From CEO to Employee to CEO Again | The Hard Reality of Entrepreneurship

In this powerful episode of the What It Takes Podcast, we sit down with Sam Shvarzblat, a contractor and entrepreneur who has lived both realities—being the boss and walking away from being the boss. Sam built a construction company from scratch in his early 20s, scaled it to multiple large projects, battled cash-flow pressure, burnout, family expectations, and eventually made the toughest decision an entrepreneur can make: closing his own company.

This conversation is brutally honest. Sam opens up about the identity crisis founders face, the ego tied to “being your own boss,” how cash flow really works behind the scenes in construction, and why moving his family to a new community changed everything. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, contractor, or someone who’s ever wondered if stepping away is failure or growth—this episode will hit home.

This is a raw masterclass in humility, rebuilding, and what it really takes to balance business, family, faith, and your own well-being.

💡 In This Episode, We Discuss:

◼️ Sam’s early journey into construction and why he skipped working for others

◼️ The harsh truth about being a young business owner in the trades

◼️ Why most contractors struggle with cash flow—and how to fix it

◼️ The “friends & family discount” myth

◼️ The realities of managing 10+ simultaneous construction projects

◼️ Burnout, identity, and the moment Sam knew he had to step away

◼️ Moving from Lakewood to Monsey: lifestyle, community, and values

◼️ Economic slowdown, stalled projects, and clients pulling deposits

◼️ What it feels like to shut down your own company

◼️ How Sam rebuilt his life, career, and sense of direction

◼️ What every new entrepreneur should understand before starting

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 When the Dream of Being Your Own Boss Starts to Crack

2:19 Why I Refused to Become a Copy-Paste Contractor

6:19 Friends, Family & the Truth About ‘Discount Work’

7:06 Why Friends Should Pay MORE—Not Less

8:26 At My Peak: Running 10 Projects with a Tiny Team

10:25 The Cash-Flow Trap That Destroys Most Contractors

13:10 The Question I Never Wanted to Answer: Why I Closed My Company

16:46 The Commute That Broke Me: 4:30 AM Drives & Endless Inspections

17:55 When Clients Pump the Brakes & the Economy Turns on You

26:56 The Identity Shift of Going from a Boss to an Employee

34:49 Being an Employee vs Doing Your Own Thing

37:35 The Biggest Lessons I’ve Learned in These Chapters of My Life

🔗 Connect with Sam Shvarzblat:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samshvarzblat/?hl=en

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samshvarz/

🔗 Connect with Tuli Kraus:

X (Twitter): https://x.com/TuliKraus

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackbird.recruiting/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuli-kraus/

This episode is sponsored by Blackbird Recruiting.

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