Great Entrepreneurs with RJ Lumba

Against All Odds: Real Estate Entrepreneur Michael Feldman

In this episode we speak with Michael Feldman, Co-Founder and Director of Operations of Choice New York, a multi-disciplined real estate management company offering a broad array of services, including commercial and residential property management, leasing, advisory and project management.
Michael was filled with fear and anxiety when he started Choice New York in 2009.  He was inexperienced with the market he was entering, but by surrounding himself with the right people and through an insane work ethic, he built the business into an enterprise that a leading private equity firm wanted to acquire.  
He exited in 2021 and earned economic freedom and then some, although as he’ll admit, it took a toll.
Three key takeaways, among many others, from this episode include:
Collect talent, it’s a force multiplier.
Execution is more important than the idea.
Be passionate about being successful.
I am your host RJ Lumba.  

Aiming For Unsurpassed Hospitality: Coffee Entrepreneur Jonathan Rubinstein

In this episode we speak with Jonathan Rubinstein, the Founder and CEO of Joe Coffee, a unique specialty coffee company based in New York City.  In addition to brewing and serving the highest quality coffee out of 25 bespoke cafes, the company extends its offerings through a wide range of licensing and wholesale relationships. 
Jonathan founded Joe Coffee in 2003, after a stressful career as a talent agent.  His current investors include Danny Meyer among others. 
Three key takeaways from this episode include:
Think about handing over a little bit of sunshine with each customer interaction.
Diversifying business lines can create resiliency in your business model.
Tough feedback can make you better for the long run.
I am your host RJ Lumba.  

Building An Elite Tutoring Company: Education Entrepreneur Steve Feldman

In this episode we speak with Steve Feldman, the Founder and Managing Director of Private Prep, an elite tutoring service offering individually customized lessons for a wide range of K-College school subjects, standardized test prep, college admissions consulting, executive functioning, and learning differences support. 
Steve founded Private Prep in 2006, just three years after graduating from college.  Since then, he has successfully built the company to over 300 people with a presence in multiple locations throughout the United States. 
In essence, Steve and Private Prep’s mission is to help students become the best version of themselves.
Three key takeaways, among many others, from this episode include:
Caring deeply for other people and authenticity leads to viral word of mouth.
When you earn your customer’s trust, you can efficiently and effectively expand into other services.
Scaling culture takes clarity on core values and consistent communication.