Meet Alexis Jeffries | Product Strategist, Professor & Investor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexis Jeffries and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexis, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I don’t know that I’ve ever found a perfect “balance” between work and life, so to speak. That’s mainly because I view my life and feeling fulfilled in it as the most important thing for me to focus on, and work needs to fit comfortably into that box. What I have learned to do is prioritize well. I have four core tenets in my life that help me prioritize: Access, Progress, Service and Justice. If I start working on something or contributing to a business or I pick up a new project, I quickly stop myself as ask, “Does it ladder up into one or more core tenets?” If not…I STOP DOING IT! Otherwise, it’ll drain my energy and distract me from things I should truly be focused on. That’s how I balance work and life and everything else – I prioritize based on my values.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Well, I started my career as a journalist; specifically, a personal finance journalist. It wasn’t my dream job (I would’ve preferred to interview celebrities on the red carpet at the time), but it taught me a lot about money management and provided me with access to a whole new world that I didn’t know anything about.

Fast forward to a few years into my journalism run in New York, and the first great recession hit. It was a great time to be a business journalist, writing about the downturn on Wall Street, but I was personally miserable and didn’t fit in with the culture of that type of journalism. So I made a great escape to grad school! (Typical). I moved to Paris, France for a graduate degree in marketing communications, and then moved right back to NYC (Paris wasn’t really for me, either) and launched myself into a career in big agency advertising on Wall Street. Spoiler Alert: I was 0 for 3 – I HATED ADVERTISING! (It was cutthroat, racists, and provided little work/life balance or opportunity for promotion.) That industry wasn’t for me, either.

I decided to make another great escape to business school to get my MBA. This time, I returned to L.A. and went to USC. I really loved being able to throw myself into school and specifically explore technology and media and the intersection of the two. Upon graduating, I took a job in The Bay area doing technology consulting. That helped me land several full-time roles at tech companies shortly thereafter, and that’s where I remain today, leading Business Product Marketing at Glassdoor.

So what have I learned from having multiple careers so early on? That this thing called work is truly a journey, and it takes you down many paths and many winding roads. But that’s all good – once you find your “thing”, you’ll be on the right path forever.

And aside from my day job in tech, I’m also a professor of Entrepreneurship at USC and an investor and startup advisor here in L.A. That’s where my true passion lies.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Morning workout: Trap Zumba @ The Nicholas Studio in Crenshaw District, for a good workout to some great music! Eating for Brunch: We’re heading to Post & Beam in Baldwin Hills.
Popping by a gallery: David Kordansky to view some Black Art on display
Taking a quick call: The Gathering Spot in West Adams, a members-only club catering to diverse people
Dinner: Sunday Gravy in Inglewood, for the best Italian food EVER!!!
Post-dinner cocktails: Only The Wild Ones in Venice (shoutout to Peter, the Bar Manager)
The Afterparty: Soho Warehouse in DTLA or The Dime in Fairfax (if I’m really in the mood to turnup)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d love to shoutout my community of folks who have really pushed forward the venture ecosystem here in L.A.: USC’s Lloyd Greif Center @ USC Marshall, my BLCK VC community, my Black Ambition community, my Pipeline Angels community…there’s just so many groups to name! Really, I just want to send love to anyone who is supporting and driving startup innovation and venture funding in L.A. This is the best market to be in right now, and I hope that continues to be true due to the efforts of these folks.

Instagram: @alexismjeffries

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/alexisjeffries