'You Don't Need More Talent. You Need More Rejection' Says Jason Arasheben

Before he was designing championship rings, custom pieces for A$AP Rocky and Michael Jackson, or building one of the most influential jewellery houses in America, Jason Arasheben was a law student walking into nail salons with a bag of hair accessories, hoping someone would say yes. Most didn't. It didn't matter. For the man now known as Jason of Beverly Hills, rejection became the foundation of everything that followed. In conversation with Roe, he discusses immigration, entrepreneurship, creative risk, celebrity culture, and why the people who succeed aren't necessarily the most talented, but the ones willing to hear "no" one more time than everyone else.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  I like to start my interviews by talking about my interviewee’s background. I know that you and your family immigrated from Iran to L.A. when you were 5 years old. 

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  My father is from Iran, I was born in Iran, and my mother is from Norway. I had multiple cultures and aesthetics I was able to draw from. I think visiting different countries and traveling the world definitely helps with creativity. We left the country in a rough time during the Revolution where nothing was promised-where the government took everything away from you. Seeing what my father had to go through to be able to accomplish making a way for us and starting from nothing really instilled this work ethic and persistence in me. I became very adamant about not taking no for an answer and succeeding at all costs. I think coming from a third world country to a new country definitely contributed. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  I think that the more anyone expands their mind through travel, they’ll only be rewarded for it. I feel it makes you a more well-rounded and cultured person. Maybe it also makes you more creative and empathetic in terms of seeing how other people live and connecting with them. Many aspects of your story are really inspiring. From the outside looking in, you exude confidence. Was there ever a moment where you doubted yourself along the way or thought you made the wrong decision in regards to the direction you chose to go in? 

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  Absolutely. We all have a certain level of insecurity. I think anyone who tells you they don’t is lying, because we’re all insecure no matter how confident we may seem on the outside. When I was younger, I was groomed to be an attorney because that’s what particular immigrant parents teach their children. You go to school to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, architect, or an attorney. Those are basically what you have to choose from. For me to go rogue and start my own business, I had moments where I thought, “Am I making the right decision? Did I throw away my education?” If you get into business, you’re always going to have setbacks. There’s always going to be moments of uncertainty, failure, and when you question your decision making. Sometimes we’ll go through rough months with setbacks business wise. It’s a question of, “Am I cut out for this? Am I good enough for this?” You have to have gumption and inner confidence to say, “I might not be the smartest person in the world, but I’m willing to outwork everybody.” I’ve always felt that hard work beats intelligence any day of the week.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  I agree with that, especially about work ethic. I think that speaks to any industry along with putting relationships first. I feel that makes you succeed more than anything else. 

