you how you are doing. They tell you to look at the last trailing months. So, for example, we're in August, so from last August to this August and looking at that for the last three to four years. If you have more years in your business, great. But if you're more of a newer company and you've only got two years, there may or may not be someone interested in that, just because of how new it still is.

Mariela Pecoraro:

And then also, really, the atmosphere in the business. Do you have enough people or is it where you are the only person? Because if you're the only person running it, then whoever's buying it they need to know whatever it is that you do. So in our case in Florida we had a person that was estimating people that were installing and Brian just came in and made sure the business was okay. So that's something someone could do step in right away into it. Versus if Brian was the only estimator, then you would need to hire another estimator before selling it. Or unless the buyer is already knowledgeable of the business, then that would be okay. But some people that are buying these businesses they don't want to necessarily be a part of it, they just want to invest and have other people run it. Does that make sense? Totally.

Emilia Coto:

For a family that wants to step into a business but does not want to start from scratch, this is a really good opportunity, because so much of the hard work and the hard years are really at the beginning. So to be able to step in and not have to do that for example, if someone's quitting their job and they really just want to have something that's more secure, it's a really good opportunity as well. Do you have any tips for buyers, For example, someone that was going to buy the business in Florida? Did they have to have the knowledge and experience that Brian has in shower doors?

Mariela Pecoraro:

or it can be just someone that wants to be an entrepreneur when they walked in and the great thing and I think and I believe that this was what really caused them to buy it was that when they walked in, even if you took Brian out of the role, we already had someone there or we had the estimator, we had the admin that was part-time and we had the installers, who were all knowledgeable of what the business looks like.

Mariela Pecoraro:

The installers, who were all knowledgeable of what the business looks like, so they really just had to learn a few things here and there. They had the business aspect side, but they just didn't have the shower door knowledge. So for them it was an easy step in because the people that were needed were already in place. If you stepped in and there was no one that had knowledge, that's tough. So I would say, from the buyer aspect, if you're buying and you want to buy something that is already being it's not from scratch you want something that's already has already been going on for years. Make sure that if you don't know the industry, the right people are in place so that when you come in industry, the right people are in place, so that when you come in.

Emilia Coto:

It's not such a burden because there's already people in place and after a conversation, maybe you can send me a link of where, if someone's in Michigan or Florida, they can see what businesses are available and how. You've seen these marketplaces, I've never have, so will they tell you the range, for example? You know, since you've seen it, how much would a family have to save up to buy an already running business? I know there's a huge range, but have you seen? I haven't seen anything less than X amount.

Mariela Pecoraro:

Just so someone that's interested knows yeah, so it literally ranges, I mean, $250 to a million. It just depends on what you know, what someone wants to invest in. I didn't quite see the entire spreadsheet, but I know Brian has, but I know Brian has, but I know here in Michigan there is a link and anyone can sign up.

Emilia Coto:

If you're a family and you want to, you say okay, we want our family to going to business. Anyone can sign up for this website to see. Let me verify, I'm not sure to be honest, I'm not sure.

Mariela Pecoraro:

But To be honest, I'm not sure. But I can check with Brian and grab that link and see who is going into these apps. I mean, I know that it's investors and I know it's people that are interested in buying businesses, but how do they tap into that? He's the one that has mostly taken care of that area, while I have just helped take care of the transferring process while I have just helped take care of the transferring process.

Emilia Coto:

Yeah, that's so exciting. I think it presents such a good opportunity for someone that wants to be an entrepreneur but doesn't want to start from scratch.

Mariela Pecoraro:

Yes, and honestly.

Emilia Coto:

I don't want to share with anyone that might be interested. I'm assuming too, part of the role of the business broker realtor is to help inform the buyer right If they're working. You had someone and then someone else was working with the buyers to help them compare businesses.

Mariela Pecoraro:

Yeah, you can communicate. It's not like you can't talk. The buyer and the seller can't talk. They can have meetings. They can ask all kinds of questions, show financials for the business yes, you can meet them. You can bring them by wherever it is that your office is or you can show them all kinds of financials. Because it's a bigger investment, which I understand If you're buying something large. It's this large that you're taking on as a family. Yeah, I would do your research. I would ask all kinds of questions as far as looking at financials, looking at how they managed, how many people they have if they were to step into that role. How much work do they need to do questions like that?

