Suzanne Aaronson

More than a Mentor

In the summer of 2005, I headed to London from Florida State University to get some real working experience through a series of internships and work placements (and have a bit of fun).

A week after landing I met Suzanne Aaronson in a coffee shop in South Kensington. Stylish, straight talking and clearly determined, she sat down next to me with a pile of notes and clippings from travel magazines. “I want to build a lifestyle website where I can organise all of my travel files and share them with my network of discerning friends,” was almost the first thing out of her mouth. This was a concept she had been developing for years; her home was filled with folders of useful titbits that she had been sharing with friends and family.

I taught myself to code websites when I was twelve, and had been creating silly little sites for years, but was yearning for an opportunity to put my passion for design to use in a real-world environment. “I can do that!” I said, with somewhat feigned confidence. Suzanne looked at me, said “Okay, let’s get started,” and in that moment Suzanne’s Files was born.

This was the first time I felt like someone was taking me seriously, and we had only known each other for fifteen minutes. This was also the first lesson I learned from Suzanne: trust your instincts. The second was: don’t worry about failure, it’s just another opportunity.

We worked together closely that summer; me translating her scribbled notes and references into a site full of exciting content while Suzanne gathered momentum through word of mouth and initial partnerships. This was before blogs became popular and content-based lifestyle sites were rare. In a matter of a few weeks (backed by years of Suzanne’s personal research and experience) we created a lifestyle and travel destination catering to high and ultra-high net worth individuals – a demographic that Suzanne knew well but was not being catered to on this level.

At the end of that summer Suzanne and I met in Hyde Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon. With similar outlooks on life we had become friends, despite our differences in age and experience. “I want to give you equity in my company,” Suzanne said, before going on to explain that she saw my potential and that the time I had committed so far was a true investment. She had to explain what having equity meant – I had just turned 20 and my last job was working as a cashier in a local a grocery store. At this point Suzanne’s Files had already amassed a newsletter readership in the thousands and she was fielding interest from potential acquirers.

This was another lesson I learned from Suzanne: be fair and generous with the people you meet in life. We sold Suzanne’s Files to Hearst Publishing two years later; my equity turned into a nest egg that I later used as a deposit on my first flat in London where I moved permanently after studying at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.

In the years since, Suzanne and I have remained close friends, and partnered on several more successful ventures together. When I decided to launch my photographic agency, Suzanne was (and remains still) one of my biggest fans and supporters.

I often think of that summer from years ago, Suzanne’s trust and encouragement, and the entrepreneurial appetite that I developed as a result. I remember the same lessons I learned from Suzanne and try to create similar experiences for the interns and people that I work with now. Whether it’s a friend, parent, or mentor, everyone needs a “Suzanne” in their life.