We had the good fortune of connecting with Aaron Robles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
My family and I are Mexican immigrants. I’m a DACA recipient now but for many years couldn’t legally work or drive, until I was in my mid 20’s, actually. Although I was raised in America since I was 8 months old, I wasn’t really fully American. Despite that reality, we had to live our lives and my parents taught me that from a very young age. Once I came to adolescence I started to notice that the doors that were open for many of my peers were not open for me. I had to climb over a 20-foot wall where a lot of other people could simply walk through the door.

Although discouraging at times, it taught me that I had to put the effort into everything I wanted in life. Instead of focusing on the “fairness” of the situation I worked twice as hard to get half but damn it, I did what I had to do to get it. Years of this calcified within my mind. It gave me a drive and tenacity that has served me well, even more so the older I got. My desire to still live and progress in life despite the walls that tried to stop me showed me how possible anything was if you really wanted it bad enough.

What should our readers know about your business?
As someone who’s always been interested in art and someone who was now put on to how art can also become a profitable profession thanks to Karen Gillie, I was able to explore a path unknown to a lot of kids my age. At the tender age of 16, I had business cards in my pocket and clients in my inbox. Since high school, I’ve owned a business of my own to some degree. My freelance graphic design business has gone through many iterations, currently Hyprnova, but has been my passion for over 13 years now. What I love about this profession is that in my focus on brand identity development I get to help business owners breathe life into what their business is. I love finding out what makes a new or existing company tick, what their values are, who they are and what they believe in and turning that into not only a logo, but a brand identity that is authentic and true to who they are and what they represent.

My second business, Founders Spark was inspired by 13 years of working closely with so many business owners, hustlers, and dreamers. Founders Spark is an entrepreneurial support organization where we focus on providing resources for business owners looking to start or grow their business. So many of us who start a business are passionate and skilled at our craft but can lack the community or knowledge about business which hinders our success. Founders Spark was created by looking back at my career and how so many people mentored and encouraged me to keep going. I wanted to offer that back in a scalable way. Over the years, Founders Spark has hosted networking events, interviewing founders of multi-million dollar businesses. We’ve also created online educational resources teaching fundamental lessons around marketing and finance as well as developed a training course for teenagers teaching them how to run their own business.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The person I’ll always go to when recognizing who made the largest impact on me is my graphic design teacher Karen Gillie. When I was a young and impressionable young man in high school with little direction, Mrs. Gillie was the catalyst that would launch me into many of the beliefs, values, and expressions of my potential that I enjoy today. When I was naive and unaware of life after high school, she not only showed me the opportunities that were out there in the world but she made me aware of the greatness within me that made it possible for me to attain those opportunities.

There are many people before and since Karen Gillie that helped me get to where I am today. My success is built upon the belief and opportunity presented by those in my life willing to take a chance on me, but Karen is the cornerstone of it all. From encouraging me to join extracurriculars to driving me to competitions (I would later compete on a national level) she walked the walk as much as she talked the talk. Teachers like her truly make ripples that turn into waves and I’m forever grateful.

Website: www.foundersspark.org

Instagram: @aaronrobles @foundersspark

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarobles/

Facebook: facebook.com/aaronisraelrobles facebook.com/foundersspark

Image Credits
founders_vera-14 (Barbara Baekgaard – Founder of Vera Bradley) 122324448 (Sam and Taylor Silver)

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.