Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Mosteiro.
Hi Amy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My husband and I were having patio screens installed at our house by the previous owner of Cool Screens Texas. My husband had been traveling the world doing PDR the past 27 years and we were trying to find him something else to do and be able to stay closer to home.
The owner said he was extremely busy so my husband offered to help him since he was home for the winter. The owner said he would just sell him the company. Thinking he was joking, they laughed and went on. A couple of weeks later the owner came back and asked my husband if he considered their discussion about buying the business. My husband told him “You don’t want to sell this company.” The owner replied, “I’m 65 years old and when I want to go to the beach, I want to go to the beach.” After 5 months of discussion, talks, and contracts, the company was finally ours so we changed the name to Cool Screens of Texas.
The previous owner built this company as a hobby and kept it small by only selling and installing patio screens after market in the area. We purchased the company on April 12, 2021, and have since doubled the size of the company. We’ve grown and expanded our presence not only throughout the DFW market but also opened a second sales office in Athens, Texas. We now service from Gainesville to Waco and Tyler to Abilene, and everywhere in between. In 2024, we added an interior division which offers shades, shutters, drapes, and valances.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The first couple of years was easy as we were still learning and it was only exterior patio screens. My husband expects a high level of excellence and quality. The business grew organically by word of mouth based on his quality and service. The next year was a bit more challenging as we started growing. We needed to figure out how to grow our sales so we explored all types of advertising and found print advertising was just not successful for us. Our sales grew some, but advertising costs exceeded budget. One of the best successes has been doing trade shows. We’ve found it shares our presence with both builders and homeowners.
The following year was a new challenge. Sales were steadily growing, but we needed to increase our margins as well as cover costs. We consistently played with pricing until we found the “sweet spot”. Then we needed to look at labor. We were using contractors but their prices were consistently increasing which began to eat into the profits of our jobs. So we decided to bring on some employees and teach them how to install the screens. This has been a 1 1/2 years to find the right employees in and keep them.
In the spring of 2024, we were able to develop a new service offering with our crew. We now have the ability to sell screen cleaning and maintenance packages. It took some time playing with different products and solutions to get the right mix and it’s been quite successful.
After overwhelming requests by our customers, we launched the interior division in the fall of 2024, offering Hunter Douglas shades, shutters, and blinds. This has been a big learning curve – learning all the products and solutions and getting certified. We then added in the drapes and valances as an added service.
In the spring of 2025 we added 2 more interior manufacturers to give our customers more choices for price, product, and quality. This way we can offer the right fit for each customer and deliver a high quality product.
Every year presents a new challenge in a different way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We specialize in exterior patio screens – permanent or motorized. We also have interior shades, shutters, blinds, drapes, and valances. We also offer patio screen cleaning and maintenance packages. And we’re known for giving high quality service.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Growing sales
Pricing:
- Exterior could start at $2,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.coolscreensoftexas.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coolscreensoftx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoolScreensofTX
- Youtube: Cool Screens of Texas
- Yelp: Cool Screens of Texas
Image Credits
These were all taken by us