Emilia Coto:

And with raising your three little girls and also helping to run a business and supporting that role as well. What does your child care weekly schedule look like?

Mariela Pecoraro:

Honestly because I'm more of a support to the admin currently and just do an end of month. I jump in when I can. So if it's summer and I wake up and have to do a little bit of work, I continue to have them do a little bit of schoolwork in the morning. Once they're done with that and we get prepped for the morning and the little one goes down for a nap, then that's when I can really hone into like okay, what does the admin need from me? Unless it's an emergency, then I it's unfortunately it's turn on the TV a little bit and get on the computer. But again, for emergencies and as far as month end, I do those on the days where daddy needs some alone time with the girls. Then I get to do my end of month, which for me it's fun because I don't get to tap into the database stuff anymore. It's fun for me. So that's kind of like my me time.

Mariela Pecoraro:

I have enjoyed staying with my girls. You know I think about what would it look like if I went back to corporate and I have zero desire to go back. I've been loving staying home with them. I'm sure we'll talk a little bit about this in a minute, but now starting to homeschool my oldest and that's been a journey too. So yeah, as far as structure, when they are in school, I've always had a little one at home with me.

Mariela Pecoraro:

When Sophia started school, I had Myla with me and I would still bring her into the office and check in on things. And they have just our girls have just adapt to that where they know like, hey, this is our business. I love that because they get to see that it's mommy and daddy's employees. You know, they just hear our little conversations here and there, and so I love that they are exposed to that and I love that they're just so adaptable to like, hey, we got to run to the office and everybody get in the car. But, like I said, when it's school time, I've always had a little one. So when Sophia and Milo were both in school, then it was my little one, nina. But I will say, going from two to three, it was a little more tough. It was a little more tough to get in there or even get things done. So I would say by now, since I have my third, I've scaled back even a little bit more and now that she's getting older I am able to go back little by little.

Emilia Coto:

I love how it has adapted with the different seasons and it has been the same year after year. You mentioned a little bit about homeschooling how you're going to be homeschooling your oldest. What are some of the goals that you have for this new adventure?

Mariela Pecoraro:

Yeah, so I'm super excited. Honestly, it was a two-year journey. Brian was really pushing for homeschooling and it was taking me a little while because in my mind I was thinking that if I homeschool, that's it. There's no other option. But when we really sat down and talked about it we said you know what, if homeschool doesn't work, what's the worst that can happen? She goes back to school.

Mariela Pecoraro:

And I've been able to chat with a lot of homeschool moms. I have yet to come across one that has said it didn't work for us, we put them back in school. That has said it didn't work for us, we put them back in school. So to me that kind of brought me peace, even the timing of it. Really, just the Lord just kind of put all the puzzle pieces together. Sophia had a couple issues and we were talking about it with her. But during that time I was really talking to the Lord about homeschooling and what that would look like and how would that, and he just brought this peace over me.

Mariela Pecoraro:

And I remember when we first moved back to Michigan she went into kindergarten and I just kind of felt like that one year I lost a lot of time with her. We were all kind of grieving my father-in-law passing away and the move and everything that just happens with even buying a new home, remodeling and all that and so I just kind of felt like time was stolen this year. I felt like the Lord was saying this is me giving you a year back with her, and so I'm super excited to start homeschooling her and our goal is to homeschool Myla as well all of our girls. But I really wanted to try it out and see what that looked like for us.

Mariela Pecoraro:

As I'm prepping for homeschool, I'm getting so excited, she's excited and I can't wait because I just know that he's going to give me back that time with her and he's going to not just grow her but grow me as well. Entering this new season of homeschooling and there's just so much out there now for homeschooling that I know I'm not alone and there's a lot of community, a lot of hybrid programs. For now it's going to be me and her and little Nina. We're just ready to structure this out and get ready to try it out.

Emilia Coto:

That's beautiful, and I can hear the excitement in your voice. It sounds like it's going to be something beautiful. I can't wait to see all the memories that you're going to build together. I know that faith is a big anchor for your family. And I'm wondering if you'd be willing to share some God moments, God stories, ways that you've seen that faith has influenced either your decisions in the business, but also ways that you've seen God at work in your business.

