Teenage Adrian
My love for creating products and services for people started at a young age. From age 9 to 13, I sold sodas and snacks at sports parks and, at times, at my school. At age 14, I created a service that hacked video game consoles. These were the early steps I took in entrepreneurship. I am the first in my family to start a business. I never really knew where I was headed. But I knew there were opportunities out there somewhere. It was a long journey.
My most notable work as a teenager:
My Promise to Community: It Started at 13
The budget cuts that followed the 2008 Great Recession were aggressive, slashing vital extracurricular activities from our schools. As a 13-year-old, I watched as a vital part of our community faded. Even though I personally had very little, and navigated life without the benefit of guidance, I knew I had to act. It wasn’t about appearance; it was about a deep-seated conviction to bring hope back. I took the initiative to organize an afterschool football league, a genuine effort to fill the void and reignite a sense of community. Despite the understandable hesitation from teachers to take on more responsibilities without compensation, my persistence prevailed. I created a complete league and playoff experience and awarded a pizza party for the finalists.
This experience taught me the profound impact one person can have when they commit to their community. It showed me that true leadership isn’t about resources or accolades, but about a willingness to step up, even when it’s difficult, and to genuinely invest in the well-being of others. It’s a lesson I carry with me today, always ready to bring that light and dedication to the challenges our community faces.
(This all took place at El Cerrito Middle School in Corona, CA.)
Mural Development Club
This was not a business, per se. I made this business plan for a school club (that was never launched successfully). I created this plan without guidance and assistance (no teacher wanted to help). Still, I persevered and ultimately found a way to form my business plan.
This project helped me understand that working with my school would only limit my creative abilities. This project helped me realize that the government, or in this case, my school, hindered innovation with excessive oversight and bureaucracy. While my high school approved my plan and offered to fund the program, I passionately declined to continue.
To learn about my capabilities as a 15-year-old, I recommend reading this 16-page plan. I developed the format and did not use a template or a defined process. This process was entirely created with my intuition. This is open source; you can utilize this content as you please.
The Aros Soccer Club
When I was 17, I knew I wanted to build something impactful. My high school wasn’t interested in a soccer club, so I organized the Aros Soccer Club entirely on my own, outside of school. I poured everything into it, personally growing it to about 80 students aged 12-17. I was the driver, the coach, the organizer – everything. I asked adults across my town for help, but no one stepped up. Parents seemed either too scared or simply unwilling to lend a hand. So, I led this effort entirely by myself.
Our journey was a constant uphill battle. We were repeatedly kicked off fields at the El Cerrito Sports Complex by a local club, Corinthians, who even called the police on us multiple times. I remember a standoff there, telling Corinthians that my members and I were ready to be arrested just to play. The police never came that day, but the harassment was relentless. We eventually moved to play at El Cerrito Middle School, which was right next door. The school policy was to kick us off, but some teachers, recognizing our dedication, would look the other way for a while before eventually telling us to leave. El Cerrito Middle School was crucial because it was walking distance from my home; playing elsewhere meant I’d have to disband the club, as I had no reliable transportation and, again, no community support. Fortunately, some friends with vans helped us shuttle to various parks across Corona, but then we’d run into lighting issues.
After being continuously displaced, we found ourselves back at El Cerrito Middle School, still without official permission. The constant uncertainty was demoralizing. I reached my breaking point. In a moment of frustration, I told the group I was taking a different path. I walked away to explore other opportunities, including hosting teen nightclubs. That was the last time I ever looked back at the Aros Soccer Club. Just two weeks later, it disbanded.
Want to see more of this journey and how it unfolded? Visit my Facebook page to see the original posts and documentation.
Dirty Night Promoz (DNP)
At 17, I hosted teen nightclub events in Corona, California. Feeling ignored to do good, I moved on to the nightlife. I became the first to ever host such an event in Corona, aiming to make a name for myself in the teen nightclub scene. Although this venture was short-lived, it wasn’t for the reasons most might think.
At my second event, I met a girl who would become my girlfriend. She arrived with my photographer before the doors opened. She offered to help me as I was setting up two large graffiti paintings that I had paid a local artist to create for my photobooth. After my fourth event, she expressed a desire to step away from the event industry to focus on college. While my fifth event was my most successful to date, her decision prompted a profound reflection within me.
Ultimately, I chose to end this business to prioritize my own college journey. Corona never saw another teen nightclub event after that. It was a chapter born from frustration, but one where I proved, once again, my capacity to innovate and lead, creating exciting new opportunities where none existed before.