Choosing a career is the most
momentous decision (aside from marriage) that young people have to make. While
many in our community gravitate to certain common occupations, career paths are
not always straightforward. The twists and turns of life – not to mention the
bumps and mountainous climbs – often play a role in deciding what we want to be
“when we grow up.” The young men depicted here are entrepreneurs. Although they
may have not yet arrived at their final career destination, one thing is for
sure – these ambitious young men made some unconventional choices. I had the
privilege of “virtually meeting” each of these young, single men, whose career
callings reminded me of Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken.” They each
took the road less traveled by, and to them, it has made all the difference.
No Pressure
“I always wanted
to be a business owner,” says Meir Isaacson. “It took a while to build up the
courage, until I told myself one day there’s nothing to lose by trying and a
lifetime to regret if I never try.”
Meir opened RPW
Renewal Pressure Washing, about a year ago, shortly after turning 21. He came
up with his business plan after working for a local school a few years ago that
had him power wash some stone walls and concrete around the campus. “I was
amazed how everything instantly looked so much better,” Meir recalls, “although
I had no idea what I was doing. I saw a need for an exterior cleaning company
in the community and said, ‘Why not me!’”
Prior to starting
his business, Meir’s day was split in thirds: yeshiva, college, and employment
as a locksmith. “I’m learning as I go,”
Meir admits, and says that he reaches out to others in the industry for helpful
mentorship and approaches local business owners when he has questions.
“It is always
awesome to get texts from customers saying how happy they are after the work is
done,” shares Meir. “A few months back I cleaned a property for a community
member making a backyard wedding. After the wedding, the homeowner wrote, “The
house looked stunning for the wedding. Everyone said the house was so clean and
white and made an amazing backdrop for the chuppa.
Everything you cleaned and prepared was perfect.” That text made my day.”
Studying the most
successful business owners around the world, Meir has found that those who are
the most fearless and dream the biggest are usually the most successful. “Being
able to sell and show your value is essential as well,” he says. “I enjoy the
freedom of being my own boss and calling the shots. It’s also a great feeling
working to live out my own dreams instead of working to live out somebody else’s.”
What is Meir’s
advice to anyone thinking of starting a business? “Just do it! Don’t let your
fears get in the way of your dreams. They say nine out of ten startup
businesses fail. So, start ten businesses and one of them will succeed. I’ve
learned that it’s not our mistakes that define us; it’s how we deal with them.”
Steps to Success
Zev Brull, 25,
opened his shoe store, Joseph Danitti, The Store, on January 1. Located on
Reisterstown Road, in the Sinu Pharmacy building and next door to Seven Mile
Market, the store sells men’s and children’s shoes from the high-quality Joseph
Danitti collection. These shoes, made in the same factory as many high-end $700
to $800 designer shoes, are sold at a fraction of the price.
The store was
forced to close for a few months during COVID, during which time Zev took the
time to restock and make his store safe so it would be ready to reopen when the
time came. Thanks to his loyal customers, Joseph Danitti, The Store was able to
pick up where it left off.
Zev always knew he
wanted to go into business, and after working for different companies, his
brother Yossi asked him if he wanted to go into business with him and expand
his popular
Although most of the
training for his new enterprise was on-the-job, Zev says that the knowledge he
acquired from each of the companies he worked for held him in good stead. They
include online eBay, Amazon, and designer fashion sales experience. He credits
Yossi for helping him with a lot of business advice. Zev’s goal is to make
Joseph Danitti a household name.
“I always wanted
to work for myself,” admits Zev. “While working for other people, I learned
about the successes and difficulties of their businesses. I incorporated what I
learned into my company. It is fun interacting with people – I really enjoy
that – and it is fun working for yourself.”
What advice does
Zev have for young entrepreneurs like himself? “Learn from other companies to
see what they are doing right or wrong and use it to your advantage, even
though it may not be a business identical to yours. Take those different skills
to help you grow in the future. Anyone who is enthusiastic and has a good
mindset and energy is an ideal candidate to open their own business and make it
work.”
Zev adds, “It’s a
great feeling hearing my customers tell me how much they enjoy their shopping
experience at Joseph Danitti and how many compliments they get when they wear
the shoes they bought at my store.” For further information: 410-343-9221.
The Landscape of Business
and School
At age 15, Yehuda
Traub is the youngest businessmen featured here. He started Lion Landscaping
when he was in fourth grade by cutting his parents’ lawn. Business picked up
three or four years ago, and in addition to lawn cutting, his services now
include landscaping. The TA tenth grader always wanted to be a business owner;
he can’t imagine working for someone else.
