Osnat Lowinger discovered her dream job by accident.
Four and a half years ago, she was an insurance agent with a solid office job. Her daughter was becoming bat mitzvah, and she hired a DJ for the party.
“She was fabulous. We all danced up a storm. When I thanked her, she said, ‘You’d be a great DJ.’”
The comment lodged deep in Osnat’s mind and kept niggling.
“A month later, a DJ course opened near my house. I completed the two-month course – and two months later, I was working gigs.
What does a DJ do?
“I run the entire bat mitzvah.
“I bring colored lights, sound equipment, accessories – pom poms, glow sticks, funny hats. Some people can only let go if they have something to hold on to.
“We start with background music when guests are arriving.
“There’s the food, sometimes a slideshow, usually hafrashat challah – which I also run, speaking about the importance of the mitzvah.
“Then we move on to dancing, and I’m all in, dancing and jumping with everyone.”
Osnat held onto her job for over three years while DJing at night. Corona exploded, and with no public events, her business took a hit. She held onto both jobs to pay the bills.
“But I wanted to focus entirely on the DJ business,” she shares. “My insurance job was interesting but didn’t stir my soul. I realized I needed more exposure.
“I looked for networking groups and found one, but it was mixed, and I wasn’t comfortable with that.
“Then, I heard about Temech from Miri Hoffman Yagelnick, who runs a networking group in Petach Tikva. I liked the idea of getting my name out in a different city – I live in Jerusalem – and I joined her group.”
Growth followed.
“A business has many angles, and the groups touch upon many of them. It encourages me to think of new horizons – things I wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
“There’s dialogue, a place to consider different ideas. At the end of each session, we set goals for ourselves, and that helped me tackle essential tasks, like opening a business account and creating a system to track expenses.
“Office work offers daily interactions with others, sharing challenges, getting help. Freelancers don’t have this. Networking is that meeting place where you get support, advice, and recommendations.”
Osnat’s business is blossoming.
She averages three events a week, and it can be as many as five. Ninety percent of her clients are girls who saw her at a friend’s party and wanted her at their own.
“I make sure each party is unique. Different music, different activities, I’ll even wear different outfits.
“I focus on the bat mitzvah girl. There’s a lot going on – guests keep coming, and she may be overwhelmed. I help her relax and try to ensure that it’s a gloriously happy day.
“Recently, I met the girl whose bat mitzvah was the first I did. Her family couldn’t afford it, but I did it for free in exchange for getting pictures and videos.
“We surprised her. When I walked in, she was shocked and thrilled.
“Now, she told me, ‘I’ll never forget that night; I remember every song you played, every activity you did. It was amazing.’
“And with Temech’s help, I hope to keep bringing joy to people.”
