Latest / None of Your Business Podcast / Abbey Wolin From Paintbrush to Powerhouse
Transcript
- 0:00Jewish community in general is very entrepreneurial in spirit.
- 0:03On the flip side, when it comes to women, I see two things.
- 0:08But either they're very entrepreneurial in spirit and
- 0:10they're tough as nails, or they're sheep and they follow
- 0:15whatever Mower told them to do and whatever mommy and daddy
- 0:18told them to do. And then they get married and
- 0:20they do whatever their husband tells them to do.
- 0:22My message is to like, just wake up.
- 0:24Like, wake up. What do you want for your life?
- 0:27We talk about ROI return on investment.
- 0:30Well, what about ROI? Return on intention?
- 0:32It's Azar Connecto. Like, I literally couldn't do
- 0:35what I do today without my husband.
- 0:36I said he does laundry. He takes my kids to school every
- 0:39single day. I want to give women the
- 0:41education that they can do anything they want to do if they
- 0:45want to do it. If they don't want to do it,
- 0:47that's fine. They don't have to.
- 0:48None. Of your business Oshi.
- 0:52None of your. Business Michael, It's the None
- 0:54of Your Business podcast hosted by Michael Anoshi.
- 0:58Welcome back, everybody, to another amazing episode of the
- 1:02None of Your Business podcast. Thank you to the Prime Source
- 1:04production team. Thank you to our newest sponsor,
- 1:06Twillery. Oh, my gosh.
- 1:08Oh, She. You're wearing a Twillery shirt
- 1:10by chance? I did not plan this.
- 1:12That's amazing. Is that for real?
- 1:14Yeah, it's official. It's official.
- 1:16Guys, We're getting a check. We're getting a check and we're
- 1:18going to be getting clothing. This is not a Twillery shirt,
- 1:20which is why it doesn't look as good and I have to give it to
- 1:23the cleaners. But if I was wearing Twillery, I
- 1:27perhaps might look a little bit better.
- 1:28Yeah. What would you say you?
- 1:29Can use all the help you can get.
- 1:31So thanks, She, I appreciate that.
- 1:34Well, again, thank you to the Prime Source production team as
- 1:36well, and the Tullery people, Ellie, Melk, Bloomstein and
- 1:39Saki, who was the person that brought it up in our
- 1:41conversation on the podcast. They heard us, they reached out,
- 1:44and here we are today. So it's amazing.
- 1:46We love it. I'm excited.
- 1:47Yeah, they're actually opening up new stores.
- 1:49It's their new thing, you know, like Charles Truitt, like we
- 1:51have stores now, like, you know, and.
- 1:52They're they have one store now. They they're opening a store now
- 1:55in Lakewood and I think they're opening another store in Five
- 1:57Towns, which is pretty cool. Beautiful.
- 1:59So, yeah, we love their clothing.
- 2:00And Usher, you look great. Thank you.
- 2:02And I guess now I know why. And yeah, so we have with us a
- 2:08very special guest. The reason why I say special is
- 2:11because Ushi and I both share something together with this
- 2:14guest is that we don't know you. And the exciting part about this
- 2:18is that we're going to get to know you on the podcast.
- 2:21And welcome, Abby. Thank you for having me.
- 2:24We appreciate you being here. Abby Wollen.
- 2:26Am I saying that correctly? Amazing.
- 2:28Abby. You know, we have this thing
- 2:29that we do to get the guests and our listeners to get to know who
- 2:32you are. But the wonderful thing about
- 2:34this now is that we're going to get to know you as well.
- 2:36I did not read this yet. And that's the way I like to do
- 2:38it. So we printed out as a ChatGPT
- 2:40said. What about you?
- 2:42I'm a little afraid. Have you ever seen what ChatGPT
- 2:45has to say? I've seen what the Internet you
- 2:47know, has on me. I've been on, you know, social
- 2:50since its inception in 2009, so it probably has a lot of data.
- 2:54Is that a thing? Social inception was 2009.
- 2:56I didn't. Even know that Facebook I think
- 2:58was around maybe 2004 maybe. I don't remember.
- 3:03Don't quote me on that. That's OK.
- 3:05But in 2009 it asked me if I wanted to have a business page.
- 3:08So like I remember that pop up, coming up.
- 3:11Really. Yeah.
- 3:11And I said OK, I don't know what this is.
- 3:14And that's how I started my business.
- 3:15Why not, right? I don't remember a world without
- 3:17the Internet. I just don't.
- 3:19It feels like it's been around forever.
- 3:22Yeah, yeah. But, well, this is the next step
- 3:23of this is the soul shell. This is the world of Facebook
- 3:26and Instagram and all the other people Stefan's going to check
- 3:29for. Evan's Fact Check.
- 3:30Yeah, we could be. Very wrong.
- 3:31Be careful of what you say. It was 2009 when it asked me.
- 3:34I believe 2010 was when I started SO.
- 3:37Wow, OK, I don't remember dates like that, by the way.
- 3:39Good for you. I like that people remember
- 3:41those things. All right, ChatGPT says what?
- 3:45Let's see what we got here. She turned a paintbrush into a
- 3:50business plan and somehow made both look effortless.
- 3:55Yeah, wow. OK.
- 3:57What are they talking? About Well, I have no idea what
- 3:59I keep reading. OK, well, that's that's the
- 4:00first thing they say. We're gonna you're gonna get
- 4:02into that in a minute. Abby doesn't just paint mugs.
- 4:05She paints Rd. maps for women who want to crush it in
- 4:08business. Yeah, that's really good.
- 4:11So like consulting for women on business?
- 4:14So basically I started in my first company was campaigns and
- 4:17glassware. I sold it all over the world and
- 4:19glassware, I mean like pitchers, cake Dome salad bowls.
- 4:22And I sold this to stores. I, I did, I started on I'm from
- 4:27Long Beach, Long Island. So my sister had once said to
- 4:30me, Hey, do you want to come in, you know, sell your glassware
- 4:33that you've been painting, like, on a boardwalk?
- 4:35And I was like, OK, so, you know, they have like, a Long
- 4:37Beach has this art fair every summer.
- 4:39So I did, and I sold out that day.
- 4:40And I was like, maybe I have something.
- 4:42I started the circuit, you know, like, you go to all the Shoal
- 4:44circuits, like on Hanukkah and like, before the holidays.
- 4:47And one store came to me and said, hey, have you ever thought
- 4:49of wholesaling? And I was like, what's that?
- 4:52And then she kind of like taught me the business.
- 4:54This is Breezies in the Five Towns.
- 4:55And then from there, the company just grew.
- 4:57I was selling to like hundreds of stores all over the world.
- 5:00Wow, you're a teacher, an artist, a strategist, and an
- 5:04entrepreneur. Abby Wollen collects job titles
- 5:07like most people collect coffee mugs.
- 5:09This is true. By the way, Speaking of which.
- 5:11Entrepreneur. You are going to get our none of
- 5:14your business coffee mug, yes? It was already worth the trip,
- 5:17wasn't it? It was, but I also like that
- 5:19line. I need to steal it.
- 5:20You know what, you could take any of these and use it, but
- 5:23it's, I guess Chachi Peti gets used to it.
- 5:25I I tell it in advance, like, OK, this is the person's name.
- 5:28I have a segment called Chachi Peti said what?
- 5:30Give it to me and it just spits it out.
- 5:32Yeah, very good. And well, so far, it's positive.
- 5:34You never know what turn it might take.
- 5:35I don't know. She.
- 5:37A nasty turn. She built Not too shabby with
- 5:40the number 2, which is ironic because nothing about her hustle
- 5:43is shabby. What is that?
- 5:46My company was called Not too shabby.
- 5:47My mom used to. I have a sister named Shana.
- 5:49And so my mother used to like scream out like, you know, ETA
- 5:52Shana shabby. And so I became shabby, shabby
- 5:55Abby, I'm not shabby. But my mom used to call me that.
- 5:58Then I was like, oh, that's cute.
- 5:59I can call my company. Not too shabby.
- 6:00Yeah, that's not a bad twist on the word, especially with your
- 6:03name in. It we like that coming up with a
- 6:05name is not easy, not. Too shabby.
- 6:06Yeah, that's pretty creative. OK.
- 6:08I remember when we came up with the name of none of your
- 6:09business, it was like a name. Thank you.
- 6:12I appreciate that. And it was like a 10 hour
- 6:14brainstorm session with my neighbors and my family and some
- 6:16creative thinkers. And, you know, first we were
- 6:19going to do in your in the couch.
- 6:20That was like the first thing that we came up with.
- 6:23And then, you know, in your business and then it went to
- 6:25none of your business. That's how it evolved.
- 6:27But cool. So some people sell products.
- 6:30Abby creates movements and then teaches you how to scale them.
- 6:35Yep, Chachapiti really likes you.
- 6:38Yeah, it does. And how have you done that?
- 6:40So in about I think it was 2018, two thousand.
- 6:44Well, 2016 at at that point I got very overwhelmed.
- 6:49I was painting way too many pieces per week.
- 6:51I was almost like 500 pieces I had, I had about 6 employees.
- 6:55So you have to end your day like I would get glass from all like
- 6:58from China. It would come and I would have
- 7:01huge containers coming to my, my, my studio.
- 7:05And then every single piece of glass had to be checked when it
- 7:08came off the truck because you have to account for the broken
- 7:11pieces. And if it was sitting there for
- 7:13over a week, they would, you know, the, the distributor would
- 7:17say, oh, well, it could have broken in your place.
- 7:19So I had to count every single piece.
- 7:20We had to account for it. Fine.
- 7:21So now I have we, we take that off, we put it on the on the on
- 7:25the shelves. Then from there we have to clean
- 7:29every single piece. Every single piece has to be
- 7:31prepped that it has to be painted.
- 7:33Then it had to be clean. Oh fired.
- 7:35Then it had to be cleaned, then it had to be shipped.
- 7:38So we were selling so fast that let's say for example, on a
- 7:43Thursday, we would get everything to our stores because
- 7:45Sunday is a big day for stores. So we would get it to them by
- 7:48Sunday. Sunday they would sell out.
- 7:50They would put another order in on Monday and I was painting
- 7:52about 500 pieces a week. Yourself.
- 7:54You yourself were painting them. So like we would prep them so it
- 7:58would have like, let's say a background or would have like
- 8:00some sort of pattern in the back.
- 8:02And then I would paint the roses.
- 8:03I went through so many people trying to get them to learn how
- 8:05to make my roses and nobody could.
- 8:07It's mostly floral. The the geometric ones I could
- 8:09get people to do, but the florals, it was just, it was all
- 8:13me. And at the time, I also had one
- 8:15of my sons was going through a, a pretty difficult time at
- 8:18school and he was sent basically he, we, we moved in from one
- 8:23school to another school and then he ended up starting at
- 8:26another school, but they would only take him half day.
- 8:28And so now I have this child who is disruptive in a glass studio.
- 8:32How old was he? He was five.
- 8:34Oh boy. So that was like it was just
- 8:36very, very difficult. So now I'm having I have a child
- 8:38at home. I'm trying to build this
- 8:40business. My husband and I were actually
- 8:41passing ships in the night because I would get the kids off
- 8:43to school. I would then go to work.
- 8:45I would come home by three. I would that right, because all
- 8:47my kids were coming home. Then I would get them all the
- 8:49dinner, I would get them everything they needed.
- 8:51I would do homework with them. My husband would walk in at 7, I
- 8:53would go back to the studio, work there till 2 and then come
- 8:56back home. And he was getting up at like
- 8:58what, 5 to go to because he was, he's in construction.
- 9:00So he was up and out like very early in the morning and he
- 9:03would do Basika. And so like we were just passing
- 9:05ship in the night. My son was having these issues
- 9:08and my stores couldn't get enough of it.
- 9:10And so at some point I just said like enough, like enough, enough
- 9:15because I wasn't, I wasn't also making enough money.
- 9:18Like I was working so hard and I wasn't, the profits weren't as
- 9:23good as what it should be, right?
- 9:25If you're working that many hours and you're working that
- 9:27hard. And so I decided to do something
- 9:30called the 30 day challenge. And I was like, I'm going to
- 9:33figure out what's wrong with my business and I'm going to take
- 9:36you guys along the ride. I had followers and I had at
- 9:39that time Facebook had mitigated to or migrated to Instagram.
- 9:43So I'm on Instagram, I have about, I don't know, 4005
- 9:46thousand followers at the time. That was a lot like this was
- 9:49like a really early new, it was like 2015, 2016.
- 9:52And I'll never forget. I ended up getting online and
- 9:55talking about it openly about business.
- 9:57This was before you have to remember this.
- 9:59There was no education on YouTube.
- 10:00Nobody was talking about entrepreneurship on YouTube.
- 10:03And every person that I would go to in the woman who were in
- 10:06business, like asked some business questions, they were
- 10:08like, figure it out on your own. I figured it out.
- 10:11You'll figure it out. Like nobody would give me like,
- 10:14well, how do you look at like what are COGS?
- 10:16What are you know, how do I figure out how to price
- 10:18something? Did I even price it right?
- 10:20Like nobody would help me. My husband finally found
- 10:24somebody within our shul who would sit down and he was a man
- 10:27and he actually gave me a ton of support and a ton of help.
- 10:31And I vowed that I would never do that to another woman.
- 10:34That if that, if I would never gatekeep my knowledge.
- 10:37And so that's when I, I just started talking about it like,
- 10:40here's what I'm doing, here's what my pricing was.
- 10:42This is why I'm failing. This is why I need to fix and
- 10:45I'm going to do it. And all of a sudden I went from
- 10:474000 followers to 10,000 followers within like a month or
- 10:51two. And people were were just
- 10:53polishing for the knowledge. They just wanted to like, it was
- 10:57like almost like opening up the floodgates.
