Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Roser.
Laura, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always been entrepreneurial. As a kid, I was always looking to make money — selling jewelry, babysitting, selling crafts, etc. I started my first “real” company when I was 21, right after I graduated from college. It was a marketing firm that helped businesses package themselves up to attract investment capital or launch an IPO. We also helped a lot of small companies and startups with their branding, content and lead generation strategies.
What really got me started thinking about legacy planning was a meeting with a financial advisor who said he had a process to help people pass on their wisdom and values to their kids. It turned out to be a pitch for whole life insurance.
But, it got me thinking, “If I were going to pass on my own legacy, how would I do it?” So, I started an intensive research project to find out what resources were available for passing on someone’s non-financial assets, such as their values, wisdom, and beliefs.
And what I discovered is that there was no one company offering exactly what I would want for my own legacy.
So, Paragon Road was born. When we work with legacy clients, I definitely pull from my experience running a marketing firm and creating content for companies. Your legacy must be packaged up in a similar way, otherwise, it fades with people’s memories.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The most intriguing paths always have struggles. And my path has had a lot. I’ve made millions, lost millions, made major mistakes, and had major successes. Life is like that.
My company is as much a personal journey as it is a business. Of course, we have a wonderful team and strive to deliver the very best for our clients. But, I’ve learned a lot about the ebbs and flows of life through studying legacy and interviewing all kinds of amazing people. I’ve spoken with some of the greatest leaders and philanthropists about their legacies and how they find meaning in their lives.
And I can tell you that the key to a meaningful life is getting up over and over again despite setbacks, focusing on gratitude, being humble and empathetic, connecting with others, and doing what brings you joy. If you aren’t experiencing some kind of struggle, you probably aren’t growing.
Please tell us about Paragon Road.
Paragon Road is the leader in Meaning Legacy Planning or non-financial estate planning. We help people pass on their non-financial assets – such as their wisdom, values, and beliefs.
Our Meaning Legacy process is a 7-step system to help people identify what’s most important to them and how they would like to impact their loved ones and the world.
Once we’ve identified someone’s key values and stories, our creative team packages up their legacies in the form of books, videos, websites and other content they can pass on to their families.
My latest book, Your Meaning Legacy: How to Cultivate & Pass On Non-Financial Assets, describes the whole process and has a variety of helpful resources.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
This is one of those hard questions because I have always done that best I could given my point of view and the circumstances. So, I don’t think, for me, there really would have been another way. But, some of the lessons I had to learn were extremely painful.
I’ve learned that I have to face the pain head-on, rather than avoiding it. So, if life isn’t working out the way I had hoped, I start to look for reasons, which usually lead me back to myself. I think the more you can understand your own weaknesses and work through pain by addressing the real cause, that you not only feel a sense of pride and fulfillment for mastering yourself and personally growing, but you are also able to propel yourself forward much more quickly.
I think if I were giving advice to someone about either pursuing a dream or creating a legacy of true significance, I would say, “Always keep the final outcome in your mind and spend today progressing toward that future.” So, if you want to have kids, for example, and you begin dating someone who doesn’t want kids, you’re going to be in a world of pain down the road if you stay with that person.
If you want a successful business, but it’s more fun to binge-watch Netflix right now, in a year, two years, ten years, you’ll still be wondering why it’s so hard to find time to work on your business. It’s those little daily decisions that make the difference.
Contact Info:
- Address: 249 HWY 101, Suite 524 Solana Beach, CA 92075
- Website: www.paragonroad.com
- Phone: 858.877.5985
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/legacyartsmagazine/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraRoser
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraroser/
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