HOUSTON – If you’re looking to support a local business, you should get to know Manoos, an online-based line of car-detailing products manufactured by Houstonian Billy Argueta.
Manoos’s story began in 2015 when Argueta began providing on-site car washes and detailing services at offices, hotels and businesses using products made in his garage.
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As time went on, Argueta noticed his customers began to show an interest in the effectiveness of his home-made products.
“People would see a car that we cleaned and they’d stop and ask ‘Hey, where did you get those products?' or “Hey, what are you using?‘” Argueta, CEO of Manoos, told KPRC 2.
With a new vision in mind, Argueta slowly transitioned to selling his products individually and in 2018, Argueta launched his website from which he saw his products quickly take off.
However, it has not been an easy road for this young Houston entrepreneur.
Argueta says he faces hardships all the time as a business owner and described them as having a paper cut that you become accustomed to getting and develop a pain threshold for.
“It hurts but you just get over it but now you know what a paper cut is like,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a little bit of a deeper scar but you know it’s not going to be the only time you have that so you tend to be able to accept a lot of pain and trouble.”
One of the most recent obstacles he has faced is the shortage of materials needed to package his products due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s a shortage in the supply chain when it comes to bottles, caps and trigger sprayers,” Argueta said. “If we were to purchase something right now we probably won’t see that product until the first quarter of next year.”
Argueta said he’s had to adapt to the situation and rethink how his product can be manufactured and applied.
The company has also been forced to stop its international shipments and has been limited to distributing strictly to the US and its territories.
In spite of current challenging times, not everything has been negative for Argueta.
The present high demand for hand sanitizers has allowed him to expand his line of products and even release new ones.
“Because we manufacture certain products with the same ingredients that you use to make hand sanitizers we went ahead and switched over to producing a lot more hand sanitizers and eventually we released our own disinfectant,” Argueta said.
Argueta said his new products have helped him gain new customers which has lead them to try some of the other products on the line.
When asked what sets his products apart from those of other companies, Argueta confidently responded “quality.”
“The current hand sanitizer that we have is probably one of the highest grade hand sanitizers there is because of the kind of quality that we expect from the products that we make,” he said. “Sure, our prices are maybe a little bit higher for a hand sanitizer but you can rest assured that your hand is not going to smell like corn or it’s not going to smell bad after you put it on your hands.”
Argueta said that every product made goes through a very strict manufacturing process to ensure it is up to the standards his company has.
“The people that buy from us buy it because they understand our products are going to last a long time regardless of what kind of product it is.”
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For more information about Manoos, check out the links below.
Website: https://manoos.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manoos.wash/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manoos.wash/