Fresh out of an unfulfilling finance career, Neil Hershman was looking for something different — something he could build with his own hands. That search led him to 16 Handles, a New York-based froyo brand he frequented as a customer.

Astrophysics degree in one hand, finance resume in the other, Hershman found himself behind the counter of his first 16 Handles franchise, sleeves rolled up and running the store from open to close.

What started as a side project quickly spiraled into something bigger. "Open and close, every single shift I was working," Hershman says. "I was able to advance the business [and] bring in additional revenue to the point where the profit was so great that I decided to leave all my other projects and just focus on 16 Handles."

At a time when other entrepreneurs were retreating, Hershman expanded. He started building new stores across New York City during Covid-19, when retail leases were cheap and competitors were shuttering. "Instead of getting scared, I was the one coming in and building," he says.

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