“Hashem gave me a
talent to use my hands and I love using them,” says Yehuda, who saves a lot of
money fixing his own equipment. “This business just fell into my lap when my
parents fired the person who had been mowing our lawn. My brother started, and
I eventually took over. Then I did one neighbor’s lawn, then the next neighbor,
and, baruch Hashem, the business took
off. My dream is to do hardscaping, which is the installation of walkways, garden
walls, gazebos, and other landscape design features, to combine my love of
using my hands and doing construction.”
Yehuda admits that
he went through a lot of trial and error when it came to building, pricing, and
figuring out other business details. He watched many YouTube videos of
landscapers, in addition to seeking the counsel of his father, attorney Hillel
Traub, and consulting with his friend, fellow entrepreneur Shmuel Leshnoff. He
gets his customers exclusively by word-of-mouth and does all the work himself.
Says Yehuda, “I
definitely enjoy the flexibility of being a business owner; you are in control
of things. I get a lot of hana’ah
(pleasure) looking at a project I did. The money is a definite plus, too. I
know a lot of kids whose parents give them an allowance, but it is a whole
different thing when you put hard work, sweat and tears into getting your own
money. It has also taught me a lot of life skills earlier on than most people,
including how to deal with people and having a good work ethic. I’ve learned that
being honest and up-front, and following through, is important, and that
communication is key.”
Yehuda advises
young entrepreneurs, “Just do it! Even if it doesn’t work out, at least you
tried. If you are willing to put in enough effort and go through the trials and
tribulations – if you are a people person and are passionate about whatever you
are doing – I think you will be matzliach
(successful). Even if you are very shy, I think you can make it work if you
have the drive and motivation. Working when you are young gives you the
opportunity to explore different options for your future. Last, but not least,
I try to be very makpid (meticulous)
when it comes to giving ma’aser
(tithing), and I see a lot of bracha
from it.”
Going Against the
Grain
Seventeen-year-old
Ethan Kaplan, a 12th grade student at
“There was this
pallet sitting on the side of my house, and I wanted to get rid of it, so I
said to my father, ‘let’s build something out of it,’” recalls Ethan. “Originally,
it was going to be a shelf to put books on, but then, I decided otherwise – I
built my first wine rack and everything started from there. My grandfather, who
is a plumber and knows the tricks of the trade, got involved. One thing led to
the next. I started out building things for my house, then friends asked me to
build things. I love building.”
Now, Ethan has a
small woodworking shop in his basement. In addition to wine racks, he has
filled customer orders for challa boards, cutting boards, small tables, Rosh
Hashanah honeycomb sticks, [what’s that?]and signs. “Someone asked me to build
them a massive table but I couldn’t, because of the size of my shop,” says
Ethan.
Ethan says he
dislikes working for people unless he has to. “I don’t like being told what to
do,” admits Ethan. “I like doing my own thing my own way. Even if I fail, that’s
fine; there’s nothing wrong with failing. I’m ambitious and I like figuring out
things on my own.”
Ethan had no
previous experience in woodworking. “Everything I’ve learned is either
self-taught from YouTube or from my grandfather.” He does mention, however, that
when it comes to running his business, he is being mentored by his father and
family friends who are business owners. He also reads books on the topic. “I
love How to Win Friends and Influence
People, by Dale Carnegie; it’s a great book,” shares Ethan. “It’s helped me
a lot with interpersonal relationships.”
Ethan advises
other young guys who are thinking of starting a business to “Think big, go
small, and if you fail, try again, because when you keep trying you will
eventually get it.” He adds, “You have to be honest; you have to learn how to
work through challenges and set goals, and just try your best. You also have to
know how to figure out things, because a lot of times things don’t go your way.”
Tapping into Oneself
Shmuel Teichman’s
franchise business, TapSnap, provides photo booths, photographers, backdrops, and
lighting to instantaneously produce customized images with a variety of special
effects. On the corporate side, he does branding, logos, and other applications
for trade shows. Shmuel is the sole TapSnap proprietor in
This enterprising
23-year-old Los Angeles native also runs
Shmuel started
working as a teenager in entry-level sales, knocking on doors throughout
Maryland to give estimates on roofs, windows, and kitchens. Subsequently, he
tried his hand at e-commerce and selling fix-up cars for a mechanic. “All of
them went relatively well,” says Shmuel, “and each one, in its own way, gave me
really valuable experience in how to deal with people, what to expect, how to
communicate, and the value of building relationships.” Shmuel’s father is a
businessman and always preached the tenets of entrepreneurship and working
hard.
“Between my
experience and growing up around business, going into business was a no-brainer
for me. I like working for myself and relying on myself,” says Shmuel. “In
previous employment, I never felt like I reaped the benefit of what I put in.
If I make a bunch of phone calls and we get a big sale, I am the beneficiary of
that; it’s very rewarding.”
