Rehan Choudhry is the C.E.O. of Aurelian Marketing Group in Las Vegas. He founded the company in the spring of 2012 after leaving a high-profile event job as the director of entertainment and events at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
I died in 2003 when doctors had to stop my heart to perform emergency open-heart surgery. Two years later I got treated for a near stroke. That happened four more times over two years. Needless to say, I have never felt that time is on my side. That experience has been the reason for my high risk tolerance and why I have been chasing nothing more than happiness.
I quit what was arguably the best job in the entertainment world when I walked away from the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to start my own company. I needed to follow my dreams. I wasn’t unhappy, but I decided to drive my own destiny.
Making the decision to start your own company requires months to years of self-reflection and questioning. You need to get to know yourself before you can convince anyone else to join you. You need know what you love more than anything, what you absolutely can’t stand, and what exactly you offer people. Answering those questions will help ease the sense of uncertainty—but only a bit as that feeling will sit with you for a long time as an entrepreneur.
I know that I love the creative process. I love coming up with ideas with groups of fun and creative people and bringing those ideas to life. I love to make people smile. When I look back on my 10 years in marketing for big companies, it wasn’t the board meetings or the strategic planning sessions that I remember fondly. It was the moments when the curtain went up and I got to see people’s faces light up like children.
I can’t stand feeling stagnant. I don’t like repetition or monotony. I steer clear of situations where I know creativity isn’t fostered and embraced. Highly political environments aren’t my thing.
What do I offer the world? I am a fun and happy person who can find the humor in any situation. I have always had a high risk tolerance and fully embrace that. I can see the potential in people who may not see it in themselves.
So I launched Aurelian Marketing Group in April and it’s unbelievable to see what we have accomplished in such a short time. We are a team of seven creative brand experience producers who have a vision for a happier and more fun world. I am humbled every day at the staff’s enthusiasm. And every day I realize that none of this would have happened if I hadn’t taken the time to answer those questions and get to know myself better.
Everyone has a story and a defining moment they can use to drive their decisions. I will always remember the weeks I spent in a hospital room or in recovery, the fear and uncertainty. And I will never take life for granted because of it. My road to personal happiness led to starting my company.
