Meet Eric Weingrad | Entrepreneur & Pediatric Brain Injury Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Weingrad and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
I decided to invest in myself instead of waiting for someone to validate my idea. That decision allowed me to move forward with my project and get it out of the ‘idea phase” and into reality. Had I waited for someone to believe my idea of an online platform for impaired individuals and caregivers to connect was worthy, would work or was even necessary, I might not have ever started my company, IHSSconnect.com. Now, not only has my company successfully launched but I remain in control of the direction my company moves along with my two partners. While I understand that investing in yourself isn’t always practical, I believe the more control you keep in your company, the more your vision will come to fruition. Believe in your idea so much that you’re willing to put your own money on the line.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business came from a very personal place: my own family’s needs. When trying to find an appropriate caregiver for our severely impaired child, my wife and I realized that there wasn’t a good system in place to find, interview and hire caregivers for children and adults with complex home care needs. Families and individuals were forced to use sketchy social media sites, rely on friends or family, or search other job sites that aren’t set up for the specific needs of individuals with impairments.

That’s where our company started. We had a need and instead of waiting for someone to fix our issue, I decided to build a state-of-the-art platform myself. It isn’t easy as I had to invest tens of thousands of dollars into our business during a global pandemic. I wasn’t making money because my first business, an advocacy firm, was dead in the water as courts were closed and it was damn-near impossible to meet potential new clients. With the help of two amazing partners, we pushed forward and successfully launched our website 10 months after having the idea.

Those 10 months building the website was exhausting as the company we hired to build it was overseas, which meant a lot of 2am, 3am and 4am meetings and emails. What we thought would only take a 3 or 4 months to create, took more than twice as long and almost 5 times the amount of money we estimated. It was scary but we stood strong in the fact that our idea was necessary and sound. Today, we have close to 2,000 registered users and we grow more every day.

Our company’s story is still being told but the experience I’ve gained this past year is something that will allow me to continue to create similar projects in the future.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
No trip to Los Angeles is complete without the obligatory visits to Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Boulevard and the Santa Monica Pier, but my favorite place to go with a visiting friend is to people watch in Venice. Course, times are different these days, but I love sitting on a grassy knoll overlooking the waterfront walkway as tourists, artists, skaters, and lost souls all intermingle.

For a more private experience, I think a stay to Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica is about as LA of an experience you can get since it’s littered with celebrities, has unrivaled beach access and each room is set up beautifully. Just the same, the dining selections in that part of town are great and easy to get to without having to get in a vehicle—which is always a plus in Los Angeles.

But if I was away from LA for a decade, the first place I’d visit would be In ‘N Out followed by a trip to El Porto beach in Manhattan Beach. Soft sand, good food, and good scenery—what else do you need?

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I used to direct and produce reality television for 18 years before switching gears and focusing on helping the impaired community throughout the country, but with a focus on California. My son, Holton, is the reason for this dramatic life change, as he was abused and severely hurt by a caregiver at 11 weeks old. He suffered life-altering brain injury and once in that world I recognized how much was wrong with the care kids like my son receive. Since his brain injury, I’ve founded a charity called Holton’s Heroes that helps brain injured children throughout the country receive expensive durable medical equipment that insurance often denies. Additionally, I’ve started an advocacy company called California Advocacy Group that help California families fight the state and county when they’re denied entitlements and programs. Most recently, I launched a new platform called IHSS Connect that allows people of all ages with impairments in California to safely and securely find caregivers in their area.

Website: www.ihssconnect.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ihssconnect

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ihssconnect

Image Credits
Main image: Chyna Photography Image in front of garage door: Chyna Photography