Today we’d like to introduce you to Armando Ramírez.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started in the early 2000’s taking courses at our local ITT Tech School. HA! I would like to say that, even though that place became controversy, it gave me the stepping stone to what I knew I wanted to do.., graphic design.
I came out of the tech school with a job in Camarillo, CA. at a trophy and printing store making $9.00 an hour. I was happy. I dedicated myself to learning every single process of every single department in that small momma/poppa shop. Soon, I was running the shop. It was a good feeling; however, I always knew I wanted more. Soon after that, I decided to expand my horizons. I was offered a position at a place called Sign-A-Rama. I was amazed how the vehicle wrapping business was rapidly growing. We were wrapping company vans and trucks as if there were no tomorrow. It was fun and gratifying for me. I enjoyed the entire process from design to production.
One day, I was on-line watching some videos on vehicle wraps. I saw this video on custom vehicle wraps for sport and luxury cars. Wow! I was blown away by the designs, the print and the creations that came to fruition. I was hooked. And like every entrepreneur with dreams, goals, motivation and discipline, I took the leap of faith and opened my own business in 2016. I started my own wrapping vehicle company in Oxnard CA.
I was living the dream. Cost affective monthly rent, a clean and organized shop, business was flowing and the best thing of all, it was mine. I ran the entire business by myself. From design to production, I did it all. I woke up early in the morning and worked through late night hours. It didn’t matter to me. It was my business and everything about it was right.
Business started to increase, I was gathering momentum and the local businesses and companies began to recognize the successful outcomes in product, detail and customer service. I started to attract more and more. With that “more and more,” comes every type of people. A little bit right before COVID-19, I was approached with an opportunity I could not refuse. Bigger place and a “partner” that brought in a bigger clientele. All looked well on the horizon. As we say in México, “We see faces, but unknown hearts.” The only thing left over on this particular horizon were angry and unsatisfied customers, unfinished projects and a huge debt that was inherited to a small business that was created by humble beginnings, hard work, dedication and loyalty to this small city of grateful blue collar locals. The sun had set, and with it, the partner disappeared as well. I was left dry and looking for solutions that created stress, anxiety and confusion. I wanted to throw in the towel. My moral was depleted and the only thing I could do was to dig in the last grain of will I carried since I had began this dream I called Graphix.
So, with will in my soul and fire in my heart, I kept moving forward. It was important to me to create meaningful relationships with every customer that came in our door. I also take pride in the work that I do. To deliver a quality product and a successful outcome to our clients was priority and I made sure that didn’t change. Little by little, things started to come along. Talented individuals creating designs (Marcos), techs that share the same work ethic (Julio) and service that treats clients with the upmost respect (Francisco) helped me get to the point we are at now. Although the economy has tighten up and costs for everyone have increased, Graphix finds ways to work with people and companies to bring their ideas into fruition. It’s a great feeling when customers receive their vehicles wrapped or decaled with emotion and infinite gratitude. Their loyalty creates consistency to what Graphix stands for: World Class Customer Service, High Quality Workmanship, and Meaningful and Long-lasting Professional Relationships with and to all of our clientele.
I am extremely grateful for what Graphix has become. I extremely grateful that our services and products are well accepted and appreciated by our community, our city and our county. The work we do is represented by the Fleet Services of the City of Oxnard, County of Ventura and world-wide companies like FedEx Ventura and FedEx Sun Valley. I am grateful for all the local and county-wide businesses that come through our doors for vehicle wraps, storefront signs, apparel and prints. Grateful for all the county-wide sport teams that leave with a smile because they see their banners in full design and vibrant colors. For all this, and much more, I am humbled and infinitely grateful.
It has definitely been an odyssey. I have come to enjoy the process. The lows were very low, and the highs continue to surprise me. We celebrate both of those at their giving moment. My team of three, plus myself, make Graphix feel like a second home, and I am humbled when my team expresses such sentiments. We continue to push our potentials to gain more knowledge, and that initiative and action bring bigger ideas, exciting challenges and more new faces and businesses to our loyal customer base.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like every beginning, the launch starts off strong. The ideas. The Dreams. The Motivation. Everything is fun and exciting. Keeping my mind out of the negative “what if..!?” was a challenge. Now you have a bunch of Life Coaches and Business Gurus that teach mindset and self-motivation; however, you can’t really practice those methods until they are happening to you live and in high definition. And even then, all the information goes out the window right there and then. Mike Tyson said it best, “Everyone has a plan, until you get punched in the face.” And boy did it punch me in the face.
