Today’s digital world has its perks and pitfalls, but from a business perspective, the development of social media is definitely a positive. The platform allows people to not only launch new ventures, build company recognition, and express its visual vibe, but to build a personal brand as well. Roman Royale, a Los Angeles based entrepreneur, founder, creator, and influencer, has been able to capitalize on all fronts of social media—from launching two companies to developing his own social presence. His jewelry brand, Room13 Los Angeles—which he co-founded with his best friend Lauren Steele—launched on Instagram in 2016, while his most-recent venture FIRE, a high-end cannabis company can also be found on the platform. We caught up with Roman to hear his take on social media, business, and life.
Q: You have a seriously impressive Instagram following, what do you think has helped you grow such a big audience?
Roman: Consistency is the most important thing in anything, that’s the only way to grow. I do my best to share moments, spread positivity, and hopefully inspire people every day even if it’s in the slightest way.
Q: How do you feel about social media in general—do you see it as positive or negative?
Roman: Social media can be both positive and negative. It’s heavy on both ends in my opinion, but I only focus on the positive side of things, because any negativity or hate can really drown someone. I find so much inspiration on social media—it’s one huge magazine of life that I constantly scroll through for new ideas, or just to get away for a second and be entertained. It’s an absolutely outstanding platform for business as well, so in any sense of marketing it is a huge tool in this era.
Q: What inspired your jewelry line—tell us a bit about it?
Roman: I started it with my best friend in 2016 when we first moved to LA. We wanted to be able to create something that we could share with our friends and the world. We’ve always been really into fashion, so we thought why buy pieces of jewelry when you can make them?
Q: And what about FIRE? What was that process like?
Roman: I worked in marketing for a cannabis brand for 2 years prior to the launch, and I learned how valuable the business is. The process has been very long with everything going on this year…but like with everything, practice makes perfect, and with so much trial and error we have our product and branding down to a science. It’s a very luxury brand of cannabis. I’m excited for the future of FIRE!
Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to start a business?
Roman: Advice for anyone starting off with any business or career would be to never give up—don’t listen to anyone hating or giving negative energy, and be unapologetically yourself.
Q: What are the future plans for your businesses, are you working on anything new?
Roman: Both Room13 and FIRE have big collaborations on the way! I plan to scale both of them to a very high level, and bring people quality products they love. I’m excited for the world to see the growth from both of these amazing companies.
Q: Are there any other parts of your life or business that you want to mention that have not been brought up yet?
Roman: That about sums up business. As far as life goes, the journey is still so fresh I’m excited to see the opportunity that keeps coming as the days go on. I’m constantly inspired and talking about new ventures with my peers so opportunity is endless, and we will see what we can create as we continue to grow.