Leah Klyne, the chief executive of Get Web Traffic, stood out from the crowd at Monday’s JTrade fair, connecting those running a variety of Jewish businesses with potential customers and employees.
Not that it was easy to find anyone at the ExCeL Centre in Docklands as the event attracted more than 5,000 visitors, including Housing and Communities Secretary James Brokenshire.
But Mrs Klyne was notable as a rare female chief executive among the 180 exhibitors — and JTrade founder Ari Feferkorn hopes to see more like her at next year’s show.
Mrs Klyne, who hails from the Charedi enclave in Gateshead, wants to inspire other women in her community to go into business.
She told the JC she set up her company five years ago after returning to the UK from Israel, where she was involved in a similar internet enterprise.
“I had to take off time quite a bit because I have eight children and it wasn’t really working,” she explained. After a period of maternity leave, her Israeli employer decided “they didn’t need me anymore.
“I was worried about what I would do but it was actually the best thing for me.”
With a large family, it was preferable “to have the flexibility of being your own boss. I have two people working for me and a few contractors that I regularly use. It means I can go to an appointment or take time to go to the kids’ shows.”
And despite running a web-related business, there was no internet at home on religious grounds. “I might do the odd phone call but that is it.
“I am not a person who takes risk and I didn’t want it to take me away from my kids. But it hasn’t.”
Exhibiting at JTrade had afforded the opportunity to meet a number of potential clients. “Seeing the help I can give different businesses is great.”
Mr Feferkorn told the JC: “We tried to get other women to exhibit their business but for some reason they were a bit uncomfortable. We definitely want to see more next year.
“The whole point of the show is to bring businesses in the Jewish community together. It doesn’t matter where you are from.”
Also exhibiting were husband and wife Ben and Chavi Weberman, who run Swift Waste Management in Stamford Hill.
Mr Weberman set up the company eight years ago, having completed his yeshivah studies and facing the choice of “getting a job or going on benefits”. It now employs more than 70 people.
He hit upon his business plan by browsing the Yellow Pages and asking himself: “What does the Jewish community not have?”
He started out with £3,000 from a gemach (Jewish loan fund) and “kept going from there”.
At the outset, he had one van. He now has several, also hiring out skips, vans and toilets to those working in the construction industry.
Mrs Weberman, 28, added: “What we pride ourselves on is that we do everything ourselves and we never say no to a customer.”
Mr Feferkorn was thrilled to have showcased the scope of Jewish business enterprise, particularly among the more Orthodox.
He acknowledged the perception in the wider world that the Charedi community was inward-looking.
“I wanted to change that and I think by people coming here and seeing what is going on, hopefully I am.”
