Jason of Beverly Hills<\/a>, he\u2019s designed custom pieces for stars like Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Drake, crafted championship rings for the NBA and NFL, and built one of the most recognizable brands in high-end jewelry.<\/p>\nAlong the way, he\u2019s fielded no shortage of unusual requests.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve made diamond fish tanks and $2 million diamond shoes. We\u2019ve had someone ask for a massive Jesus pendant with their own face instead of Jesus\u2019 (which I declined to make). We\u2019ve even had someone want a diamond pendant modeled after their own male anatomy,\u201d Arasheben says.<\/p>\n
Suffice it to say, it\u2019s been a wild ride. But you don\u2019t get diamonds without a little pressure.<\/p>\n
Diamond in the rough\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Coming from a family of immigrants, Arasheben\u2019s life seemed predetermined. His parents moved from Iran when he was a toddler with dreams of their son becoming one of the \u201cbig four\u201d: a doctor, lawyer, architect or engineer. <\/p>\n
Despite his entrepreneurial instincts, Arasheben initially gave in to those expectations, working his way into UCLA with plans to attend law school after graduation. But torts never took. Instead, he found himself increasingly drawn to the luster of Los Angeles nightlife. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was blowing money fast,\u201d he admits. \u201cCome sophomore year, I realized I was $28,000 in debt.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not wanting to tell his parents \u2014 and wanting even less to take a job at a retail chain \u2014 Arasheben found himself backed into a corner. Then, while shopping for hairclips with a woman he was dating, he had an epiphany.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, \u2018Wait a minute. I have a captive audience on the UCLA campus. I have a group of potential customers. I had $400 left. I could either make the minimum payment on my credit card and live off Ramen for a week, or buy $400 worth of wholesale items, and sell them to the girls on campus.’\u201d<\/p>\n
To Arasheben, it seemed like the perfect business. The only problem was getting UCLA on board.<\/p>\n
\u201cI approached UCLA and had this idea of setting up a six-foot table on campus to sell to these girls, and they said no straight to my face,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n
But Arasheben didn\u2019t give up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI doubled back and asked again, Arasheben says. \u201cFor seven straight days, I went in and pleaded with them. On the last day, I said, \u2018I\u2019m in the business program here. Being a place of education, you need to harness my entrepreneurial spirit.’\u201d<\/p>\n
They still said no.<\/p>\n
Then he offered to give 20% of his revenue to the school, and their tune quickly changed.<\/p>\n
A cut above\u00a0<\/h2>\n
The next day, Arashaben spent his last $400 on silver trinkets, plastic hair clips and other accessories. He borrowed a table and a black tablecloth and set up shop on North Campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was a great way to not only make money, but meet girls too,\u201d Arashaben laughs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The idea took off immediately. He sold $800 worth of merchandise on his first day, then $1,000, then $5,000.<\/p>\n
As demand grew, Arasheben hired friends to run a second table on the South side of campus. Before long, he had replicated the model across So-Cal, expanding to six total campuses: USC, Cal State Northridge, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine and, of course, UCLA.<\/p>\n
By his senior year, Arasheben was making real money.<\/p>\n
Looking to expand beyond campuses, he built acrylic countertop displays, filled them with accessories, and pitched them to nail salons throughout Southern California.<\/p>\n
\u201cI drove to every single nail salon from Calabasas to San Diego, and I would say, \u2018I\u2019m going to place this display on your countertop, and every two weeks I\u2019m going to come back, see what you sold, and you pay me for it.’\u201d<\/p>\n
By the middle of his senior year, he estimates 250 salons had signed on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, while studying for the LSAT, he had a realization. He looked up the starting salary for a first-year Harvard Law graduate. At the time, it was around $110,000 a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018This doesn\u2019t make any business sense whatsoever because I\u2019m going to go to law school, lose four or five years of income-earning potential, then come out in debt and make less than I\u2019m making now. That makes no sense at all.’\u201d<\/p>\n
So Arasheben told his parents he wasn\u2019t going to law school. He was going to keep growing the business he had built through college campuses and nail salons \u2014 even though, at the time, he didn\u2019t have a brand or a long-term plan.<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, the decision didn\u2019t go over well. Arasheben didn\u2019t speak to his father for the next two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way my brain works, if he had told me, \u2018Congratulations, I think it\u2019s a great idea,\u2019 I would\u2019ve had a lot less motivation,\u201d Arasheben admits. \u201cThat\u2019s always been my mentality. If you close a door in front of me, I\u2019m going to find a way to break it down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arasheben kept growing the business, but he also realized it was time to think bigger.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came to the realization that, while I was making good money, I needed something that was even more scalable,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd something with a brand behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A gem of an opportunity\u00a0<\/h2>\n
