The Business of Family: 2nd Generation Garage Door Service Success

Pablo Chavez shares how he's modernizing a 26-year family business while preserving the compassionate customer service that built its reputation. After spending his youth learning the trade from his father-who started Deer Park Garage Door in the Yellow Pages era-Pablo took over leadership about a year ago with fresh eyes on digital transformation. His biggest revelation: the sheer magnitude of 24/7 responsibility that comes with ownership. "You don't really realize-it's not like a regular clock in, clock out. You're kind of always clocked in." From late-night emergency calls (customers with cars stuck in garages needing to get kids to school) to managing spring replacement expectations (they last 8-15 years but customers forget and think they're permanent), Pablo handles the educational aspect of garage door service with patience. The Houston market has become intensely competitive over the past five years-what was once a "hidden secret" lucrative industry now has companies "popping up left and right." To compete, Pablo partnered with a marketing agency to build Google presence and accumulate reviews (currently targeting 3-5 weekly using QR codes technicians carry to job sites). His next frontier: social media marketing and AI-optimized website content so Deer Park appears when people ask AI "how do I fix my garage door?" While his parents remain co-owners and provide guidance (they're hesitant about some new directions-"old dog, new tricks"), Pablo is expanding the family umbrella with additional brands including Ari's Door Solutions named after his daughter, ensuring multi-generational legacy. His ultimate goal: break into commercial new construction (Houston's warehouse boom) where 50-door installations create ongoing maintenance contracts with "a different bracket" of revenue. But he won't lose the family touch-like the time they installed a door at a discount for a medically challenged woman who needed ambulance access but couldn't afford full price. "Other companies just wouldn't be willing to do that." His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: "Be passionate about what you do, but also have compassion for the people around you. Don't just go out there and think all about you. When people see you're willing to help them, they'll be willing to help you."