Meet Jay Shapiro | Magazine Publisher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Shapiro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, what do you attribute your success to?
Learning the value of discrimination and raising my prices!! In my business, a person must be very selective and have prices that are far higher than the competition. It goes to the old adage that it’s better to have four quarters than 100 pennies!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Luxury Chamber Media Group consists of several local luxury lifestyle magazines coupled with a for-profit chamber of commerce aptly titled Luxury Chamber of Commerce. The magazines and the chamber form a multifaceted synergy. We host monthly cocktail and charity events with a cultural or eccentric theme. Some events include: Bollywood Billionaires, Mediterranean Fest, South Florida Celebrity Fest, Snob Fest, Lamborghini’s Limos and Leisure Suits, Panama Fest and over 100 others. We honor a different charity at our events with a complimentary table, a cash donation and event photos in the magazines. The biggest lessons learned are not the lessons one would think: Always keep raising your prices and always keep increasing the quality of your crowd. When Luxury Chamber started 11 years ago we charged $7 to attend an event and the events were full of salespeople. Now we charge $150 and the attendees include kings, queens, ambassadors, local notables, luxury brand owners, celebrities and of course the donors whom are invited by whichever non-profit we decide to honor in such said given month. Rated by importance: 1.) Discriminate – you are not obligated to invite or do business with everyone. Chose your clients wisely. 2.) Celebrity – tap in on circles of influence. Invite others who have large yet QUALITY databases. 3.) Raise your prices. If the competition charges $10 you should be charging $10,000 4.) Honesty – I like to downplay my events and hope that the attendees will be surprised by who shows up. 5.) Generosity – perhaps this should be #1. Donations, door prizes, honorable mentions and a helping hand will bring your business as far away as Fiji or even the moon! 6.) Diversity – tap in on local cultures. Luxury Chamber is the single most diverse chamber in the world. Attending one of our events is literally like going to a United Nations cocktail soiree! 7.) Dollars of Humor!!! Never take anything too seriously. Your clients will love you for it. *apart from the literal job at hand of course! We are in the process of franchising nationwide and eventually globally!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Las Olas Blvd has many great restaurants, pay a visit to Piazza Italia and say hello to Frank Talerico. They have great food and bustling nightlife. New York Prime Steakhouse in Boca Raton, Wednesday nights is ladies night! Hotel Chesterfield and Leopard Loung on Palm Beach Island. The Little Italy area near Galt Ocean Mile – A1A and Oakland Park Blvd in Fort Lauderdale is home to many great Italian restaurants and bars. Take the water taxi from there to Las Olas and make a day trip out of it.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Former Judge John P. Contini

Website: https://soflmag.com/
Instagram: @southfloridamag
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/southflorida/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridaluxury
Other: I also have a travel blog: SapioTREKsual Travel Writer: www.treksual.com