Meet August Paro | Chief Operations Officer at Agaso Outdoor

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

Hi August, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor in the success of Agaso Outdoor is perseverance. With any business endeavor, even if you have a brilliant idea or execution it still takes time to find your market, earn trust and become accepted. Even in today’s digital landscape you have to leave time for things to happen organically.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We build vintage cars but our business currently focuses on the early Ford Bronco. I don’t know if most people would call what we do art but there is a ton of design and engineering that goes into it. Since cars are a part of our daily lives we tend to take them for granted and forget someone had to design every aspect of the vehicle. Our builds are no exception where even though the outcome looks sympathetic to the original there are almost no original parts left on the car.

I don’t think we understood at the beginning how difficult it would be to achieve an acceptable level of fit and finish as well the dependability of a new car. Making aftermarket parts work in the same way OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts do is a full time job. It left us in a situation where we have had to reengineer almost the whole car from the ground up. I think that is what makes us different… We care about how the door feels in your hand, that the steering input gives you confidence at 75 miles an hour and that you could drive to Wyoming on a whim without ever questioning your 50 year old car. We are proud of that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am low maintenance and I love anything vintage. I would make sure to hit the Original Farmer’s Market at 3rd and Fairfax for all it has to offer. My favorite is the French Crepe spot. I would also spend as much time as possible in Pasadena as it is filled with turn of the century architecture. Grand Central Market downtown is a must and at least one Weekend day in Malibu. You can’t really say you have been to Los Angeles if you haven’t been to Malibu. I would also make sure to hit one of the many Cars and Coffee meets around the city. Southern California still has the best car culture in the world.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Jim Collins wrote a book entitled “Good To Great” that examined a handful of businesses that went from good to great and stayed great for more than a decade. It is an instruction manual in leadership that covers the broadest strokes of what an inspiring leader does to more granular aspects of day to day habits. More importantly it talks about the importance of your early hires and how critical workplace culture is in your company’s success. These aren’t things most people think about when starting a business because the realities of monthly survival absorb all of your resources. It’s ridiculous to spend time waiting for the right hire when you are burning yourself out on twelve hour days and microwaved food, but holding out for the right person is exactly what you should do no matter how painful the wait. This book is a powerful reminder that every business not matter how complex started with a single hire.

So shout out to JIm Collins and a book I read every year.

Website: agasooutdoor.com

Instagram: @agasooutdoor

Linkedin: agasooutdoor

Youtube: Agaso

Image Credits
August Paro, Keith Hathoway