Mariela Pecoraro:

Yes, so I wanted to share our family verse with you. It's Proverbs 3, 5, 6. This is a verse that, when we got married, our marriage mentors gave to us, and it says Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do and he will show you which path to take. Will in all you do and he will show you which path to take. And that couldn't be more true for even the first business and the first move from moving from Florida to Michigan. It was just so clear how he spoke to us that it was time for us to move back to Michigan.

Mariela Pecoraro:

And just seeing him in that and you know even the struggles as a small business owner Although Brian does a lot of that work and I'm more behind the scenes it gets tough because you have to put boundaries and when you're so new at building a business as far as the faith side, you wouldn't even imagine how much trust you have to put in the Lord. One of the recent things that I feel like have to put in the Lord, one of the recent things that I feel like the Lord put in my heart, was to pray and to trust and then release to him, if I would have known that before not that I didn't know how to pray, but there were times where business can bring stress, anxiety, and it was a lot of that for Brian and as a spouse, how do you help them Even though this business is mine too but how do you help them? How do you encourage them? There was just a lot of room for growth there spiritually and where the Lord was able to expand us and grow us. Where we have this second business for shower doors, we've learned from our first business. Now we say, okay, this is the boundaries that we have to put up. What do we say yes to and what do we say no to and when do we know when is enough. Like I said, it's really trusting him, really honing in on to what he's saying to us and really to take that step of faith, because sometimes doubt can creep in and it's like did I hear correctly? But really trusting Him that he's got His best interest for us.

Mariela Pecoraro:

Another verse that I wanted to share was Psalms 139.23 and it says Search me, o God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts, point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life, and not just in business but in general. If we ask him to search our heart and I think in some moments in our life we were saying that to him, brian and I, because of how much this business took on his health, and we were really like Lord, point us in the right direction and point out anything that we ourselves are fighting you on or anything that offends you, anything that is not right before your eyes. And it's been beautiful to see from where we were at to where we're at now and even hearing him more clearly.

Mariela Pecoraro:

If I'm honest, when you have a small business, it can get tricky and you can put that business first. So I would encourage, if you have a small business or if you're starting one, make sure that you are starting off your day with prayer, that you are giving it to the Lord, and even when you put the business first, it's okay. Lord, I'm sorry, I give you this business. My priority is my relationship with you, my family, and then my ministry and business, and I just have seen how the Lord has blessed it when we follow into those steps, versus when we put the business into our hands and that becomes a priority. We've seen a shift versus when we put the business into our hands, and that becomes a priority. We've seen a shift spiritually, when we do that.

Emilia Coto:

Thank you for sharing those Bible verses. I think it's such a powerful reminder because, I mean, I love entrepreneurship but it's definitely. It's definitely has its ups and its downs. And that reminder, that anchor to start every day and to seek, I think is such a it will allow you to get through the hard times.

Mariela Pecoraro:

If you don't have that, it can get pretty hopeless or pretty aimless, almost as if you don't have the right direction, if you're not seeking it Right right and don't get me wrong, as we're talking, I'm reminded that even in having children, the first beginning stages of that newborn stage and I just remember it gets tough because you know that newborn stage, plus running your business, plus trying to get your other little ones as well, it doesn't have to look perfect. I'm a big fan of Joyce Meyer and I know she says the Lord knows what you're dealing with. The Lord knows you have to get up, feed your baby, make dinner. The Lord knows all this and she's right. He knows the season that you're in, he knows what's going to happen before your day. She says, even if you open up your eyes and just say Lord, help, he knows.

Mariela Pecoraro:

And there has been mornings where it's been tough and all I can do is Lord, help me, give me strength to get up to be a great mom for my kids, a great wife.

Mariela Pecoraro:

And I promise you, like the days that I wake up, giving him my day, I am able to accomplish more versus the days that I get up. And I don't do that Because I can't tell you I'm perfect and that I do it every day, but the days that I have, it's like a muscle that you grow. The more you do it, the more it's gonna happen, and so this year that has been like for me. Okay, I need to give the Lord my day, my time, my family, my husband, my business, my ministry and my finances. I give it all to you, lord. You do what it is that you need to do. Do not let me trust on my own understanding, but you lead and guide me, and so that for me has been amazing. And then also my health journey, getting up to exercise. That has helped me a lot too, because if I get up and do that, it gives me more energy to be a better mom for my girls.

