When Heleyne Tamir dropped out of Monmouth university she did not know where life was going to take her. From a top position at theory to the opening of a clothing store, that would rival intermix and scoop, and then to the creation and cofounding of Surrat beauty, Heleyne had truly found her place in the business world. 

Surrat’s “do it yourself attitude was the embodiment of everything Heleyne believed in. Based on the perfection of Japanese beauty and the individuality of the people of New York, Surrat offers a new way to create your own palate and own your look. Heleyne built her company from scratch, taking her experience in fashion, relationships, and personal care. With tremendous entrepreneurship, she created a high demand product that sold out weekly in both Barneys and Sephora, all while running a home in New Jersey and raising 4 children.

Today, Surratt is featured in stores all around the world and continuing to grow every day. While Heleyne sold her share in the company, she still plays a vital role in its success and distribution. Award-winning and fan-favorite, Surratt is known as one of the most luxurious lines of makeup products on shelves to date.

Though her future seemed helpless and uncertain, Orly Seton was determined to succeed in America. Yes, there were language barriers and cultural differences but none of this stopped her. Orly decided to embrace her family's Syrian culture rather than fight it. Orly motivated her parents to start a business selling bite-sized Middle Eastern pastries, known in Arabic as Mazza. Today, they hand-make thousands of Kibbehs each week, and Orly has the joy of seeing her parents back in the workforce with smiles on their faces all to her credit.

Support Your Freinds is a personal mantra that Samuel Krost lives by. Samuel took his experience in fashion at Onya and Helmut Lang to create a youth-inspired brand centered around social activism.

Daniel Hazan started a sports agency in college. He now represents 25 NBA players including JR Smith!

Grace Esses competed as a level 8 gymnast for 10 years but never thought she’d make a business out of gymnastics. Years later, Grace’s Gymnastics employs 40 instructors and proudly teaches over 1000 students per year!

Robyn Jemal turned a cookbook into a catering business overnight. She now sells her signature frozen Cauliflower pizzas in over 200 stores!

If you look up resilient in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of Margalit Romana. Growing up with both parents being addicts and having no food on the table the cards were stacked against her. But Margalit didn't just get by, she persevered. Over the years, Margalit created and sold thousands of paintings, was featured in 12 publications, and recently opened up a beautiful gallery in Asbury, New Jersey.

When Eddie Shamie started putting beads on a string in his grandmothers basement, he never would have imagined selling his Degs and Sal jewelry in Saks, Bloomingdales, and Nordstrom. Celebrities such as Russel Westbrook and Justin Beiber have been featured on the cover of GQ magazine wearing Degs and Sal!

Elliot Dweck interviews the founder of Airhuggers, Helena Dweck.