ALBAÑILES MILLONARIOS | ISMAEL VALDEZ Cracks Podcast #334

1 Jun 2025 · 53 min
52:33

This is a Spanish-language Cracks Podcast interview (host Oso Trava) with Ismael Valdéz, founder/CEO of Next Gen Airplumbing. The episode traces Valdéz’s trajectory from childhood in Mexico and early undocumented immigration (arrived in the U.S. at ~age 5; residency gained ~age 22–23) through teenage work (started selling papers, McDonald’s, door-to-door jobs) to discovering construction trades at ~17. He recounts rapid company-building: an early partnership grew to $21M revenue and 162 employees in four years (he earned ~$400k/year at one point), later founding Next Gen from his garage and scaling to tens of millions (claims include $12M in early garage sales, a 2016 year of ~$98M, then $61M in 2020 and later $108M), reaching hundreds of employees (peak figures cited: ~680 employees). The interview emphasizes operational lessons (pricing, finance controls, hiring/culture, using a financial controller/CFO), personal struggles (alcohol, sobriety circa 2019), and leadership decisions (letting relatives go when they harm company culture). The tone is candid, motivational, and practical: concrete business tactics mixed with personal vulnerability.

Questions this video answers

About 5 years old.

Around 22–23 years old.

About 17 years old.

Approximately $21 million annual revenue and 162 employees.

About $400,000 in that first year mentioned.

Chapters

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