Emilia Coto:

Thank you for sharing that, also a really important reminder. What are your hopes with Brian that your daughters will learn by watching you work together in business, in faith in health?

Mariela Pecoraro:

We would love for our girls to know that the Lord has gifted each and every one of them. If it's not entrepreneurship, that's okay. We want them to know we are here and they see how we run our business and how we put the Lord first in that For Brian, he didn't go to school or college, he just knew the trade. It's not that we don't want them to go to have a career, but if that's not something they're ready for, then you know what are their gifts and what are their talents. What do they want to do Really? Just kind of getting to know them and what their gifts and talents are, and we hope that entrepreneurship is in them as well. Of course we would love that for them, but if not, that's okay. Are you incorporating any?

Emilia Coto:

entrepreneurial things into your homeschooling curriculum this year.

Mariela Pecoraro:

It's funny. I always tell Brian I'm like can we one of these years, can we just do a lemonade stand Not a stand lemonade on the lake and sell lemonade off the boat? We haven't yet, unfortunately, but I think we're getting to that age where she's old enough to where she can do something. I think we're coming up to a new season and that's what I'm excited for for homeschooling. We have more freedom with them versus school schedules where they're at school eight hours a day and then come home we're tired and then there's no time in the day left. So I think, moving forward, that's where we're shifting.

Emilia Coto:

Can we have more freedom to teach them and to have the freedom to do what they want to do? Does that make sense? You get so much time with them for them to be able to pursue their God gifts, their interests, in a way that you can do as a family, because they do get to do that in school too, to a certain degree. But I think when you homeschool you get to share. And if not, where can listeners connect with you and learn more about?

Mariela Pecoraro:

Timeless Shower Doors? Yeah, so they can head on to TimelessShowerDoorscom and we can help you with all your shower door needs. I'm also on Instagram. We don't post much, but I am on there. I love praying for people, emilia. I love praying for moms, I love praying in general, and I think that's one of those things that we're going to tap into more. This is totally not business related, but another thing that I love is I love that my girls see is I will occasionally just pray for random people and they see that and they recognize that and they say hey, mom, aren't you going to pray for so-and-so or a cashier or the waiter or waitress? I'm always up for prayer. I'm always up for listening and coming alongside you and believing in prayer for whatever your need is.

Emilia Coto:

Oh, that's beautiful. For today's episode takeaways I have one start small and build strong. If you have hopes on preparing your business for sale, some tips are to have solid books and QuickBooks, have strong profit and loss statements and steady year-over-year growth. Also, systems cannot be overstated. It is important for someone to be able to come in and operate with your existing systems. 2. Business roles evolve with family seasons. Mariella shifted from full-time admin to strategic end-of-month support as their family grew. This is proof that your role in the business can flex with motherhood.

Emilia Coto:

Three, debt-free is a growth strategy. Paying off debt early created peace options and cleaner financials when it was time to sell. 4. You don't need to know the trade to buy. For people interested in buying an existing business, you may benefit from an experienced business owner to learn the trade and may buy a business without it if the right people and processes are already in place.

Emilia Coto:

5. Faith as an operating system. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 guided major decisions. Mariella and her family pray, trusted in the Lord and left major decisions with God. This has played a major role in Mariella's family and business story and lastly, as family and business story. And lastly, homeschool can offer lots of freedom. Choosing. Homeschooling gives back time, lets kids witness entrepreneurship up close and opens up space to nurture their own gifts. That's it for today's episode. Thank you for spending this time with me. I know how valuable your time is and I hope you're walking away feeling encouraged to dream a little bigger about what's possible for your work and family life. If this episode spoke to you, it would mean so much if you shared it with another mom who needs this kind of encouragement. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and if you want to keep the conversation going, connect with me on LinkedIn. Just search Emilia Cotto. That's E-M-I-L-I-A, c-o-t-o. Until next time. Remember, motherhood isn't the end of your dreams, it's just the beginning.