OVERVIEW

Jay Snaric is a successful entrepreneur, business owner and investor. He is also a biologist and teacher. His extensive academic past includes a graduate degree in biology from the prestigious graduate school at New York University, as well as graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biology from a Pennsylvania state university, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. He taught 20 years as a physiology professor before becoming a full-time entrepreneur.

Although he was a tenured professor, he was driven to entrepreneurship. He had a feverish desire to build a successful business – and he did! In 2015 he was able to quit his job and move to Florida, due to the fact that he built successful companies in 10 major cities across six states.

EARLY LIFE
At 12 years old, Snaric worked “off the books” for his best friend’s uncle who owned a janitorial company. Although he made less than minimum wage cleaning toilets and mopping floors, he loved working and earning money. Even at a young age, he had an industrious nature, as well as a strong penchant for entrepreneurism.

As early as junior high school he would buy large bags of Jolly Rancher candy and sell individual pieces to classmates for a profit.  In high school, he and a friend started a cleaning business in which they advertised by hanging hand-written flyers in the local supermarkets.

Although it wouldn’t be until much later in life that he became a successful entrepreneur, the seeds were evident early.

BREAKTHROUGH AND SUCCESS
After high school, Snaric put the dream of entrepreneurship on hold in order to attend college. Because he had poor grades and low SAT scores out of high school, he had to attend a 2 year community college, i.e., no other college would accept him. Unexpectedly, he excelled in the college environment and spent the following years studying subject matter that included physiology, chemistry, cell & molecular biology and microbiology.

Through tutoring, in order to help support himself through college, he discovered that he loved teaching. At just 22 years old, even before completion of his graduate degree, he found himself teaching his first college course. And the rest was history. He went on to become a tenured professor teaching physiology, anatomy, general biology, microbiology, and nutrition to future nurses and other healthcare professionals.

It wasn’t until after six years of teaching that he regained the “itch of entrepreneurism”. He started a real estate business where he bought and sold investment properties. He wrote a nutrition and weight loss plan known as “The 9th Law”. And then he and his future wife, Kimberly, created a software program for children teaching them how to eat healthy. Although none of these programs had much success, what was learned in these “failures” laid the critical foundation for his future. He always emphasizes that “you learn much more from your failures than from your successes, and then applying what you learned from your failures leads to success.” 

It wasn’t until he and his wife started their multi-million dollar business that certifies healthcare providers in American Heart Association CPR and advanced life support courses that success came. All his past experiences and failures finally paid off.

MONEY
Snaric lived most of his life without money. His mother was a stay-at-home Mom dropped out of high school, and his Dad worked in small local garages as car mechanic not making much more than minimum wage. There was no extra money growing up but dinner was always on the table and they were thankful for what they had. It wasn’t much later in life that Snaric really understood how little money his family had when he was growing up. But this experience shaped his view on money, both earning it and the value of it.

As a self-made multi-millionaire Snaric has a humble opinion on money. He says, “I’ve lived both with money and without money. And I can tell you that having money is better than not having it. But, not because of material items (cars, jewelry, clothes, etc.) it can buy for you. But because, if used properly, money can solve everyday problems and help reduce life’s stress, as well as open up new experiences and advantages. Unlike most of my life growing up, I don’t have to worry anymore if my hot water heater breaks or if the price of gas or groceries go up. I don’t have to worry about an unexpected medical expense, a lay-off at a job, or anything else that I had to worry about most of my life. Now I can just throw money at it and the problem goes away – and that’s the value of money. Stress is a major contributor to poor health and money can alleviate a lot of that – leading to better mental and physical health. That is why money is good to have. Money also allows my wife (who also grew up without it) and I to have wonderful experiences and advantages. We can go to New York and see Broadway Shows every night for a week straight (sitting in premium seats) without concerns over the cost. We can buy the highest quality foods (which improve health) without thought of the price at checkout.”

Snaric continues, “But, money by itself cannot make you happy. And only if carefully used can money solve your problems. Without respecting and understanding it, money can do just the opposite and create problems! This can easily be seen with lottery winners who all of a sudden come into a ton of money, then within a short period of time not only do they have none of it left but are often in worse financial and mental states than prior to receiving it. The only way one can even begin to respect money and understand it is to earn it on their own through hard work and persisting through failures. This is no different than working hard toward “earning” a good and meaningful relationship with a loved one, or anything else of great value. When things are handed to you, it’s impossible to have the level of appreciation and understanding for them that is required for their continued success.

EDUCATION AND SOCIETY
Snaric believes money should be taught in school starting at an early age. He talks about the value of learning how to earn money, use money to buy assets, and have money work for you by decreasing stress and increasing happiness. He says, “Our education system is solely focused on getting students into college. Then our colleges take over, and if the individual is not in a program that provides value for employers, then they find themselves doing low wage work that doesn’t even require a college degree. And on top of it, these unfortunate individuals struggle for decades to repay the loans for the worthless degree. So many majors in college are really just hobbies. Hobbies are awesome and should be pursued. But one certainly does not have to go into such tremendous debt to get this information – it’s all in books and better yet at your fingertips on your computer. College is only required for specific careers, such as nursing, doctors, lab science and things that require specific equipment, certifications, and specialized training. Thankfully, today there seems to be a positive shift and greater awareness of this. The value of training to be a plumber, electrician, or HVAC technician is finally becoming more recognized as a path for success than most college degrees.”         

MOTIVATION
Snaric’s greatest motivation comes from the high school teachers and standardized tests that told him he will not succeed in college. A guidance counselor once told him that based on a standardized test he was best suited to be a bus driver, and nothing more.