Senior Zach Rubenstein has become a young entrepreneur this year through the creation of his business, ZachSnax. Whether it be Little Bites, Fruit Roll Ups, or Gushers, students find Rubenstein in the halls to purchase one of the many snacks he sells. 

The idea to sell snacks around school came to Rubenstein his junior year, when one of his friends simply asked for a bite to eat. 

“Throughout high school, I have always filled my backpack with snacks for me to eat,” said Rubenstein. “It was one day my junior year, when a friend of mine Matt Durburg offered to pay for one of my snacks.”

More specifically, the large amount of protein bars in Rubenstein’s bag is what made his business get up and running. 

“Last year I started buying his protein bars and then he took it to the whole school. I still buy from him almost every day,” said Durburg. 

After Durburg started buying more frequently, the word spread and students started approaching Rubenstein on the daily. 

“It was not long until Matt started buying often, and even more people wanted my snacks. This is when I realized I could make something out of this,” said Rubenstein.”Going into my senior year of high school, I decided to stock up on a lot more snacks. That is when ZachSnax got created.”

All his purchases are through Venmo (@Zachsnax) which makes the transactions extremely easy for him and his customers.

Rubenstein said his best selling snack is Gushers followed by Airheads. However, the types of snacks he carries around depends on what his supplier has in stock. While he doesn’t reveal where he buys his abundant supply of candy, he does buy in bulk. 

Over the course of the year, Rubenstein has developed many tactics to improve his business and make more money, one of which being Discount Friday. His iconic phrase “It’s Discount Friday” has led many to find him before the weekend to purchase snacks at a better price.

Rubenstein’s most remarkable business strategy is his demeanor to his loyal customers. While selling snacks may seem like a simple business, Rubenstein has managed to make it profitable through kindness to the customer and an outgoing attitude. 

“It’s all about how you approach the customer. If I were to go up to everyone and bother them with my candy, no one would ever buy it,” said Rubenstein. “I strive to let it be known that I always have candy on me, but I won’t go and pester you about it.”

Rubenstein keeps his “profits confidential,” but says he does make money from the business. The markup and original price of his snacks remains unknown.

“How do I keep making money? I keep selling. Simple as that,” said Rubenstein.

While continuously selling, Rubenstein is always aiming to make his company bigger and better. 

“My main goal for Zachsnax is to simply keep expanding. I want every single student to know what Zachsnax is when they hear it,” said Rubenstein.

However, with Rubenstein leaving for college next year, the extended future of Zachsnax is undetermined.

“When I graduate, I’d love to keep Zachsnax going wherever I attend college. I’d also be looking to pass it down to someone in this high school who can keep it going,” said Rubenstein.