- 10:59And from there I started to do a business challenge with other
- 11:02women. And I started teaching them and
- 11:04I had workshops and I had classes and I started to pivot
- 11:06into this education piece. And at the same time, I grew my
- 11:10profits on my not too shabby business by 20%.
- 11:13So it was amazing and I wasn't working there all day and I was
- 11:17able to be home with my son and it was like I was able to like
- 11:20focus on him. And it just like the whole thing
- 11:22just opened up. I was like, wow, like, I really
- 11:24understand this and I need to get this back.
- 11:26And at the same time that that was happening, the Jewish woman
- 11:29entrepreneur Jwei don't know if you've ever heard of them.
- 11:32It's an organization for non for women.
- 11:36She came to me and she asked me Haya Haya Powell fisherman.
- 11:40She said to me, would you consider helping us run the new
- 11:44the conference in 2019? And I said, yeah, absolutely.
- 11:47Before that, I was, I was an educator.
- 11:49I was a teacher for 14 years prior to growing my own company.
- 11:52And I ran that conference. We had 500 women there and like,
- 11:57I was obsessed with it. I, I just, it was, it was
- 11:59amazing. We had all these women.
- 12:01I remember saying there's two things that I really want women
- 12:04to get #1 is I want to open up the floodgates of China.
- 12:06Nobody understands how to buy in China, how to sell in China, how
- 12:10to, how to get product from China.
- 12:12And we had somebody who literally told them everything
- 12:15from beginning to end. It was like amazing.
- 12:18And the other thing that I really wanted was a Shopify
- 12:20representative because Shopify was so new back then, but like
- 12:23it was the biggest e-commerce site and we had an actual
- 12:26Shopify representative come to conference and give a class and
- 12:30people were just, the women were just, I don't know.
- 12:34I don't know how to explain that they were like sponges, like
- 12:36just taking in the knowledge. And then from there, I helped
- 12:39the JWE find help. I helped them grow, get funding.
- 12:43I walked out and I built my own agency because what I heard from
- 12:46women mostly was, well, if I had more eyeballs on my product or
- 12:50service, I would make more money.
- 12:51And we all know that that's not necessarily true because that's
- 12:54only what marketing is only one tool.
- 12:56And but I figured maybe that was my way of getting more, like
- 13:00helping more people. And so I built a marketing
- 13:04agency because once I first, because I wanted to help more
- 13:08women grow their businesses. And second of all, once I did
- 13:11the conference, people just started like coming to me.
- 13:14So like Nivea or Shilayam, COVID hit, by the way, COVID hit in
- 13:172020. So that was right after the
- 13:18conference has to 24/7 came to me and said, hey, we need to
- 13:22raise $1.5 million. Will you help us?
- 13:25Well, really they needed to raise 1,000,000, but we've
- 13:27raised 1.5. We actually did Supermarket
- 13:30Sweep at Evergreen. We did like a huge celebrity
- 13:32like I don't have you ever watched Supermarket sweep in
- 13:35like the 90s? It was like my favorite TV show.
- 13:37When you were sick you would watch it.
- 13:38It was on TLC. It was a great show but
- 13:40basically you have like these guys and women they're like
- 13:42running down a supermarket with their like shopping cart trying
- 13:45to put things in. So we did that with heads
- 13:47turning 47 raised 1.5 million. Then template shop is of
- 13:50Rockland County came to me and they asked me if I would you
- 13:52know, help them, you know, do a campaign.
- 13:54I did that for them and then slowly but surely it's just like
- 13:57snowballed into like a, a, a, a fairly large marketing agency.
- 14:01And we work with some very big clients like American Dream, the
- 14:04Altair Hotel Yahad, which is under the OU so.
- 14:08I got. I got to be honest, I'm
- 14:09overwhelmed. You need to slow down.
- 14:12Wow, you're giving it to us all on one leg.
- 14:15You know we, we. That's great.
- 14:16It's great. It's fantastic.
- 14:18I'm. Thinking like, OK, now's the
- 14:19time when Oshi says slow down, Michael.
- 14:21It was in the tip of my tongue, but I was and one way I wanted
- 14:24to be respectful. And I also like you're on,
- 14:27you're on a roll, you're on fire.
- 14:29You're on fire right now. I don't want to stop you, but a
- 14:32part of me singing like I gotta remember that so I can come
- 14:34back. Like I remember that I heard
- 14:36like 3 or 4 different big things.
- 14:38No, this is. Great.
- 14:39It's great doing which is. Which is amazing and you're a
- 14:41powerhouse. You really are.
- 14:44Congratulations. And I'm like inspired by this.
- 14:48I'm motivated by what you're doing.
- 14:49I just want to go back to the office right now, go back to
- 14:51work. I'm like, what am I doing over
- 14:52here? Keep it to go around.
- 14:53Look what she's accomplished. I got a lot of catching up to
- 14:56do, but we we got to dial this back.
- 14:58We got to start somewhat from the beginning.
- 15:00We always say, what does the beginning mean?
- 15:02I don't want to hear when you were an infant.
- 15:03We want, we want to go back to when things somewhat got
- 15:06interesting for you, you know, when you started getting some
- 15:09notoriety in your life. You know, let's, let's take me
- 15:11back to the earliest thing you can remember.
- 15:12Who are you? Who is when?
- 15:14You When did you recognize that you were an artist?
- 15:16At what age did you start doodling?
- 15:19Crazy story, yeah. OK, so I was raised in LA, grew
- 15:22up in, in Los Angeles. I, my mother, OK, my father
- 15:28passed away when I was 11. My mother remarried when I was
- 15:3113. So we moved from LA to New York.
- 15:35OK, They had five, They had four kids.
- 15:37We had five kids. It became a Brady Bunch.
- 15:40Wow, you combined families now have nine kids?
- 15:43Nine people together moved to Long Island.
- 15:45Do you remember that time when your father passed away?
- 15:47Do you remember that? Oh, 100%.
- 15:49Yeah. Yeah, you.
- 15:49Remember the details you remember, how you felt and all
- 15:52of that. Yeah, I'm saying he, well, he
- 15:54was diagnosed when I was 6. So I remember him sitting down
- 15:57and telling us, you know, he has cancer.
- 16:01He had Melanoma cancer. He was a redhead.
- 16:03So everybody please like put your suntan lotion on.
- 16:06But yeah, so he he was diagnosed at, well, he died at 36.
- 16:10He was 36 years old, so really young.
- 16:12I gave him five years. So he was diagnosed at 32.
- 16:14Very, very young. Very young.
- 16:18I was 11 when he passed. My youngest brother was 1 so.
- 16:21Were you the oldest? No, I had an oldest, I have an
- 16:23old sister. One older sister.
- 16:25Yeah, one older sister, then a younger sister, and then two
- 16:27brothers and. And you were living in LA at the
- 16:30time we. Were living in LA.
- 16:31You were born there. That's where you're from.
- 16:32That's where your parents are from.
- 16:34I'm a Valley girl and I remember them just sitting us down and I
- 16:39thought it was like a stomachache.
- 16:40I didn't know the gravity of the issue.
- 16:44As he got sicker and sicker and sicker, it became pretty
- 16:48evident. Like there was, I mean, you
- 16:51know, there was just, there's a, there's a lot, there's a lot,
- 16:54which by which by the way, like as an adult, like you start to
- 16:57especially when you become a parent and especially when you,
- 17:00you, you know, like I'm way past that age now.
- 17:03But when you hit 36 and you're like, Oh my gosh, I live past my
- 17:06own parent. That's a huge, like huge
- 17:09milestone. And like a lot of child trauma
- 17:11comes out and you have to like deal with a lot of it a lot, a
- 17:15lot of it. But yeah, so I I my mother
- 17:19remarried. And when she remarried, he was
- 17:21also, we were we were all raised Besiakov.
- 17:23But when they remarried, they actually sat a sound and said,
- 17:27you know, I'm going to uncover my hair.
- 17:29I'm going to become, you know, more modern.
- 17:31Your mother. Your mother said that you can
- 17:33wear pants, you go to public school, whatever you want to do,
- 17:35you do. And I think it's because, like,
- 17:37all of us as children were just questioning and we were wanting
- 17:41more and, you know, different things.
- 17:43And at the time, like, I was always like a questioner.
- 17:46Like I was always like pushing boundaries like that.
- 17:49So my so I was like, oh heck yeah, this is awesome.
- 17:53Happened to be that my 8th grade teacher was from LA, her name
- 17:58was Shashonna Heyman. She she passed away.
- 18:02She was actually in the Sparrow attack.
- 18:03She was, she was, she was pregnant.
- 18:06She was four months pregnant. I remember that attack.
- 18:08Yeah. And she, she was four months
- 18:09pregnant. She passed away and it was
- 18:11devastating for me. But she was from LA.
- 18:13She actually knew about my dad. She knew that he passed away.
- 18:15And when she asked me in 8th grade, where are you going to
- 18:18school next year? And I was like a public school,
- 18:19probably because I didn't care at the time.
- 18:21I was like just trying to survive.
- 18:23And she was like, you are not going to public school.
- 18:25She ends up getting me in Hank Hebrew Academy, Manassa County.
- 18:27So I ended up going there and in around.
- 18:33That's a crazy story that we could bring in also.
- 18:35But what happened was that I was every summer I would go back to
- 18:37LA and I actually met my husband when I was 15 years old in LA.
- 18:42He's a city boy. I was a valley girl.
- 18:44He went to Yulah. We just randomly met.
- 18:46And I always say that his, my father was the shotgun because
- 18:50his father was my father's cancer doctor.
- 18:52And I remember meeting him when I was in second grade and he and
- 18:55I had like, pigtails. And he's like, oh, I have a son
- 18:58just your age. And I was like, oh, OK,
- 19:00whatever. Like, what are you supposed to
- 19:01say back? You're like 6 or 7 years old.
- 19:03Anyways, I meet him years later. We're 15.
- 19:06We're hanging out friends and like we became best friends and
- 19:10we would like see each other like every like, you know, like
- 19:14just twice a year, but we would talk on the phone all the time.
- 19:16I remember saying to him, remember what, you know, one day
- 19:19maybe we'll be able to see each other on a phone.
- 19:22But it's very hard to have like a a long distance relationship
- 19:25in general. And second of all, when you're
- 19:27in the Orthodox jewel, even if you're in a modern Orthodox
- 19:29Jewish school, like everyone's trying to break you up and
- 19:31everything but the ends up going to Israel.
- 19:33Got married at 19. The rest is history.
- 19:35We're been together for 29 years.
- 19:37But anyways I don't. I want to, I want to pause on
- 19:40that side. So what's your feeling on that
- 19:42in terms of teenagers and boys and girls and dating?
- 19:46You have any thoughts on that because you went through it?
- 19:48It's an interesting topic. It is, it's what's interesting
- 19:51is that my husband became is very, very like he's moved much
- 19:54more to the right and like it would not even be possible, like
- 20:00the way that we've raised our children.
- 20:01So we never really had that question like come to us.
- 20:04But I do believe that when you're soul mates like you, the
- 20:08the harder you push them apart, the more they're just going to
- 20:11want to come back together. So you have to give them
- 20:13freedom. That's the one thing that I say
- 20:15to my mom that I give credit to my mother because even though
- 20:17people were like questioning her, why did you like allow your
- 20:20kids to do what they did? That freedom allowed me to
- 20:23actually figure out who I wanted to be.
- 20:25Right, because the I'm, I'm, I'm such a resistor, like, you know,
- 20:29I'm always going to be pushing boundaries.
- 20:32So I do, I give her a lot of credit for that because when I
- 20:35ended up in Hank, it was an NCSY school.
- 20:38And through NCSY was able to like, really ask a lot of my
- 20:41questions and the teachers were prepared to answer those
- 20:44questions because a lot of those kids were coming from non from
- 20:47homes or questioning homes, you know.
- 20:51So, you know, even after like, I got married and I decided that I
- 20:55wanted to cover my hair, my mom was like, wait, why are you
- 20:57doing that? Like we decided this and I said,
- 20:59but that this is what I want from me.
- 21:01You know, like I remember when you covered your hair.
- 21:03I remember what my family was like.
- 21:05That's what I want, which was like, it was kind of like
- 21:08awkward. I will say that.
- 21:11But yeah, so I so basically my entire high school career, you
- 21:19asked me a question about art. My whole entire high school
- 21:22career was just trying to survive and I had a best friend
- 21:26and my best friend lives in LA. In 11th grade, I was given the
- 21:31opportunity to go. I was very much into music.
- 21:34Never picked up a pencil or paper yet at that point, but I
- 21:37was very, very, very into music as a pianist.
- 21:39And I don't know if you guys know this.
- 21:41The school fame, like the show fame, yes.
- 21:43OK, so I was. I want to live forever.
- 21:45Right. So I was, I was pitched, I guess
- 21:48to go to a performing arts school, was in Syosset Public
- 21:51School. I'll never forget, my husband
- 21:52said. Well, my boyfriend at the time
- 21:54said, if you go there, you will never be religious ever.
- 21:57Like so you know, you need to make that decision.
- 22:00And I remember thinking and then he said, oh, he'd said the thing
- 22:04that was such a country. He's like, what would your
- 22:05father want? That's not fair.
- 22:07That was not fair. That was not fair.
- 22:09So I stayed in Hank and I said, if I'm going to stay in Hank,
- 22:12then I'm going to really grow in my Yiddish right?
- 22:15Like I'm not going to like because I'm giving something
- 22:18else up. So if I'm going to give that up,
- 22:19then I've got to like really see like, is this really what I want
- 22:22for my life? And then in 12th grade, by that
- 22:25time I was friends with so many smarties like smarty pants, like
- 22:29they were all like going to like amazing schools.
- 22:32And I was embarrassed to kind of say like, I have really bad
- 22:34grades. I don't know where I'm going.
- 22:36So I was like, well, maybe I can go to college like on ability
- 22:39alone. And I was like, I know I'm not
- 22:40good enough for Juilliard like that.
