I met many successful entrepreneurs at the OJBA trade show for the construction and real estate industry.
One of the people and businesses that most intrigued me was Menachem Cinner and his company DuraFrost. The excitement with which he described his business was infectious.
“Frosting” or “tinting” in this industry refers to different types of film used for a myriad of purposes including security, privacy, energy efficiency and much more.
While looking for frosting solutions for a large window in his home, Menachem found the current industry lacking in many respects—so he figured out how to do it himself. That led to him founding DuraFrost.
“On the side,” Menachem acquired and runs a mold remediation company as well as a property management business. We spoke about the learning curve he went through while growing the businesses, and to what he attributes his business success.
Enjoy!
—Nesanel
I was born and raised in Boro Park. My parents moved here from Canada, and I was born shortly after. I went to Bobov for elementary school.
“I grew up in a middle-class home, the third of six children. My father is a hard worker: He owned three grocery stores, he ran a few other companies, and he now works at Quality Frozen Foods. My mother was a teacher for many years and then became a private tutor.
“For mesivta, I went to Rav Paler’s yeshivah in Boro Park for three years, after which I went to Lakewood, and then to Eretz Yisrael for first year beis midrash. My parents believe in getting married young, so I went to Eretz Yisrael early, and got married at 19 years of age.
“I was not entrepreneurial as a teenager, but I did want to work during bein hazmanim; however, my father didn’t approve. I’ll admit it was very frustrating, because we could have used the money, but I respected my father’s decision.
“In Eretz Yisrael, I had my first entrepreneurial experience. I brought in items from America—primarily iPhones—to sell to Israelis who bought them for top dollar.
“After I got married, I studied in kollel for two years. I learned by Rav Shaul Simcha Friedman at Shemen L’Minchah and by Rav Yisroel Moshe Fried.
“I was always into music. I’m a drummer, and I sang on some of Rabbi Moshe Goldman’s albums when I was a kid, so I was familiar with the field. In Eretz Yisrael, I started a band along with a few other musical guys from the kollel. We had a grand total of two events—one for Lag BaOmer and then the following Lag BaOmer—but it led to me starting my first unofficial business, a men’s choir called Azamrah.
A well-known person in Lakewood hired our band for Purim, but the rav of his shul didn’t want a full band at the end. He asked us if we can get a one-man band and sing instead. I called some guys with good voices and it worked out great! After Purim, I proposed the idea to continue as a choir, and they agreed. We became ‘The Lakewood Choir.’
“We were very busy and we did a bunch of Shabbosim, weddings, bar mitzvahs, Shabbos sheva brachos, etc. I ran the choir, I hired the members, and I hired a great musical director to lead the choir. I also sang in the choir.
“It was very tough when I was away for Shabbos, both on myself and on my wife. My kids were very young so it didn’t affect them too much. But it was a good money maker.
“I stopped singing after a few years, but I didn’t break up the choir. Since it was still my business, I continued to profit from it even without actually participating. I didn’t put in any real effort because, by this point, I’d opened DuraFrost. The choir eventually fizzled out.
“DuraFrost was my first real business. Here’s the background: When I was in kollel, I took my learning very seriously. Then I worked one summer for an ABA therapy company as a shadow for a child. I did very well in that job, and the boss called me in towards the end of the summer and offered me a raise and a full-time position.
“For the next three years, until I was 24, I worked for a few different agencies as an ABA therapist. I helped children on the spectrum with social, emotional and academic skills. I also taught English at the time.
“Around that time, I was living in a two-bedroom basement apartment in Lakewood. We were having our second child and had to start looking for a house. Baruch Hashem, we had some money put away from my wife’s job, my in-laws, and the choir, and with that we bought a starter home in Lakewood. That’s when DuraFrost was born.
“I was doing work on my house and realized that a few windows needed frosting for privacy reasons. In our dining room, there was a floor-to-ceiling window to the street, and I wanted it frosted. I wanted the sunlight and didn’t want to cover it with a shade all day. I first tried ordering and installing a spray-on, then various peel-off frosting materials, but they didn’t look nice when installed and didn’t last. I did what other people might do—went on a group chat and asked, ‘Does anyone know someone who does window frosting?’
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