Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Herrera Abrams.
Hi Amanda Herrera, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I officially became an entrepreneur in 2011. I’ve built and sold multiple businesses including a cheerleading gym, a notary business, and a marketing company. I also own several real estate properties and a short-term rental business including Airbnb’s and Vrbo’s. For the past 7 years my husband and I have been the franchise owners of Marblelife of San Antonio and Marblelife of Austin where we serve the entire south region of Texas.
Business has been my passion since I was a little girl. I would always pretend to run a cash register or design outfits that I would dream of selling. I grew up on the southside of San Antonio as a child, and then my parents moved to the Hill Country area when I was 11. I graduated from Smithson Valley Highschool in 2009- where I met my husband. He really opened my eyes to the reality of owning companies as he also was an entrepreneur at a very young age.
I went on to Texas State University and graduated with my BA in Communications and Business all while starting my first business while in school full time. I was a small business owner for about 10 years before my husband, and I jumped into the world of owning franchises. We truly live and breathe business, and we love expanding our knowledge of business into all different types of avenues.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not! We have been through it all. From extremely bad partners that almost tanked us. to praying at night hoping we would survive the next week, from crazy customers, to opening a business during Covid, to employees betraying us, and raising young babies throughout it all – trust me – we have wild stories for days!
However, my husband and I love the rush running businesses gives us. Life would be so boring without all the chaos. We thrive when we win, and we know God has better plans for us when we feel like we lose. At the end of the day, we are an extremely good team, and we know we can survive anything together. Strong work ethic and even stronger prayer can get you through anything.
We’ve been impressed with Marblelife of San Antonio + Austin, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a surface restoration company. We restore all natural stone surfaces, along with all tile and grout surfaces. We also do all things concrete including: decorative concrete, overlay concrete systems, pouring concrete, and polishing concrete. Most people don’t understand what we do until they see our portfolio full of images of our projects. Please scroll to find some of our before and after photos.
We are a very unique business because we truly understand stone. We are extremely educated in all types of surfaces including Marble, Granite, Travertine, Onyx, Quartzite, Terrazzo, Slate, Flagstone, Concrete etc., and there’s not much we say no to when it comes to projects. Our team is all in house and we all undergo extensive training and education courses to ensure we are delivering the best products and services. Our team runs all of South Texas however, our franchise has over 50 locations- including Canada, the Cayman Islands, South Africa, and the UAE. Our customer roster is notable locally and nationally. We pride ourselves in being the top franchise nationwide when it comes to stone restoration.
What were you like growing up?
Well I am the older sister to a little brother so naturally I was bossy- or as I like to call it- exceptionally skilled at leadership. Haha.
As a little girl I was very interested in business. My mom worked at a bank, and she would bring home practice check books, and I would set up a little store front in my room and be writing out checks at 8 years old pretending to pay bills and run my own company.
I was also obsessed with all things Spice Girls, Selena, TLC, and MTV. I started getting old fabric from my Aunt and trying to design outfits I dreamed of selling. For my 8th birthday party, my parents built me a runway stage in front of our old house. I invited all my friends to come over and wear my designs for my fashion show as I walked the runway with them presenting my masterpieces. We lived on a busy corner in the middle of a low-income neighborhood, and the entire neighborhood along with all my family watched us throw what I thought was a Vogue fashion show in the middle of the street.
I just always had this passion for doing big things that were out of the ordinary.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marblelife-sanantonio.com and www.marblelife-austin.com
- Instagram: @marblelifesanantonio @marblelifeaustin
- Facebook: MARBLELIFE of San Antonio MARBLELIFE of Austin