- 22:41OK, so that's going to go off so, but I like I like to color.
- 22:45So maybe I could go to art school.
- 22:47You know what I was thinking? So I go to the principal and I
- 22:50said to him, I need to get into the art program because I have
- 22:54to pick a portfolio to get into college.
- 22:55And he said, well, you didn't take it in 11th grade.
- 22:57And I said to him, well, I don't care because I need a portfolio.
- 23:02So either you're going to let me in or you're not going to let me
- 23:04in. But like I've got a I'm making
- 23:07this portfolio, so you're going to help me or not.
- 23:09And he was like, fine, if the art teacher lets you in, I'll
- 23:13let you in. So I go downstairs.
- 23:14I walk down the stairs. I'll never forget it.
- 23:15I walk down the stairs, go to her class.
- 23:17She looks like Miss Frizzle, like big curly hair, like a like
- 23:21a flowy skirt. I walked in.
- 23:22I go, hi, I'm Missus Gottman. My name is Abby Chinsky.
- 23:25That was my maiden name. She goes, hi.
- 23:26I said, I, I am here. I have like all of these things
- 23:31I need to make for college for My Portfolio.
- 23:33Can I can I, can I come to your class And she's like, well, can
- 23:36I see your work? And I was like, I don't, I
- 23:39don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't have anything.
- 23:41And she said, well, have you ever like colored or like paint
- 23:46or like, have you ever picked up a pencil?
- 23:48And I was like, no. And she's like, I'll see you
- 23:51Monday. And I'll never forget that.
- 23:54She's like, I'll see you Monday. And I was like, OK, so I walked
- 23:57up to Rabbi Chamber and I was like, she said, I could go in.
- 24:00So he goes, OK, fine, you can go in.
- 24:02In that class. I had to tell you like I found
- 24:05myself like I just found myself in her class.
- 24:07She also gave it art history class.
- 24:09I made a portfolio, got into School of Visual arts and FIT
- 24:13Fashion Institute of Technology, the top 2 like art schools in
- 24:16New York City. And I used to like think like it
- 24:19was her, like she did this like she like she had said no, like I
- 24:23would have still made a portfolio probably might not
- 24:25have gotten in. But the truth is, is that I
- 24:27think there's a lesson for everybody because it really you
- 24:31have to be the catalyst for change.
- 24:33If you're not that catalyst, you're not going to like be able
- 24:36to manifest or get what you need or what you want.
- 24:39And so, like, I used to put so much stock in her and I and I,
- 24:42and now as an adult, I'm like, wow.
- 24:44Like I was the one who actually went in there and said, I want
- 24:47something more. I want something better.
- 24:48I want to be this. And so in the end, by the way, I
- 24:51ended up in UCLA design school because I married and I moved to
- 24:54LA. That's where we raised our
- 24:56babies. But yeah, wow, that's how I
- 24:58became an artist. That's where it all started.
- 25:00That's where it all started. You know, this is probably for
- 25:05the record, you're the 2nd guest that we had on that went to FIT.
- 25:08Just do you remember the other guest that we had on that also
- 25:11attended FIT? No, OK, you're the 2nd guest, I
- 25:13forget what her name is very early on in in.
- 25:16We had her on at the Bellworks. Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes.
- 25:21An older one. Designer.
- 25:22Yeah, Designer shifter. Yeah.
- 25:26Very nice, Stephanie. That's.
- 25:27Without chat chief PT Wow. I'm impressed.
- 25:29That's why you get paid the big bucks.
- 25:30Yeah, yeah, Yeah, exactly. But I have to say, this is
- 25:33you're probably one of the first guests that I can remember that
- 25:36we've sat this quiet for this long AM.
- 25:39I bored. Not to the contrary.
- 25:41To the contrary. Your story so far is, first of
- 25:44all, you remember things like as if it was yesterday.
- 25:47Your memory is very vivid. It's fascinating.
- 25:49Like I can't remember things from like a couple of weeks ago
- 25:52and you're talking about things from when you were a six year
- 25:55old to an 11 year old to 11th grade and, and remember all of
- 25:59these things. And you're absolutely right.
- 26:00You hit it on the mark. You were assertive.
- 26:03You actually went down to the teacher and and you imposed
- 26:06yourself on her. I want to be in your class.
- 26:08I don't have anything to show you, but I know I want to try
- 26:12it. And she was a conduit that
- 26:14helped you get into it. There's no question she gets
- 26:16credit. She was a passenger in your
- 26:18story, but you were the driver. You were absolute driving.
- 26:21This is for me. I'm taking away from this story
- 26:23what you're saying so far. If you want to get something
- 26:25done, you got to go out there and do it yourself.
- 26:27No one is just going to pick you up and lift you up and do it for
- 26:30you. There are people out there that
- 26:31can help. They'll support you.
- 26:33They'll be in your surroundings, but you own your own life.
- 26:37You got to take charge. And that's what you did.
- 26:39And I'm, I'm amazed by it. I'm not surprised now as much
- 26:43about everything else you've been saying about where you've
- 26:45gone and everything you've accomplished to see where it's
- 26:47coming from. I asked her.
- 26:48I said, bring me back to when this started.
- 26:50This is when it began for you of taking charge of your own life.
- 26:54So, so keep walking through it. So 11th grade, you took this
- 26:56class, you got up to college, you went FIT and you.
- 26:59Ended up in UCLA design school because I got married.
- 27:03I told my husband, I gave my husband, we were in Israel
- 27:06together. He he went to BMT and I went to
- 27:08Ohio. So I was on the top of the hill
- 27:10and he was in the bottom of the hill.
- 27:11And I said to him, either we get married or we break up because I
- 27:17mean, or we can like, you know, be together, but that's not
- 27:20appropriate. So you have, you have like
- 27:23really like you have two choices here.
- 27:24So and he was like, OK, we'll get married, but you have to
- 27:29give up at New York Art School like you're going to have to.
- 27:34Find he was from your husband at this time like he.
- 27:36Was yeah, yeah, yeah. He was raised very modern
- 27:37orthodox. So like his, you know, he went
- 27:40to EULA, went to Hilal. He his mother never covered your
- 27:42hair. So but I decided just to wear a
- 27:44shades all or cover my hair. He was like, what are you doing?
- 27:46Get that off your head. So why did you decide to do it?
- 27:48Your mother didn't do it. You didn't grow up that way
- 27:50towards the end, your husband, your future husband, didn't have
- 27:53that expectation. Why was this?
- 27:55It was important to me because I felt like it.
- 27:59OK, so first of all, covering your hair is for you.
- 28:01It's for you as a woman. And it, to me, it felt like it
- 28:05wasn't that a symbol of, oh, I'm married.
- 28:08It was a symbol of there's something special that needs to
- 28:11be covered. There's something special
- 28:13inherent inside of me that only you as my husband get to see.
- 28:17And that was like very, very important to me, I think.
- 28:19And I also really it's it like it's symbolized to me the status
- 28:25of what I was going to, you know, be moving forward now, it
- 28:29was a much longer journey. For example, like I only started
- 28:32covering my hair with a hat and I had some hair out.
- 28:36Then it turned into, oh, let's, you know, put on a shade.
- 28:39So, oh, then it turned in, you know what I'm saying?
- 28:40Like it evolved. It was, it was evolved.
- 28:42It totally evolved. Like I used to wear short
- 28:45sleeves and short skirts. But like, I think that evolution
- 28:48of growth is, is what we're all doing in some way, right?
- 28:52Like, we're all about Chuvas in some way, right?
- 28:55It's just a matter of how awake you are or not.
- 28:57Yeah. So overall, you were observant.
- 29:00It's not like you were overall, and this wasn't something that
- 29:03you grew up with, but you felt connected to it.
- 29:05You felt like it meant something to you personally and it was
- 29:07important to you. So you decided you're going to
- 29:09cover it. So you guys get married.
- 29:10OK. And then what happens?
- 29:13Well, so we're living in LA. We were.
- 29:15We had two children and I was a teacher.
- 29:19You're not yet exploring your creative side.
- 29:21You don't right now have no business at this point.
- 29:23You're a housewife and and you also have a job as a T-shirt.
- 29:26Yeah, I guess so. OK.
- 29:27And my husband has always been the housewife.
- 29:29I always say like, don't like everyone always like how how do
- 29:32you do everything? And I I really haven't as a
- 29:35connector because my husband, I don't know how to do the dishes.
- 29:37I don't know how to do the washing.
- 29:39I don't know how to clean. I don't like or you say you
- 29:41don't. No, I you still.
- 29:42Don't till today. No, my husband, I'm not joking.
- 29:45He does laundry. I'm just reminding myself of
- 29:47this, you know, Everybody Loves Raymond episode when he got love
- 29:50that show, he gets caught doing the dishes because he really
- 29:52wanted it. Yeah, she's like, exactly like,
- 29:56But it's OK. Well, your secrets, it's good.
- 29:58It's good. And like thousands of other
- 30:00people. On this podcast, yeah, no, but
- 30:01he does a lot like he does he he really manages the home.
- 30:04He's a really good home manager where I'm just very, he's very
- 30:07type A where I'm more like just I'm an artist.
- 30:09I'm like all over the place. So he is, he's, it's so good
- 30:12because he's like really grounds, you know, the home so
- 30:15that I'm able to like get what I need to get done.
- 30:19So he's working also at this time, yeah.
- 30:20Yeah, yeah. OK.
- 30:21So he, he was in, he was apprentice as a in contracting
- 30:24in in LA. You have to have four years of
- 30:26construction before you can get a license.
- 30:29So he was, he was working on that.
- 30:31I was a teacher. Now what happened was is that,
- 30:34mind you, I still don't have, I don't have bachelor's like I
- 30:36have no, like, you know, I'm in college for art school, but I
- 30:41ended up working at, at a school at Hillel and I was like, you
- 30:46know, the roaming substitute. And then what happened was, is
- 30:48that in LA they don't have like special needs classes.
- 30:52They just didn't have it at the time.
- 30:53We're talking like, we got married in 2000.
- 30:55So 2001, 2002. Like early on, this wasn't like
- 30:58such a big thing in LA. In New York, it was starting up,
- 31:00but back in LA it wasn't. And he's like, I have a few
- 31:03girls that are in need of some support.
- 31:06Could you support them? I was like, OK, like, yeah,
- 31:08sure. So I ended up going into special
- 31:11Ed. And because I was kinesthetic, I
- 31:13was a kinesthetic learner. So I taught, taught these kids
- 31:16like how to learn, like through activities, through art, through
- 31:20projects, through all these things.
- 31:21And they loved me. So I ended up becoming the 5th
- 31:23grade W teacher from that. I ended up doing like all
- 31:26different Jewish studies. And then I ended up taking a job
- 31:31with nursery school in my mommy's, which was totally
- 31:33different. And then we ended up deciding to
- 31:35leave LA. My mother ended up getting sick.
- 31:38She was diagnosed also with like a like AB cell lymphoma.
- 31:42And I was like, I don't want my kids to not know my mom.
- 31:45Like, you know, they didn't know my dad.
- 31:47I don't want them to not know my mom.
- 31:48Let's move back to the East Coast.
- 31:50So. So you solely for her, you move
- 31:52back. Yeah, we saw like we moved back.
- 31:54I said to, you know, also Lai, love Lai.
- 31:58Like, I would move back in a second, my husband would move
- 32:02back in a second. Also.
- 32:03It's very, very expensive. Yeah #1 #2 is our whole family
- 32:07was in in New York. So we ended up moving back and
- 32:11we ended up settling in Passaic. And we were in Passaic for 18
- 32:14years. That's where we raised all of
- 32:15our children and. Where did your mother live?
- 32:18My mother lives in Long Beach. And Long Beach and you moved to
- 32:20Passaic? Yeah.
- 32:21And it was actually a really good thing that we did because
- 32:26over the next couple years, my stepfather, who they were, they
- 32:29were married for 18 years. He ended up having cancer and he
- 32:33passed away. I'm sorry, he also had cancer.
- 32:35Yeah, he passed away and a year later my older sister passed
- 32:39away from autoimmune disease. I think that at that point, that
- 32:43was like probably the hardest thing that I ever went through
- 32:46because like my sister was my everything exceptionally close.
- 32:51And not only that, but she got me through my daddy's death.
- 32:54Like we were like, we were in it together, you know what I'm
- 32:56saying? Like we also had all the
- 32:58memories and we would, you know, where she where she would tell
- 33:01my brothers like everything and remind them of everything.
- 33:04I was like the closed person, you know, like when you go
- 33:06through all like, you know, like you have Holocaust survivors,
- 33:09one of them is like very much like, let's talk about it.
- 33:11Let's then. Some are shut off and.
- 33:13Some are totally quiet. I'm the quiet one.
- 33:15I went through it, I lived it. I don't know what else needs to
- 33:18know about it, right? Whereas my sister was like, no,
- 33:21if we don't talk about it, no, like they will not know about
- 33:24it. So they.
- 33:24Have to live through our memories, yeah?
- 33:26Yeah, so she was like, it was so good because like she was, she
- 33:29was that for me. And then she, she,
- 33:31unfortunately, she passed away. How old was she?
- 33:33When she said. She was 35.
- 33:36She was not married. She didn't have any kids, like
- 33:38my kids were her kids, Like, you know, we were.
- 33:40We were very, very close. So I'm glad that we moved to the
- 33:42East Coast because, you know, at the time it was very, very
- 33:45important. My mom, by the way, remarried
- 33:49five years later and she's so happy, lives in Baltimore.
- 33:52Like, you know, some people can't find one.
- 33:54She found three. And it's it's really like, it's
- 33:56amazing. It really is amazing.
- 33:58My mother is like the strongest person I know.
- 34:00Like really really. Yeah, she's been through a lot.
- 34:032 husbands who died untimely and in a in a tragic way, yeah.
- 34:08Yeah. That's tough.
- 34:10So you're back in Passaic now. And by the way, you're going
- 34:14through all these traumas, I'm sorry for you.
