Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erin Mavian. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Erin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
After nearly a decade in New York City, I found myself burned out, questioning the industry I was in and unclear on how to grow my salary while achieving greater flexibility throughout the day during my work week. At the time, I had a specific idea for an apparel business, and with absolute certainty, I could successfully develop, launch, and grow a clothing brand with zero experience. That business idea led me to relocate to Los Angeles — a city I had literally never visited and knew only one person (whom I planned to start the business with).
After a year of working tirelessly on the brand, I was out of money, still six-figures short on funding, and without a mentor or direct “in” to manufacturing, I knew I would not be able to achieve the vision I had. If I was going to do this, it had to be right, and I knew, with defeat, that the brand would not be right without the funding.
The timing for this business just didn’t align, and once I decided not to move forward, I took on small gigs to cover my expenses, with no direction or real interest in the full-time positions I was applying for.
Then I was introduced to two young, savvy commercial real estate developers. They were embarking on their first flagship property, a high-profile mixed-use asset in the heart of Culver City. With absolutely no experience in real estate (aside from signing leases and paying my rent on time), I was offered a job and immediately found myself
thriving in the world of commercial real estate.
The risk I took was not relocating or launching an apparel business, but diving head-first into a role and industry that had honestly never crossed my mind. I look back and consider my first position in commercial real estate to have almost been a mini-masters in real estate development, and almost a decade later, I’ve had the privilege of supporting and leading some of the most exciting retail projects in the country.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
During my last year of undergrad, I interned at a regional magazine and overheard, one day, the term “trend forecaster” while in the office. I immediately Googled the term and was in absolute awe to discover there were people who made a living by telling companies what’s cool and going to happen next. For those who are not familiar with this field, trend forecasting is the practice of predicting future changes and developments in specific areas, such as fashion, technology, consumer behavior, or cultural shifts, based on data analysis, research, and intuition. This foresight can inform everything from product development and marketing strategies to design and investment decisions and coincidentally real estate development.
I dove straight in, researching as much as I could about forecasting and reading about as many people as I could find who did this. My research led me to connect with Lauren Rothman, a young, highly driven business owner who had previously worked for a trend consultancy I wanted to work for. I tracked her down and begged her to teach me everything she knew. Luckily it came in the form of an apprenticeship at her company, Style Auteur, and although her business was focused more on strategic styling and image consulting, she taught me what she knew and became an incredible mentor.
After graduating, I moved to New York City with the sole interest of becoming a trend forecaster. I had the pleasure of working for several trend-focused consultancies that specializes in everything from fashion and color to generational trends. Clients spanned every consumer industry and I often worked directly as an extension of
innovation or development teams at companies like Urban Outfitters, Ford, Reebok and Starwood Hotels, providing and presenting insights that would directly impact their decision making, development and marketing processes.
So much of what I spent nearly a decade discussing on a day-to-day basis has carried through to my current career in real estate. And, rather than forecasting, I am now developing the places and spaces that fuel consumer behavior and impact cultures and communities.
How’d you meet your business partner?
In 2019 I was encouraged to begin consulting on my own for other developers. I spent hours honing in on my areas of expertise and how best to position myself as a creative and expert. While researching online, I came across a company based in Atlanta called Revel that again left me in awe.
At the beginning of 2020, a close personal and professional friend gave me the heads up that she was going to make an introduction to someone who wanted to meet me — George Banks, the founder of Revel. We were equally impressed and excited about each other, our experience and our business goals. After a few conversations, we decided to team up and see if we could capture business together on the West Coast. We now have clients all across the country from Portland to El Paso and Charleston to DC.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
The caliber of real estate projects that I’ve had the privilege to work on are a major component to my reputation as a creative and commercial real estate developer. It was truly being the right person in the right place at the right time. I’m beyond grateful for every door that’s opened (even the ones I’ve had to knock down or build myself) and feel strongly that my willingness, flexibility and grit, with just the right amount of sarcasm, go beyond a resume or set of skills. It’s having the right attitude and surrounding yourself with the right people that’s helped me to develop the professional reputation that I have today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://revel.company/
- Instagram: @emmmavian
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/people/Erin-Mavian/100015416581915/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmavian
- Twitter: @emmmavian