A young African American male has gone from living in Carson, CA to helping businesses grow in Calabasas, CA. Aubrey Lang has defied all odds by making it out of an area typically associated with systematic oppression.
After transferring, Aubrey would wake up at 5:00 AM every day to get to school two hours away. It was then when a family noticed his struggle and became Aubrey’s “Host Family” allowing him to stay with them to be closer to school and sports. While in school, Aubrey was introduced to his passion — Graphic Design.
Once Aubrey graduated from Oaks, he became an entrepreneur & began his career by starting a streetwear clothing company. After months of meetings & samples, Aubrey secured a 5-figure investment at the age of 18. The company reached many successful milestones: ‘Pop-Up’ Store on Fairfax in Los Angeles, CA, Collaborations with Target vendor Elwood Clothing, and was featured on E! Network. However, Aubrey felt his calling wasn’t to design clothes — it was marketing & business development!
An increase of inquiries for his creative direction, digital marketing & business development services helped him realize his passion for helping people grow their business or ideas. Consistency & determination has allowed Aubrey to gain years of experience through freelance projects. Paving the way for the development of his 3rd LLC — Idle 2 Idol. I2I is a company that empowers entrepreneurs and transforms their Idle dreams to Idol realities through advanced digital services. Increasing his clients sales & customer traffic with Advanced Website Design & SEO.
Where did the idea for Idle 2 Idol come from?
I2I stands for Idle 2 [to] Idol. The goal was stand out while also clearly stating what we do in a creative way. Majority of our clients joined us with idle websites. Their sites were either outdated, experienced zero too few results, or they actually didn’t have a website. However, we transform their idle sites with our full suite of advanced web design services and elevate them to the idolized websites of their market.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
My days begin with a large cup of iced coffee while I respond to emails & prepare my to-do list for the day. Typically, between 10:00am – 4:00pm I am scouting for new clients, following up with potential leads, and talking to current clients about any necessary updates to their current site. After the ‘9-5’ business hours the real fun begins – Web Designing. I personally need very little to none outside distractions while designing websites in order to produce my best work. As the business owner, I have 16-hour long workdays since there’s double the workload. However, I love what I do – allowing me to make a living out of something I have a true passion for.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Webflow, one of the most powerful web design platforms on the market. I’ve tried all the web design platforms out there, but Webflow is the best one yet. It codes the website as you design, allowing a creative like myself to advance web design with no history of ever coding.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Urban meets Corporate
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
The chip on my shoulder allows me to thrive as an entrepreneur. Coming from nothing, there is no way but up – so, I am chasing to become the first Lang to solidify generational wealth.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell the kid who was raised in Carson, CA that everything is going to be ok. The world is much larger than you think and there are more opportunities in life than just playing sports or music.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
The 49ers are going to win the Superbowl every year.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Fail! Fall in love with failing because it’s how you get closer to success. Life is all about opportunities meeting preparation. People never see the hard work that actually is put into making your dreams a reality. It is show business – when you go to a circus the crowd sees the elephant stand on the ball, but no one actually sees what happens behind the curtains when preparing for the show. So, work out the kinks and continuously make progress through trial & error for your big moment.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Analytics, seeing exactly what works & what doesn’t work has allowed me to scale up at a faster pace than those before me.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I’ve started so many companies that have flopped in my beginning stages of becoming an entrepreneur. Between the ages of 18-21 I was starting a new business every year or so trying to figure out my niche. Even though they started & failed – I didn’t give up on starting a new one because I knew no matter what – I will give it my all and go down swinging.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A nonprofit for underprivileged communities that enhance the current education of LAUSD public schools. Allowing them to receive the same updated education and opportunities as private schools. Especially educating them about the endless opportunities of providing digital services in today’s world.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Dinner with my wife, because our baby is almost here & the time we have alone together is precious. Our lifestyles are about to change for the better, and we wont get these moments back until our daughter leaves the nest for college or career choice.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
Webflow & Adobe Cloud – These allow me to create content and web design.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Contagious by Jonah Berger
What is your favorite quote?
“Life isn’t about the cards you were dealt; it’s about how you play them”
Key Learnings:
• Chase your dreams
• Learn to love failing
• Earn your respect
Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.