Life & Work with Ervin Rodriguez of Cary

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ervin Rodriguez.

Hi Ervin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I moved here with my family from Puerto Rico back in 2009. I’ve worked for a pharmaceutical company for the last 18 years. My challenging but the rewarding job has allowed me to travel the world and meet many people from different backgrounds. We all have our passions and things that take us away from the stresses of life; for me, it’s cars. I’ve loved cars all my life and had a strong influence from my father, who still loves cars. I started creating a social media presence for a car I was restoring and secured a considerable following on Instagram. Then, the pandemic happened, and suddenly I had the opportunity to channel my creativity differently and launch a local YouTube automotive channel. That is when Garage Buds was born.

Garage Buds LLC was incorporated on the 11th of August, 2020, in the State of North Carolina, and it’s based in the city of Cary.

GB (Garage Buds) was first my hobby, but it is also a media company mainly focused on online content via the Garage Buds YouTube Channel. The channel is about cars and everything related to car culture, including car meets and events, car profiles and reviews, and car restoration. We are not professional mechanics, but we like fixing cars, modifying them, and learning to share knowledge with our subscribers and followers.

GB has several collaborators that are featured on the channel. These non-YouTubers who work on their cars voluntarily agree to feature their videos on the GB platform. Monetized the GB YouTube channel in November of 2020, having reached the threshold for subscribers and watched hours. GB also obtained its first paid sponsor in September 2020, with additional sponsorship opportunities since then as subscriptions grew. The channel has 10600 subscribers as of May 2022.

Garage Buds also has a growing presence on other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and, more recently, TikTok. The Instagram penetration is the highest, with a combined 20,000 followers across 4 accounts. Additionally, GB has established an online storefront through TeePublic to sell channel-related merchandise.

I still have my demanding job, but Garage Buds is what keeps me sane.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. There are many challenges along the way and some that I still need to overcome. The first challenge was to learn new skills. How to properly use social media channels, film, edit my content, create a workflow that would not take time away from my day job, etc. The challenge of establishing a brand, a presence, and a coherent style allowed me to be true to myself. I didn’t want to follow trends or copy others. I work alone. It’s me and my camera. That also represents a set of challenges, and I know I could do much more if I had help, but it also adds to the organic, simple nature of my content, which some people like. Then there is the challenge of YouTube. The tough task of understanding the algorithm for views and the occasional hater/troll that wants to bring you down. Even with these challenges and others, the fun surpasses the heartaches.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My career is in pharmaceutical quality. I constantly have the well-being of the patients in mind in everything I do. I’m all about building trust, working with people, and simplifying processes to serve the patient better. That passion for simplification translates into my role as a YouTube creator. I always aim to bring my viewers simple, honest, and realistic content. I may not be an expert in cars, but I admire the design, proper human interfaces, and the passion that unites the car community. Ultimately, it’s about the people that love cars like me. People have started recognizing me in public places, which is a bit weird, but they want to share that they love cars as much as I, especially kids.

What does success mean to you?
Success is getting to that point in life where you feel comfortable in your skin. When you don’t need affirmation from anyone else to validate your achievements. For me, that is phase one. Phase two is when you use your success to help others succeed too. That is the ultimate achievement, seeing your daughter, friends, and colleagues win and enjoy their achievements. There is nothing more satisfying that mentoring and coaching paying it forward.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garage_buds
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garagebudschannel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/garagebuds
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@garage_buds

Image Credits
All photos are taken by me