Dan Weiniger of Westfield, NJ Studio Owner of the Month!

February  2013

Dan Weiniger in his Home Video Studio

 Dan Weiniger, Home Video Studio owner from Westfield, New Jersey is our February 2013 Studio Owner of the Month - his second SOM recognition. Dan “hit the ground running” as a new owner two and a half years ago.  His zeal and ensuing success resulted in his being named April 2010 Owner of the Month.  Since then his enthusiasm has only grown.  Besides consistent personal and financial accomplishments he has garnered, among other awards, the Relationship Mindset Award and Rookie of the Year honors. 

Here is Dan’s original 2010 article along with an update:

Dan Weiniger has worked in high finance at the American Stock Exchange, in high calories as the owner of two ice cream shops and now in high tech as a Home Video Studio owner. Obviously Dan isn't afraid of heights and his daily discipline to move his business upward is paying off. That's why Dan Weiniger is April's Studio Owner of the Month. Dan, like many of our studio owners, came to Home Video Studio by way of his love for photography and video as a hobby while working in a different field. Although he grew up in New Jersey Weiniger got a degree in finance from Arizona State University and soon found himself owning a seat in the bustling environs of Wall Street and later on the Chicago Board of Options Exchange. How cool is that? Just like the movie Trading Places! "It was cool," says Weiniger, "but it was very hectic and, like any other business, a trend started where smaller margins and larger operating costs were making it harder for me to squeeze out a profit and I began to wonder if it was worth it for me." Dan's natural entrepreneurial instincts kicked in another cool direction, literally, and he decided to own and operate a couple of ice cream stores is Florida. But alas, Dan's financial muse called him back to the business of selling for Northwestern Mutual Life. Soon after Dan met his wife Jan and they found themselves back in New Jersey and, after the adoption of their daughter, Dan settled in to be a stay-at-home dad and enjoy his family. As life sometimes goes, however, there was a curve in the plan. Dan found out that he had congestive heart failure and had suffered a heart attack without even knowing it. Upon recovery he made the decision that there would be a few changes in his life. His abiding love of video and photography caused him to enroll in a class in visual communications. It was in this class that Dan met Pete Gallo, who was in the video services business, was enjoying it and was making good money at home. Pete, one of our very successful studio owners, told Dan about Home Video Studio and soon Dan was on the road to studio ownership. "I went to Show-N-Tell feeling good about this business," says Weiniger. "I got a good vibe from Robert's humility and from the energy of the studio owners that I talked to." Dan is now in his eighth month as an owner. His daily diligence, his creativity, his customer service skills, his drive and his sales skills all fuel the stuff that make for a good Home Video Studio owner. "I like running a successful business and I like being home with my family, “says Weiniger, “that’s why this is a perfect fit for me!”

Dan and his daughter

•   Dan, since your last Studio Owner of the Month award a lot has happened, including being named Rookie of the Year in 2011.  What do attribute your success to?

•   I have a deep abiding belief in the value of what I do for my customers and I strive for amazing customer service.   

  

•   So you attribute your success to this enthusiasm more than anything else?

•   I tell people I may not be the world’s greatest videographer or even the world’s greatest businessman but what I have is enthusiasm, purpose and excitement.  I see these qualities in my daughter and it makes her life joyful.  That’s the same thing I want to give to my customers and they respond to that.

•   Anything new in 2013?

•   Learning as much as I can, tending to relationships business and otherwise, getting  more involved in my community.

•   What about goals?

•    I want to be the number one grossing studio in the franchise.

       

•   Any parting words?

•   Yes, People don’t buy what you do, they buy what you believe in.

Thanks to Dan Weiniger, Home Video Studio’s February 2010 studio Owner of the Month.  We look forward to seeing what’s in store for you next!