Many people have shared with me that their favorite part of Lunch Break is the background story of the person being featured. While speaking to Nachman Lieser, I couldn’t help but see how every step of his hishtadlus led to his next career move, albeit along a different path than might have been expected. There are many lessons to be learned from the downs and ups of being an entrepreneur.
Nachman started out as a car service driver, then became an accountant, and today he runs two successful companies. His first business, BottomLine Management, is a full-service bookkeeping and accounting company focusing on e-commerce sellers. After working with many of them, Nachman discovered that Amazon sellers don’t always seem to have a grasp on their finances. This led to the creation of his software ConnectBooks, which integrates backend data from Amazon, eBay and Walmart sellers with QuickBooks.
Nachman’s story is inspiring, and his advice should help business owners understand the necessity of having a better understanding of their financial goings-on.
– Nesanel
” I was born and raised in Boro Park. I went to Bobover cheder and then Beis Meir for mesivta. I learned by Rav Uren Reich in Woodlake yeshivah for two years, during which I was one of the only chasidishe bachurim in the yeshivah.
“I got married at 20 to a girl from Monsey and studied in the Stoliner kollel in Monsey. I expected to stay in kollel for a while, but my wife wasn’t able to work when we were expecting our first child, so I needed to find work so we could support ourselves.
“This was in 2011, and compared to today, Monsey was a ghost town and there weren’t any jobs available locally. I must have sent my resume to at least 50 places and I don’t remember getting a single response. I tried looking for work for about a month.
“One morning, I met a friend of mine, Yoel Ber Green, at Shacharis. He asked me what was going on in my life, and I told him that I was looking for a job. Yoel Ber was a manager at a car service in Monsey called Motty’s Car Service and he said, ‘Why don’t you come drive for us? You can make some money.’
“I politely declined, telling him that I wanted something else. Three weeks later, the first of the month was approaching and I didn’t have money to pay the rent. At the same time, Yoel Ber called me up again and said he had a new van and was still looking for a driver.