After years working for a large corporation in the gas & propane industry, Randy Peralta decided to pursue his own entrepreneurial project where he could draw on his experience and be his own boss. In 2021, Randy launched GRS Services, a mobile business through which he offers propane gas meter calibration services to commercial clients throughout New Mexico.
While years of technical experience in the propane industry were imperative for the nature of work that GRS Services set out to offer, operating a sole proprietorship did not come without its challenges.
“Having experience in the propane industry did not necessarily prepare me to handle all of the business and operational aspects,” says Randy, adding that while he learned a lot on the field during his years in the industry, management and operational duties surrounding financial reporting and project management were new to him. “I actually had to complete some trainings and coursework to keep me on track and to adhere with state requirements”, he says.
Similarly, Mr. Peralta struggled with building capital to grow his business. In his search to identify and secure funding, Randy was referred to LiftFund.
LiftFund provided Mr. Peralta with one-on-one advising to help him secure the capital he needed to make GRS Services thrive.
“[The loan from LiftFund] was extremely helpful. Just knowing that I have that financial stability, knowing that if I need a vehicle or another piece of equipment, I’d now have the capital to invest in my business and in myself – that helped tremendously!”
With the critical investment in GRS Services, and inspiration from his own professional development running a sole proprietorship, Mr. Peralta looks forward to growing his business to include more employees and, eventually, expanding his workload capacity to serve more clients.
Mr. Perala is excited about the impact his business expansion could have on the local workforce saying, “[By adding more employees] I would be creating jobs in the workforce – good, technical jobs!”
Moreover, Randy hopes that GRS Services becomes a widely known business, synonymous with quality services. His hope is that “[the] company name is associated with dependability and trust and that people can call on GRS Services to have their [propane] equipment checked and serviced.”
