Three Minutes Across the Counter With Justin Lafazan

“Three Minutes Across the Counter” is a feature on Patch in which we chat with local business owners. If you would like to be featured, email adina@patch.com with the name of your business.

Today we with chat with Justin Lafazan, a 2014 Syosset High School graduate who cofounded Students 4 Students College Advisory, which assists rising juniors and seniors in the college application process. Lafazan talks about why he started a business and reasons to take a gap year. The brother of a school board trustee who was elected at age 18, Lafazan also talks about growing up in a family that takes aim at the status quo.

Patch: How did you get your first start in business?

Justin Lafazan: I went through the admissions process myself, and did really well: I applied to one school, Wharton School of Business at UPenn, and was accepted Early Decision. I started investing a heavy chunk of my time into researching the admissions process, as my goal was entry into Wharton. At that time, I realized one fact: kids who were getting high quality college advisors were getting in, period. This didn’t sit with me well at all! So I used my research and experience, and got myself into my school. I also helped a few of my peers get into their schools.
After that, I connected with a few other students from around Long Island, attending Syosset High School, Plainview High School St. Anthony’s High School, etc., who also felt the way I did: passionate about admissions, knowledgeable in the area, and furious that kids who used an advisor got in, and sometimes more deserving candidates didn’t. It did not sit right with me that my best friends who had excellent resumes who did not receive professional help didn’t have much success in admissions.
Most parents don’t think to hire an advisor because of the expense – there are Manhattan consultants that charge $50,000! I wanted to extend access to more families too, and charged a fee that parents can afford (about one-third of my competitors in the region).
We are all about leveraging our relevant experience – what we learned in the process – to help get kids into their dream schools, and receive financial award packages while at it.

Patch: How did your parents influence you as a business owner?

JL: My entire family has been committed to challenging the status quo, and that’s what we’re all about. My older brother Josh ran for the school board in Syosset, and is pushing the envelope in regards to education reform and innovation in district financing. My parents did not have a fancy education, but instilled in us that hard work gets you everywhere, even today. Do different things, work hard, do what you love, and success will follow. I took their advice. Two years ago I would’ve thought, “Who in the world would trust an 18 year old with my kid’s college applications?!” Now, I’m happy to say many people.
They also taught me to deliver on your word, and be honest with people.

Patch: Where did you grow up, and tell us more about what you are doing now.

JL: I grew up in Woodbury, and attended Syosset HS. I graduated from there in June of 2014. I was accepted into Wharton my senior year, and deferred my admission [taking] a gap year. They’re super common in Europe, but in America, a lot of people have this rush to get to school and get on the “path.” I really didn’t see that fitting my lifestyle, and deferred my admission for one year in order to try some new things, experiment, learn, and grow.

Patch: What’s a business mistake you’ve made that later you were glad you did?

JL: At first, I noticed a clear market disparity. Some parents were willing to pay hundreds, sometimes thousands, more than others for admissions services.Nonetheless, I charged everyone my same, flat, basic, low fee. My partners thought I made a huge mistake after adding an account with one client who clearly was well off, in need of my services, and willing to pay. I could have charged the 10 times the price and got it. It would’ve definitely helped the company out as we started growing, and we struggled at first.

Looking back, I see it as one of the best things I did. It all comes back to honesty. I charge everyone the same price, and give everyone the same service. I’m spending the same amount of time on a Harvard app that I am on some schools that don’t make the rankings sheets, because that’s who I am and that’s how I was raised. Is it a business mistake to treat people fairly? I don’t think so. But the jury is still out on that one.

Patch: Tell us something about yourself that most of your neighbors don’t know.

JL: Most of my neighbors don’t really get the gap year thing. So many people in the town come up to me and almost apologize that I am not at school yet, and think I’m so lost I’m stalling until I find myself. It’s more of the opposite really. I have so many ideas, so many passions, so much energy that I need more time. I’m searching for things that don’t exist, and that excites me.
The gap year was a choice I made that, once my parents acquiesced – they’re big supporters now – I’ve never looked back. I get to do things that excite me, amaze me, and challenge me. School never fascinated me so much. I did well, but it never shook my world. Entrepreneurship does. The gap year is to help me figure out a life where I know why I am waking up in the morning.

Patch: What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?

JL: The best business advice I ever received was from my father, a mortgage banker on Long Island. He always told me that business is a long-term play, and the way to build something for yourself is to do one fundamental thing: solve problems. Find a way to solve problems, even if the solution is yet to exist. My father gets so many deals coming to him from mortgage professionals who can’t get the deal done, and he’ll figure it out.

When a parent tells me that his kid simply cannot apply to top schools because his resume is weak, or his scores are low, I figure out ways to play up their strengths and market them accordingly. When a parent thinks they just can’t afford to send their kid to college, I show them unique programs at universities that allow you to get subsidized tuition, or financial aid strategies that will give them a large reward.

Everything was impossible until it wasn’t. There’s a solution to everything. Question is, how hard are you willing to work?

Patch: What advice would you give to a small business owner just starting out?

JL: It’s all about taking a chance. You don’t have to quit your job or drop out of school to start something new and exciting, and often entrepreneurs hold onto their main job until their venture rises to a level that affords them the luxury of leaving. But if you don’t experiment, you get nowhere.
Try new activities. Read different books. Learn from a variety of people. Create and build, and never stop dreaming. That is the advice I give to small business owners, and everyone I talk to. Possibly just as important, I tell everyone to do what they love. You spend more time working than you do anywhere else, so make sure you’re doing something you love and care about.On a more business-esque level, I tell small business owners that your business is nothing unless people know about it, so invest in a marketing strategy that works for you.

Patch: What do you look for when you hire?

JL: We hire such a diverse group, and they’re the most fun bunch I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. When we want to bring someone on board, they need to definitely know about the admissions game. They either got into a great school, go to a great school, or have proved that they can do it. In addition, they have to be passionate. Passion drives everything, and my people can talk your ear off about their opinions if they get the chance.
We also look to hire some cool folks. In the movie “The Internship,” recruiters advertised their layover test, in which you can only hire an employee who you would want to spend time with at an airport on a layover. Our sales meetings are fun, wild, and a little out-of-control, but I love every minute of it. Your venture is only as good as your people, so take some time, and bring some great people on your team.