The business was generating between $20,000 and $30,000 a month. But just as quickly as the money came in, Arasheben was spending it, taking full advantage of LA nightlife. At the time, he was going out to clubs almost every night and living month to month. Looking back, he calls it one of the best investments he ever made.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt allowed me to rub shoulders with high-net-worth individuals, like athletes and actors,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I bought a table at a club, it was next to someone who could afford high-end jewelry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Noticing the oversized chains and diamond jewelry worn by many of his fellow clubgoers, Arasheben decided to take his business in a new direction \u2014 toward the Hollywood Hills.<\/p>\n
He began designing custom diamond pendants for NBA players, hoping to show them the pieces the next time their paths crossed at a club.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid I have any experience in the diamond industry? Zero,\u201d Arasheben admits. \u201cDid I know what the hell I was doing? Not at all. But I knew that\u2019s what I wanted.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arasheben\u2019s nightly outings became as much about business as they were about debauchery. He set a goal of introducing himself to 10 new people each night, refusing to leave until he did. <\/p>\n
\u201cReputation matters and who you are matters, and I knew that I had to sell because I really didn\u2019t have product to sell,\u201d he explains. \u201cOnce I sold myself, my product and service would keep the customers coming back. But to get that customer, I need to sell them on the idea that I am not only credible but somebody that they would like to do business with.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His networking strategies ranged from standard, like eye contact and firm handshakes, to sitcom-style antics like spilling his drink on someone \u201caccidentally\u201d to break the ice, something he says he\u2019s done multiple times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted every interaction to be a memorable one,\u201d Arasheben laughs. \u201cI used to wear loud outfits because I wanted them to remember me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crown jewel\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Arasheben estimates he got \u201cabout 70 to 100\u201d nos before he finally got a yes from former basketball star Anthony Mason. <\/p>\n
\u201cEvery single time I go out, you\u2019re pitching me that you want to design me a piece of jewelry,\u201d Mason said. \u201cAnd today\u2019s your lucky day. I\u2019ve had enough drinks that I want you to come to my hotel tomorrow. We\u2019re playing the Lakers. Before I leave for the game. I want you to come and bring all your jewelry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arasheben jumped on the opportunity, agreeing to meet Mason at 3 p.m. the next day. There was just one problem: He didn\u2019t actually have any jewelry.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I had was one design on a sheet of paper that he didn\u2019t even like, and he wanted me to come the next day,\u201d the founder recalls. \u201cBut I was not going to waste the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arasheben got to work, putting together a makeshift catalog with a little Elmer\u2019s glue and elbow grease, which he presented to Mason the next day.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked where the jewelry was, and I told him everything I did was bespoke,\u201d Arasheben recalls. \u201cI showed him all of these designs, some of which weren\u2019t even mine. He saw a bracelet that he liked, and I said, \u2018No problem. I\u2019m going to make it for you.\u2019 He asked how much, and I said, \u2018$40,000.\u2019 I just threw a number out of my butt. I had no clue what the price should be or how much it was going to cost me to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not to be deterred, Arasheben got to work, knocking on doors in the Downtown jewelry district and making connections until he found someone who could manufacture the bracelet for him. <\/p>\n
\u201cLooking back on it, they overcharged me,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI ended up making like $2,000 on a $40,000 sale. But he loved it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It paid off. Arasheben quickly capitalized on the opportunity, turning Mason into his first celebrity ambassador. Today, he\u2019s the face of one of the world\u2019s most recognizable luxury jewelry brands.<\/p>\n
Eyes open for opportunity\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Many successful entrepreneurs swear by manifestation and vision boards when thinking about the future. Arasheben prefers to take it one opportunity at a time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like not knowing what opportunities lie ahead. I like knowing that tomorrow could bring a different opportunity than today,\u201d he says. \u201cI was talking to my son about this the other day. He said, \u2018I don\u2019t know what I want to do. I can\u2019t tell you what I\u2019m going to be doing a year from now.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked him, \u2018How many red cars did you see today?\u2019 He said, \u2018I don\u2019t know.\u2019 Then I asked, \u2018If I gave you $5 for every red car you saw today, would you know?\u2019 He said, \u2018Absolutely.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him that\u2019s exactly how you should look at life. Every person you meet and every experience you have could be an opportunity \u2014 you just don\u2019t know which one yet. You have to keep your eyes open for it. So I don\u2019t know what tomorrow holds, but I know it\u2019ll be something great because I\u2019m always looking for that red car.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Key Takeaways Jason Arasheben got his first celebrity client by quoting a $40,000 price he pulled out of nowhere, then scrambled overnight to find someone who could actually make it. Arasheben treated rejection as fuel, not a stop sign, getting told no by UCLA seven times and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-green-brands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}