- 34:17Which makes it even more impressive of everything else
- 34:20that you went on to accomplish. And despite everything that
- 34:24happened to you, a lot of people would have folded 3-4 times over
- 34:27a lot earlier than you did. But you apparently used that as
- 34:30fuel and apparently you you got stronger from it.
- 34:33Well. You have to because you have to
- 34:35think, OK, so you're thinking to yourself, I'm not dead, right?
- 34:39Like all these people like you, you kind of, like, become very
- 34:42desensitized about death when there are so many people dying
- 34:45around you. OK?
- 34:45So you have to think to yourself, OK, so I'm on this in
- 34:49this world for a reason. I'm in this world for a reason.
- 34:52So why am I here? Why am I here?
- 34:55So if you're constantly asking that question to yourself, it
- 34:58starts to wake up something in you that's saying, well, what is
- 35:01my top kid? What am I supposed to fulfill
- 35:03here? Do I want my legacy to be that I
- 35:05have a marketing agency? Or do I want my legacy to be
- 35:07that I actually help entrepreneurs do something
- 35:10right? Do I want to light that?
- 35:11How do I want to light them up? What do I want to do?
- 35:13How like is my top kid for my children?
- 35:16Yeah, of course it is for my children.
- 35:18But what? Is there something else, right?
- 35:20Some people, yes, some, some people know.
- 35:22But the question is, is like, what are you here for?
- 35:25And so if that's like for me, I guess that's just like the, the
- 35:30rolling narrative in the back of my head is why am I here?
- 35:33Like why am I still here, right? That's your trigger, yeah.
- 35:37That's a huge trigger for me, so.
- 35:40So when's the first time you decide that you're opening a
- 35:42business? Like talk to me about that when
- 35:44that started unfolding for. You OK, so every summer here's
- 35:47the thing, like you know, as a teacher, you're off on break
- 35:50right in the summer and that gives you time to like be a
- 35:53little creative, figure things out.
- 35:55So like I every summer I would learn a different craft. 1
- 35:58summer I decided to learn how to paint on glass and from there it
- 36:04just I don't know I again as I said before, it's just like it's
- 36:07snowballed. I went to this art show and then
- 36:09that's just it's snowballed. But like also like fun fact,
- 36:12like people found me through other ways.
- 36:14So for example, like Catcher Judaica, which is the number one
- 36:19Yamaka and sits this company, you know, Catcher Judaica.
- 36:22Sure. I painted all their Yamakas for
- 36:24like 3 years. Like all the little fire trucks
- 36:27and all the little cars and all the little like.
- 36:29Like the painting. I know what you're talking.
- 36:30About I literally painted all of them in my.
- 36:32House. In my house in Passaic.
- 36:35And then I would drive them over.
- 36:36I would ship them over. Like my husband used to say,
- 36:38it's like elves, you know, like, because they were all over our
- 36:40couches, all over our tables, because like you had to like it
- 36:44takes up a lot of service space. And then as it was interesting,
- 36:48like as my sister was getting sicker, we were like, I have to
- 36:51get out of my basement and I need to get a space.
- 36:54And at the time I had AI had a business, like a consultant
- 36:58within the community and that my husband I found and he was
- 37:02advising me to, to, to get an actual location, a studio space.
- 37:07And I was like, really, really afraid.
- 37:08Like I was really, really afraid.
- 37:09And it was at my sister Sloshim that my brother read a note
- 37:15about how my sister was like, I'm gonna like, every set back
- 37:18is a comeback. And like, you know how you have
- 37:21to like, really push forward? And it was her note that
- 37:23actually gave me the confidence to like sign on the dotted line
- 37:28on my leave. Take a chance.
- 37:29Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so that's when I opened up a
- 37:32studio space. So the back was manufacturing in
- 37:35the front was like a paint your own studio.
- 37:36So like, you know, like how you can go paint pottery, right?
- 37:39This was paint glass so. Do it yourself in an activity
- 37:42for kids. So what does this mean?
- 37:43Painting on glass? Just give me a visual of that.
- 37:45Paint me a picture, no pun intended.
- 37:47What does that? Mean like, think about it as
- 37:49like a pitcher, OK? And the pitcher has roses all
- 37:52over the pitcher it's painted. So it's hand painted.
- 37:54It's hand painted versus like embroidering it on through a
- 37:57machine. Well, you can't embroidery
- 37:59glass. Not embroidery.
- 38:00I know what the right word is for glass.
- 38:02Like you could do a silk screen. So if you go to China and you
- 38:06like, for example, if you go to target and you see lemons on a
- 38:08pitcher that was silks like it's a screen on it, right, Right.
- 38:12They screen printed. This is not screen printing.
- 38:14This is actually taking your hand brush and painting it.
- 38:17Now you could go to China and you could have them do the
- 38:19painting, but it's going to look very different.
- 38:21And what my my people loved was that they could get roses in
- 38:25purple, they could get roses in silver.
- 38:26They could they could get stuff that like if you have a store
- 38:30that's on 13th Ave. and then you have other store that's on 16th
- 38:33Ave. and they could go to either store.
- 38:35Well, why are they coming to them over the other one?
- 38:37Well, they have the purple roses, but the other one only
- 38:40has the green roses, whatever it is, right.
- 38:42So like they used it to one up each other, but it made me crazy
- 38:45because I was like literally at the whim of these people.
- 38:48What I did was is I switched it and I said this is what I have,
- 38:52take it or leave it. These are my skews this.
- 38:54Is these are my skews. I was like, because it was
- 38:57making me crazy and then and then and then I and then I
- 39:00looked around and it was like, what do other people do?
- 39:01Oh, they have skews. Oh, dummy, like just make it
- 39:04like that and you're. Figuring it out as you're going
- 39:07100%. You're working very hard, but
- 39:08you're not working very smart. And, you know, you have a lot of
- 39:12demand for your product and you're just, you're not
- 39:14monetizing. Your margins aren't great.
- 39:17And you know, you're not making as much money as you as you
- 39:19could be. And you needed help.
- 39:21You needed guidance there that was willing to take you under
- 39:23their wing. And finally, you found this guy
- 39:26you mentioned from your shul. Yeah, he sat you down and, you
- 39:29know, he made a business plan for you, I guess, and you
- 39:33decided I want to do this for other people, other women that
- 39:37are struggling, that don't have the same resources maybe as the
- 39:40men do, because it's much harder for them to find another man to,
- 39:44you know, have their relationship with.
- 39:46So you're doing a woman to woman, which is fantastic.
- 39:49So tell me a little bit about this business first, like in
- 39:52your peak, in your peak of this business, like what, what was
- 39:56the revenue looking like? Like how many stores were you
- 39:58supplying? Tell me a little bit about the
- 40:00business, OK, When it was really doing well, When it was really
- 40:03doing well, we were about like. 9090 to 95 stores all over.
- 40:08We did like my favorite was we did the Washington Zoo, like the
- 40:11National Washington Zoo. So I would make like cheetah
- 40:14prints and we did cheetah and giraffe like that was like fun.
- 40:19Like they would sell it in their souvenir shop I guess.
- 40:21Souvenir shop. Yeah, that was really and we
- 40:22would do that. I did New York now show, you
- 40:24know, at the Javits. I did the America's Mart in
- 40:27Atlanta. I did I I was in Las Vegas at
- 40:30their home show. Like I would just go from and
- 40:32who's doing all these sales? Like who's who's I?
- 40:33Did it. So you were doing everything.
- 40:35So you're actually making the product.
- 40:37You're a sales and marketing, you're a finance.
- 40:40You're everything. I was, I was everything.
- 40:42I was like everybody. And then my team, I had a team
- 40:45of five people, but they would, they would ship it, they would
- 40:48prep it, they would get the glass ready.
- 40:49They would do everything that I needed so that I could just come
- 40:52in and paint the glass. They were doing the packaging,
- 40:53they were doing everything so like.
- 40:54That's why when I would. Come in at like 7:00 at night
- 40:57till like 2 AMI was painting all the roses because during the day
- 41:01I was doing all the business, you know, I was making sure I
- 41:03was doing invoicing, I was doing marketing, I was talking to my
- 41:06followers, whatever it was. I do know that I went once to a.
- 41:10Young Israel event where they had like almost like a market of
- 41:13different booths of people selling their things.
- 41:16And you mentioned it earlier, So what if someone has a product or
- 41:20a service or something they want to, how do they find out about
- 41:22these things? Where do they?
- 41:23There's a circuit. So all you can do is find out
- 41:25about. One and then it connects and
- 41:27then you connect to all the. Other ones because then.
- 41:29You find out, OK, where are you going next?
- 41:30Oh, I'm going to Teaneck next. And you're like, oh, can you
- 41:33send me the information? And then they send you the like,
- 41:35they'll give you the information.
- 41:36Nobody, nobody's in competition with each other because usually
- 41:40the way that the shows work is that if someone is selling, I'm
- 41:42just giving you an example, if somebody sells hats, they're not
- 41:44going to have another hat vendor.
- 41:46So you always don't have to worry.
- 41:48One per category, right? And it's funny by the.
- 41:50Way you should just know. That you never know.
- 41:52You never know where one thing is going to lead you.
- 41:54Because my, my favorite show, my favorite, favorite show that I
- 41:59always did was in Washington Heights at Breyers.
- 42:04And Aviva Gramazian ran that event every single year.
- 42:08And years, years, years later, when I had my marketing company,
- 42:11she came to me and said, we're thinking about opening up a
- 42:14department store at American Dream.
- 42:16Would you help U.S. market it? And I said to her, why are you
- 42:19picking me? Like I work with nonprofits.
- 42:21So because I know you, I trust you and I've watched you grow
- 42:25and I know you can do this. And then we launched the address
- 42:28at American Dream. Like that was our project.
- 42:30Like, so you never know what like literally little things are
- 42:35going to get you to like your next level.
- 42:37So I run the entire social media department.
- 42:39So I for the American Dream Mall, needless.
- 42:42To say what I do is. I oversee all the social
- 42:45departments so we oversee like so we do all the content for
- 42:49Instagram, Facebook X TikTok and LinkedIn and then we do all of
- 42:57their organic content, paid content and earned media.
- 43:01So all of like different celebrities that are coming in,
- 43:04which is very cool by the way, cuz we're always have you gotten
- 43:06to meet anybody So like we. Had Jonas Brothers.
- 43:09That's cool. That's super cool.
- 43:10Yeah. Did you meet them?
- 43:12I didn't. I got very close, OK.
- 43:14But I got very close. Good.
- 43:15I got close to them then. Yeah, I was gonna say.
- 43:17Actually. Actually.
- 43:20We actually did meet one of the Jonas Brothers, Michael and I.
- 43:23We were on the same flight. Oh, yeah.
- 43:25Which one? As one of the I Was it Nick?
- 43:27It was Nick. I think it was Nick, yes.
- 43:29We were so excited. Yeah, we were coming from.
- 43:31Arizona, We were trying to play a.
- 43:32Cool though, you know you ever see like a?
- 43:33Celebrity and you're like nothing like 2 seats behind him
- 43:35yeah and. Like every time he got up, like
- 43:38we leaned over to look where he's going, what he's doing.
- 43:40Oh, he's just waiting for the bathroom.
- 43:41You know, it was, it was very like the feeling of like of a
- 43:46famous person, like a celebrity. Yeah, to just feels like you're
- 43:50amongst greatness. Even though they're just like
- 43:52us. They're literally regular.
- 43:53They're literally regular. Literally regular in some.
- 43:56Cases. They're actually.
- 43:56Worse than us, you know, we have a view that they always say
- 44:00don't meet your your heroes like don't meet them because then
- 44:04you'll realize Oh my God, they're actually not as good as
- 44:06I thought they are right, right, right.
- 44:07They're actually worse off but anyway, so so you're doing all
- 44:10the social media for American dream all which is fast.
- 44:13I'm curious what which? Platform, do you feel like in
- 44:16today's world, social media, like you said 2009 till now, so
- 44:19much has happened, it's got to be instant.
- 44:20What you know, it was probably no, that's what I want to ask
- 44:23you. I'm curious, can you break it
- 44:24down for us for just a minute? OK, let's touch on this topic of
- 44:27where's the most interaction exactly for a business to
- 44:30promote Dream up for general, I guess a little bit of both.
- 44:32Just educate us A. Dream and then in general
- 44:34you're. Like give me all the.
- 44:36Secrets. Yes, yes, yes, by.
- 44:39The way is it may you can by. The way you can always use this
- 44:41term if you'd like when. We ask you a question.
- 44:43Yeah, but you get to use it once only.
- 44:45That's it. Yes, that's our rule.
- 44:48You should have told me that. Before, Sorry.
- 44:49Yeah, yeah. We didn't even prep.
- 44:51Yeah. Yeah, no.
- 44:52OK. So.
- 44:54Needless to say, what was I? What was I saying?
- 44:56We were saying, oh, social media about American Dream.
- 44:59OK, so each place is very different.
- 45:01It depends on the the demographic or the population.
- 45:05So like, for example, X is very male heavy, where Instagram is
- 45:08much more female heavy, right? So whereas Facebook is much more
- 45:12family friendly. So each one has to speak to a
- 45:14different demographic. I will say this just in general,
- 45:18because I think it's important to note is, is that the way that
- 45:20the, the platforms work for Instagram versus TikTok is that
- 45:25when you go on to the Instagram page, the first thing you see
- 45:28are the people you follow. It's called the news feed.
- 45:30And you're going to see every single person that you follow
- 45:32and you're going to get to know, you know, what they did today,
- 45:35what they posted today. And some of it will be like,
- 45:37because Instagram has changed and evolved, you'll get some
- 45:40things that are like like referred to you or like they
- 45:44think you're going to like it. So it's like kind of like new
- 45:46stuff, right? But mostly it's the people that
- 45:49you follow TikTok. However, the minute you get into
- 45:53that app, all you're seeing are new stuff and you actually have
- 45:56to go to another page to see who you follow.
