Digital Marketing with BBR13 Thought Leader: Jordan Manavian of WeDesignLA

“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”― Albert Einstein

This is a favorite quote by Jordan Manavian of WeDesign LA, and it’s clearly obvious why.

As the Co-Founder and President of WeDesign LA, a  fully- integrated digital agency, Jordan Manavian is a serial entrepreneur and leader in the tech industry. After graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a B.A. in Art History and Graphic Design, Jordan taught himself more than 50 software programs and 20 web coding languages. He has founded or been a founding member of more than 10 companies — all before the age of 30. Through this, he has accumulated over 18 years of experience in branding, design, development and business strategy.

Jordan’s digital expertise made him a perfect choice as one of our BBR13 Thought Leaders!

 3 key points from Jordan’s Roundtable presentation, “Advertising Beyond the Banner” include:

• Online advertising fundamentals
• The trends of online advertising for the beauty industry
• Advertising beyond the banner: social media advertising, online video advertising, sponsored advertising, and programmatic TV advertising

Please tell us about your career path/progression. How did you get started?

I am a serial entrepreneur and tech mogul. I founded over 10 companies, have 18+ years of experience in digital design and development and have worked with clients and companies from all over the world.

I’m self-taught in over 50 software programs and 20 web coding languages. I also attended University of California, Los Angeles earning a B.A. in Art History and Graphic Design. With this experience, my newest inception is We Design LA, one of Los Angeles’ leading full-service digital agencies. By utilizing the perfect balance of creativity, design and web technology, We Design LA produces quality projects that stand out from the rest.

Jordan Manavian at his BBR13 roundtable

As a well-known figure in the “Tech Talk” circuit, what are your Top 3 recommendations on how to grow your brand in the digital space for start-up and emerging brands? Is there a different strategy for both?

Different start-ups and emerging brands should generate strategy based on their specific situation, but the overall strategy should be similar.

1. Recognize your brand identity, brand value, and what makes your brand special.
2. Correctly identify your target audience.
3. Generate a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, execute it, measure the result, reevaluate the strategy and make changes if needed.

As a founding member of more than 10 companies, what is your advice to up-and-coming serial entrepreneurs?

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

The more companies serial entrepreneurs start, the more mistakes they make, and the wiser they become. The failure of one business can help to inform the successful decision made in another one. Small failures are crucial components to success. Small failures can teach serial entrepreneurs how to adapt, change, reevaluate, and execute.

Why did you choose this career? Why the beauty industry?

Although I worked on quite a few projects for Fortune 100 companies, celebrities, high-profile projects, my biggest passion is bringing complex web technologies to start-ups and small to medium-sized companies that are looking to grow and compete with the big guys.

Who/what are your biggest career influences?

I’m always been influenced less by people in my direct area of speciality, but who are pioneers in others. I’m constantly enamored by people who are “Polymaths” or “Renaissance Men (Women)” as in those who have a wide range of disciplines, experiences and abilities and who perform at a high-level among those.

Who is today’s beauty consumer? How are they changing?

I think more than ever, consumers are less keyed in industry customers and are more a shared /dynamic customer. Meaning, they tend to gravitate to brands that step outside their boundaries and collaborate with other brands, events, and sectors across multiple topics and focus. They are also definitely more informed, tech savvy, and comparison shoppers than ever before.

What do beauty professionals need to do to continue to connect with today’s beauty consumer?

Ask and… Listen. There is such an audience of people out there, particularly on  social media platforms that people are willing to give you their opinion, insight, feedback and ideas (for free!!). That’s half the task though. The big part is how to collect/organize this feedback, how to listen to it and how to translate that to your company’s products, goals and initiatives.

What attributes make a great leader? Tell us about your leadership style.

A good leader should be a contradiction? Huh? Keep reading! You have to know when to lead and when to follow. When to say yes (or at least maybe) when you want to say no, and when to say no, when you initially feel like saying yes. These grey areas are hard to distinguish, and take time and experience to master. Any great leader I have met have mastered these and by doing so, are always very present in any conversation or situation, but at the same time looking at it from multiple angles. Most importantly, when you win, your team won, when you lose, you lost. A true leader takes responsibility for any failures or shortcomings, but is quick to promote and celebrate their team when there are any successes or wins.

What kinds of qualities do you look for in hiring a candidate to join your team?

We Design LA gravitates towards energetic and passionate people to join our team. We want candidates who can take initiative and go above and beyond what is asked for them. We believe a job is what you make of it. Any team member with an open mind and are eager to learn will ultimately grow and thrive with us.

Any other advice/words of wisdom?

Always be a student. Yes, as you gain experience and wisdom, teach and pass it on, but you yourself should always be learning, discovery, and studying new and old items. This world has a lot to offer and you are never done with its endless wonder.

For more details on WeDesign LA’s digital marketing services, visit: http://wedesign.la/

Click here to see all our amazing event photos

About BBR

Founded by Mazur Group in 2009, the BBR series has evolved into the preeminent event for beauty executives on the West Coast. Starting with a cocktail hour for open networking followed by a Keynote Address, guests interact directly with Thought Leaders and other attendees in 3 rounds of roundtable discussions.

About Mazur Group

MAZUR GROUP places outstanding executive, managerial, and professional-level candidates. We provide unique access to both full time / direct-hire candidates, as well as industry consultants available for specific projects or indefinite engagements. With a strong emphasis on local brands, Mazur Group specializes in helping small- to mid-sized businesses make critical executive hires, positioning them to scale towards acquisition. Mazur Group is headquartered in Santa Monica, California and recruits for companies across the United States.