What is the greatest risk you've taken that resulted in failure?
Jason: I left a job I hated to go into business for myself as a real estate agent. My timing coincided with the downturn in the market and I made next to no money. I enjoyed working with my clients, but realized that the world of sales wasn't for me. Professionally, it set me back considerably, but I learned an immense amount about how sales and marketing techniques (such as how you formulate a value proposition) really correlate with the real world.
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What is your favorite hobby or past time?
Jason: My fascination with shopping malls. I've visited hundreds of shopping malls and run a blog about the retail industry at www.labelscar.com. I'm particularly interested in the evolution that we're currently seeing in how shopping centers function; the enclosed malls that were so dominant in the latter half of the 20th century are dying out, and being replaced by newer types of development. I felt I had to document them before they went away.
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If you could see into the future or travel backward in time, which would you choose? Why?
Jason: Backward, though this is a tough question because, personally, I generally feel that people should always look forward. It just seems that I so frequently wish I could go back and take a look at how things used to be, and save bits and pieces of the world that have already been lost forever.
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What was your very first job experience and how did it affect you?
Jason: I worked as a frozen lemonade scoop boy for a local Rhode Island chain called Del's. It affected me because I realized that I actually enjoyed working, even if my job then was less than ideal. Even in those early days, I got a kick out of delivering a better customer experience than was expected. Most people, when they're out visiting restaurants or stores, want to have fun. It's a no-brainer that you should help them.
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Name two aspects of your career that you are most passionate about
Jason: A. Helping people improve their business. Helping individuals and businesses realize their goals and grow stronger without sacrificing their individuality.
B. Learning and thinking. Always being able to absorb new ideas and strategies and then turn those into innovations for my clients.
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Can you name one accomplishment in your life most people might not know about?
Jason: I'm an ambitious early bloomer, and am very hard on myself when I don't achieve my goals. I was writing professionally by the time I was 18, I was writing full-size, section-front features for the Boston Globe by the time I was 20, carried a full time job through college, and bought my own home by the time I was 22.
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Despite your success, what do you still find difficult in your career?
Jason: Uncertainty in the job market. There are up times and down times, but I graduated into a particularly difficult one and despite all of my successes (and I'm proud of the ones I have), there are a lot of worries--especially in a volatile industry like online marketing--that it may be easy to become derailed again. I'm thankfully happy where I am now and I'm hoping that I've overcome this obstacle, but I'm also constantly sharpening my skills to prevent it.
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