Young Professionals Share Ideas

These days, the Valley workplace and business scene can be an intimidating place even for the most polished and experienced professionals. But for younger business professionals, the landscape can be even more complicated rife with struggles to navigate sensitive egos, make a good impression and get ahead in their fields. Such concerns were the subject of a frank discussion hosted by the Business Journal with four young business leaders: John Bwarie, deputy district director for Valley City Councilman Greig Smith; Courtney Bourdas Henn, marketing director of Mountasia Family Fun Center in Santa Clarita; David Ackert, principal of the Encino business firm The Ackert Advisory; and Yelena Gazal, owner of Gazal Consulting Bookkeeping. Turns out, despite coming from vastly different fields, the issues they face are remarkably similar. For them, convincing older and more established clients and co-workers to look past their young ages and take them seriously isn’t always easy. It’s a matter of working harder and knowing more about their respective industries. It can help level the playing field. <!– Bwarie –> Bwarie “Even though we’re 10, 20, 30 years lacking in experience, we’re able to come with the knowledge,” said Bwarie, who encounters dozens of Valley business people, politicos and citizens each day. “It’s confidence No. 1.” Question: You’re all successful, young business professionals. What did you do differently to get where you are today? John Bwarie: The secret is you have to work almost twice as hard as somebody who has been established when you’re starting out. You have to work and put the time in and work long hours. And that’s my secret: I don’t do a day under 10 hours in order to get the work done that needs to be done. <!– Ackert –> Ackert Courtney Bourdas Henn: I started with my company when I was 16 years old, so I’ve been there literally my entire life. For me personally, I really shadowed the owners of the company not so much the managers of the company but the two brothers that own the company. Beyond that, continuing education all the time. I also totally agree with John: most days, I’m about 12 hours. That’s what was required when you want to be successful; when you want to get ahead; you want to remain competitive. And because I’m in marketing and advertising, my whole role in the company is making sure everybody knows about it. You really can’t rest at all. I’m sure it’s the same thing with the councilman. Bwarie: Exactly. It’s about being responsive, be it a customer call or a constituent call I have to be responsive, looking for some type of service. The worse thing that could happen is for them to go out and bad mouth your company. So you have to be responsive. <!– Henn –> Henn David Ackert: You know, I hear you guys and my life often looks like that too. But one of my biggest challenges is finding that balance and it’s something I really strive for. I often put in 10-hour days and I loathe them. I’ve tried to create my whole work flow and whole approach to time management around the other things that are important to me beyond just the business and making sure those get time. Sometimes that means somebody’s not very happy with me the next day. Otherwise, I’d turn into such a workaholic and such a slave to my clients. It really became unhealthy for me. Defining the borders is the biggest challenge. Q: Is it also an issue that some think that since you’re young and might not have a family that you can spend more time at work? Ackert: No. I run my own company, so it’s not like my boss says, “Stay late because you don’t have a family.” The bigger challenge about being young is linked to credibility. We haven’t been around for a few decades, right? We’re sitting down having lunch with someone who is 10, 20 years older. And they’re like, “What do you got, kid? I have all these relationships. What are you really going to bring to the table that has any value?” So the challenge is really making sure that we’re like snipers about it: we have to be really thoughtful and strategic about what I’m going to give you so that I’m somebody that you’re going to want to meet again. Bwarie: My interaction with the Valley business community is you have either family-owned businesses or a company that someone has worked there for 30 years and now it’s sold and its now part of a national company. And I’m coming in and telling them how we can help them. Not only am I in government, which is hard for people to trust, but then you have someone that’s 27, who looks like he’s 20 I get more and more, “Are you at CSUN? and you have to build that credibility In working with businesses that are established, I have to come across in new ways that speak to their level. Ackert: And one way to offshoot that credibility issue is that we put a lot into the marketing of our business. Our website looks great; our brochures are professionally done. We pour a lot of money into that. Because it’s bad enough that I don’t have a lot of gray hair but at least I get to show them something that looks at least as good as what anyone else puts out there. Yelena Gazal: Image is huge. You have to play the part and play the part. That and follow your instincts. Q: How do you think younger business professionals do business differently from the establishment, the traditional businessperson? Ackert: How does the establishment do business? (Laughs) One thing that I’ve learned from my mentors is that you really have to give first. It’s so counterintuitive, because if you don’t have an established relationship, you end up in a what’s-in-it-for-me position. Q: Yelena, do you find age an issue when dealing with older clients? Gazal: First of all, I sound like I’m about 