Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aurora Martinez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Aurora, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?
My hero is not defined as a specific person but everyone who has once educated me and shown me something I did not know before. Hero is defined as someone who saves your life, but instead for me is someone that has saved your life by teaching you the most valuable skills and morals to be who you are today. I could name countless hero’s in my life, having God at the top of my pyramid, as he is the center and the author of my life. My parents are my day-to-day heroes, my dad is more than a hero, he is my mentor, the one who leads me when my head is in spirals. Nonetheless, my mom saves my life every day, in the most unique ways. From keeping me out of hunger to protecting my innocence and character. My dad has influenced me in my success and my dreams.
He is my financial advisor, and my “you can do anything” guy. I will tell an anecdote that has and will have an impact on me forever. I started working when I was fifteen years old and he told me that I could not spend any of the checks coming my way until I read the book, “The Richest Man in Babylon”, keep in mind that I am a very slow reader, but I kept getting checks and could not spend any of it. My dad wanted me to be financially smart before even thinking of spending. Besides that, his goal was for me to understand what it is to have “investment” savings, which I never touched unless I was going to grow it. He told me to set a percentage aside only for investments and to strictly manage that. Nonetheless, that is one of the many things he has taught me. Third in my pyramid as mentioned would be those who have cared for my success and given me advice of wisdom to grow as a person, and for it I will be forever thankful!
Aurora, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am Aurora Martinez, a Salvadorian, who came to this country at thirteen years old with a suitcase full of dreams and a hope to make them come true. Like all, we all have passion and a dream, and with that comes the burning desire to make it happen. I started my own business at twenty years old as a freshman in college. I began my 360 Photo Booth business. As many may ask, how did this idea cross my mind? Well, remember that “investment savings” my dad wanted me to do, well first, I began by buying things and reselling them, from shoes to tires, among other things. Later my investing savings grew. When I was going into my freshman year of college, studying business management, I had this burning desire to invest in something bigger than the things I was doing, and for months my head was spinning around just thinking, keep in my I did not even know how much money I had to invest. Many different things came to my mind, like investing in stocks, but I wasn’t 100% convinced, I wanted something that was going to challenge me, I wanted to start something, and test my entrepreneurial skills.
Therefore, one day I was on TikTok and I saw a video of an eighteen-year-old who rented bouncy houses, he said how much money he made in a short period, and looking at that opened my brain, and I said to myself, “I don’t want to just invest into something, but invest and start my own business.” So, looking at that video I thought of a Quinceañera I went to in Chattanooga in which they had a 360 Photo Booth, and I remember it being the best part of the party. Immediately, I contacted the person who rented it at that party and realize that he sells them, then I did full-on research on this, and completely loved this idea and thought, “I need to bring this to Memphis, people will love it.”
And so, I counted all the money I have been saving and risked it all into not only buying the 360 Photo Booth but creating my brand for it with the necessary marketing materials I needed. With that comes thinking about the name, and a logo to make it stand out. By the end of my freshman year, the 360-photo booth arrived, and after practicing how to set it up and all, I thought of ways in which I could make my business known and get videos of people using it not only for my publicity but as a free trial and error for myself.
Therefore, I made the “grand-opening” event of the “Memphis360Booth which was perfect on the day I wanted to make it because it was around St.Patricks Day (2022), so I bought themed props and made an official invitation for close friends and family, and thanks to God it went amazing! Many people passing by tried it and took my business card with them. Furthermore, I made the Instagram and Facebook page with the videos I took on that day and introduced the “Memphis360booth.” I needed more content, so I partnered up with a man who is well-known in Memphis for making decorations for Latino parties, thanks to him I was able to get my first official event. It was a success!
Consequentially, after rigorous work of making my “Memphis360booth” known, I started getting events, May was such a blessing for me as all my weekends were booked with graduation parties, weddings, and birthdays. I had events not only in Memphis but in Mississippi too. My Instagram and Facebook pages grew.
I proved myself and will continue to do so. I could tell people around my age or any age to go after anything they want to accomplish. I could have waited until after college and started this business, but the eagerness to want this, and the thought of “why not now?” was greater than all the what-ifs.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Yes, greatly, I have three books that I consider a “must” for every young adult to read, actually anyone! As mentioned earlier in one of the very first questions of this article, my dad, and mother, true “heroes” have greatly influenced my drive to read these two books among others that I have not yet finished. First, “Rhinoceros Success”, a book that I read when I was eighteen years old, emphasizes the idea of becoming a “charging rhino” who is always in search of an opportunity and risking success. The book shows the difference between cows and rhinos, metaphorically speaking, cows are lazy and do not seek opportunity, they are somewhat blind to it. Rhinos are strong, and most importantly powered up for the next investment or anything that pursues growth. I learned with this book to take risks just like I did at the start of “Memphis 360 Booth”, besides that to try my hardest to treat every day like it is special, with hope in one hand and desire in the other! Next, is “The Richest Man in Babylon” This one captures more detail the secrets of creating, growing, and preserving wealth. The main goal of this book for me was to not confuse your investment saving for your desires, your wealth will never grow if, for example, you went and decided to invest and buy a not so good looking couch, it cost you $200, but you sold it for $300, you earn $100 that you didn’t have before, but then you go on vacation and spent that money, well then it was worth nothing. The money you invest has to keep growing and growing to become “The Richest Man in Babylon.” I learned that no matter if you gain at least $5 out of something is still winning, every grain of sand counts if you are wise with it. Third, “Poor Dad, Rich Dad” to be fair I have not finished this book, but I am somewhat halfway, but just reading what I have, this book is extraordinary one of a kind. It implies that to become rich you have to have the mindset of, “Don’t work for money, have money working for you” To me means do not be a slave to only think of working to lay bills and that is it, work to always reach higher to the point you will just manage different outcomes! After reading the previous two books I have mentioned, this book will become easier to understand. 
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I first thought of answering this question in a very personal way, but now that I think about it resilience comes within every day of my life, not just mine but I know that every person in this world has had some type of difficulty or obstacle that keeps them from having it easy. Therefore, I want to refer to these questions as this, we are resilient for waking up not knowing what may happen today, and the uncertainty that we will make it out alive, we are resilient for not giving up based on the challenges we are given, for my immigrants, that I myself identify, we are resilient for fighting for our dreams and beating the brick walls that are given to us when it comes to going to college, having a house among many others. We are resilient in taking care of our mental health physical and emotional. Finally, I could keep writing thousands of reasons why I, you, and all of us are resilient everyday. 
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @memphis360booth
- Facebook: memphis360booth
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aurora-martinez-292845221