Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Brown.
Hi Jason, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in 1957 and raised in Pittsburgh, PA in a traditional Jewish household. We were a family of entrepreneurs, long before the concept of entrepreneurship existed. My parents owned restaurants, a bar, a laundry mat, and a package store in their lifetime.
When I was 14 years old, we moved to Miami Beach and I graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School. After graduation, I moved to Boulder, CO, and started out at the University of Colorado in Boulder. I traveled to Mexico and discovered an incredible Mexican shirt—a jerga.
I bought them for $2.50 a piece and brought them back to college. I sold them for $12.50, and they sold out in 5 days. That was the beginning of my first company, Cotton Comfort. I never went back to college and never looked back.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are always struggles along the way when you’re an entrepreneur and trying to create something from the figment of your imagination.
One of the most applicable quotes is “People plan and God laughs.” This life lesson is always in my mind. When I come up with a new business or product idea, I hire the smartest people to help build the company.
In the end, what I had planned in my mind is different than the final product or company that is built, but that’s ok. We’re building it together as a team.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am the founder and former CEO of Persona Nutrition, a leading personalized vitamin company based in Snoqualmie, WA. I co-founded Persona with longtime business partners Tamara Bernadot and Prem Thudia.
Together, we expanded Persona’s footprint to more than 100 countries, growing a loyal customer base of over 3 million consumers. Most satisfying to me is our support of 1,000,000 at-risk children through our charitable partner Vitamin Angels, earning us the title of “Most Responsible Company” by Spy.com.
Today, I’m building my 10th startup here in Boca Raton, FL. Family Central is a new web and mobile app to help families organize their daily lives now and prepare for the future. Our goal is to reduce the stress families experience from chaos in their lives and when someone passes.
Family Central is positioned to launch this Fall for families in all stages of life, including managing the chaos when someone in your life dies. It is the first app to combine tools that organize all facets of a family’s day-to-day life with features to help families prepare for the passing of loved ones.
These features include shared calendars, to-do lists, a secure file vault that protects legacy planning documents, and personal video messages that are timed for release upon a person’s passing.
What matters most to you? Why?
In my personal life, my family matters most. I want to have time to spend quality time with my family and create meaningful memories that will be cherished.
In business, I work hard to make a positive impact in my team members’ lives – professionally and personally. I want them to succeed.
I want them to build confidence in their abilities and have careers that give them and their own families financial security. It’s an extremely rewarding experience to impact someone else’s life in a meaningful way.
Pricing:
- When Family Central launches this fall, we’ll offer a 30-day free trial with a monthly subscription rate starting at $29.95 per month for up to 8 members.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.familycentral.com
Image Credits
@sarahnoeldesigns
