Machinist Makes Worker-Owner Transition

Marco Manriquez has been with Alliance Thread Rolling since starting the company some seven years ago, with two business partners – Ray Sanchez and David Goodreau. He bought out his two partners almost two years ago and he is now the sole owner. In terms of clients, Manriquez said Alliance has made a few parts for Space X. “We have made a transformation from small job shop to what we like to think is a great looking company,” he added.

What inspired you to start your own business?

I have always been a guy who wanted more than just a 9 to 5 job working for other people and making them money. Why not do it for myself? We started the business seven years ago, Last year we topped $1 million in sales. As a growing company for the first six years, we were doing about $200,000 in sales. We’ve moved three times already. When I first established the business, I was in Burbank, then I came up to the Valencia and now I moved to another building here in Valencia. Those are some of the good things that have happened so far. 

Do you like being your own boss? 

Being your own boss has both good and bad things about it. You make your own schedule and give yourself the flexibility to do what you need to do and making your company successful. 

Do you ever think about trading it for a steady paycheck?

No, because my company is growing and successful. If not, then maybe. 

What’s the best aspect of running your own business?

You control your own destiny and build your brand how you want to. Creating a value-added company is one of the best things that comes out of it. Establishing new relationships with a bunch of different people in the industry. Now being the owner, there are good things about that.

And the worst?

You have people depending on you with their lives and you don’t want to let them down. Many took a chance joining a new company. It’s making sure you build your business to succeed. You have to deal with the issues that come up daily. Sometimes I go home and dream about this job, whereas before, being an employee, you can just leave and didn’t have to worry about it. Being an owner now, having all this responsibility, you take it home a lot more than what you used to. 

What’s the biggest challenge your

 business has faced? And how did you deal with it?

As a startup company, it was getting customers to trust you to give you work. At first lots of calls and emails as well as face-to-face meetings with new customers. Also, getting employees to come work for you. 

What is your most popular service?

Our thread rolling service.

How has your Hispanic culture affected your business?

No, it hasn’t. We try to hire from all races. But the employees we have are Hispanic and we do very well. A lot of the guys are very loyal. That’s how I’ve always seen the industry when you hire the Hispanic culture. They take great pride in their work. They are usually on time. They give the company 100 percent of what they got. Even if I wasn’t Hispanic, that would be my mindset based on my past experience of what I have seen from the Hispanic culture. 

How has the pandemic affected you and your business? 

I was affected by losing employees to COVID only. We stayed open, we still maintained our work level. We lost a little bit of sales, not much. Other than a couple of guys going out from being affected by COVID we didn’t get hammered too hard like a lot of businesses in the industry. I think that is due to us being more of a service-based company. We put threads on bolts and do grinding and work like that. That is an inherent process of making a part. Our business didn’t get too affected because we are not an actual manufacturer of parts, other than a few. 

What advice would you give someone who wanted to start their own business?

Pick an industry or style of product that they know best and to try it if they really believe in themselves.