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  I completely agree. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  You started your business with $400 as a UCLA student studying law. You were also $28,000 in debt at the time. You started this company from the ground up selling hair accessories to nail salons, on campus, and hitting the pavement to succeed. That decision prompted you to leave law school after realizing you were making more money then than you would after graduating. Was there a moment during this time that reassured you?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  I’ve always had the inner confidence that I was going to make it. When I got my first customer, Anthony Mason, for fine jewelry I was able to figure out how to design, make, and deliver. He was happy. I think it was that moment that I felt it could be a career. Everything leading up to that point: me selling plastic clips, silver trinkets to girls on campuses, and then nail salons was a small business, but I always knew there was a ceiling. I didn’t know if I could scale that into a career, so there was self doubt during those early years. After my first sale, my eyes opened up. I had a new direction that allowed me to pivot into something that was more scalable, sustainable, and more of a career path.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  Your introduction to jewelry was very closely tied to the sports world. You were analyzing the jewelry that players were wearing and approaching athletes in clubs. You asked them to let you make them a custom piece until you finally got that opportunity. Now you make jewelry for huge sports organizations and athletes. What was it that initially fascinated you about the sports world in terms of jewelry?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  I’ve always been a sports fan. I had this delusion that I was actually going to be athletic enough to be a professional athlete. I quickly noticed that I did not have that level of talent, size, or strength. So, I was a fan. I was someone that was very creative and enjoyed expressing my creativity through my designs. I wanted to merge the two things I loved most. Business, design, and sports-those are the three things that I’m very passionate about. So, it was the perfect combination when I would see professional athletes out in Los Angeles at nightclubs, events, charity functions, or even at the hotel bar. I was determined to be able to bring all of my interests into one singular career. It started with designing for individual players and graduated into dealing directly with sports franchises and leagues. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  After your first sale, how did you keep that momentum going?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  I would introduce myself to a lot of people. I always played the law of averages. It’s like asking a girl out. You might ask a girl out, she’ll reject you, and some guys will feel defeated and can’t handle the rejection. They might be hesitant to ask the second girl out, but overcoming that fear of rejection is so important. Anyone who’s built a business has been told no way more times than they’ve ever been told yes. All you need is that one yes. When I first started, if there were ten professional athletes at that particular event, I would make it my goal to introduce myself to all ten. No matter how difficult it was, no matter how they brushed me off, even if they got upset and said, “Leave me alone”, I did not care. Did it hurt? Yes. Did it sting? I noticed it got easier with every rejection. I’m a firm believer that you have to sell yourself first and then your product or service if done right will keep them coming back. Word of mouth really is the way that I was getting all my business. I build strong relationships with each and every one of my clients. I view them as friends, and building those relationships encouraged them to refer me to other people. My clients wanted to see me win because they knew I did right by them and that I was a good person. They felt comfortable referring me to other people because they knew I wouldn’t let them down. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  Absolutely. Many people would completely shut down from a couple no’s. You never let a multitude of no’s stop you. One of the reasons why Jason of Beverly Hills is so successful is because of the amount of attention to detail that you put into each and every piece that you create. What have been some of your favorite pieces you’ve worked on?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  I always tell people my last piece was my favorite. I’m always on this neverending mission to outdo what I did before. I appreciate the accomplishments I’ve had, but I never allow complacency to kill my drive. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  You’ve made pieces for some of the biggest musicians in the world including Michael Jackson, Bad Bunny, A$AP Rocky, Drake, etc. Which clients would you say give you the most room to be creative? 

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  I would say from the ones you mentioned, A$AP Rocky by far. He is somebody that’s not afraid to think outside the box, to take chances, and is uniquely confident in his vision being the right one, not because it matches the vision of others. I think when you have a client that isn’t looking at design with blinders on, it inspires me to be more creative. People think I’m the creative one, but it’s a great scenario when your client is equally as creative in the process. It inspires an end product that’s better than anything you could have ever imagined. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  All of those phrases that you were using to describe him resonate with what you’ve been saying your approach to design is as well. 

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  I’m a firm believer that wherever I go, I’m a representative of the brand. I love meeting new people. That natural inquisitiveness I have and caring about other people has allowed me to be an active listener. I try to learn from and be inspired by everyone whether it’s the CEO of a major company or it’s the janitor at my office building because everyone from top to bottom has something to offer. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  I couldn’t agree more. You’ve been married to your beautiful wife Lisa for 21 years. Did you design her engagement ring yourself?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  I did! I designed it myself. I knew her taste, which is over the top. Makes the perfect client, right? Even though her taste is not always the same as mine, that’s part of my job as a jeweler. Whether I’m designing for my wife or someone else, I have to take into consideration that person’s aesthetic, their taste, and communicate the image they want for themselves. 

Taylor: Do you feel people go towards what they feel their partner would like or try to design in a way that embodies the love they have for their partner?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  With each engagement ring we make, it’s a different scenario. We have people that come in and pick out of the showcase and that’s it. I would say eight times out of ten, their significant others have already sent them Pinterest pictures saying, “If you ever proposed to me, this is exactly what I want.” Then, I’d say 3% of the time, you have someone that wants to be very involved and wants to design something that has tremendous significance. They’ll mix in birthstones, incorporate the day they met, and things that display a lot of thought. Ironically, I’ve noticed those are the marriages that last the longest. How much care they put into the ring is indicative of how much time they’re willing to put into making the other person happy. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  That’s very interesting. Have you seen any trends in regards to which engagement rings or jewelry overall are popular right now?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  Yeah, I would say the engagement ring trends are twofold. A lot of people are doing an old miner’s cut or antique cut rings. I think the second most popular trend right now is the double engagement ring made up of two, mismatched shaped stones. I like that because 95% of people go with a timeless design like a solitaire or a center stone with a halo on it. You are starting to see different variations and more eclectic, creative choices that you didn’t see five years ago. I think a lot of that is dictated by the choices that celebrities make. Every single time a big celebrity gets married with a unique ring design, I get flooded with similar requests.

