Tato Corcoran·February 19, 2026

How to 4x a Small Manufacturer | Tato Corcoran Update

Tato Corcoran, a Bay Area tech professional (executive assistant at Salesforce) turned Milwaukee small business owner, bought a tiny manufactured stone countertop and shower business in June 2022 for an effectively minimal price from a 30-year boomer owner who had been winding it down. The business had ~$400k in normalized revenue and three employees at acquisition. This is a return-visit episode (her first appearance was early 2024); she reports extraordinary growth: $985k in 2023, $1.16m in 2024, and $1.6m in 2025 — roughly a 4x increase from baseline — with net income reaching ~$300k. Key inflection points include hiring Spanish-speaking immigrant workers via Latino Facebook groups (which unlocked a loyal core team of four long-tenured employees), purchasing equipment from a closed St. Louis competitor to expand capacity, implementing Profit First with a certified advisor for financial discipline, and mentorship from an unlikely source — her local Starbucks manager — who helped her create an employee handbook and reclaim leadership authority. As a woman in manufacturing with no industry background and no prior management experience, Tato faced compounding credibility challenges from both her workforce and her customers, but has learned to use her differentiated presence as a competitive advantage. She also had a baby in October 2025 amid the business's record year. She views the business as a cash-generating vehicle to fund a growing real estate portfolio she builds with her husband, and is open to eventually selling if the right offer comes.

Deal facts

revenue: ~$400k normalized at acquisition (COVID spike to $700k); $985k in 2023; $1.16m in 2024; $1.6m in 2025
notes: Acquired June 2022. Business had been winding down over ~10 years by a boomer owner of 30+ years. Real estate came with the deal. Guest describes acquisition price as effectively 'nothing' / very low. Three employees at acquisition. Net income: $80k in 2023, $225k in 2024, ~$300k in 2025.

Why this business

Tato came from tech (Salesforce executive assistant) and moved to Milwaukee where her sister lived. She was already a real estate investor and saw the business as an opportunity that came with real estate — a hedge so that even if the business failed she'd have income-producing property. She didn't know anything about manufacturing but chose this business as a path into entrepreneurship, reasoning she'd have to learn something new no matter what she bought.

What's working

Revenue grew roughly 4x from ~$400k normalized at acquisition to $1.6m in 2025, with net income of ~$300k that year
Hiring Spanish-speaking immigrant workers via Facebook groups targeting the Latino community unlocked a reliable, loyal workforce after failing to attract workers through conventional channels
Four long-term employees (2-3 years tenure) who show up reliably and take pride in the business's professionalization
Implementing Profit First with a certified Profit First professional transformed financial discipline — Tato now automatically allocates 5% owners pay, 5% profit, 5% tax before touching operating expenses
Purchasing assets of a closed St. Louis shop in 2023 and reconfiguring the Milwaukee facility increased manufacturing capacity
Aggressively pursuing larger multifamily and new construction projects in a Midwest market where demand is insatiable
Mentorship from a local Starbucks manager (Alex) provided practical, objective leadership frameworks — including writing a simple employee handbook — that helped Tato reclaim authority
Being a woman in a male-dominated industry creates a differentiated impression that has helped win business, and diversity certifications open additional contracting opportunities
Real estate portfolio (combined with husband's) growing alongside the business, creating complementary wealth-building paths

What's hard

Staffing remains the single persistent challenge — as of early 2026 Tato needs two more solid employees immediately because she outsold her capacity on the first day back after the holiday break
Managing a general-labor, Spanish-speaking immigrant workforce with no prior management experience was extremely difficult early on — daily crying, feeling like a doormat, employees taking advantage of lack of structure
Language and cultural gap between Tato's corporate background and her workers' lived realities (many walked through South America to reach the US, borderline illiterate, living paycheck to paycheck, sending money home) required completely rethinking how to lead
Small perceived fairness issues (e.g., $7 overtime discrepancy) caused real morale problems that required difficult situational judgment
A star early employee who was elevated to a leadership role turned into a bad apple and had to be let go — a hard lesson in distinguishing excellent employees from leaders
No financial background made it difficult to structure cash flow; implemented Profit First against her CPA's advice to solve this
Being a woman in manufacturing means constant credibility challenges — customers assuming she's the homeowner, being asked if her husband can come instead, signing a $250k contract while being asked if she wanted her husband present
Navigating new motherhood (baby born October 2025) while running the business during a record-breaking year

Notable quotes

I went from something that is worth nothing, right, cuz I acquired it for nothing to something that is definitely worth something. And that is the that's the whole gig, right?

I need two really solid net new heads. So like that's stressful, but I need them because we're selling so well. So that's what I mean by like the challenges change, right?

What I ultimately found was that your best employees crave rules like that. And when I realized that distinction, I felt so much less insecure and so much more confident moving forward with what I was doing.

I have the chance every single day to change the lives of the people who work for me. And I do believe if you talk to business owners that have been at it long enough that this is something that is important to them.