for all our #fathers...this was mine.

This (top) was 2012. In my Jeep Wrangler, waiting outside Holland Tunnel in Manhattan, on our way to Pennsylvania.

My small collection of properties was just beginning to expand.

My father, Alex - would usually accompany my trips. We would spend the day completing purchases, meeting #contractors, occasionally #painting and fixing things.

He was excellent with his hands.

My father (right) grew up in #Shepetovka #Ukraine. He was poor. Not destitute, just poor. Post soviet era took poor to whole new lever, watch #everythingisilluminated. That's me on the left.

I also witnessed what a great a man my #grandfather was.

There was a story shared around the house.

My grandfather was a smart & diligent man who ran a government warehouse issuing goods to our town. Access was everything during communism.

One day, my father went to see my mother - they were still unmarried. My grandfather (below) opened the door, looked down and saw my father wearing chewed up shoes in the dead of winter. Winters were always brutal Ukraine.

After examining the shoes and knowing that his daughter would soon marry this man - he took pity and got him a new pair of boots. This would not be the last gift he received from my grandfather, back then - people were helpful and recipients grateful.

As a struggling young man (with a young family) in post-war Ukraine. It wasn't easy. We were one of the lucky ones. Many would not survive.

A higher education or a government role meant respect - but not #money. My father had neither.

He was not a great student. He was a regular blue collar guy.

Earning a living was crucial, so went into entrepreneurship with two friends. Back then, it wasn't called #entrepreneurship. It was called #survival. They called themselves the #threemusketeers.

They started a furniture décor export business. Business was good for a few years, then Soviet Union #collapsed. Yet, another set back.

We weren't just poor this time. Money meant nothing, #inflation ate it up. (Sound familiar?)

The only rational decision was move to America. Why?

• Land of the Free.
• Home of the Brave.
• Street paved with gold.

#Freedom meant you could start a business, be independent and live a peaceful life without interference from outside forces including government.

In 1992, he and my mother packed a "баул" - a big container. Dressed the kids in jewelry under ragged clothes and immigrated to #Brooklyn.

He worked as a #signmaker on Coney Island Ave for a few years. When he saved enough for a down payment, they purchased the house I grew up in. It was #SheepsheadBay, #Brooklyn.

If I remember correctly they paid 9% interest. He quit his job, went out on his own and built a small sign shop the garage. I remember, he was very nervous about leaving his job. He was uncertain, my mother helped him navigate that fear. #goldencage

He was an #industrious & #clever man. He was an #artist, a #painter & #creator. He had to be those things and more, we needed him to be.

My father (left) started making signs and hanging them for customers. Big heavy metal ones. He would visit shops with old dilapidated signs and offered a cheap product with high quality. They ate it up.

He had little overhead. Used other people's resources and kept his expenses low.

He would spend late nights on a ladder, hanging signs too big for him to handle while spending days working with paints and chemicals - without a mask. He took these risks while we slept. We were grateful.

Soon, this man with no prior #professionalexperience grew his shop into a #nichebusiness. Everyone knew him. Years later, after he closed his shop due to illness, customers still kept calling - for years. His customers spanned all over Brooklyn and #Manhattan.

He had #nosocialmedia. No #seedfinancing. Only #guts, #determination, a #neverquit attitude and #wordofmouth advertising. And, word spread fast.

A number of economic forces and being in the "right place at the right time" put our family on its feet.

I received a solid education in #BaruchCollege and worked from an early age to became independent. This was his dream for me - and it came true. The same dream he had when he first came to #America. He never stopped dreaming.

In 2012, he noticed I had similar spirit. He wanted to help encourage me. So he did it, the only way he knew how; by going on those trips with me to Pennsylvania. This was a great man.

Soon, the #greatrecession hit and I was able to ramp up buying.

I had little support and nothing but questions on a daily basis, but I kept moving forward. I had no choice. This was how I was brought up. I knew that one day luck would strike, because I was positioning myself to be in the "right place, in the right time" - just like he did.

Questions like, where do I get #financing? Where do I find renters? What #properties to buy and what to stay away from? All were answered in time. Never free, usually very costly - but I was patient and persistent.

I pursued my dream and he supported me. We painted apartments and repaired decks together.

He always received payment in advance: bagels and coffee from #BrooklynBagels. He wanted nothing else in return. I miss him a lot.

Today, we see similar winds of change. #Strength and #determination is replaced by #complacency and #fear. But, not for everyone.

There is a small sub-section who walk a similar path. Probably because they had similar fathers to mine.

We call them #founders.

People consider founders to be #businessowners. Sounds great, but before any business exists they are usually #lost, #confused and in search of #advisors, #support and answers.

They are people first, before any business exists.

That's where I come in. I believe in people who tirelessly work on their dream in the face of great adversity. My father taught me this.

Years ago, my father was diagnosed with early-onset #Alzheimer's. He struggled for 10+ years and died alone in a nursing home during Covid.

To me, his suffering was the real tragedy. Alzheimer's is an atrocious disease. No good man deserves such fate.

Take care of our fathers, we stand on their shoulders. Be a #gooddad, #payitforward, #loveyourkids and encourage kids to persevere at all costs.

-

AdValorem Syndicate is a #seed #angel #investing startup raising capital for founders in #SaaS, #Fintech, #Web3 & #Blockchain.

Today, I work with select founders and all are welcome.

I help them gain #traction and become #investable through advisory.

When they are ready, we #syndicate a #seedround.

Join & #Invest in these founders here: AdValorem Syndicate

We review every #pitchdeck. Investment minimums are as low as $1,000.

You must be accredited.

We are #friends, #advisors and #consigliere for seed stage startup founders. This is the first newsletter, but certainly not the last.

Love your country & love your fathers,

Thank You,

Val Kleyman

AdValorem Syndicate

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