[21] SAM & HAL ZEITLIN: A Michelin Chef and his politics dropout brother

The Entrepreneur Next Door 🏡

"What type of bagels do you serve in a post-divorce party?" You'll have to listen to find out.
This is the story of two brothers, twenty months apart, who lost their mother at a young age and were raised by a devoted father. Both, (shout out to Dad) are united by their desire for public service and giving back.
One brother, Sam, loves to cook and gets to work at a Michelin-rated restaurant, only to realize that a neverending corporate-style rat race to an imaginary top isn't aligned with his values or desires.
Hal, Sam's younger brother, wanted to change the world (politics) goes to college as a political science/economics major but spends a year with Teach for America. He becomes the accidental marketer but learns every aspect of growth marketing on his own. He is now the owner of a Webflow agency, the next generation of WordPress. Hal is betting his life and career on Webflow technology's promise of a visual interface that offers control and power to web development.
Sam finds himself connected, at a deep emotional level, to his Jewish roots; "I grew up eating Jewish food and decided to make bread and bagels (that were really bad). I wanted to sell them and give the money back. We donated the money to Melanoma research."
"Maybe baking and Jewish food will be something I can share with people." Sam joins a new restaurant in Chicago and gets laid off when Covid hits. He spends his time baking bread for laid-off people who didn't have enough to put food on the table.
From baking bagels in his apartment, Sam realizes this is the time to rely on himself and starts Zeitlin Delicatessen, which isn't a brick-and-mortar but is based entirely on delivering food. As his brother Hal says, "Sam has the longest lines in the farmers' market...I feel bad for the other vendor." Sam goes on to figure out entrepreneurship on his own.
Zeitlin is a testament to the love of helping others, feeding others, and supporting others.
Best advice Hal ever got? "Meditate every day."
You won't be able to resist the urge to find these guys and just hug them. They are genuinely hardworking, good people who may not make the cover of Forbes but will impact lives and businesses in a more personal way than what many strive for as validation for success.