Val Litwin has always been up for trying something new.
After co-founding the non-profit Kindness Crew Society and raising the profile of a social movement dedicated to acts of kindness, Litwin switched course to co-found Blo Blow Dry Bar.
Even for Litwin, that was a “radical” switch.
“I went from being a brand communications guy into hardcore, full-on operations,” he said. “And that meant juggling 21-year-old kids – 75 of them – and they show up with their emotional problems at work, they show up hungover, all that crazy stuff that comes with operations.”
But the shift didn’t phase Litwin. He threw his energies into Blo, helping drive the success that saw the company expand to 13 locations in three years and receive 400 franchise requests.
Litwin’s latest transition saw him become vice-president of franchise operations for Nurse Next Door this year.
“Here I am now in the field of health care, which I have no experience in but connects so deeply in a lot of ways to the Kindness Crew because it’s about compassion and caring for others and volunteerism,” he said.
What has driven Litwin’s career path to date?
“There have been those themes of service all the way through working with teams and making people feel great, whether it be with a random act of kindness or great hair,” he said. “But I think what’s probably been the biggest theme is carpe diem – just go for it, let’s try something new today.” •
