ond company I founded, BrainTrust, a social media and digit

[melting]

For the first time since I had left home for college, I had a curfew of 11 p.m., which I did miss a few times. [Laughs] That was a tough decision and big sacrifice — to leave the stability of a scholarship and my family to move to a big city like New York without a place to live and truly be on my own.”“I’ve had several breaks in my career — from getting my job at Fleishman and moving to New York to being the first director of digital media at Ralph Lauren and starting two successful companies [Digital Brand Architects and The BrainTrust]. I would say that Ralph Lauren was a pivotal point in my career because I had been working at Fleishman for about eight years at that point, and it was the first time I moved into working at a brand. I was also the first person to have that job at the company, and it was an exciting time in the industry with social media finally being an accepted and sought-after form of marketing.

I launched Ralph Lauren on social media and had the opportunity to work side by side with David Lauren. It was an amazing learning experience.”“I left two really dynamic jobs to start new companies. I have learned that preparedness and opportunity equals success.”“For me, I look at every moment as a key part of my journey — some big, some small, but they are all interconnected and an important step along the way. The second company I founded, BrainTrust, a social media and digital marketing agency, was acquired by the joint venture, CAA-GBG [Creative Artist Agency and Global Brands Group] at the end of last year, and when we moved into the CAA office in Los Angeles, it was a moment that took my breath away, [thinking about] how far my career had come and how much opportunity lay ahead of me. I don’t take anything for granted and work extremely hard to turn my dreams and aspirations into reality.”

“Meditate and pray. Prayer coupled with faith is a very powerful combination.”“Carpe diem; seize the day! When I was leaving Ralph Lauren to co-found my first company, Digital Brand Architects, someone very senior there said to me, ‘Your last name isn’t on the door — if you go and start your own company and it doesn’t work, you can always come back or get another job.’ Go for it, and don’t look back. I believe that you have to turn fear into faith. When we started DBA, we didn’t have a business plan or a large bank account, but we knew we had an idea that was filling a void in the marketplace for bloggers as talent. Fast-forward almost 10 years later, and bloggers — now influencers — are integral to marketing campaigns and brand building.”