Takeaways – Life. Lessons. Learned.
Itay Dadon
Itay Dadon’s pursuit of the American Dream started with him selling a wheelie-like apparatus in the middle of the Mall of America. Fast forward 15 years, Itay is an owner of Triple Seven Movers and Ice Air Conditioning and Plumbing, a real estate investor, a council member with the Las Vegas chapter of the Israeli American Council, a member of the Jewish Nevada Men’s Division, and a devoted family man.
Failing in Minnesota, Itay decided to move out west to Las Vegas. But it was at the onset of the Great Recession. The only jobs available were in moving, and that’s how Itay worked his way into the moving business. Together with his brother, Itay eventually moved his parents from Israel, and they started Triple Seven Movers as a family business. As the business grew they bought as much real estate as they could while the prices were still low.
Itay’s evolution in business is quite a story, but his previous life serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is, in Itay’s words, “a story straight out of a Rambo movie”.
Life in Israel
Itay was born in America and raised in Israel. Childhood in Israel is an independent and cultured lifestyle, and it was a great life for Itay and his three siblings.
Since everyone living in Israel is required to serve, he joined the IDF at 18 and learned how to work as a tank commander. He got his crew, was stationed at the Lebanon-Syria border, and spent 20-hour days in a tank. From there, Itay was stationed in Egypt and other peaceful locations. But then, war broke out in Lebanon.
Itay was called to the front line because he had previous experience at the Lebanon border. After being debriefed he and his crew found themselves in the middle of a canyon. They were to provide cover for 90 Israeli soldiers evacuating enemy lines. The team started to see small enemy units popping up in the hills surrounding the canyon. They realized that an ambush was imminent. Itay requested and received a negative order to open fire. When the 90 Israeli soldiers they were there to rescue were within eyesight, sirens within the tank started to ring. The ambush began. Against orders from command, Itay ordered his unit to engage. He commanded his team to fire at the attackers while creating a diversion. In what was a harrowing event, Itay’s leadership and quick thinking saved the lives of his tank crewmates, along with the 90 soldiers.
Life in Business
When I think about Itay, the term “likeminded” comes to mind. From family life, our shared Israel-American identities, hobbies, to our involvement in the community.
I was interested to learn that Itay’s approach to business is to start with likeminded people. On a foundation of trust and shared values, he builds highly functioning teams, like a tight knit tank unit. Once he had the right people in place in his moving business, Itay and his business partners (brother and dad) decided to take a risk and start a new business in HVAC.
But for Itay, none of his business succusses compare to his commitment to his family and his community.
Takeaways From This Episode
Other Key Takeaways in this episode include:
- As a business owner, you need to adopt and adapt when adversity happens
- Surround yourself with like-minded people to ensure success
- Take risks and don’t give up too easily
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