Richard Weissman
CEO, The Learning Experience
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JOb dEsCripTiOn: The second chapter of Weissman’s pioneering career in the early childhood development industry continues to defy conventional business wisdom. The nation’s fastest-growing preschool business, which Weissman launched in 2002 and is based in Boca, includes more than 125 cutting-edge facilities in some 20 states—with another 80-plus in the works (including expansion into England). LEssOns LEarnEd: After selling his interests in 1999 in the successful branded preschool franchise (Tutor Time) that he developed with his father, Weissman took a brief detour onto Wall Street. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was set to discuss starting his own hedge fund with potential investors, but the appointment was cancelled. The meeting was scheduled for inside the World Trade Center. “It was a life-changing experience,” says Weissman, 50. “I was living in a hotel in New Jersey and looking out my window at the smoke billowing from the towers—where I was supposed to be that morning. ... After 9-11, I went back to my roots. I didn’t know what the world was going to look like in six months or six years. I needed to go back to what I knew—and what I was good at.” X-faCTOr: “Anyone can start a business when the economy is booming,” says Weissman, whose company has grown 450 percent since the recession hit in 2008. “But what happens when the economy is slammed or Wall Street gets hit? You build a business to survive; you put in systems and you watch pennies. If you do that during bad times, you’ll be even more successful in the best of times.” GuidinG prinCipLEs: “The truth shall set you free. Don’t waste time trying to get around negatives. Confront them head on. We’re going to tell you exactly what the issues are from day one. And then, together, we’ll work through them.”
[ bocamag.com ]
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