Raz Biton is a first-generation American from a Brazilian mother and an Israeli father. Raz learned from an early age that life wasn’t easy and his parents instilled in him a strong work ethic and values to understand that if you want something you have to go and get it.
“Someone once told me ‘In America, you can become rich selling toothpicks. My dad lived that way, he hustled my entire life. From jewelry to ice cream, he was always selling and it taught me alot about never giving up.”
At the age of 18 Raz fell into substance abuse and with the support of friends and family turned his life around, and realized he can accomplish anything as long as he worked hard towards success.
He began working at an office supply company and had a mentor who taught him the ins-and-outs of sales, and building relationships. Once he felt like he had a grasp on things, he was taken under the wing of a business owner that brought him in as a partner to show him that being a business owner isn’t just about not reporting to someone, but that you leave a 9-5 to have a 9-9!
He was offered a position to work as an Account Manager at Apex Systems, and wanted the experience of working with top management and executives at fortune 500 and fortune 1000 companies. Raz took on the position and excelled as an account manager, being the first to establish a national contract for staffing with Union Bank.
Raz had always had an interest in marketing and had seen friends and colleagues have a lot of success in the Ecom space. The opportunity presented itself for Raz to take a leap of faith and start his own firm. He committed to the opportunity and left Apex. Social Influence was founded in November of 2017. Raz, and partner Jonathan Amir, started working with brands and influencers on Social Media services.
Throughout the years the company has scaled to a 10 person office, in Encino,CA and has worked with thousands of brands. They specialize in working with consumer product brands, specifically Beauty and Health and Wellness brands to help them see and ROI and consult on marketing strategies. The social media expertise is not gone as well, as they help curate, product, and optimize social media accounts!
Raz and Jonathan worked 12-15 hours a day the first two years of the company, without ever taking a paycheck and investing back in the firm, because they knew they wanted to grow and expand quickly. Without ever getting a series A of funding, the company has been made off the backs of hard workers and individuals that believe in the firm.
“We are excited for the future, and for the new brands we are working with and always pursuing expansion. Customer service is our number one priority and keeping in close contact with our customers, as well as reporting frequently is very important.”