- 46:01Very interesting so far. Keep going, you.
- 46:03Actually have to make the step to go.
- 46:04To the city that you're following.
- 46:06So what happens is, is that you are actually put in front of
- 46:09people that have no clue who you are on TikTok, which is why you
- 46:13can grow a lot faster, a lot faster.
- 46:16So Instagram I always say is kind of like playing the long
- 46:19game cuz you have to start creating content.
- 46:22Now they started something called trial reels.
- 46:24So you can post it and it'll only go to people who do not
- 46:28follow you. Like it will never send you.
- 46:32It will never send a post to somebody who's following you.
- 46:36It's called trial reels. So you can, you can do that And,
- 46:39and some people have got gained a lot of followers that way just
- 46:41doing trial reels because it's going out into like the, the
- 46:45metaverse, whereas TikTok is really, really, you know, where
- 46:49you can actually gain a lot of new followers.
- 46:50Now The thing is, is that you have to really know who you're
- 46:53trying to talk to and you're, you have to know who you're
- 46:55trying to get in your followership, right?
- 46:59So like some people say like I want a million followers or I
- 47:02want 30,000 followers or I want 100,000 followers.
- 47:05Well, are there that many people in your actual demographic that
- 47:08you can sell to or that are really interested even in your?
- 47:11How big is that community even? Well, having a having a mall.
- 47:15Like American Dream is must be fun because there's so many
- 47:18different demographics, right? There's there's so right caters,
- 47:20Yeah, yeah, you. Have to really know.
- 47:22Every platform really. Well, because yes, you got to
- 47:25get them into this store and that store and that your
- 47:27favorite platform. I mean.
- 47:30I'm an old jeer, so I like Instagram.
- 47:33I just find it more safe and more, I don't know, it feels
- 47:37like coming home or TikTok is a little scarier.
- 47:39Do you have your own following on Instagram?
- 47:41Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
- 47:42How many followers do you have? How many followers do I have?
- 47:46You don't know Something like 20. 4000.
- 47:49Oh, that's okay. We almost had a.
- 47:51Thousand yeah are. We really.
- 47:53Yeah. Your social media, okay, it's
- 47:55been a month, okay. How do your social media.
- 47:57The thing is, is that. Like, you know, for the last few
- 48:01years I've been really working for other people.
- 48:03So like I've been building their platforms.
- 48:05So a lot of my friends have like 50-60 seventy 100 and I'm still
- 48:10at 24 and like I'm I and I don't compare myself at all, but like
- 48:13I just having you're doing this for a living, right?
- 48:15It's the old ad the. Shoemaker goes shoeless with
- 48:17torn shoes 100% but I also will say that.
- 48:20The people that I have met in entrepreneurs, women
- 48:22entrepreneurs who are actually making millions of dollars, they
- 48:25don't even have a presence. Wow.
- 48:27They just don't. By the way, you're almost at
- 48:2925,000 so. Congratulations to you.
- 48:31That's fascinating. And and to your point, you know,
- 48:34as an influencer, you know, you can keep growing your brand, but
- 48:38you've taken it to the next level.
- 48:39You've turned it into a business already.
- 48:40So you have your agency and you know, kudos to you for that.
- 48:43Thank you. Give me some of your successes
- 48:45that you've done for others, like taking them to a next level
- 48:48and how you've done it. I think my husband hassa 20. 4/7
- 48:51was one of my favorite things, like in the entire world because
- 48:54I had gone to that. It was crazy because when my
- 48:57sister was so sick she was in a coma for eight months.
- 48:59We were at the Hased room in Columbia for like 8 months.
- 49:04So for those that don't know, Hassa 24/7 does.
- 49:06Oh, they support. They put the.
- 49:08Food in all of the Beaker Holum rooms, I guess you call them
- 49:10beer Holum rooms, but they're called Hassid rooms and they are
- 49:14in 21 hospitals around the tri-state area.
- 49:16So if you ever go into Hackensack or you're at
- 49:18Columbia, they are there that that's what they do.
- 49:22And it was so bad their their branding was so bad that people
- 49:27would give checks to beaker Holland as opposed to 24/7
- 49:30because they didn't know who was actually supplying the food.
- 49:33So that was like one of my favorite things because we
- 49:35really put them out there and on the map.
- 49:37And now you see like, I mean, here in the tri-state area, you
- 49:40see like every summer they do the 9 days event where like
- 49:43there's this big sign and they do the shop is in a box and like
- 49:47like those types of things. Like it propelled them.
- 49:49Like I always say, like marketing is not a roller
- 49:51coaster. Like you shouldn't be like, like
- 49:53doing a campaign and then hiding or going back and fighting the
- 49:56good fight and taking the money to go do what you need to do
- 49:59because and then coming back when you need money again.
- 50:01Like, that's not how it works. You got to stay top of mind.
- 50:04Yeah. It has to be like step.
- 50:05Consistent, so you get. Them up, right?
- 50:07Then you nurture, then you go up and then you nurture.
- 50:09And you can actually see that analytically, if you are, you
- 50:14know, tracking data, you can actually see that they're
- 50:17growing year over year. That's very hard.
- 50:19You got to always up. Yourself level up every time.
- 50:23Exactly. You're setting the bar high.
- 50:24I'm I'm just curious about something.
- 50:26Yeah, random, but about has the 24/7.
- 50:28So they're doing the meals at these hospitals.
- 50:30There are other organizations that do other hospitals, but
- 50:32they're committed to their well, they support the the.
- 50:35Beaker, Holland Broom. Oh, I see.
- 50:37OK, so Beaker. Holland secured the room and
- 50:40they're bringing in the food and.
- 50:42Right. So like, for example, in
- 50:43Columbia, Yeah. Beaker Holm, I believe, was
- 50:46giving food to my sister, but they were not filling the room
- 50:50up in Beaker hole in the actual room like the founded room.
- 50:54They are they're they're the husted rooms.
- 50:56Great. I've been to a lot of these
- 50:58rooms. And they're lifesavers,
- 51:00literally, and which is amazing. Do they have things that they
- 51:03put for Shabbos? I'm just curious like, you know,
- 51:05like pamphlets, you know, like you go in shul and you have like
- 51:08so many different options of pamphlets for Shabbos.
- 51:10Do you know if the if anyone does that, like do the
- 51:13fundraisers don't you ask? No, if they put out.
- 51:14Pamphlets in these I. Told them I gave them my idea.
- 51:18And I'm waiting for. I'm like, let's do it, let's
- 51:20hear it now where we put an. IPad in there?
- 51:23And the iPad basically because that way you can get like a
- 51:26donation right then and there, but basically would ask for the
- 51:29name so that they could dive in so that people who are
- 51:31supporters of class of 24/7 could dive in.
- 51:34Like they could have a like a hula list.
- 51:36And then after you put your person's name in that you want
- 51:40to have that and it would ask you for $18.00 donation or $36
- 51:44donation because people want to put their names in if they're in
- 51:47the hospital and they're sick, right?
- 51:50And I'm waiting for them to do that because I think it's a
- 51:52really good idea. Because then now you're also
- 51:54asking for their e-mail, right? So now you have an e-mail list.
- 51:57Now you can go back to them and when you're having your
- 52:00campaign, you can go back and I like the way your mind thinks
- 52:03when it comes to. These creative ideas of
- 52:06marketing, she's a marketer. That's what she built, is there?
- 52:08Is there a company that. You see a lot and you say I want
- 52:12to do something with that company so badly and I have this
- 52:14idea. So yes and no.
- 52:15But it's funny. I had a conversation.
- 52:17Because you guys are in the. What is it?
- 52:19Healthcare, right? Yeah.
- 52:20Nursing homes, Yeah. OK.
- 52:21So I had a really interesting conversation with somebody about
- 52:24nursing homes and they were like, well, they don't really
- 52:25need social media. And I was like, yeah, they do.
- 52:28Of course they do. And they were like, no, they're
- 52:31like the demographic is older people.
- 52:32I'm like, who do you think is going into the nursing home in
- 52:35the next 20 years? Like it's us who are on social.
- 52:38So if you don't start it now, you are going to be so behind
- 52:41the age group. Not only that, but who do you
- 52:44think is putting their parents in inside of these nursing
- 52:47homes? It is my age group.
- 52:49So if you're not marketing to Gen.
- 52:51X or upper limb millennials, you are losing a lot.
- 52:54Because what they want to know is number 1 is a facility.
- 52:57Nice. Is the facility going to take
- 52:59care of my parent? Is the facility like just going
- 53:02to like be, you know, what's the word destructive to my mother
- 53:07or, you know, not take care of my family or whatever it is?
- 53:10And here you can show like how amazing it is.
- 53:12It's almost like imagine the amount of energy and effort you
- 53:16put into the marketing of schools and getting your kids
- 53:19into little schools and things like that.
- 53:20That's how much marketing you're going to need to do to these
- 53:23nursing homes very soon because the demographic is going to ask
- 53:27for it and they're going to want it.
- 53:29More transparency you can give the better you're off.
- 53:32So anyways, that is the sector I would love to get into, but
- 53:35that's that, that's what I don't know.
- 53:37Maybe we know somebody who can help you get in.
- 53:39We'll talk about it. I just think, I just think that
- 53:41it's like it's very cool, so. It happens to be the there.
- 53:44There is a lot of forward thinking operators out there
- 53:46these days and they are doing a lot of what you're saying.
- 53:48They even have podcasts. So it's out there and people are
- 53:52thinking and the people that are not, they're just going to fall
- 53:55behind. They are going to fall behind.
- 53:56But anyways, this was a conversation I had.
- 53:57About a year ago, wasn't it? Yeah, but what's?
- 53:59Your primary. Thing right now, what are you?
- 54:01Focusing most of your day on. OK, so I have a team and I've
- 54:08learned to delegate. I think that's like a big thing
- 54:10for entrepreneurs is like, how do you delegate, get things off
- 54:12your plate? And it's gotten to the point
- 54:14where my project manager just went on maternity leave and she
- 54:18left and I, she I delegated so hard.
- 54:20I can't even like I couldn't like I couldn't even do half the
- 54:24things that she's doing. You gave her too much control.
- 54:26She's just it's. Too passive.
- 54:27It's always a. Question that, that over the
- 54:29years that when someone goes away for a week or she just went
- 54:32away for a week, it's always a question that you ask when
- 54:34they're when nothing's happening in that department.
- 54:36Yeah. Like did they do such a great
- 54:38job, correct, that they manage everything properly or do they
- 54:40do nothing? You notice what somebody does
- 54:42when they're missing. Right.
- 54:43And then you have to see, well, was it so bad when this person
- 54:46was gone? Like, if it's falling apart,
- 54:48right? Or are things status quo?
- 54:50It's like, you know what? What does this person actually
- 54:52do exactly? You know, So that's always the,
- 54:55that's always the sign that you want to look for.
- 54:57But again, somebody leaves for 2-3 days, you're not going to
- 54:59really tell, but somebody's going to leave now for 2-3
- 55:01months. Yeah, it's really hard.
- 55:03You're already feeling the. Pain very quickly.
- 55:05I feel the pain very quickly. I mean, yeah.
- 55:07It's been, it's been hard. She better not be listening to
- 55:10this because you know what's? Coming next, she's going to ask
- 55:13you for a big, big, big raise. She's got some good raises over
- 55:16the last OK. Good, good.
- 55:19We always up level our people. No, but.
- 55:21I think that, you know, it's interesting, like every time
- 55:23we've brought somebody into the company, they're always like, I
- 55:26love that. It's like it's woman driven.
- 55:28Like is everybody women in your company?
- 55:30They are, yeah. Somebody wants to ask me.
- 55:31They're like. Why is all women like I want to
- 55:35be able to. I think maybe he just felt
- 55:38uncomfortable. Excuse me, Nobody asked that
- 55:41question if you. See an office with like 19 men.
- 55:43No one asks why is it all men? Why isn't there any women here?
- 55:47True, but I also want to be sense.
- 55:48Like we work within the Jewish Orthodox community, right?
- 55:50So some of them are Hasidish. And so sometimes it can be very
- 55:53difficult for them to be able to have, you know, a conversation,
- 55:56especially if you're a strong woman.
- 55:58Yeah. But I will say that Hasidim,
- 55:59their wives are usually very, very strong.
- 56:01Yes, very strong. So they can usually handle and,
- 56:04and it's my experience as well. I've seen that.
- 56:06I've seen. The see this show women, you
- 56:08don't want to mess with them. They they stand up for
- 56:11themselves. Yeah, they're, they're very
- 56:13tough. They're very, very tough.
- 56:15And I like that. And I've learned sometimes
- 56:16unreasonable, by the way. OK, but I've learned a lot from.
- 56:20Them a lot from them on how they just like you know we did we did
- 56:24this is a controversial topic we did as a session the
- 56:27organization that does yeah that does the ambulance oh I heard
- 56:32about this rookie fryer big. Politics Rookie Fryer and her
- 56:35daughter Leia. Are they are people to look up
- 56:39to? I mean, like just the way that
- 56:41they do things and they're not they're they're like we're here,
- 56:45we're doing this. They're not hospitic, they're
- 56:47not rude, they're not obnoxious. They're not very classy about, I
- 56:51just explained. What it what explain?
- 56:53For a second, what it is and what the challenge.
- 56:54They are a female hotel group. Well, not.
- 56:56It's all but there are they are there for women to call in an
- 57:01emergency, emergency response for women who are not
- 57:03comfortable. With a man coming they.
- 57:04Want a woman to come? What's wrong?
- 57:06Why do people not like it? What's what's the hate about?
- 57:10It's not. Sneeze for women to be.
- 57:12Doing something like this? Is that what it is?
- 57:14That's the argument. I can give it one response.
- 57:17You might say that the response time will be longer because it's
- 57:20not enough women in that category, right?
