Creatives — Aaron Pugal

Aaron Pugal is a glass half-empty, looking at how he can be better than who he already is. As someone who manages different brands from cycling to coffee, he never took full credit of what these have become. In his words, “I can’t take 100% of the credit.” In his creative processes, he remained asking—has it been tested already in the past? Is it still working today? Both questions among many more have remained in his mind for all the brands. After all, how can you improve if you don’t consistently ask yourself what needs to still be done? 

Aaron also still gives credit where credit is due—back to his community, the one who supported him since day one. With gratitude and his desire to grow, he navigates through and within different yet very similar industries. In this conversation, we learn about the processes that make the brands who they are, the trajectory of said brands, what he wants the future to hold, and words of advice for people who would want to build a community that is community-driven.

What’s your creative process, in general?

For all the brands I work with, I am not one to dive in clueless. I try one thing first and go from there. If there’s no hard evidence, how will people believe in you and your creation if you yourself barely scratched the surface? There needs to be details and numbers to back it up. That’s how my clock ticks.

What is your specific creative process for cycling brands like Blocks ABC?

When it comes to designing bikes, there’s always a prototype. You start with an idea and make your prototype. From these, you feel out the ride and how it influences your dynamic then adjust as you go. Make something, make it work, go back and change what needs to be changed. This is also my direction for Wideye.

How would you describe Wideye’s journey?

Wideye [Coffee] didn’t build anything. Wideye is built by communities. Had I not received that push from my friend, I wouldn’t have started selling cold brew. It’s also really the group of creatives that pushed the brand out there. I can’t take 100% of the credit.

What do you think is the power of your communities?

The community made it work. The community worked with us and we’re just hosting them and growing with them. With coffee, it became more technical and people are trying to get into it and where to get it. We’re here to direct people. We’re not trying to gatekeep anything. We want everyone to explore and try something new.

What have you observed in building these brands with the communities?

Build upon the foundations but grow with your community. Everything has been done. Everything has been already thought about. Give credit when credit is due and pay attention to how your business will grow. I truly regard my community highly. When I refer to Wideye, I always say, “we”. I really want to look back and give credit.

What do you want these brands to become in the near future?

I want these brands to be known as those who remained true to themselves. We didn’t ride on any trend. I want [these] brands to be authentic and very us. When you look at the brand and look at us, you’ll see the unmistakable similarity. We create something that we ourselves are happy and satisfied with. I want them to remember the brand doing its own thing.

What is your advice to people who would want to create businesses that are community-driven?

Involve with the community first. Be authentic. If you want to host a cycling community, you have to be in a cycling community. You also have to know who your target market is and how invested you are going to be in that community for them to support you well. Lastly, you have to look for the need. Although communities have people with different facets from different industries, you have to look for a need and build around that. Look for a problem and try to solve it with your community.