Parham Shariat

Parham Shariat is a CEO based in Southern California and the driving force behind Powerful Blueprints. His most important insight is that genuine alignment between your public persona and your private mindset is the foundation of lasting business relationships, though he is equally clear that financial discipline, learned through watching market cycles firsthand, is what separates those who endure from those who do not.

From paddling a calm bay in Newport Beach to sitting in Southern California traffic with a university lecture playing through his speakers, Parham Shariat moves through the world with a particular kind of restless curiosity. In this interview with Powerful Blueprints, Parham talks candidly about the partnership that almost cost him everything, the belief his father tried to teach him that took a market crash to prove true, and what he thinks most young builders get dangerously wrong before they even start. We asked Parham the questions most people never get to ask. Here are the answers.

What does Parham's morning routine look like before the world gets in?

We had to ask about this one.

I'm an early riser. My body clock is set for 5 a.m. every day. The first thing I do is two or three minutes of stretching to get the body moving, then personal hygiene.

I start with two large cups of water, then straight to coffee. I avoid social media in the morning. It's the worst way to start a day. Instead, I put on a couple of podcasts on YouTube, usually international news and the latest about technology. I also look at the real estate market, not every day, but this is an old habit.

I'm out of the house by 7, and I keep the podcasts going in the car. That's the morning.

What does Parham do every day that would surprise people in his world?

Here is something you do not hear often.

I am constantly looking for online classes offered at different universities to take. I take online classes when I drive, especially when I am in traffic, which is most of the time in Southern California. I have managed to get certified in AI for management from well known university programs.

What is the first thing Parham would tell a college student who wants to build something real?

This is the part most people skip.

Build your strategy and avoid partnering with someone if you can do it yourself. Many young entrepreneurs want to always start something with their friends. It doesn't work unless you are both as passionate and as committed.

Start the business and hire people, don't make them partners. If you can't hire people, bring them on as a partner in profit, not a partner in percentage of the company. And limit the time of the partnership.

What was the worst professional decision Parham ever made?

We wanted the honest version, not the tidy one.

I started a company with someone that I knew but I didn't know them very well professionally and that was the mistake. I soon realized what a mistake I had made and I was being defrauded out of money, so I ended the relationship quickly to cover my losses. This was very devastating because for over 20 years, I have had lots of success with good partners.

However, when I said not to get a partner if you can do it yourself in the previous question, I didn't mean that partnership is bad. I have had lots of successful partnerships, however, sometimes, you will give away equity in a project that you can do yourself. This is a confidence issue for young entrepreneurs. They think if there is someone else in the deal, then they are safer. This is wrong. That partner can create more problems than they can fix.

What belief did Parham hold for years that turned out to be completely wrong?

This answer stayed with us.

When I was in my 20s I thought, money will always come. I was making great money for my age and purchased my first house at the age of 23. My father always told me to save and that money was not always going to be easy to earn. I never listened and in the back of my mind, called him a pessimist.

Then I started seeing the cycles of the market, the dot com bubble, the real estate bubble, the stock market crash, war, inflation and then I understood what my father was telling me.

What did money teach Parham about himself that nothing else could?

This is where the real thinking showed up.

I heard this quote about 20 years ago: "Money is not made, you have to take it from others." Obviously, you can't print money, so you can't make it. If you understand how to take money from other people (legally) then you understand how money and business works. Understanding where money can earn interest and where it can work for you is also very important.

What is Parham's physical routine, and what gets his blood moving when he needs to clear his head?

We leaned in for this one.

I love kayaking. It is the best feeling in the world to me to be paddling on a calm bay in Newport Beach. I was into CrossFit and love to go back to doing that too.

What is the one goal Parham wants to be held accountable to in the next twelve months?

This one took a moment.

I am hoping and working hard to make Powerful Blueprints a successful platform. In the next 12 months, I would love to have 500 people to share their stories and inspire others, then I think we have reached our goal.

What was the hardest thing Parham gave up for his career, and was it worth it?

Here is where Parham slowed down.

The hardest thing was when I had to leave the city where my father lived to go thousands of miles away to pursue my business. I wanted to stay, but it was impossible at the time.

Who is the one person who actually changed the way Parham thinks?

We pushed a little on this.

My father. He has had the most effect on the way I think in my life. He was always about walking a straight line. Never sacrifice integrity, even if it is not to your benefit.

The other very important thing for him was to support your friends. Don't wait for them to ask for help, just show up.

What is Parham listening to lately?

We were curious how this actually happened.

I love Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and Sonny Rollins. These are incredible jazz singers and musicians that defined music. I am also a big fan of AI generated Italian house mix. AI music has taken over and it is awesome.

If Parham had one thing to say to the world, what would it be?

We asked Parham to be straight with us here.

Be genuine. If your outside persona and mindset is the same, then you are going to find the right people to work with. People will pick up dishonesty quickly and you will not be able to have a successful business if people don't trust you.

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Parham.

Frequently Asked Questions about Parham Shariat

What is Parham Shariat's morning routine?

As someone whose body clock has been set to 5 a.m. for years, I treat that first hour as protected time. I begin with two or three minutes of stretching, follow that with two large cups of water, and then move straight to coffee. I avoid social media entirely in the morning, putting on YouTube podcasts covering international news and technology instead, and I keep those going during the drive to work, which gets me out of the house by 7. Looking at the real estate market is an old habit I still check in on most mornings as well.

How does Parham Shariat continue learning while managing a busy schedule?

Living in Southern California means spending a significant amount of time in traffic, and rather than treating that time as lost, I fill it with online university courses. I am constantly searching for classes offered by different institutions and complete them while driving. Through this approach I have managed to get certified in AI for management from well known university programs. It is one of those habits that looks small from the outside but compounds significantly over time.

What is Parham Shariat's advice on business partnerships?

My core advice is to build your strategy and avoid partnering with someone if you can do it yourself. Many young entrepreneurs default to starting businesses with friends, but that only works when both people are equally passionate and equally committed. If you need support, hire people rather than making them equity partners, or bring them in as profit partners with a time-limited arrangement. Giving away a percentage of your company when you could have executed alone is often a confidence issue, not a strategic one. I have had successful partnerships over more than 20 years, but I have also seen firsthand how the wrong partner can create more problems than they solve.

What was the most painful business lesson in Parham Shariat's career?

The most devastating experience was starting a company with someone I knew socially but had not properly vetted professionally. I soon discovered I was being defrauded out of money, and I had to end the relationship quickly to limit my losses. What made it particularly hard was that over the previous 20 years I had built a strong track record with good partners, so this failure cut against everything I had come to rely on. The lesson was not that partnership itself is dangerous, but that equity should never be granted to someone whose professional character you have not tested directly.

Who had the greatest influence on Parham Shariat's thinking and values?

Without question, it is my father. He has had the most effect on the way I think across my entire life, and his influence shows up in two core principles I return to constantly. The first is to never sacrifice integrity, even when doing so would benefit you materially. The second is to support your friends proactively, without waiting for them to ask. I also had to make a painful sacrifice because of my career, leaving the city where he lived and going thousands of miles away to pursue my business, which was one of the hardest decisions I have faced.

What does Parham Shariat believe most people are not saying out loud about business and trust?

The thing I feel most strongly about, and think too few people state plainly, is the importance of being genuine. If your outer persona and your actual mindset are aligned, you naturally attract the right people to work with. People detect dishonesty faster than most leaders want to admit, and no amount of skill or strategy can substitute for the trust that comes from being the same person in every room. A business built on a performance rather than on authenticity is fragile in ways that only become visible when real pressure arrives.