We were lucky to catch up with Eduardo Harris recently and have shared our conversation below.
Eduardo, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
The further along I get in life I realize how lucky I am. My parents have been together for 40+ years and have always been our security when things got hard growing up. That affects you as a child growing up more than you know. My mother is from Mexico and came over here when she was 20 and met my dad. He worked for the post office delivering mail while she learned English as quick as she could to start working. Later on in life once they had us 3 kids, my dad got a civil engineering degree while working full time and raising us and my mom became an x-ray technician. We didn’t have a lot growing up but we had the necessities and we were together. To get my mother a car, my dad bought a car from a junk yard, bought a motor, rebuilt it and put them together so she had something to drive….only for her to burn the motor up for not checking the oil. And since they didn’t have a garage, that motor got rebuilt in the living room. She wasn’t happy about it but she didn’t say anything either. That’s why my parents don’t accept excuses. Zero. You can do anything that you want to do. If someone else has done it, why can’t you? No one said it will be easy or fair but it’s up to you and how much you can handle.
They also had us all in church every Sunday and taught us about god and Jesus Christ and his love for us. With those two lessons together, I don’t really fear anything. The two most important things in my life cannot be taken away from me by anyone. If my business closes down, I lose my house and truck, I still have god and family. And if suddenly I were to die and my life is taken, then I go home to my father in heaven. Everything else can be rebuilt with hard work.
There are always naysayers. ALWAYS. Listen to them so you aren’t rude, and then throw their negative advice out the window and keep moving toward your goals. You WILL fail. But that’s only a lesson in life to learn from, step up, and do it again but better. That’s where I get my confidence and self esteem, also known as hard headed…Jesus Christ and my parents.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Since my early childhood, I’ve found immense joy in crafting and construction. I’d gaze in wonder at construction sites, envisioning the intricate workings involved. My dream of becoming a builder ignited when I was merely five or six years old. There’s a scene in the movie “3 Men and a Baby” where Tom Selleck portrays an architect walking through a high-rise under construction with his blueprints in hand. Even though he’s an architect, I knew that’s precisely where I wanted to be one day – managing projects on a bustling job site. The confines of an office for prolonged periods don’t suit me; the dynamic nature of a job site, with fresh challenges and dilemmas each day, is my calling.
Yet, I harbor a deep love for nature, and I wrestle with the paradox between my career and this love. It’s akin to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – my profession involves constructing, which often stands in contrast to nature’s beauty. I’m currently exploring innovative ideas for green building, whether in commercial or residential projects. My aspiration is for these creations to harmoniously blend with the natural landscape. While achieving a complete dissolution into the earth might be impractical due to modern luxuries, I’m committed to getting as close as possible.
One of my strongest motivations for building my company is the platform it will provide to make a significant impact on my community. The specific avenue for this impact is still unfolding, but I contemplate and pray about it regularly. In the meantime, I remain engaged with Habitat for Humanity, trusting that the right opportunity will reveal itself when the time is right.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
If I were to select three pivotal qualities, skills, or specific knowledge that profoundly influenced my journey, they would be: recognizing that construction was my true calling, embracing failure as an inherent aspect of the journey, and aspiring to lead those who willingly follow, not out of fear but genuine respect.
For those contemplating embarking on their entrepreneurial path, it’s crucial to understand your motivation and acknowledge that setbacks are an integral part of the process. These setbacks serve as life’s way of redirecting us towards more effective approaches, even if it means stumbling along the way.
My second piece of advice is this: don’t make wealth your sole driving force. You must have a passion for what you’re doing. Money certainly facilitates life and eases our journey, but it should not overshadow the importance of savoring the learning experiences and personal growth throughout your entrepreneurial voyage. Focus on nurturing the attitude that enables you to wake up each day with a determination to conquer whatever comes your way.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I earnestly seek the chance to engage in collaborative endeavors with individuals who share both professional and personal aspirations akin to my own, encompassing the realms of sustainable construction and community enrichment. It is my genuine desire to cultivate meaningful associations with like-minded developers who hold these values close to their hearts.
Furthermore, I hold the conviction that one of the prevailing negative forces in contemporary society is the insidious influence of avarice. I strongly believe that by prioritizing the well-being and progress of others on par with our own, we sow the seeds for a bountiful harvest that shall reap manifold returns.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hnbuildingco.com
- Instagram: Hn_buildingco
- Linkedin: Eduardo Harris