After Shmuel was
forced to cancel his first gig because his rental equipment did not show up on
time for a Bnei Akiva event, he spent a long time networking and making cold
calls to get his first customer. To his great surprise, it ended up being the
Baltimore Ravens, thanks to a series of connections he made via LinkedIn. “I
had never been more anxious in my whole life, but thank G-d, everything went
well,” says Shmuel, who has run over 200 events in the last few years. “I also
did a retirement party for Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. at the
Hippodrome theater and have done events at BWI, among other venues.”
In addition to the
training he received from the TapSnap franchise, Shmuel credits his father for
teaching him where to network, how to talk to people, keeping him honest, and
checking his reality. “He really taught me a lot in the beginning and helps me
a lot to this day,” says Shmuel. “After a little bit of time, I really picked
it up. I have a very good team to keep things running smoothly, and we keep
getting positive feedback.”
Shmuel advises
budding entrepreneurs, “Just go for it! Whatever it is you are going to do,
figure out what step one is and do it, because once you are in it, it’s a lot
easier to move forward. The hardest part is starting, so if you have an idea
and the motivation, don’t wait for the right time. Secondly, anyone can have a
great idea. I think what separates a great idea from a business is having a
really good way to execute the great idea – better than anyone else.”
Shmuel has learned
these lessons as an entrepreneur, among others: Don’t over-promise; don’t be a
people-pleaser; and don’t let yourself get pushed around because you are scared
of losing business.
While
For further information,
contact: emailofalltrades@gmail.com
or 443-822-1338.
Building Decks,
Building Guys
Shmuel Leshnoff,
22, started his first annual Decking Crew summer program for teens last spring.
Prior to that, he worked for a large construction company in various positions,
until he was laid off right before Pesach because of
Learning at the TA
night seder and being acquainted with
many of the teens in the
Shmuel aimed at
recruiting TA’s tenth and twelfth graders for his all-encompassing Sunday-through-Friday
summer program, which included davening,
learning, trips, and learning the construction trade. “There are so many
beautiful things that come out of doing construction,” says Shmuel. “You stand
on top of a structure that you built – and I would say we didn’t only build
decks, we built guys!”
Every morning,
Shmuel went around waking up his crew at
“Some days we had
as many as 16 kids,” says Shmuel. “I also had to do all the fundraising. The
food didn’t come by itself, and these are teenagers! We had massive lunches and
awesome dinners; we went all out! The way to get teens to do stuff is food. I
also had to buy tools and summer equipment, rent the house, and pay salaries. Since
the tuition did not cover all the expenses for this huge operation, I am still
fundraising.
“We first had
Coffee Seder, where we would all have coffee and then daven out loud to engage
everyone,” continues Shmuel. “Next came breakfast and a dynamic interactive
learning session led by our rebbi, Rabbi Jake Chames (who also hosted us for ongei Shabbos). Then we went to our various job sites. We were doing
decks, sheds, fences, and railings. Then our chef, my dear friend Zevi Traub, brought
us lunch and would chill with us. Zevi was also in charge of the day-to-day
logistics and trip planning At the end of the workday, we would go back to our
house, rest, have ice pops, slushies, and dinner, daven Mincha/Maariv and then chill.”
Shmuel remarks
that his inspiration came from an opportunity he had last year, running the
Project Build program for Lev Shlomo. “That opened my eyes. It was really cool
to see what construction does for teens in our community, and it really helped expand
my skills. I developed that system and figured out how to integrate it with
kids who were not teens-at-risk. I created a network for these teens, not only
in the summer; I am keeping up with them throughout the year to be there for
them.”
Shmuel spent
months planning for the Decking Crew, working with professionals who advised
him on how he could best include each guy using his special skill set, to
enable him to shine in his own way.
“Our program ran
for seven weeks. Aside from our daily schedule, we went paintballing and to a
water park, among other trips,” says Shmuel. “Our grand event at the conclusion
of the program was a Shabbaton, held on a beautiful farm in
For Shmuel, the
most beautiful part of the summer was enabling his crew to be themselves for
seven weeks. “It was such a warm, loving, positive environment that provided a
real Jewish experience. Rabbi Chames led dynamic hashkafa discussions that engaged the guys in learning, and they
were able to really see the depth of Yiddishkeit and what it offers – and also
got to work with their hands and feel accomplished. I think they learned that
everyone is valuable for who he is. It doesn’t matter what level of religion
you are at or what your background is, you are valuable just for being you.
Sometimes we lose track of that. Those are the basics that you need for
Yiddishkeit and just to live as a human being.”
Shmuel says his
guys went into the new school year beaming after feeling fulfilled and
productive for seven weeks, despite the pandemic, when the whole world was
collapsing. “I can’t describe how palpable that energy is. You have to see it
yourself. I have huge future goals for the Decking Crew.”
For more
information about the Decking Crew, contact: Sleshnoff@gmail.com or
410.935.3052.
