July 24, 2017

Meet Paul Rivera of Paulifornia in Long Beach

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Rivera.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Paul . So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It all started with music. I was just barely out of high school and I was in a band. I had just gotten fired from a book store for making personal calls at work. (I was young and stupid) The band was my life. I didn’t care about anything else. We use to make flyers by cutting magazines up and pasting them to a sheet of paper then photo copying. So in my mind the next logical step was go work at Kinko’s and get the hook up (for the band). I was driven and eager to learn everything I could so I could make the coolest flyers. I hung out with the graphics department guys on lunch, soaking up everything I could. One of them hooked me up with a copy of a photoshop trial disc. Back then it was easy to just back date your computer so your 30 day free trial lasted forever if you kept your computer thinking it was in the same month. I just sat and taught myself, ever since then It’s been this huge progression in learning. I started taking the work more seriously and the band became more of a hobby. So from copy and print came the graphic design. From the design came the photography based on the fact that I hated using stock images and It was fun to shoot bands live. Then a buddy of mine who’s band I shot a lot liked my work and asked me to shoot his wedding. I loved the guy so of course I said yes. Thats how I ended up shooting people (Professional Boxers, Bands, Beauty and Fashion). Everything was this huge progression.

After Kinko’s I was working for a company called Copi Rite which was a Kinko’s on steroids. The owners of that company had a lot of faith in me and saw the potential for company wide growth. I started out as just a guy who made copies. Then grew a design team. We ended up with our own satellite office and I managed a 5 person team. I had a hard conversation with the owners where they basically told me I reached as high as I could in the company that I basically hit the ceiling with them. I worked hard to start the graphics division for them and it was basically supporting their end of the failing business. I always had a problem with authority so working for myself always seemed like a dream. But when push comes to shove I realized that I built something from the ground up with that company that I could do it for myself.

This was at the tail end of 2006. I was engaged to be married in Feb and I had a lot going on in my life. Yes, I was still doing the whole band thing but that was a hobby and I worked hard to start a career for myself. I had a good conversation with my fiancé and she was supportive. I quit my job and in December 2006 I started my own company with $150 cash and a credit card.

I worked from home for the first year or two then moved into my own office things were (and are) going well. I never did any advertising and just worked my ass off for my clients. All my clients (even to this day) have been by word of mouth. Being self taught, I’m always trying to prove to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to and with a little help from YouTube I can learn just about anything.

Now that I’ve been in business for over 10 years, I’m still working hard and learning so I can be relevant in a very tough industry and my (now) wife is just as supportive of my crazy idea’s as she was back then. Who would have thought that my first job at Kinko’s with no education or experience would have led me to running my own company where we are rocking design, photography, videography, & printing instead of a guitar.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
So based on my Bio it seems like everything I’ve done was this easy and smooth transition. But in fact, It wasn’t at all. Countless times I’ve been up trying to figure out Quickbooks, dealing with trying to figure out taxes, employment taxes and insurances, City wide stuff, and sacrificing everything else in my life. EVERYTHING (within reason) takes a back seat. No matter how great I think I’ve become at something, there is so much learning still to do.

Paulifornia – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Paulifornia wears many hats. We feel art blends into one another, so naturally we provide a wide variety of services. Providing design, photography, videography, print and art direction, one could to several creative teams to get what they need for their brand and business, but we like to keep it simple. We can take a concept, develop it, create it, and provide a tangible final product. We’ve worked with some of the worlds leading brands and businesses but never forget about the little guy.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I’ve learned recently that I need to work when I work, and when I’m not I need to focus on my health, happiness and relationships. Beyond business, living your life and enjoying it, is what is really important and a necessity to fuel your drive to succeed. So bottom line it’s all about balance.

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