The situation that happened with my business partner was one of the most challenging situations presented in my experience as a business owner/operator. That was harsh. That brought me to my knees. That situation made me re-think about what I wanted to do with Graphix. I had to go back to the basics. I had to ask myself over and over again, and every morning and every night I ended with the same questions, “How bad do you want this?! What you gonna do, Playa?! Isn’t this what you wanted?!” It’s a very harsh way to talk to oneself like this. This is what I knew. I grew up Old School. So, the business partner situation, and getting out of my own way were the biggest challenges as a business owner.
On a personal level, in 2025, my dad suffered a stroke. I love my dad. I grew up seeing him work hard and succeeding in whatever he put his mind to. My work ethic comes from my dad. Well, seeing my dad in such a delicate state of physical health really took a toll on me. I wanted to give him my strength and my health. All I could do is be patient and wait for time and himself to recover.
On that same year, my grandfather accepted his wings. He was one of the coolest guys’ I had ever known. Then, I lost my dog Jax in early 2026. I was so heartbroken. He was only two-years-old. It was hard to separate business from family. I love both of them. Having a team that share a moment of silence or a word or two when you absolutely need it.., is priceless.
Family is everything to me, and having these three episodes happen right after the business partner situation felt like everything was against me. Fortunately, I have had the grace of waking up with good health ever since. So, as we say in México, “As long as you have good health, you can get up to go to work or get up to go find work.” And those have been the dragons I have come across on my business path.
We’ve been impressed with Graphix, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We, at Graphix, specialize in vehicle vinyl or PPF (Paint Protective Film) wraps. Small businesses, companies, organizations, schools and individuals come to us with their existing branding and ideas and want to see them on their cars, vans, food truck, semi trucks, fire trucks, police interceptors and restaurants. We also help create company/small business logos and branding for people who are starting up. People come to us to wrap their sport and luxury vehicles with custom designs or decals. We enjoy their authentic reactions when we present their ideas on printed and cut decals, or vinyl wraps on their vehicles. It’s a great feeling!
We also screen print, embroider, print and heat press (DTF) apparel. Along with that, we make storefront signs and anything you can think of for your business (Startup/Popup), company, organization, party, and/or special events. We design, print and create.
We are known for our custom vinyl wraps. We take pride in the work we do. Our attention to detail separates us from the rest. We take in every project that comes through our doors very seriously. Our work reflects on the many vehicles in our community, Ventura County and on FedEx Delivery Trucks. We ensure that the product that leaves our establishment will leave with the intention to come back for more of the customer experience and other services. You can see our work on Instagram: @graphix_wraps and @graphix_signs.
We want our customers to know that we respectfully and mindfully work on their projects. We want to let them know that when we work on their projects we work on them as if they were our own personal projects, and that we are highly conscious of what it is to be a customer with high expectations, and we deliver that in every project.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
In this high rising economy, everything is a risk. You buy the electrical car because gas is way too expensive, or you buy the e-bike because you want to you want to save time on your commute. The electrical car gives you less miles in one full charge, so you risk getting stranded and not having a charge near by. The e-bike can get you through places faster, and you risk getting hit by a crazy electrical car driver running late to work because he can’t find a near by charger to charge his almost dead vehicle. It’s convenient, yet all a risk.
In my situation, the greatest risks I took were starting Graphix in 2016/17, and pushing forward when I was at a total complete loss after the ex business partner left me without warning. I started Graphix with a dream, money I saved up working for other companies, a deep prayer to The Creator, and an education from a tech school that I found out later was not accredited. Ha! Good times!
The second risk came without warning nor preparation. There were a few consecutive days when the only thought of a solution was to close down the shop and work for someone else. The constant battle to make things right with clients and vendors that were affected by the ex partner situation made the voices in my head so loud it clouded the direction I wanted to lead Graphix and the two employees that waited for instructions. The risk was great. The odds and the payoff were so tiny I could not see any further than the project I worked at hand.
I soon realized that, waking up healthy right before the alarm rang was another chance to give it my best shot. Scared of the unknown and counting my blessings as we moved along, I started to see the progress. It took me about two to three years to find equilibrium. As they say, “This too, shall pass,” and it did. Although scary and overwhelmingly stressful, I am very grateful for the lesson.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.designbygraphix.com
- Instagram: @graphix_wraps and @graphix_signs
