Romin Zandi was just sixteen when he realized that he didn’t want to be 40 years old and look back on his life to see that he hadn’t done anything. “I got that realization from going to a self-development workshop,” he says. “It taught me that there [are] different areas of my life, and for me to be successful and be fulfilled in my life, I have to work on different areas.” He knew he was an individual with his own life and could do whatever he wanted.
He later visited a hookah lounge, where he met his best friend and mentor, who taught him the trade, art, and culture of being a DJ. Romin has always loved taking care of people and being a host, and seeing that he could use music to accomplish that was mind-blowing for him.
Mentors Throughout His Life
Romin contributes his success to the presence of great mentors in his life. “I’ve had a lot of sparks, a lot of people who guide me in the right direction or give me different ideas,” he says. The most important one was his older brother, who got him into that first self-development course that set the path for the rest of his life.
In high school, Romin spent his time in business and IT. During his senior year he did an IT internship, where he learned life skills from more mentors, such as how to properly answer an email, conduct himself in an interview, follow up with people, and be professional. These are skills people think they will learn in college, but they don’t. Learning them in high school allowed him to hit the ground running when he left school.
Another important thing his internship taught him was that he did not want to work a nine-to-five job. He was already disc jockeying at the time, and he decided to stick with that. “I’ve been deejaying now for almost seven years,” he says. “I got started in high school, and then I went full-time in 2014 when I established my LLC.”
Mentoring Others
Investing in mentors and people is something that Romin has always done and continues to do. He recently had a famous MC coach from New Jersey come work with his staff to teach different techniques and make sure they’re all continuing their education and sharpening their skills. Romin, too, visits his old high school to speak with students about business, hustling, and figuring out their own paths and passions. He’s also started to speak to business classes at colleges. “I come from a different perspective because I started young and have achieved a lot in the last couple years, versus people who are older,” says Romin. “I can relate to the youth.”
Teenagers can’t tell Romin that they can’t make the same decisions he did, because he was in their shoes when he made those decisions. He’s grateful and excited to speak with them and mentor them. “I want to give back to the youth and younger kids,” he says. When society is so busy telling people that they are defined by the jobs they do and the money they make, he wants them to know that those things don’t define them and they should instead go after their passion.
Advice for Becoming a DJ at a Young Age
There could have been pushback from people in older generations who perhaps don’t want to go to a business lunch meeting with someone as young as Romin. To avoid that, Romin simply doesn’t advertise or act his age. “I worked on learning how to be mature. I worked on learning how to dress well,” he says. “I worked on how to communicate well and articulate myself very well so I don’t come across as a young person who doesn’t know how to communicate or follow up with an email.”
His work on those areas was both to enhance himself as an individual, but also to enhance his business. Deejaying is his passion and creative outlet, but he doesn’t forget that it’s also his business. He still has to get up in the mornings, keep himself healthy, invest in technology and systems, and continue his education. He invests in surrounding himself with the right people to help him continue to develop such skills.
On the Horizon
“The next step for myself, my business, and my team is bringing on more staff and DJs, training more crew, and hiring more people on the backend side,” Romin says. He’ll be investing in more equipment, lighting, and production elements that will make his events better and more unique to his clients.
You can find out more at the Zandi Entertainment website.