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  Do you think certain double stone rings like those of Megan Fox or Ariana Grande were around the time where that trend started as well?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  Absolutely, yeah. That’s part of it. I think engagement ring trends are a lot different than trends in clothing or on the runway because they tend to last longer. Jewelry is longer than fast fashion and the way clothes are going from one season to the next. It might have originated five years ago, but I still consider it a new trend. For example, ovals. My first twenty years, I can tell you I didn’t even have one request for an oval engagement ring. Now, it’s like four out of five requests are oval engagement rings. It’s kind of crazy. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN: That’s really interesting. Have there ever been any pieces of work that have always stuck out to you as sources of inspiration?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  I think that the greatest source of inspiration I get is not necessarily from other people’s jewelry, but from the world we live in. Oftentimes when you use other people’s jewelry to be creative, you’re boxing yourself in and it starts to look like everyone else’s stuff. I remember going to museums in Paris and looking at old relics of jewels worn by kings and queens 1,000 years ago, something so far removed from what’s considered jewelry by today’s standards. I think that inspires me more than anything. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  I think that also speaks to the fact that you’re an artist first more than a businessman or entrepreneur because you can find inspiration from different sources. I feel that differentiates you. I found a quote from an interview you did in 2020 for GQ that I really liked and wanted to talk more about. You said, “I get inspired by the natural, intrinsic vices people have. I like to push the boundaries.” I connected that to the beginning of your career where you were going from nail salon to nail salon trying to get them to agree to sell your products and how you say you like to be friends with your clients. Do you feel like you have that confidant connection like that of a nail tech or a hairdresser/barber?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  I think so. It’s important to be able to create that connection the same way I create a connection with the pieces that I design. I try to create a connection with every single person that I meet. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  I agree. It’s about how you’re making that person feel and the lasting impact that you’re leaving them with. I feel that’s why you’ve been able to pivot to working with sports teams, celebrities, and musicians. Pushing the boundaries isn’t always something people who grew up with conservative parents or environments were taught to do. I feel like your career is a testament to the reward that someone can reap from doing so. What advice would you have for other entrepreneurs in this tough job market and the age of AI?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  My advice would be to differentiate yourself from the rest. If you’re going into the clothing business, the jewelry business, or the consulting business, how are you identifying what makes you different? Focus on that niche. And then the next biggest thing that we talked about is being able to withstand the no’s. I think that is a quality people don’t talk about enough. People only hear about the wins, but no one ever talks about the losses. I needed all those no’s to get to where I am today. If I got a yes on the very first try and was off and running, I don’t think I would be as successful as I am today. I still get no’s all the time. I needed to be okay with rebounding from the no’s emotionally and not let it defeat me. I’ve come across a lot of people in my life that go through bumps in the road that defeat them because they’re not able to cope with the rejection. I think that learning how to do that is the key to success in whatever it is that you’re going to do. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  Absolutely. I think it’s important to teach people that you’re probably going to get no’s, but that doesn’t mean that whatever you’re setting out to do isn’t for you. It just means you can’t give up on it yet. 

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  Exactly, agreed. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN: Do you have any projects coming up or would love to do in the future?

JASON ARANSHEBEN:  We are going to be delivering the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl rings in about a week and a half. We are excited about that. We’ll also be unveiling the championship rings for Inter Miami which is the MLS team. We’re working on a few new collections that will be debuting in the first week of July I’m excited about. We’re always trying to innovate. That’s what we have on the horizon for now. 

TAYLOR CHAMPLIN:  Amazing. Thank you, it was great meeting you!

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Photo ©  Photography by Jason of Beverly Hills (@jasonofbeverlyhills)