- 57:23Yeah. But their response time is very,
- 57:24very fast. Sure.
- 57:25But I'm saying that's a potential.
- 57:26Challenge and the package of servicing a smaller little
- 57:29segment. Yeah, servicing the greater.
- 57:30What happens generally is though.
- 57:32This is this is definitely a hot topic in Lakewood, NJ.
- 57:35There's an entire new hot solo. So, you know, in a, in a
- 57:39community general. Yeah, it's all yeah, yeah.
- 57:40They started a whole new thing just because what was wrong with
- 57:43the current one, with the existing one.
- 57:44Well, I guess. We'll get one of those people on
- 57:46and we'll talk. About it, We'll figure it out,
- 57:48but a slap in the face that's always been doing such an.
- 57:50Amazing job, but again, a lot of it has to do with the response
- 57:52time. A lot.
- 57:53Of it has to do with the members that they take, whether they
- 57:55take, you know, people who are married versus single and versus
- 57:58men versus women. It's challenging.
- 58:00It really is. But the good news is that more
- 58:02and more people are seeing gaps in the industry of need and
- 58:05they're stepping up. So right, kudos to them for
- 58:08doing a good job with, I guess, filling a need.
- 58:10That's no they they what community did they start this?
- 58:13In they're in borough. Park, they're just in borough.
- 58:15Park. They're in borough.
- 58:15Park but I think. This is going on for years.
- 58:17Already this story. Started 5-6 years ago.
- 58:19I think the whole controversy started because.
- 58:22They originally were trained alongside the men to be part of
- 58:25the hot seller group. And then there were a few that
- 58:28kicked them out and then they started something else.
- 58:30And it's that friction that has just continued for like 30 years
- 58:34down in 20 years or whatever it is.
- 58:35The fact is, it's working right people.
- 58:38Are calling them right? There are women that need help
- 58:40and they call them hundred. So obviously there's a need for
- 58:43it. So I'm not sure why people
- 58:43shouldn't get behind this. Like, why are we fighting this?
- 58:46There's a lot other things I can think of that are not sneeze
- 58:49that is happening and and no one is out there protesting and
- 58:52making a big scene about it. Suddenly this is the era that
- 58:54they're starting to take a stance on.
- 58:56This is where they're going to put their foot down and say
- 58:58women should stay in line. They shouldn't.
- 58:59They don't belong in the front lines.
- 59:01Come on. I, I, I don't buy this for a
- 59:02second. Quite frankly, it upsets me.
- 59:05It bothers me because someone's just trying to go out there and
- 59:07do a really good thing and do a major service to our community.
- 59:10That's all they're trying to do. Well, does that seller have
- 59:12perhaps? Women available if you need it
- 59:15that could, you know, maybe maybe they do obviously not.
- 59:17That's why they started. They were.
- 59:19The women I don't know, I don't know enough, says they got
- 59:21kicked. I don't know enough about the
- 59:22topic. But I do invite the
- 59:24conversation. In fact, we do have someone
- 59:26coming in that is representative of Hatzalah soon to the podcast,
- 59:30so we can talk to him about it and even have the other people.
- 59:33It's definitely an interesting conversation.
- 59:34The concept of wanting to help but having challenges, call it
- 59:39politics, call it restrictions and so on.
- 59:41More women like you. That are leading by example,
- 59:44leading by example. You're not, you know, scurrying
- 59:47into the corner and folding under the pressure or under life
- 59:51circumstances. You're taking all of those
- 59:54things as ammunition and you're taking the lead.
- 59:57You're grabbing the ball by the horn as they say.
- 59:59It's literally what you're doing and you're running a very
- 1:00:01successful business. But not just the business,
- 1:00:03you're also making an impact on other people's lives.
- 1:00:05You're helping people. And we gotta get this word out.
- 1:00:08More people should know about this because I'm thinking about
- 1:00:11my daughters, you know, and they're gonna get older.
- 1:00:13And I want them to know. And I've said this before,
- 1:00:15you've heard me say this. I want them to know they can do
- 1:00:16anything her brother can do. Anything that her father did,
- 1:00:20you can do also. There's no restrictions.
- 1:00:22There's no lane you can't drive down.
- 1:00:24OK, you have long hair. He has short hair.
- 1:00:27But other than that and a few other minor things, there's no
- 1:00:29difference. There's no difference.
- 1:00:32I will. I will.
- 1:00:33I have argued. With you on this topic, and I'm
- 1:00:35not going to get into it now, but I am curious, what is your
- 1:00:38message? We, we like to take a pause in
- 1:00:40the middle of our podcast and ask our guests, what would be
- 1:00:43your message to those women or to the men or to anyone in
- 1:00:47business? What would be that?
- 1:00:49So I think right now not even right.
- 1:00:51Now, but like I think that, you know, right now I'm on this anti
- 1:00:56manifestation kick, OK? I see it everywhere where
- 1:01:00everyone's like just manifest your dreams.
- 1:01:02And by the way, I've manifested many things.
- 1:01:04I think manifestation without Hashem is so wrong, so wrong
- 1:01:11because I think that people think that you're, I'm not the
- 1:01:14CEO of my company, like I'm not Hashem is, I'm in partnership
- 1:01:18with Hashem like I have a partner.
- 1:01:19My, my partner is Hashem. And I think that the more you
- 1:01:23like say that I'm in the driver's seat and I'm doing this
- 1:01:26and I'm getting the sun and I like, it's me, me, me, me, me.
- 1:01:28And that's what manifestation is.
- 1:01:30It's like, what do I want to bring in for myself, my wealth,
- 1:01:33my house, my, my life, my, this, my, that.
- 1:01:36First of all, how do you know that it's good for you?
- 1:01:38How do you know what's good for you?
- 1:01:39That's number one. Number two is, is that you
- 1:01:41cannot do anything without understanding what your top kit
- 1:01:45is in life. And your top kit in life is, has
- 1:01:48everything to do with Hashem. So you I, I, I every single
- 1:01:52morning I start my day, I dive in, OK, I dive in, I, and if I
- 1:01:56don't have time to dive in, at least I get in my bra host,
- 1:01:58right? Like at least I do that.
- 1:02:00I say I do I and then I go into Parsha Saman, you know, partial
- 1:02:05amount. To me, it's like the biggest
- 1:02:07thing you can do. It's the the Hazal says that
- 1:02:10it's part of the guaranteed, like say it everyday part of the
- 1:02:13guaranteed everyday. I read the story of the mud and
- 1:02:15how the Jews were like in the desert for 40 years and Hashem
- 1:02:19just literally took care of them.
- 1:02:20Like they just literally walked out.
- 1:02:22We needed something. I can't, I cannot tell you.
- 1:02:24Like every time I make payroll, you know, like cash flow.
- 1:02:26Cash flow is the hardest thing for all businesses.
- 1:02:28I just want to say that, OK, And if your cash flow is a mess or
- 1:02:32if you have a hard time with cash flow, it's normal, right?
- 1:02:35It is, it is a normal thing. It is a normal thing for growing
- 1:02:38businesses, especially if you're bootstrapping it.
- 1:02:40I want women to know that because I think that people feel
- 1:02:42like, like, if I don't have this, then there's something
- 1:02:45wrong with my business. No, it just means that your
- 1:02:48business is growing and there are ways to help with cash flow.
- 1:02:51But anyways, Needless to say, there are times that I was like
- 1:02:53really growing, OK, Like I hire new people.
- 1:02:55I was getting new, new clients, but the clients didn't pay me
- 1:02:58yet. And I, I was like trying to
- 1:03:00figure it out. The money came like the money
- 1:03:03game. I, I feel like the more you
- 1:03:06resist, the more you are trying to think of like trying to fix
- 1:03:09it yourself, the more it actually like eludes you.
- 1:03:13But the minute you give it up to God, like it just, it flows.
- 1:03:17It just flows. And so I feel like a lot of
- 1:03:20times, like women, like we have so much on our plates.
- 1:03:22We have to make dinner, we have to get the kids to school.
- 1:03:24We have to get them the uniforms.
- 1:03:25We have to, I mean, just back to school.
- 1:03:27We have Rosh Hashanah coming. Well, there's just so much on
- 1:03:30our plate. And on top of that, we have make
- 1:03:32sure our clients are happy that our businesses are good.
- 1:03:35And if you don't have your own business and you're working for
- 1:03:36a boss, is your boss happy? Are your students okay or, or
- 1:03:39wherever it is that you are? And you're always having those
- 1:03:41things onto your head. And so it's easy to say I need
- 1:03:44to control what's in front of me.
- 1:03:46But the minute you give it up to God and you partner with him,
- 1:03:51it's just all of a sudden, like, I don't know, it just it just
- 1:03:53flows. Wow, that's where the success
- 1:03:56happened. Wow, what a nice.
- 1:03:58Message. And you know, I have to say I be
- 1:04:00Michael. You're gonna know exactly what
- 1:04:02I'm talking about. But we have somebody who works
- 1:04:04at Prime Source, one of our sales reps.
- 1:04:07She's a mother. She has six children.
- 1:04:10Oh, God, I might be 5. I don't know.
- 1:04:12I always get it wrong. I don't remember if I get it
- 1:04:14wrong when I say 6 or when I say 5 S 5 or 6 children.
- 1:04:17She has at least a handful. She has a handful.
- 1:04:19Exactly and all ages. From 1819 down till 5-6 years
- 1:04:23old in between and she's very successful here at the company.
- 1:04:27She has a really good career. She's been with the company for
- 1:04:29many, many, many years and she's in a spectacular mother and
- 1:04:34she's very, very, everything is a sham always.
- 1:04:38And she doesn't like to freak out about things because I'm not
- 1:04:40in control anyway. Sham is in control.
- 1:04:42She has that mentality and she lives by it.
- 1:04:45She doesn't just speak of it. She actually acts out her life
- 1:04:48that way every single time. And she's amazing.
- 1:04:51And I always tell her, I said, oh, Karen, you should.
- 1:04:53You should mentor other women. You should show people that
- 1:04:57there's a way to juggle a personal life, a professional
- 1:05:01life. And for a Jewish woman, it's
- 1:05:03harder than that. You know, young you have to
- 1:05:04prepare and it's like it's cooking and cleaning and, and
- 1:05:08and she's just a one man show. She she does it all.
- 1:05:11And we're big fans of her. We're big fans of her.
- 1:05:14We she's part of our family of our prime source family.
- 1:05:17But you and her have a lot of similarities and just how you're
- 1:05:20making it all work and you're sitting here inspiring me.
- 1:05:24You're sitting here inspiring me.
- 1:05:25It's just it's crazy. It's I don't want to hold back.
- 1:05:27Her name is Tedvo Weingarten. OK, he always does.
- 1:05:30Every. She's from Canada.
- 1:05:31He's like, yeah, known as. Karen.
- 1:05:33Used to be. Adele and she's amazing and her
- 1:05:36family's amazing and she does mentor people and she does she,
- 1:05:39she does exactly what you're saying.
- 1:05:40When we go to events and conferences today, it's a
- 1:05:43different world. They have women programs and
- 1:05:46they have specifically groups where they, you know, empower
- 1:05:49each other and it's really beautiful to see.
- 1:05:51And I agree with you. It it's it's something to look
- 1:05:55out for and to appreciate when you have people that are
- 1:05:58managing a life of a business called home and have business
- 1:06:02and finance. You should know this is one of
- 1:06:03the reasons me. And a lot of people like me
- 1:06:06hated so much this woman from my unorthodox life, you know about
- 1:06:10her. It really bothered me.
- 1:06:11It bothered a lot of people because.
- 1:06:12She completely. Misrepresented the Jewish
- 1:06:15community and women making it sound like they're stifled,
- 1:06:18making it sound like they're held in captive in like chains
- 1:06:21in the basement or something. And it's utterly ridiculous
- 1:06:23because there's so many women that are from full from life and
- 1:06:27have a beautiful life and are very successful business people
- 1:06:30and are out there and don't feel like anybody's holding them
- 1:06:32back. And she came out with a big sob
- 1:06:35story as if, you know, like a lot of those women are like
- 1:06:37this. It was total garbage.
- 1:06:38And I think that's what really bother a lot of people.
- 1:06:40And it's OK. She's allowed to have her
- 1:06:42experiences. She's allowed to have her own
- 1:06:44personal. But don't portray that as this
- 1:06:47is how it is in general. This is how it is all over the
- 1:06:49place. It really wasn't right what you
- 1:06:50did. And I think most people didn't
- 1:06:52take her seriously anyway. And I would love to have her on
- 1:06:55the podcast one day just to call her out just to hear because I
- 1:06:58want to understand from her like why she did that.
- 1:07:00I think she and I think she's softened her tone over the
- 1:07:03years. She has.
- 1:07:03I think she's softened. October 7th I.
- 1:07:05Think a lot of especially after October 7th.
- 1:07:07She's coming more and more. Around now, she's realizing that
- 1:07:09you know what? You're part of a community that
- 1:07:11does care about each other and looks like each other.
- 1:07:13No matter what you do in your personal life, whether you
- 1:07:15cover, you don't cover, you wear pants, you don't know when
- 1:07:17somebody cares. We really ultimately have each
- 1:07:19other's backs and we're all one. And stop fighting it.
- 1:07:21We're not your enemy. You know, we're we're we're all
- 1:07:23really part of one big extended family.
- 1:07:26But anyway, you, Abby, are a part of this.
- 1:07:30You're a part of this. And I commend you.
- 1:07:31I really what you're doing is is amazing.
- 1:07:34And it's not just that you've been successful.
- 1:07:36It's a lot of people find success, but it's your approach
- 1:07:38to it. It's really just your style,
- 1:07:40your demeanor and the way you're talking like your Mama just gave
- 1:07:43me because of today. You should know you really did.
- 1:07:45I feel like chachi PT under who? You are RIP it up.
- 1:07:49We got to. They did a great job.
