Meet Samantha Weisman | CEO

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

Hi Samantha, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Starting a business was something I always wanted to do, but I needed the right thing to come up. Banana Menorah was born from a family tradition and felt like the right fit for taking the leap and starting a retail company. Initially I wanted to open a brick and mortar store as a I love in-person interactions, but it made more sense to start online. The business has since evolved to include a jewelry line which is also a passion of mine. My hope is that it will continue to grow.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Like many people’s career journeys, mine was absolutely not straightforward. But each job I’ve held since I was a teenager has taught me skills that I use to this day. I’ve learned to be adaptable, to read people and communicate effectively, and how to take challenges and make them into opportunities. More practically, I’ve learned how run a small business, order supplies, provide customer service, be a salesperson, and be nimble on my feet as things come up.

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.
The best way to see Los Angeles is with a local! Griffith park is my backyard so we would hike up to the Observatory and take in the views. I would also take them to the Hollywood Reservoir for another great hike. I would take them to some of my favorite places to eat: All-Time or Dune for lunch, Saffy’s for dinner, Stella West Hollywood if we’re feeling fancy. We’d get mixed iced coffee from Silverlake Coffee, pastries at Proof, wine at Tabula Rasa or Covell, and martinis at Little Dom’s. This is a very food-based visit.

I also love taking people to the Getty. I love the collection there and the architecture and views are incredible. If we were feeling like a little getaway, I would take them to the beach in Carpinteria. It’s only an hour or so outside of LA and one of the best beaches I’ve ever been to.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband Zach deserves a lot of credit and recognition in this story. He is my business partner, but more than that, he has always supported my dreams and efforts to start a business. His belief in me has given me the confidence to both start and navigate this business and he is an amazing teammate with ideas and a knowledge base that complement mine.

Website: https://noshes.co

Instagram: @bananamenorah

Image Credits
Calli Bachman
Samantha Weisman