Make It – How I Made It

Shahezad Contractor’s initial aim in starting his halal burger business was simple: “I wanted more halal options.” Now, with eight locations across the Northeast, he has much bigger dreams for Cousin’s Burger, the halal restaurant chain he launched in 2024. “Our goal is to be the next In-and-Out or the next Shake Shack,” Contractor tells…

Louisa Serene Schneider has never been short on business ideas. She once started a yoga-wear company (“long before Lululemon existed,” she says) and at another point tried to launch a language tutoring business. Neither of them stuck, but ideas kept coming. Then, in 2017, Schneider came up with an idea that she felt had momentum….