Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaime Padilla.
Hi Jaime, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was a Combat Engineer in the Marines, stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA and attended a few drone races in Long Beach when I was introduced to drone racing through friends who were drone pilots. I was already a huge R/C car fan since I was a kid and became a big drone racing enthusiast/hobbyist once I learned how to build and eventually fly a freestyle drone.
I attended National University and eventually accepted a position in Austin as a Software Engineer and moved to the Austin area in 2022 after Graduating with a degree in Cybersecurity. I needed some batteries for one of my drones and a few parts to repair one of my R/C cars when I found that they were missing from my move.
It was then that I realized there were no local hobby shops I could go to for drone batteries, propellers, FPV cameras, goggles. I had to order everything online and most of the items I needed were not available, which made the task of finding replacement parts very difficult. I avoided ordering anything online due to hearing about counterfeits circulating in online marketplaces so I put it off until I could find the parts or battery from a credible source myself.
I found that the IT industry is very volatile. After being laid off I decided to start Echo Six Hobbies to fill the gap and offer the quality parts and accessories. This way someone who needed these item in the area would be able to rebuild their broken drone or R/C model without having to look any further.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Getting started was not easy. Initially the goal was to source American Made brands. The reality is that most of the hobby products are manufactured in Asia only a few were made in America. I started by reaching out to major brand distributors and manufacturers and eventually partnered with and sourced products from quality name brands. Then when the Tariffs were first implemented, we felt it and our prices reflected the changes. A few of the manufacturers we source our products from authorized us to source through their US based manufacturing partners. This made sourcing easier and normalized the price of our products without compromising quality.
Funding has not been an easy task either, I initially used my own resources to get the business off the ground. After about a year I was able to secure a small business loan. My ultimate goal is to open up a “Brick and Mortar” store so our customers can walk in, actually speak to someone, get the help or assistance they need without having to worry if what they are purchasing is legit and of decent quality.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Echo Six Hobbies (ESH) is a veteran owned, family run hobby retailer with a variety of different products. We started our journey with a passion for radio-controlled hobbies and a commitment to providing top-quality products to enthusiasts in our community. Our mission is to offer an unmatched shopping experience, catering to the diverse needs of our customers with a wide range of radio-controlled cars, trucks, drones, parts, and accessories. We also offer collectibles, STEM toys and kits. At ESH we take pride in our dedication to excellence and aim to be your go-to destination for all things radio-controlled.
We offer Veterans, First-responders, and Educators a discount when verified via GovEx.
I was the Assistant Cubmaster for my son’s Cub Scout pack from 2023-25 and have always made sure to support the Boy Scouts whenever they needed assistance sourcing rockets, motors or science kits for their STEM activities.
I personally strive to keep a good variety of Hobby, Toy and Collectible collection available to offer. Usually if there is anything we do not have in stock or not listed on the website chances are that I have it and have not listed it yet or I can get it. Some Electronic Drone products are made to order so they may take a couple of weeks to a month to be produced and shipped to us. We do offer 3-D printing services as well for drone accessories or those custom or vintage parts that are no longer offered by the manufacturer. Generally files can be created or if already available, we can print it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.echosixhobbies.com/
