Walter Greenfeld grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the United States from Europe after the Second World War.
Walter worked with his father, Israel, in the textile industry from the years 1982 – 1999. From there, he transitioned into the healthcare industry, taking on the role of CEO at Nursing Personnel Homecare (NPH) until 2014. After leaving NPH, Walter Greenfeld founded a startup company called Keeper where he currently serves as the chief executive officer. Keeper specializes in providing payday advances to underserved people, such as healthcare workers, temporary workers, and contract workers via a new app the company has developed. A renowned humanitarian, over the course of his career, much of Walter Greenfeld’s work has revolved around helping the poor.
How have you achieved success?
I created my current company, Keeper, because I was inspired to help individuals who survive paycheck-to-paycheck. I’m talking about people like home healthcare workers, temporary workers, or contractors who were unable to get a pay advance under previous conditions. However, with the app we’ve developed at Keeper, these folks can now get money and pay their bills without worrying about losing services. We’ve been operating for about 18 months, and we’ve found immense success.
What are some of the obstacles you’ve overcome that you’re particularly proud of?
As human beings, we all encounter some obstacles and doubts as we go through life, and that includes me, too. Without getting into any specifics, sometimes it takes a lot of work and courage to conquer these doubts and overcome these obstacles. If an untenable situation arises, either personally or professionally, you just have to deal with it somehow. You have to take a step back, analyze what’s happening, and adapt your strategy until you find something that works.
What drives you to succeed?
I believe in God, and I believe he has a plan for each and every one of us. Though we do have free will and are accountable for our own actions, I know there is an ultimate higher power that oversees everything. I am, simply and plainly, carrying out my role in God’s plan as best I can, using my talents and abilities to help those less fortunate, as well as my own family, my employees, and their families.
How has your definition of success changed over the years?
As the company has become more successful, I’ve shifted part of my focus away from building our brand and establishing our reputation, and on to showing appreciation for our employees. After all, without our employees, we wouldn’t have much of a business. When employees and coworkers share in the profit windfalls from the business, they become a greater part of the business. They become more invested; more involved. And they become inspired to create their own success, which in turn helps the business. And as they help the company grow, they justify their salaries, bonuses, and any raises they might receive in the future. It’s sort of a benevolent circle. So, I suppose my definition of success has evolved over the years to include thinking of the greater good for not only myself, my company, and my partners, but also my employees and their families.
What has achieving success meant to you?
One of the things that achieving success has meant for me is having the ability and proper resources to implement any ideas that I want to bring to life. I have my own ideas, but a lot of good ideas come from the people that surround me. It is by collaborating with the best people and working together on a new idea that it becomes a reality and will become fruitful in the end.
Do you have advice for others on how to be successful?
In order to be truly successful in life, one must observe the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” That simple sentence is the key to a life of honesty, compassion, charity, and yes, even material prosperity.
How do you feel a person reaching their definition of success affects their outlook?
Hopefully, it makes them more compassionate and aware of how fortunate they are. There is a lot to be said for humility. I think there are two types of successful people; those who achieve success and become more humble from the experience, and those who achieve success and somehow become more self-centered. The former sort of person tends to want to help others and society on the whole, resulting in acts of mentorship, good faith, and charity, while the latter sort of person generally becomes short-sighted and only commits acts that will help themselves.
Blog — https://industry-minds.com/profile/?uid=waltergreenfeld
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/walter-greenfeld-83b96995/
Crunchbase — https://www.crunchbase.com/person/walter-greenfeld