The K Factor

Izzy Edelman is the CEO and founder of Izzy's Brooklyn Smokehouse . IZZY’s is an award-winning smokehouse in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Pit-master Izzy  brings a local twist to a Southern tradition, combining simple ingredients with quality meats to create a unique and laid-back dining experience for the BBQ lover. In this interview Izzy shares:

• Falling in love with BBQ
• Life in the restaurant business
• E-myth the must read business book
• To succeed in business you need passion
• Understanding BBQ food
• Taking first prize as NYC #1 Brisket
• Taking kosher to BBQ lovers

To recommend someone for an interview and to reach Rabbi Werde, email [email protected]

Episode #47 Moshe Reuven Sheradsky “Running a company while being in Yeshiva”

Moshe is the Founder & CEO of Wedu inc a Tech Startup identified by Inc Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in 2018 and a potential Inc 5000 honoree. Moshe is also a member of the Forbes Tech Council Member Has been on the council for Young Entrepreneurs Council, an invite only organization dubbed as the Most Elite Entrepreneur Organization in America. In addition, Moshe is a writer for Live Kabbalah & Thrive Global, welcomed into Thrive Global’s team of Contributors by Arianna Huffington herself to speak on Kabbalah through a practical lens as well as my other writings. Moshe has a about a 100K Follower network, expected to reach nearly 200K by the end of the month.

In this interview Moshe shares:

• Being raised with the entrepreneur spirit
• Founding a tech company
• The importance of building a team
• How to raise capital
• The place of market research
• The power of delegation
• How to build a following
• The unique traits of today’s entrepreneurs

To recommend someone for an interview and to reach Rabbi Werde, email [email protected]

Danny Gavin has developed a reputation as someone who is highly motivated and provides results. He is a persistent and creative problem-solver who utilizes his extensive experience to strategically develop cutting-edge digital marketing campaigns.

Through his vast experience in the marketing and consulting realm, Danny has had numerous teaching opportunities, and is sought after for his uncanny ability to bridge the knowledge gap for executives and marketing professionals who are looking to develop and build upon their current internet marketing and digital analytics skills. Among his accomplishments, Danny has helped grow his family’s ecommerce business, Brian Gavin Diamonds, to the Inc 5000, as well as, Internet Retailer’s Top 1000 and 50 Fastest Growing E-commerce Companies. He has also consulted for an array of companies including Airswift, Brown-Forman, Workman’s Friend, Houston Public Media and Blinds.com. Danny is the founder and chief strategist at Optidge, a Houston based Internet marketing agency, and is an advisor to several startups. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Houston's C.T. Bauer College of Business teaching master’s level classes and executive education on social media and search engine marketing.

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In this interview Danny shares:

·        The power of internship

·        Traditional v/s Internet marketing

·        Facebook advertising

·        4 channel digital marketing strategy

·        The understanding the role of SEO

·        SEO ABC’s

·        Keyword research

·        Branded website vs Amazon

·        Smart website design

To recommend someone for an interview and to reach Rabbi Werde, email [email protected]

Yochanan is the CEO of PawnGuru a marketplace that interfaces between consumers and pawnshops. Active in alternative financial services for the last 10 years. Yochana founded Polter Financial Group in 2007, a asset manager for life settlement portfolios. Yochanan is also co-founder and managing partner of Accelerated Life Solutions, a national life settlement brokerage firm with offices in MI and FL.

In this interview Yochanan shares:

• Following the Yad Hashem
• Wearing your yeshiva education with pride
• Finding a gap in industry
• How to test your idea against the market
• How to bootstrap
• The understanding the role of SEO
• How to obtain funding for your startup
• Understanding the mindset of a VC
• The value of participating in a Accelerator

To recommend someone for an interview and to reach Rabbi Werde, email [email protected]

As Founder and President of JEG & Sons, Inc., Eli Nash offers more than a decade of e-Commerce and retail distribution experience. Recognized by business partners and colleagues as a visionary with a high degree of personal integrity, Eli is known for his leadership and development of powerful and influential teams. He currently resides in Miami. Active in the community and a generous donor who takes his involvement well beyond the financial, Eli supports causes such as education, prevention of child sexual abuse, and the larger Jewish community. 

Most recently, his founding of MicDrop by Rosh Lowe, a training and development program aimed at democratizing the skill of public speaking and the art of storytelling, has cemented Eli as a professional who has successfully bridged the gap between impact and business.

