Belfort became a door-to-door meat and seafood salesman on Long Island, New York.[14] He claims in interviews and his memoirs that the business was an initial success; he grew his meat-selling business to employ several workers and sold 5,000 pounds (2,300 kilograms) of beef and fish a week. However, the business ultimately failed, as he filed for bankruptcy at 25.]According to his memoirs and interviews, a family friend helped him find a job as a trainee stockbroker at L.F. Rothschild Belfort says he was laid off after that firm experienced financial difficulties related to the Black Monday stock market crash of 1987.