- 1:07:50You like the bit I'm saying. I missed it.
- 1:07:53I thought it was good. Thank you.
- 1:07:54Thank you. Yeah, it's also a nice.
- 1:07:57Way for our listeners to get to. Know who you are right away
- 1:07:59instead of just asking you and then holding their breath so you
- 1:08:02know, you know who you are. And then we break it down, which
- 1:08:04I think we did. Ask questions for you.
- 1:08:05What's? Next.
- 1:08:07What's down the Pike? What are you looking forward to?
- 1:08:10What is something you're aspiring to?
- 1:08:12Where is all this going? A lot of life experiences, a lot
- 1:08:15of accomplishments. You got a lot under your belt, a
- 1:08:17lot under your belt. What's coming next and what's
- 1:08:20the big dream? OK, So what I really want to do?
- 1:08:24I haven't told anyone yet, but what I really want to do is
- 1:08:26actually start my own Academy. I want to start a school that I
- 1:08:31mean, I was at the school of Hard Knocks, but why should
- 1:08:33others? And I feel like there's, you
- 1:08:36know, you can go to like, you know, the, you know, the SARS,
- 1:08:39Schnairs, the Ttis, you can go to that, get a business
- 1:08:41education. I agree.
- 1:08:42I you should, but no one's really going to teach you like
- 1:08:45how to actually convert, you know, your, your, your
- 1:08:49followers. No one's going to actually teach
- 1:08:50you how to grow your followers. No one's going to teach you
- 1:08:52really like, how does it actually work when I have an
- 1:08:54actual business and like, how do I figure out my cogs?
- 1:08:56How do I figure out my pricing? How do I figure out my things?
- 1:08:58And I think that, but it's, it's, it's, it's, it's besides
- 1:09:03that even strategy, like go past strategy.
- 1:09:05It's like also mindset. It's also balancing.
- 1:09:08It's also, there's just so many different pieces.
- 1:09:10And I think that there are so many Jewish women that are out
- 1:09:13there who I've met, who I've learned from people who are
- 1:09:16like, you know, you know, Todd Furniture, who's this incredible
- 1:09:21beautiful Jewish soul who's like, you know, a furniture
- 1:09:25designer and furniture manufacturer.
- 1:09:27Like she has so much knowledge about China or another a
- 1:09:31clothing company. And maybe this aspiring young
- 1:09:34girl wants to build a, you know, a Jewish brand like, well, how
- 1:09:36do you do it? And so I think that there's like
- 1:09:40just so many things that we have and that we've learned.
- 1:09:42And I want to actually build out like some sort of like online
- 1:09:45Academy to like a Business School, like AB school.
- 1:09:50I really want to do it before like Jewish Orthodox girls.
- 1:09:55I also really, I'm very, very, very passionate about like high
- 1:09:58school seniors, 11th and 12th grade girls or girls that just
- 1:10:02came back from seminary. It's like, give them like, I
- 1:10:05don't know, like a shot of like, like, you know, information
- 1:10:08before they actually get into the real world so that they
- 1:10:10could a dose of reality. Yeah.
- 1:10:12Like I I want. I used to work.
- 1:10:14For I used to do a lot of stuff with Stern Yu Business School,
- 1:10:18OK, And they actually offered me a job as a professor and I
- 1:10:22really wanted to take the job, but I don't have a bachelor's.
- 1:10:24Remember I, I never finished school.
- 1:10:25So like they were like, OK, well, you can't really be an
- 1:10:27adjunct professor, but you can come in and like speak.
- 1:10:29So I used to come and speak at Yu Business School and I used to
- 1:10:32go and speak at they, they are also connected with a school.
- 1:10:37Maybe it's Central High School. I can't remember what it was,
- 1:10:38but I used to go to like some high schools and give classes
- 1:10:40and like, I loved it. Like I want to go back.
- 1:10:43I think I want to go back to those teaching years and just
- 1:10:47give back to the next generation of girls 'cause I really think
- 1:10:50that like, you know, even my daughter, she's 23.
- 1:10:52I recently became a grandma, which was like, really?
- 1:10:54Oh, Bobby. So it's.
- 1:10:58Like like the best thing in the world?
- 1:11:00Are you guys grandparents? No, no, no.
- 1:11:01It's like the best not. Yet it's the best thing.
- 1:11:03It's the. Best thing anyways.
- 1:11:04But of course, when the diaper is dirty, just give it back.
- 1:11:06Yeah, yeah. No, like no, she's he's like
- 1:11:08he's so. He's so delicious anyways, But
- 1:11:10like she, she's like, you know, she's going into whatever she is
- 1:11:13and like, in another five years, she's gonna want to start her
- 1:11:16own company. I know it and I'm going to like
- 1:11:17support her. Her husband also like he's an
- 1:11:19entertainer. He's like he, he is an
- 1:11:23incredible human being in himself.
- 1:11:24And so he asks me a ton of questions all the time and I sit
- 1:11:28with him and I help him. But I think that, you know,
- 1:11:30giving that over, I think, you know, that's what I would like
- 1:11:34to do. I used to do it a lot.
- 1:11:35Then I started going and helping all these businesses and now I
- 1:11:38kind of want to go back to love it.
- 1:11:40Do you have a name? I'm going to.
- 1:11:41Make a prediction right here. My prediction is that this is
- 1:11:44going to happen. If if historically, if we could
- 1:11:47learn anything from you. If you really want something to
- 1:11:50happen, you go out there and you get it.
- 1:11:52You don't let anybody stop you. And by the way, what a wonderful
- 1:11:55idea. What a really neat idea.
- 1:11:57This doesn't even have to be like an official school, that
- 1:12:00this could be like an ancillary thing, like an after school
- 1:12:02program or or a separate thing like a class that people can
- 1:12:06take over a certain amount of time.
- 1:12:08I always thought that we don't give our kids enough of an
- 1:12:11education on on the real world. Just like how to send the proper
- 1:12:15e-mail. Like, you know what, Like how,
- 1:12:16how to actually construct an e-mail.
- 1:12:19Yeah. That you could convey over
- 1:12:20professionally, a message to someone, the importance of your
- 1:12:23credits, basic things you know, like.
- 1:12:24Yeah, importance of your credit, right?
- 1:12:27How to? Maintain your credit, how to
- 1:12:28build your credit, things like that, that you have to learn.
- 1:12:30You know, when, when something goes wrong and you just, you got
- 1:12:32to figure it out. Then you ask me for advice.
- 1:12:34Where's the prevention versus the treatment?
- 1:12:37That's what it sounds like you want to do, right?
- 1:12:40But it's also even investing. Right.
- 1:12:41Like we don't talk about investing in in women's circles.
- 1:12:45It's not talked about. It's a man's thing.
- 1:12:47It's a man's thing. It's a man.
- 1:12:48'S thing, I make money. I want to.
- 1:12:50Understand how to. Invest my money like how do I do
- 1:12:52that right? So I think it's it's about
- 1:12:55giving, it's really about empowering the women to have the
- 1:12:59knowledge that if they decide that they need to do it, then
- 1:13:01they can do it. And if not, not, but like, at
- 1:13:03least they understand. Yeah.
- 1:13:04But I think we're missing the step here, I think.
- 1:13:06This is the very important piece right now is that there's a lot
- 1:13:09of the women, the girls that are growing into women grew up in a
- 1:13:13lifestyle where that's not even under their mind that I should
- 1:13:17be a business owner one day, I should invest money.
- 1:13:19It's almost like a given. I think that's a cultural thing
- 1:13:22that maybe we have to change the psyche.
- 1:13:23We got to change the narrative. And this is I think where the
- 1:13:26education can come in is where you can make a difference is you
- 1:13:28could tell girls that you should have your own financial road
- 1:13:32ahead of you. You should never be reliant on a
- 1:13:34man to take care of you, you know, And, and if you give them
- 1:13:37that extra information, maybe it'll empower them a little bit
- 1:13:41more. Do you hear what I'm saying?
- 1:13:42Yes, but I just want to make a point.
- 1:13:44That I don't believe that women should do it in spite of a man,
- 1:13:49not in spite. They didn't say in spite, no,
- 1:13:51but. No, but I don't feel entitled.
- 1:13:53Like anyway, my husband. 'S going to work, So what do I
- 1:13:55need to get a job? Why do I need to learn these
- 1:13:57things that most women in in general?
- 1:14:00OK, there's two, there's two. OK, I'm going to, I'm going to
- 1:14:02make 2 very gross statements that kind of like are going to
- 1:14:05be separate, OK? Like kind of like opposite of
- 1:14:08each other. But the first thing is, is that
- 1:14:10I think that most Jewish girls or the Jewish community in
- 1:14:15general is very entrepreneurial in spirit, OK.
- 1:14:18We have always like been like the underdog trying to, you
- 1:14:22know, figure things out. Like we've, you know, the, even
- 1:14:26the way that the yeshiva system is set up, right?
- 1:14:28It's like we're asking questions all the time, right?
- 1:14:30So like being an employee and having an employee mindset.
- 1:14:35Guess we have employees in, in the Jewish world, but most of us
- 1:14:38are entrepreneurs. Like that's just we build
- 1:14:40entrepreneurs within the Jewish Orthodox community.
- 1:14:43On the on the flip side, when it comes to women, I see two things
- 1:14:48that either they're very entrepreneurial in spirit and
- 1:14:50they're a tough as nails, OK, because they've had to be, or
- 1:14:55they're sheep and they follow whatever mower told them to do
- 1:14:59and whatever mommy and daddy told them to do.
- 1:15:01And then they get married and they do whatever their husband
- 1:15:03tells them to do. OK, in some communities, not all
- 1:15:07communities, but what I want, I guess my message is to like,
- 1:15:11just wake up. Like wake up.
- 1:15:13What do you want for your life? Where do you want to go?
- 1:15:16Why are you actually even here? Like, why are you here?
- 1:15:19And if you're here for a reason, then do something about it.
- 1:15:22Don't just do it because don't just like, you know, wake up and
- 1:15:25just do and, and go through your day without like living
- 1:15:29intentionally. Like, you know, we talk about
- 1:15:31ROI return on investment. Well, what about ROI return on
- 1:15:35intention? Like be intentional about the
- 1:15:37way that you live in life, right.
- 1:15:38So it's like, if that's the case, then I'm not saying like
- 1:15:41you should get an education and you should invest because you
- 1:15:46know, you as a woman should do it and not a man.
- 1:15:48No, you, it's Azar Connecto. Like I literally couldn't do
- 1:15:51what I do today without my husband.
- 1:15:53I said he does laundry like he does.
- 1:15:55He goes, he he actually, he takes my kids to school every
- 1:15:58single day. Like they could take a bus.
- 1:15:59No, he wants to actually drive my the younger ones because he
- 1:16:03didn't get the opportunity when the older ones were in that age
- 1:16:06group. So because he was working in the
- 1:16:08city at the time, so that's something that's really
- 1:16:10important to him. So it's like, you know, you do
- 1:16:12things together. Like, you know, if my husband is
- 1:16:15good at investing, so he does investing.
- 1:16:17If he's not good at investing, then I should at least have that
- 1:16:19knowledge to be able to invest. You know what I'm saying?
- 1:16:21Like you have to work within a team.
- 1:16:23So that I want to give women the education that they can do
- 1:16:27anything they want to do if they want to do it.
- 1:16:30If they don't want to do it, that's fine.
- 1:16:32They don't have to, but I, I just want to make it clear that
- 1:16:35I like, because I think like a lot of people like, you know,
- 1:16:37like the riveter, you know, like the woman, like we can do it.
- 1:16:40You're not coming from a feminist perspective.
- 1:16:42You should have the right to do it if you want to.
- 1:16:45Then let me give you the tools. Let me show you a path of how
- 1:16:48you can get there exactly. I'm very much into like.
- 1:16:52Femininity and the woman and and honing in your own, you know,
- 1:16:56God-given talents. Like I remember like when I
- 1:16:58first started entrepreneurship and I was looking for questions.
- 1:17:00I would go to Marie Forleo, Hilary Rushford.
- 1:17:02I went to all the on Jewish women and I was trying to get
- 1:17:04information because I couldn't get it from anyone Jewish in my
- 1:17:07town. Do you know that people were
- 1:17:09saying she was talking about how you should have a gratitude
- 1:17:11journal. OK, so every morning you should
- 1:17:13wake up and write down your gratitude.
- 1:17:14I was like, what the heck? That's Mundani.
- 1:17:17Why? Why am I listening to Marie
- 1:17:20Forleo when I literally have like it was given to me like as
- 1:17:25a woman, as a Jewish woman, I have the tools already in my I
- 1:17:28have Nishmas. Nishmas is thinking God, well, I
- 1:17:31should start Nishmas. Like what?
- 1:17:33Why? Why am I starting a gratitude
- 1:17:34journal like I'm a Jewish woman? Like Hashem gave us the tools
- 1:17:38already like 2003 thousand years ago, like tap into it.
- 1:17:43So I think like, it's just, I don't know that I think that
- 1:17:46that's pretty much my like, my message in what I really want
- 1:17:49for women. I love it.
- 1:17:49I don't know. Sorry.
- 1:17:50This, this, this woman should hear.
- 1:17:52She's OK. Abby, you're OK.
- 1:17:54Yeah. Great well, welcome to our
- 1:17:55community by the way, and you're.
- 1:17:57Now living also amongst us. And by the way, you know
- 1:18:00something the the. Best things happen when someone
- 1:18:02gets frustrated, there's nothing and then they go and they create
- 1:18:05it absolutely. Then they go and they you should
- 1:18:07start. With the local.
- 1:18:08Schools and the people. Here, yeah, I know, but I still
- 1:18:10love to paint, by the way, just want.
- 1:18:11You to know paint somebody, you do that in your spare.
- 1:18:14Time you'll find that I. Literally it's still my hobby I.
- 1:18:16What did your What did your father what?
