Discount Glass and Mirror in San Diego was hit hard by the recession of 2008, and after a precipitous decline in orders and revenue, the company faced possible bankruptcy. Our advisors helped owner Anthony Bortz tighten his cost structure to reflect the slowdown, shift his marketing strategy to target high-opportunity market segments, and position the company for renewed growth.
In an interview, Anthony told us, “When my accountant told me enough was enough, I went to the banks and everyone folded his or her arms. My financials were no good. I talked to Bill and Tristan, my PCV advisors. We met for breakfast and Bill asked me about my budget and my cash flow. I’ve always been a one-man show and had been pretty successful – I never really thought I needed that. Bill said, “Let’s start again.” From that breakfast a great run of education started. I took a look at myself and had to be prepared to change. That’s critical. If you’re asking for help from anyone, you have to be able to change. I had to accept what was going on. It was tough. I even brought some of my employees into the meetings.”
“Listening to Bill, we never really understood what he was saying. He’d leave and we’d say to each other we don’t even know what he actually wants! We had to go back to kindergarten. He was very receptive, always encouraging us and saying, “If you don’t tell me I don’t know.”
Today Discount Glass and Mirror has regained positive cash flow and is expanding its customer base again. The company is hiring new employees to build on its momentum going forward. One of the most exciting things about Discount Glass and Mirror, though, is the quality of jobs they’ve been able to create. We’re talking about real people having real dignity and feeding real families. Jobs for people like Lupe Garcia. Lupe had been unemployed for two years when he was hired by Discount Glass & Mirror as an installer. With on-the-job training and plenty of opportunities for career advancement, Lupe is now the Project Manager at DGM, a job that allows him to support his family of 5.