Global Courant 2023-05-20 21:00:12
When you start disseminating content on a platform like Youtube, you not only need the necessary knowledge in the subject to be taught, but also transmit this knowledge with enthusiasm and passion.
All these adjectives are associated with Édgar Aguirre, who is originally from Esquipulas and creator of the “Edgar Yo/Reparo” channel, where he repairs mobile devices.
Currently, his channel has more than 320,000 subscribers, and has become one of the most recognized Spanish-speaking channels dedicated to the technological field, since it has also managed to go on tour to several countries in Central and South America and founded its own online academy. where thousands of people sign up to learn more about this topic.
From a very young age, Aguirre has shown a genuine interest in electronics, as he tells how as a child he liked to take apart his toys to see how they worked.
“I remember that when I was little they gave me a remote-controlled car and I would take the engine out and see what was inside,” recalls Aguirre.
He asked for his first job, at the age of 12, at a computer store in Esquipulas, where, in his words, he did not ask for a salary, but rather to be taught how to repair computers and install the programs, which at that time was done via diskette.
“Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to study electronics as a professional career. I lived in Esquipulas and to be able to go to the capital was quite expensive. Simply because I was ‘curious’, I began to get ahead on my own”, says the youtuber and entrepreneur.
His relationship with cell phone repair began thanks to a family friend, who asked him if he had the knowledge to do this job, to which Aguirre said “No, but I can learn.”
“When I worked with this person, after a year and a half I set up my own business in Esquipulas, I also had business in Ipala and Chiquimula. Unfortunately, he did not have much knowledge about finances and savings, which caused the closure of the two branches in Ipala and Chiquimula”, he affirms.
The American dream
In 2011, Aguirre migrated to the United States, and in his own words, what struck him the most when he set foot on US territory was the culture shock that existed.
“Many think that the US only comes and one begins to get dollars, but no, people have to understand that it is quite difficult, and that each person is, so to speak, ‘in their world’”, says the technician.
On his journey to the American continent, Aguirre went through different jobs as an electrician, in a fast food chain where he washed dishes, a pizza delivery man, and as an assistant in a carpentry shop. “Basically, in the morning he worked in the carpentry, and at night he worked as a delivery man. It was over a span of almost two years.”
The moment he started his repair business in the US occurred when he visited a second-hand market, looking for tools for carpentry. And there he realized the range of entrepreneurial opportunities that this place had.
In this way, with the savings he had obtained, he decided to start his repair business. “That Sunday, at five in the morning, with the few savings I managed to buy a set of screwdrivers, a plastic table and a piece of cardboard on which it said “equipment repair”.
Édgar Aguirre is not only recognized for his Youtube channel dedicated to device repair, but also for his online courses where one can go deeper. (Free Press Photo: courtesy of Édgar Aguirre)
“I had taken four screens for my repairs, and at the end of the day I was able to repair four cell phone screens. It was at that moment that I told myself that this was a great business opportunity,” says Aguirre.
In this way, and with his mind set on working and getting ahead in the US, Aguirre dedicated every day of the week to work. “During the week I worked in the morning in the carpentry from 7 to 3 in the afternoon, from 5 to 11 at night I delivered pizzas, and on Saturdays and Sundays I went from 5 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon to the market to repair cell phones.
With the passage of time and while gaining more experience and resources, Aguirre was able to buy his own store, hire more staff, and make people aware of his work.
The way of Youtube
The springboard that catapulted Aguirre was his YouTube channel “Edgar Yo Reparo”, where he taught Internet users how to repair cell phones.
Although he already had a channel on the video platform, Aguirre says that everything really started with the launch of the Iphone 6 plus in 2014, because that phone had a factory defect.
Édgar remembers that several Iphone 6 plus began to arrive at his store with this problem, and that he even ruined six of those phones, and that he had to pay for them out of his own pocket.
“A person who worked with me told me, Édgar, stop doing what you’re doing because you’re spending a lot’ and I told him ‘no, I have to learn.’ I am telling you that this cell phone cost between US$800 to US$1,000,” says Aguirre.
As the technician learned how to repair cell phones, he also received bad ones. So he made the decision to upload videos to explain to people how to repair them on his own. At first, according to him, it was difficult because he did not have the necessary recording resources.
“I didn’t have a microscope camera or anything professional, so what I did was tape a camera that we bought with my wife to a microscope,” he says.
The video was uploaded in 2018, and began to attract the attention of Internet users, who commented positively on the explanations that Aguirre made.
“Something that people told me was that my way of explaining was very easy to understand. I really did not use the complex terms that exist within the technological field, I always try to explain as easily as possible, in addition to not thinking too much about a concept or situation.
The YouTube channel of “Edgar Yo Reparo” has more than 320,000 subscribers. (Free Press Photo: courtesy of Édgar Aguirre)
The “Edgar Yo Reparo” channel grew considerably over the years, in turn the creator managed to obtain the necessary tools to improve the production of his videos and make them more professional.
When asked about why he wanted to give tutorials on YouTube, a platform where there are too many channels focused on the same thing, Aguirre says that he did it out of the desire to help others, and not because of the possibility that his content would be monetized. sometime.
“A person has to start it because they want to help, plus they must be aware that it is difficult to obtain money through videos. Within two years, as was the case with me, I began to see a tiny sum of money from my videos. I feel that many people think first of fame, money and recognition, and I feel that one’s project should not be focused on that,” says Aguirre.
In addition to his videos, Édgar also founded the Yo Reparo Academy, a series of online courses to help technicians around the world delve deeper into the world of repairs.
Currently, more than 25,000 students take the Yo Repair Academy online courses (which are free) while another 5,000 have learned through the Premium courses, where much more is learned about the world of repairs.
Given the demand of hundreds of Internet users to learn more about the repair of devices. Edgar and his team formed the Yo Repair Academy, free and paid online courses that allow you to learn much more about device repairs. (Free Press Photo: courtesy of Édgar Aguirre)
The idea came after Aguirre visited more than 20 countries around the world in 2019 to teach repair courses. But there came a point where it was not enough, in addition to the fact that, in the words of Aguirre, many people did not have the opportunity to attend these face-to-face courses.
Discipline
After looking back on almost 15 years of his life, the challenges and difficulties he had to go through and the growth, both personal and professional, he had, Aguirre says that perseverance, effort, patience and never losing the desire to work and learning was what got him to where he is today.
“I am a person who when something gets into my head I can’t get it out. and I feel that perseverance and perseverance have helped me on this journey. There are people who throw in the towel when their project doesn’t go ahead after a couple of months, the story I told you is almost 15 years of my life, where there were ups and downs and I never gave up and kept going,” says Aguirre. .
In addition, another important factor that he mentions is discipline, being able to do things despite being unmotivated or not wanting to do it, since that is how you continue to move towards where you want to go.
Other advice that Aguirre gives to those who want to start a project or venture is, in addition to perseverance and discipline, it is to be present in this digital world through social networks, in addition to learning about financial education.
“Social networks give a lot of space today and are a great ally for any type of business. A project that is not online does not exist. It is also important that the project that one wants to do can help others, it is one of the most effective ways to grow and reach more people”, says Édgar.
Édgar Aguirre affirms that perseverance, discipline, the desire to learn and being present are essential to achieve dreams and goals in these times. (Free Press Photo: courtesy of Édgar Aguirre)
