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

Hi Jamie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Beginning in my teen years, I always knew I wanted to be somewhat of a serial entrepreneur. While working a full-time job, and before the age of 20, I started my first business on the side. It was a pickup and delivery dry-cleaning service for a well-known and respected busy executive. At that time, I knew very little about business, or anything for that matter. I was just starting my career and working multiple jobs trying to make a living. Growing up in a very poor family in Newfoundland, Canada, I always knew I wanted more and worked very hard to get to where I am today. Over the course of 20+ years, I worked in various digital agencies, and I am now a partner/ CEO in my most recent venture, a nearly four-decade Public Relations and full-service Digital Agency that also sources Content Creators/ Influencers. I believe everything in life happens for a reason and hard work and perseverance really does pay off.

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.
I have not had an easy career by any means having many ups and downs, as we all experience from time to time. I will say that the old saying is true, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I started my first agency around 2003/04, the beginning of the digital advertising boom. I had several partners and only owned a small percentage of the business, but I was very thankful that the investors believed in me and invested the time and dedication in me. I was over the moon about the opportunity and by 2007-2008, right before the crash, we were doing nearly 10M per year. I thought I was invincible, especially at such a young age. At our peak, we were at 4 offices and about 70 employees. With this came some downsides but I stayed the course. I was the most wound up/stressed out CEO at only 25 years old or so at the time. Sadly, shortly thereafter, the economy crashed, and we went into a recession. We went from our record highs to 1M annually, one office and about 10 employees. It was a crash that even I couldn’t comprehend because it happened so fast. What it also did was force me to make fast decisions and pivot to save what was left of the business. We continued on thereafter and tried to rebuild but it was never the same. In 2017 I made the decision to step down and move on. It was far too much stress for way too little positives. One lesson I learned is I probably should have made that decision prior, but hindsight is always 20/20 as they say. That experience taught me a lot and I’m someone who doesn’t have any regrets in life. Thankfully, I moved on and am now much happier with where I am in life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Los Angeles is a vibrant and ‘always on’ kind of city with so much to do. I would take them to some of the highlights of LA–of course, the Hollywood Sign, maybe hike Runyon or Griffith and then do some nice dinners/ nights out. Niku X has become one of my favorite restaurants and I always enjoy drinks at the Abbey in West Hollywood. There are also a few beautiful biking trails through the beach in Marina Del Rey that I would take them to – LA truly is a gem with lots to do.

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?
Growing up in a community of 500 people in Newfoundland, Canada, I always knew I was meant to do more but I was very sheltered and from a very poor family, so I didn’t know what that ‘more’ was until my teenage years. At 17 years old, my aunt and uncle flew me from Newfoundland to where they lived in Toronto to start a new life, one full of hope and opportunity. The complete opposite of where I grew up. They saw something in me and made the small investment to get me there. I couldn’t be more thrilled that they did this for me, and I am so thankful for all the wonderful opportunities in my life that I have experienced after that trip.

Website: jamie-hurley.com and Lobeline.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiehurley1/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie–hurley?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

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