About the Book

I spent a considerable amount of time studying and critically thinking through business success and failures in grad school at the University of Texas a San Antonio. The professors primarily focused on Fortune 100s talking about Jack Welch (General Electric) and John Chambers (Cisco Systems). I wanted less focus on Corporate American giants and more discussion on businesses that I knew started from the ground up or were just local, before the concept of Shop Local was widespread. Some that I found interesting in particular were Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby. Little did I know then that I was already expressing that I didn’t want to be part of Corporate America and that I have a passion for entrepreneurial enterprises and alternative business models.

In Management we covered Small Business strategy in which Dr. Phillips said that small businesses commonly fail because they treat their business like a baby and nobody wants to hear anything negative about their baby or child. So, the suffer from ugly baby syndrome, is what I like to call it. Lesson #1 for Business Owners: Always ask for an objective third party evaluation and be willing to hear what you need to hear, then look for ways to improve. Personally, I attend a Master Mind Group and it’s not always easy to hear what others sometimes tell me, especially when it is about my branding, but it is necessary to get the best results I can get.

That was a while ago – I graduated from the University of Texas in San Antonio in 2005. I went straight into general real estate after completing an internship to launch The Staubach Company, San Antonio branch. It has since been bought out and rebranded.

I worked in a big box real estate firm after that, which was supposed to launch a commercial division. That didn’t happen soon enough for me so I left. I joined a real estate development firm, which I liked, but like the three bears, it wasn’t quit the right business culture for me. I bounced around to a few other firms during the 2008 recession. Along the way I helped Businesses Owners launch, re-organize, grow, and in some cases, downsize or close.

Eventually, I started my brokerage, but as a combined businesses venture that involved more than real estate. It was too grandiose a plan at the time. Lesson #2 for Business Owners: Don’t bite off more than you can chew and grow with patience. I learned that failing is a stepping stone to success and that I should be an Independent Real Estate Broker. I am passionate about helping people build business. Now I am an Entrepreneur and Small Business Owner with a passion for helping others achieve their success!

I launched Green Commercial Realty in 2010. I am a single practitioner who takes a personal, creative, strategic approach and my client’s value me greatly. In 2016 I re-branded after my divorce to pull from my family and heritage; Criado Realty.

The MBA and the real estate broker license were definitely the right direction for me and without that education and expertise I’m sure the decisions to lease, buy, or build, location, size, and property type would have been overwhelming. I hadn’t thought much about writing a book on the subject until I started consulting. I came to realize that the same set of challenges came up repeatedly with clients and no books exist on the subject, until 2016, mine. This 2nd edition is very exciting because I am always learning and growing, with more experience too. I even stepped into the world of investing too. It is better organized and has more practical help. Of course, you still need an Agent, but they may not be as awesome as me so you have me in writing by your side.

Becoming a Business Owner is like becoming a parent. At least with parenting you can find help on pregnancy, potty-training, discipline, and etcetera. As an entrepreneur who works with Business Owners every day, I felt there was a great need for this book!

Commercial Decisions are much more complex than the proverbial “Location, Location, Location.” Robert Kiyosaki says it’s “Leverage, Leverage, Leverage.” Google says, Leverage refers to using borrowed capital to increase potential returns on investment. More simply put, use Other People’s Money to get bigger returns.

While real estate is typically held in the Liability column of the Balance Sheet in world of accounting, it should be placed in the Asset column of the Balance Sheet in the world of Marketing. It is more than just brick and mortar, which I hope that you gain from this book, and the tools to help you make the best decisions possible.

I’ve been blogging for years then a writer. I have a couple of books in my head but think “Are You Ready for Commercial Real Estate?” is the best one to publish first. I have a few others in my head so maybe in good time I will publish those too.

This book should make you rethink the function of real estate so that it leverages your business rather than being the cause of another closed business. I also provide strategic insight into qualitative and quantitative analysis of what you need to consider when making decisions to lease, buy, or build.

I’m a business consultant who advises from the real estate perspective. I need to fully understand your current and future needs to ensure a good fit and provide strategic elements including an exit strategy.

It’s important to have a solid business plan. Knowing your 3, 5, and 10 year plans because real estate is at least a three-year investment but usually more like 5 or 10 years. It’s considerably more if you are a capital-intensive business or purchase your property. I have included some helpful (proprietary) tools that I created for my clients: SMART Decision Planner, FinancialWise, TimeWise, ECOWISE.