Life as an Entrepreneur

Since the early days of my childhood I was exposed to the unique lifestyle of an entrepreneur – my Dad – though that term was rarely used in the common vernacular. Dad’s freelance photography business was based in our home. His business cards and letterhead proudly stated Martin H. Lobel Photographer followed by our home address. There was a “business only” telephone in the den with its own number (very rare in the mid 1950’s). Whenever that phone rang everything stopped because it meant new or current business (our singular means of support) was at hand. Dad had a darkroom in our basement where he processed film and created the beautiful photographs that were the source of his livelihood. While I didn’t fully understand why, it was apparent that our lifestyle was different than the average family in our suburban Long Island neighborhood. Most of my friend’s fathers commuted daily into “the City” for their work, but Dad was usually home during the week. He tended to sleep late because a lot of his work took place in the evenings either making sales calls visiting clients after dinner or working into the early morning hours in his darkroom. Weekends were just the reverse. While the other dads were off from work and available for outings and sports, my Dad was working – photographing weddings and bar mitzvahs, which only took place on the weekends.

It was a mixed bag for us as a family because while in some ways we got to see more of Dad, in other ways we were out of sync with the life rhythms of most of the other families. We always felt like we were just a bit different, but life went on. Occasionally I got to accompany Dad on a photographic adventure. Once freelance assignment involved photographing Aqueduct Racetrack while it was under construction. It was exciting being on such a massive construction site, but the most memorable part of that trip was Dad getting stuck in a mud pit and having to be rescued by some construction workers. He was up to his waist in mud but continued to protect his camera – his only one in the early days.

All of this gave me a unique perspective on the nuances of an entrepreneurial life. Starting in my early teens I got to accompany Dad as his “light man” assisting him on weekend jobs photographing weddings and bar mitzvahs. I got to spend a great deal of time with him and we went to many parties with good food and music. His clients were from the upscale areas of Long Island and everything was first class. Aside from the photography we became connoisseurs of fine catering and party bands. It was all quite fun and exciting until Dad had a near fatal heart attack at a wedding we were working. That was a life-altering event for our family and seriously darkened my view of entrepreneurship for many years to come.