15, especially on the phone. And I also look really young. But that’s a good point about giving. If I start out in a conversation with a person and they have a problem and I can solve their problem right on the spot, that helps me get my foot in the door. Q: Courtney, is that an issue at your business as well? Bourdas Henn: I think a lot of times with young people, they fail to be totally honest with people they deal with because they feel a little bit insecure about what position they’re in or if they’re working with people that are a lot older or clients. I’ve been with my company since I was a kid, 16, a genuine child. I was a manager at 19, managing adults that used to manage me. That was a really huge challenge. They were all male. I was way younger and I was female. With the co-workers it was all about earning their respect by practicing what I preached, by having the goals set up. No one will respect anything you say if you’re not demonstrating those same kinds of behaviors and traits. Q: Do you think the Valley is an easier place for a younger person to be taken seriously as a businessperson? Bwarie: I think everywhere in metropolitan L.A. you’re dealing with people that have preconceived notions about young people, whether you’re 26 or 36 or even 46. Sometimes when there’s somebody’s 56 or 60 and built the company and serves on its board, they’re going to look at someone not at their level or someone they perceive to be not at their level as not as good as they are. I think the Valley region falls right in line with that. It comes down to trust when you’re talking about age and I don’t think its any different here than downtown L.A. Ackert: I think it’s a huge opportunity here in that under 40 bracket, (people) that are smart and are young leaders. But we’re very disconnected from one another. If we were living in rural Montana, it would be very difficult for us to be opportunistic than in the Valley and in the greater L.A. area. Q: Do you think something is missing with the Valley economy? Ackert: When I do business in L.A., the Valley is sort of considered “that suburb that’s really close.” People’s billing rates can go up hundreds of dollars when you cross Mulholland. Gazal: That is one thing I notice: People are willing to pay more on the other side of the hill. It’s easier to get higher billing rates. People in the Valley aren’t willing to spend that much. The clients I get in the Valley are more mom-and-pop. Bwarie: I think that may have something to do with the fact it’s still cheaper to run a business here. What you’re having is a lot more people start here and move there. Q: What about home prices? It can’t be easy being young and working but still not able to afford a home. Ackert: Buying a house in the Valley, a nice starter home, is hard. Gazal: I’m lucky: I bought (a townhouse) when I was 23. We’re looking into buying a house, but I want to keep my townhouse as a rental because my property tax on it is $1,100 a year. I can’t buy a house. I can’t afford a house without selling my place. Ackert: My wife and I missed the target, which was two, three years ago maybe. So it has put our lives on pause. We can’t have kids because we want them to be in a house that makes sense. And I’m in a small and quickly-growing business so all of our profit goes right back into the business. So, yes, it is really hard. Q: Do you think businesses should be more involved with their communities? Bwarie: Yes. Bourdas Henn: For us, our two locations are very active, from Councilman Smith’s clean-up day to Northridge Hospital’s Spooktacular and all sorts of things in the Santa Clarita Valley. On any given week, we’re at five to 10 events. We’re really the face of our companies. And the one thing that’s really vital, especially for young people, is people tend to do business with people they know and like. The more people (that) know you, the more comfortable they are. So if people are consistently seeing you at the chamber events, the councilman’s events, people become familiar with you. It’s amazing the momentum you pick up. Likewise, your professional life will pick up once you’re known in your community. Gazal: I also feel it’s important to volunteer. I give discounted rates to my nonprofits or don’t charge them for all my hours. It gives me great satisfaction. Q: Is this where you expected to be professionally at this age? Bwarie: My parents owned a business in the Valley and at 18 I was a manager. At this age, I thought I would own my own business or work in education. I had no idea I would be here. It sort of happened. Q: Where do you want to go from here? Bwarie: What do I want to be when I grown up? (Laughs) I’ve really fallen in love with the community work and working with businesses. It’s a good feeling. But government and politics is not an easy life to have a family. I’m still single and I have a hard time finding time to meet people. Q: Is this where you expected to be? Gazal: Not even close. I had no idea I would find a way to balance my life and my career. Now (I want) to grow my business. Q: What about you, David? Ackert: No, but I knew I would be doing some leadership role. It’s not surprising to me that I’m running my own company and we’re growing. Q: And Courtney, is this something you expected to be doing? Bourdas Henn: My first job at 16? That I’d be here my whole life? (Laughs) It’s interesting that I stayed. But in terms of what I wanted to do, I have no idea. I know that once the sun sets on what I’m doing now, I want to go into professional speaking predominately in advertising and marketing. Helping people put together plans for their business and how to be successful modeled after things I’ve done. There’s something that’s really exciting to me.