- 1:18:18Did your father do what? Did your mother work?
- 1:18:21Oh no, my mother. Was like a stay at home mom, OK,
- 1:18:24and she was like Susie homemaker.
- 1:18:26She loved it. I would die in that type of like
- 1:18:29life. I would not be able to do it.
- 1:18:32But my younger sister, she loves it like she's the stay at home
- 1:18:35mom. She's like and that's OK that's
- 1:18:36with it. That's no and I love.
- 1:18:37It I love watching her be. That no for her kids, that's
- 1:18:40fulfills her and that's what she likes.
- 1:18:42To do that's great. I love it and.
- 1:18:46It's funny because she recently got back into her photography
- 1:18:48and now she's starting her own business, which I like, I also
- 1:18:50love. Like I love watching her do it.
- 1:18:51Now that her kids are getting older.
- 1:18:53My dad, believe it or not, was in.
- 1:18:59It's so not a Jewish thing, but his father had a company called
- 1:19:02Community Truck Parts, and they would sell the truck parts,
- 1:19:07literally parts of a truck, and he would come home like grease
- 1:19:09all over his hands. But yeah, that's what he did.
- 1:19:12It was in the auto industry. It was in the auto industry.
- 1:19:15He worked hard, That's cool back.
- 1:19:16In the 80s, yeah. Like, yeah, I have a friend of
- 1:19:18mine, by the way. You say that.
- 1:19:19It's just funny. I have a friend of mine that
- 1:19:20does meat boards, you know, for Shabbos, and that's pretty much
- 1:19:22the only thing he does, you know, as far as income.
- 1:19:25So I heard him tell the other, another person who asked, what
- 1:19:27do you do for a living? He goes, I'm in the meat
- 1:19:29industry. I think I know you're talking.
- 1:19:32Yeah, yeah. Let's leave.
- 1:19:34It at that. That's the.
- 1:19:34Name we will not display. This was a pleasure and honor
- 1:19:38and it was really eye opening for us in so many ways because I
- 1:19:42want to be a part of this this journey and.
- 1:19:43This this mission of yours at some capacity.
- 1:19:45Do you have a name for your Academy?
- 1:19:46I have to be a partner. All right, we should.
- 1:19:48I don't. Know I need a.
- 1:19:49Name. I think it's great.
- 1:19:50I. Like I don't, I don't.
- 1:19:51Want I'm not looking. To be like a big Business
- 1:19:54School, like I just wanted to be like this.
- 1:19:55I think the I think the Oshi's point, which I.
- 1:19:57Love is that especially you're in, you're in the Rockland
- 1:20:00community here. There's a select amount of
- 1:20:01schools, They're very open minded.
- 1:20:03So many different women empowering women in our
- 1:20:05community here. Just make it into a course to
- 1:20:08begin with. Just do something to complement
- 1:20:10the 11th or 12th grade like you're saying.
- 1:20:12And definitely we're here for you.
- 1:20:13If there's anything that you need in terms of getting that
- 1:20:16out there and is that giving you resources, whatever it is?
- 1:20:18Absolutely anybody that's resonating with them and feels
- 1:20:22like they can contribute towards this and absolutely and this is
- 1:20:24important to them as well as a mission should reach out to to
- 1:20:27Abby. Yes and you know, have a
- 1:20:29conversation about it. These are how the best we don't
- 1:20:31we don't finish our podcast. Before asking you two things.
- 1:20:34Oh, OK. First of all, do you have any
- 1:20:35questions for us? Oh my.
- 1:20:39God, you don't have to ask a question.
- 1:20:40Don't feel pressured right now, that's OK, It just gives you the
- 1:20:42opportunity to. Just ask us any questions.
- 1:20:44The other question, The other question is for you to select
- 1:20:46someone that would fill the seat as a guest on the None of you's
- 1:20:50talk to my husband. He's wild.
- 1:20:52He's in the construction world. He can tell you so many stories.
- 1:20:56Who do I think should sit in the seats?
- 1:20:58You could start with that. Yeah, that could bring.
- 1:21:00Meaning. Into Someone Like You know you
- 1:21:03want to. Grow personally, professionally,
- 1:21:04I feel like I. Grew a little bit personally
- 1:21:06today just from your messages. You should definitely interview
- 1:21:09Haya from. JWE, she started the whole
- 1:21:12organization, which is Jewish woman entrepreneur.
- 1:21:14And you know her. I do, yeah.
- 1:21:15She lives in Baltimore. She's great, OK.
- 1:21:16We do owe this shit. Oh no, she doesn't live in
- 1:21:17Baltimore. Anymore, she moved to Florida.
- 1:21:19About a couple years. Does she come down to New York?
- 1:21:20Yeah, yeah, I. Should definitely get you to
- 1:21:22have her on all right. I'm trying to.
- 1:21:23Think who else? Oh my gosh, you put me on the
- 1:21:30spot. That's okay, that's fine.
- 1:21:31That's part of the idea here. It was one day hi is great.
- 1:21:34We generally asked the guests to call them on the spot and ask
- 1:21:37them if they would join us. Yeah, really.
- 1:21:39Yes, that's terrible. Yes, terrible at all.
- 1:21:42It's actually how it works and then it actually works for us.
- 1:21:45If there's someone else you can think of, you can think of that
- 1:21:47while you're asking us any questions and we can get back to
- 1:21:50that in a minute. But if you what about that that
- 1:21:52woman you were talking about? From the Hatsala in in Brooklyn?
- 1:21:54Or was her name Leia? You should totally not Leia her.
- 1:21:57Mother, Her mother Rookie Fryer. Rookie Fryer.
- 1:21:59Oh, I could ask. Her, I mean I.
- 1:22:01I have Leia's number. I don't have rookie summer.
- 1:22:03OK. Who do you think would be a
- 1:22:05better? Fit for what we're doing, you
- 1:22:06know, because you know them. So we don't really know them.
- 1:22:08I mean, I would have, can you do both?
- 1:22:10Sure. Let's go.
- 1:22:11What else have you ever had, do you know?
- 1:22:13So From has the 24/7. By the way, it's Deborah Adler.
- 1:22:16You know her? She's in Muncie.
- 1:22:18OK, now we know has the 24. Seven, We don't know what
- 1:22:20Devorah is though rather but she wants an Instagram.
- 1:22:23Celebrity, that's what. He's been asking me for recently
- 1:22:25so that when I first started social right like.
- 1:22:27Years and years and years ago, there was only like 4 of us or
- 1:22:31five of us. It was like me, Melinda Strauss,
- 1:22:33who just launched A cookbook. There was Sarah Lazre, who was
- 1:22:36Patchuka Princess Sharon, Sharon Langer, who was like fashion
- 1:22:40Isha, like she was the fashion person.
- 1:22:42There was a high 4 shimer down in Lakewood who's like bits of
- 1:22:45glitz. She did like, you know, jewelry
- 1:22:49and then then busy in Brooklyn came about, right?
- 1:22:53So the food person before, like, and we were like this ragtag
- 1:22:58team of like, do you see this? Do you see that?
- 1:23:00Like we were like this like group of like women.
- 1:23:02And then all of a sudden it has like grown and grown and grown
- 1:23:06and grown. And I became so close to a lot
- 1:23:08of these people. You know who you should have on
- 1:23:09this podcast? Charlene Aminoff.
- 1:23:11She's amazing. Good friend of mine.
- 1:23:13I heard her name recently actually.
- 1:23:15What does? She do Charlene she's.
- 1:23:17A really big Nishmas. Person she has a podcast on the
- 1:23:20bingo Kaya and she's just I don't know, she's powerhouse,
- 1:23:23powerhouse woman. She's just, she has, she has a
- 1:23:27Shethel company called Gali's Wigs.
- 1:23:31I don't know. She's just, she's where does she
- 1:23:32live? Very inspirational.
- 1:23:34She lives in Neck. Great Neck.
- 1:23:36Great Neck. Yeah.
- 1:23:37Amazing, amazing. All right, so who do you want?
- 1:23:39To call Oh my God, no I won't. Call.
- 1:23:43Anyway, all right, we won't do that.
- 1:23:44For you, it's OK, it's. All right.
- 1:23:46Before we wrap up, any questions for us?
- 1:23:49Why did you guys start the podcast?
- 1:23:50And everybody asks that question.
- 1:23:52I'm going to. I'm going to tell you the.
- 1:23:53I'm going to tell you the. Real answer the questions for
- 1:23:55us. The first thing they ask is.
- 1:23:57Why did you start? What are the podcasts about?
- 1:23:59I'm going to tell you the real answer, which is almost.
- 1:24:01Like really, that's what it is. But yeah, it's branding top of
- 1:24:04mind for Ushi Schwartz, Michael Greenfield and the Prime Source
- 1:24:08brand. That's what it was.
- 1:24:10However, knowing that that's where the world is heading in
- 1:24:12terms of branding and promotion, we couldn't do it without being
- 1:24:15authentic and, you know, understanding what we're just
- 1:24:18telling you guests. Come on, it's you know, and then
- 1:24:21at the end of the podcast, we ask the guests to call somebody.
- 1:24:23People have asked me also. Do the people know that you're
- 1:24:25calling? They don't know.
- 1:24:26You see you don't want to call and that's OK.
- 1:24:28I'm just saying so people don't know that we're calling.
- 1:24:31These are the things that we were just doing.
- 1:24:32And I think the authenticity is what really drives us.
- 1:24:34So. So what advice would you give?
- 1:24:37Jewish woman. Oh.
- 1:24:40My goodness, Wow. I mean, you just gave us a
- 1:24:42mouthful. I mean, I would echo everything
- 1:24:44that you've really said today, but I think I said it before, I
- 1:24:47really want my daughters and any other girl out there to feel
- 1:24:51like in the Jewish community, we don't put less stock in females.
- 1:24:55We actually think females are more capable than males in a lot
- 1:24:58of ways. And stop with this.
- 1:25:00I can't do this. So it's not appropriate for me
- 1:25:02to do that. Stop with that.
- 1:25:03Do whatever it is, be a good person.
- 1:25:06Try to make a difference in somebody else's life.
- 1:25:07Live by the same bylaws that the boys and the men are taught to
- 1:25:11do. There's no difference, you know?
- 1:25:13So, yeah, we dress a little bit different and we have different.
- 1:25:15OK, There are some differences. I get it, but living a full
- 1:25:19life, a complete life and feeling good about yourself and
- 1:25:21feeling all those things that it matters to you the same and go
- 1:25:25out there and get it done and don't let anybody tell you you
- 1:25:28can't. And if someone says no, they're
- 1:25:30just in your way. That's all it is.
- 1:25:32And go past that person and keep going.
- 1:25:34Ultimately, that's how it happens.
- 1:25:36I sometimes get a little bit of anxiety.
- 1:25:38I feel bad. I, I, I look at my, my daughters
- 1:25:41and I and I see my son and he has, you know, Shamas afternoon.
- 1:25:43He has friends and he's hanging out and he has, he's always got
- 1:25:46something happening in the schools.
- 1:25:48They're going on trips in Canada.
- 1:25:50And if the girls sometimes are left out, sometimes are left
- 1:25:53out. And my daughter has a great
- 1:25:55personality. She's got a lot to offer.
- 1:25:57You know, she should also be on the front lines.
- 1:25:59She should also be seen and I think in our communities for a
- 1:26:02very long time, for many, many years, they have been
- 1:26:05stigmatized that way and they've been somewhat sheltered and some
- 1:26:08are kept in a box and we're getting much better about it.
- 1:26:10In the last couple of decades, I think we've been much more
- 1:26:13amenable and more open minded with it.
- 1:26:15So my message is everything that you're doing, everything that
- 1:26:18you're speaking to, I don't even have to give the message because
- 1:26:20you're already doing it. You're an acting, you're, you're
- 1:26:23an example. You're a living breathing
- 1:26:25example of a woman that's sitting amongst 2 men of her
- 1:26:28holding your own. Arguably more successful than us
- 1:26:31in a few ways. In a few ways more successful
- 1:26:34and good for you. And.
- 1:26:35And he means you have 22,000 more.
- 1:26:37Followers on Instagram one way. That's one way.
- 1:26:40You have like 24. 1000 More followers.
- 1:26:41Than we do, but the bottom line is I would love for my daughters
- 1:26:46to emulate somebody like you and to see something like you that
- 1:26:49goes out to get to done as hustling have a beautiful
- 1:26:51family. You got the nuclear family
- 1:26:53going. You got it all you got it all.
- 1:26:55There's no reason why all the women shouldn't strive for that
- 1:26:58to one day reach that pinnacle that I think thank God.
- 1:27:01I wish you more and all the blessings to you, Abby.
- 1:27:04But keep doing, keep inspiring and keep showing girls and women
- 1:27:07across our communities all over that anything is possible.
- 1:27:11I love it. Ushi wow.
- 1:27:13I don't think I can say anything more.
- 1:27:15I'm going to echo what Ushi said and just say don't be afraid to
- 1:27:17ask for help. And ultimately listen to this
- 1:27:20podcast, Ask Abby, talk to people, ask and just go out of
- 1:27:24your comfort zone and ask for help.
- 1:27:26That's really what it is. Ultimately, you're not alone.
- 1:27:29There's many other women that are feeling this challenge of,
- 1:27:31you know, how do I break out there?
- 1:27:32Go to a conference. I'm uncomfortable.
- 1:27:34What should I do? There are other women who are
- 1:27:37facing these challenges and who have answers.
- 1:27:38And there are academies coming soon to help you.
- 1:27:41Yeah. Go down that path.
- 1:27:43Again, thank you to our subscribers, our listeners, our
- 1:27:45followers. The comments are amazing.
- 1:27:48We're loving the feedback. Thank you to our newest sponsor,
- 1:27:50Twillery, and to the Prime Source production team.
- 1:27:52That's a Rep. Amazing.
- 1:27:54That's a Rep. Thank you so much.