Yehuda Susskind

Illustration by Lea Kron

As a born entrepreneur, I sold comic books on the school bus, had a side hustle pushing stationery (for our younger Family Table readers, stationery is special paper we used to write letters on. Letters are…never mind.), and would have a waiting list for babysitting gigs.

Our Soundbites subject seems to have been born with this gene and took it to the next level. He turned the average event into a trade show on steroids. Meet Yehuda Susskind, co-founder of PowWow events and one of the brains behind Kosherpalooza. Sit back and enjoy the (trade) show.

Where did your business acumen come from?

For as long as I can remember, I had a business. I sold snack bags and soda in elementary school, and worked really hard in my tutoring business in high school. I also had a huge apparel business, including sunglasses and caps that I sold on eBay. Once I graduated and went to Israel, my businesses were on hold. When they resumed, my devotion to learning became and remains a major part of my day.

Siyata d’Shmaya and my business common sense took me far, but I largely attribute my success to heeding what my father, a”h, always taught my brother and me: “Whatever you do, make sure you do it well.”