My name’s Austin Maples. I started my first small business in second grade, selling fake earrings to the boys at school who wanted their ears pierced but couldn’t get them done. My dad saw this ambition in me early on and gave me a job at his restaurant when I was 9. I soon realized I could take my paycheck, buy old beach cruisers, fix them up, and flip them for double. I don’t know where this business mindset came from, but I’ve had it for as long as I can remember.

By senior year of high school, I was offered an apprenticeship to start tattooing. I had already been on a warpath since I was 14 to cover my body in tattoos — I was obsessed with the art and the subculture. My mentor saw that in me — saw something bigger — and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I scaled my tattoo career quickly, but not because of luck or natural talent. I worked seven days a week, around the clock. I lived in the tattoo shop — tattooing, drawing, painting, learning, or out in the world, face-to-face, marketing to build a client base.

Eventually, I started pushing my artwork into merchandise and graphic design, launching my first clothing company at 21. Now, 15 years later — after building a career in tattooing, opening my shop Enjoy Tattoos in Los Angeles, and starting multiple businesses — I ran straight into the same wall so many small business owners do: a broken financial system.

That’s what led me to create Eagle Management — a financial services company built for small business owners like me. Now I’m on a mission to build disruptive fintech technology that actually helps people. Real tools. Real support. Built by someone who’s lived it. Because financial freedom should be accessible to everyone — especially the backbone of our economy: small businesses.

I’ve realized my passion and purpose in life is to create, inspire, and connect. I’ve gone to great lengths over the years to compete with myself, constantly pushing to grow — not just for my own journey, but in hopes that it inspires others to push themselves too. I have an insatiable desire to lead and create, and I truly enjoy meeting the people drawn to these creations along the way.

Thank you for reading this — I hope to connect with you sometime in the near future.

With love,
Austin Maples