An Interview with Lindsay Boyajian

Lindsay Boyajian Interview

Lindsay Boyajian is an experienced B2B marketing professional passionate about augmented reality. Currently, she is the Chief Marketing Officer at Augment, the leading Augmented Reality platform for business. Lindsay helped develop Augment’s marketing engine from the ground up, as the company grew from eight to forty team members over the past two years.

Prior to Augment, Lindsay launched her company, WeareverYouGo, a website featuring tips on what to wear and how to pack for trips abroad. Lindsay is the author of Content Engine: A Growth Hacker’s Guide to Content Marketing, and she was recently named a finalist for Everstring’s Discovery Awards for Emerging Marketers in Tech. Lindsay has both as BS and Master’s from Cornell University.
In this interview, Lindsay talks about her experiences/duties as the CMO of Augment and the company she founded prior to working there. Lindsay also gives us a glimpse on how to stay energized, creative and connected with loved ones – even while hustling in the pursuit of goals.

Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs of New York:

Meet like-minded entrepreneurs who you can exchange ideas with and learn from their experiences. I recommend subscribing to Gary’s Guide, a weekly newsletter that rounds up all the top meetups in the City.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, Lindsay and what you do at Augment?

I am the Chief Marketing Officer at Augment. Augment is the leading augmented reality enterprise platform with over 2 million app downloads and clients including Coca Cola and Siemens.

As the first company selling augmented reality as a service, it has been both challenging and exciting developing a marketing and communication strategy that translates our complex product offerings to prospects.

I joined Augment in 2014 when the company was only 8 people in one office in Paris. Now, we are 42 people in 3 offices worldwide, and our marketing team has grown from one to five. In early 2016, I helped the French startup expand its footprint in the U.S. by leading the opening of the New York City office.

Besides being the CMO at Augment, do you have experience running your own business? Can you tell us more about your entrepreneurial ventures?

Prior to Augment, I launched my own company, WeareverYouGo, a website featuring tips on what to wear and how to pack for trips abroad. Wearever was accepted into Cornell University’s competitive student accelerator, eLab. eLab gave our team access to resources and mentors that helped us build the business. Wearever also earned a spot in GE & OMD’s accelerator program.

Despite the early successes of Wearever, it did not gain enough traction to continue on to today.

When you started WeareverYouGo, how did you plan everything out? Any resources you used to write a solid business plan?

As I mentioned, our team went through both Cornell’s eLab & GE/ OMD’s accelerators. These accelerators allowed our team to meet seasoned entrepreneurs. I was fortunate in that I could draw on their experiences to help build my business plan. They gave valuable feedback and guidance as I created the plan.

One book that I highly recommend is Business Model Generation. The handbook explains the most common Business Model patterns, and it walks you through exercises to generate your own business model.

What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur? Is there something you are most proud of?

There are many aspects of being an entrepreneur that excite me. At Augment, we are creating a new market—Augmented Reality as a Service. I enjoy the challenge of developing this space. There is little precedent in what we are doing, so we are encouraged to try new ideas and think outside the box.

Everyday at a startup is different. There are always new projects and challenges. And each new project gives you the opportunity to make a major impact the business and its future. There is also a lot of autonomy and room to grow.

My colleague and I recently published Content Engine: The Growth Hacker’s Guide to Content Marketing. I am quite proud of this. We were inspired to publish Content Engine because although everyone talks about content marketing, too often content marketing strategies miss the mark.

Our guide leads you through the journey to conversion—how to build a content strategy that can grow your business. It shows you how to create content that is valued and consumed by your target audience and drives true value for your business.

What does your day-in, day-out look like? Is there any specific habit that has helped you become a better person?

Working at a fast growing startup every day is different! That’s what I love about it. You are constantly shifting gears and attacking new projects and challenges.

For me, I try to workout everyday before I head into the office. My morning workouts help me focus and be more productive at work. After a morning workout, I am energized and ready to attack the day.

Who has been your greatest influencer along your entrepreneurial journey? How did they shape WeareverYouGo?

There are so many over the years who have been influential in my journey. My parents have been critical in my journey. When I wanted to start Wearever, they were more than supportive. They helped seed the idea and encouraged me at every stage.

I am fortunate that I have had many amazing mentors along my journey.

Often, I find the idea of a mentor misconceived. In a big organization, a mentor and mentee are often paired through a development program. However, in the world of entrepreneurship these relationships are much more organic and fluid.

A mentor is anyone you can seek counsel from. You will most likely have a handful of mentors — each mentor with a different background. Their diversity allows you to receive a wide array of perspectives.

How do you balance life and work to remain connected and available for your loved ones? Any advice for me?

Balancing work and life is no easy task, especially in a city as fast-paced as New York. And I will have to admit I am addicted to my email. As an entrepreneur, it is so important to carve out time with friends and family. Your leisure time is what recharges and sparks your creativity.

Where do you see Augment in the next 5 years? Any new products/services in development?

The augmented reality space is evolving so rapidly that it is near impossible to predict where it will be in 5 years. However, in the next 18 months, we will see many more applications of AR in the consumer space. The popularity of PokemonGo highlights the readiness of consumers to embrace AR.

What advice would you give to our readers who want to start a business in New York today? Where should they start?

There are so many resources available for startups in NYC. Everyday there are countless meetups across the city. These meetups are excellent to build your network. You’ll meet like-minded entrepreneurs who you can exchange ideas with and learn from their experiences. I recommend subscribing to Gary’s Guide, a weekly newsletter that rounds up all the top meetups in the City.

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To learn more about Augment and what Lindsay is up to, connect with her on Linkedin, Twitter or visit her personal website!