Yossi Dina

Yossi Dina, the entrepreneur and TV personality, was born in Israel on August 21, 1954. He spent time on a kibbutz, a communal settlement, and then served in the Israel army. In 1981, at the age of 27, Dina arrived in the United States. After a brief stint in New York, he hitched a ride to Los Angeles and found his niche in the jewelry business selling diamonds door-to-door.

Soon he began to extend loans to people who needed money but were reluctant to sell off their beloved items. Eventually Dina saved enough money to open his own shop and went into business as South Beverly Wilshire Jewelry and Loan.