In this interview Eli shares:

• Tinkering around on eBay
• Behind the name JEG and Sons
• Coming to terms with expectations
• Importance of understanding your customer
• The connection between your personal issues and your business performance
• Transforming abusive experiences
• Invest in your employees
• Be realistic with your expectations for your business
• The transformative power of a story
• Using story telling to transform your business culture
• The power of storytelling to acquire new customers and build brand loyalty

To recommend someone for an interview and to reach Rabbi Werde, email [email protected]

Across more than 4 decades of his successful career Neil has worked for and led many major product corporations such as Mattel Toys, Rhino Records and Petmate. Neil has conceived of and brought to market products from across the spectrum of the consumer goods experience. Many of his products were carried nationwide in major retail and in-line outlets and grossed multi million dollars in sales. 

A dynamic, competitive hands-on professional with diverse experience in pet products, toys, music & recorded entertainment, and consumer products.

In this interview Neil shares:

• Always keep your career options open
• Never burn your bridges
• Lessons in growing too fast
• Importance of a mentor
• ABC’s of Product development
• Make sure your idea is not already out there
• Decide what you want to spend
• Understanding patents
• Non-disclosure agreements
• Licensing your product
• Understanding royalties
• Book to read: Idiots guide to selling your invention
• Don’t give up

Artisan Bakehouse Owner, Levy Krinsky started the bakery several years ago after a bread-making hobby, while working in real estate, turned into a full-time gig.

Krinsky wanted to utilize the front of his store which has a simple decor along with a long “L” shaped bar. His goal was to open a cafe that specializes in the finest homemade breads topped with the finest ingredients. And so the cafe was born.

In this interview Levi shares:

• Developing your hobby
• Running a commercial bakery
• Opening a restaurant
• Managing two businesses
• Introducing authentic Italian Pizza to NY
• Social Media Marketing
• The trials of a new business

After a spending a few years in the restaurant industry Levi turned his entrepreneurial spirit towards the hat industry. Feeling the frustration of spending so much money on a hat Levi began to explore the possibility of bringing a top quality yet more affordable hat to the market.

After much trial and error, the Bellissimo brand was born. With its focus on customer service and customizable option Bellissimo has take the market by storm.

In this interview Levi shares:

• Life in the restaurant industry
• Starting a hat company
• Deciding your companies’ position
• Investing in customer service
• The anatomy of a hat
• You can’t manage something that is not measured
• Social Media Marketing

Saul Friedman “Get your numbers right” In the four decades of his luminous career, thousands of clients have flocked to Saul Friedman, seeking his wise business counsel. Banks such as Chase and Merrill Lynch rank amongst the relationships he’s forged over the years. As Senior Partner of his well-established accounting firm, Saul N. Friedman & Company, he oversees more than 20 professionals, each of whom have established a solid reputation of excellence in servicing businesses beyond the books, providing tax strategies, offering a vast network of services and assisting clients to successfully navigate the business world.

In this interview Saul shares:

• Journey to becoming an accountant
• Calculation to start your own business
• Deciding your companies’ position
• The right way to hire long lasting employees
• Building your business on referrals
• When to bring family in business
• When to go into a partnership in business
• The importance of keeping good books in business
• Always take care of the middleman.
• Overview of the new tax law

To recommend someone for an interview and to reach Rabbi Werde, email [email protected]

The K-Factor podcast is produced by CHYE - Crown Heights Young Entrepreneurs in partnership with community news website COLlive.com. The K-Factor offers business wisdom that can help future business leaders to make the "Keli" (the Hebrew word for vessel) so they can grow their business aspirations. Episode #39: Dovid Teich  “Customers first” Dovid Teich is a 20 year veteran of the Dry Cleaning Industry. Early in his career after discovering his passion for the Retail industry and in delivering superior customer service, Dovid jumped on the opportunity to purchase his first dry cleaners store Regency Cleaners. With time Dovid expanded his business to many neighboring communities and today runs a dry cleaning network that extends from upstate NY to all the major jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

In this interview Dovid shares:

• Life in the Retail Industry
• Behind the scenes in the world of Dry Cleaners
• Dealing with Emergency’s
• To expand, get your business model right
• Treat your employees well
• The value of customer service
• The virtue of patience
• Auto debit some savings every month
• Investing basics