Archive for March, 2009
Record Number of Business Initiative Requests in Israel as reported by Arutz 7
Posted by: | CommentsRecord Number of Business Initiative Requests
(IsraelNN.com) Despite the financial turbulence, a record number of requests have been submitted to the government’s Investment Center for the funding of new business initiatives.
The average annual number of such requests has generally been 30, yet this year it was 109. The unusually high number of requests can potentially lead to 800 new jobs.
Sample high-profile initiatives funded by the Investment Center include: Antenna monitoring within buildings; a hearing aid installed in the mouth cavity; cardiac mitral valve treatment; a multi-channel passive optic net; a mobility mechanism for those whose legs are paralyzed; and an enzymatic process to produce bio-diesel fuel.
The deadline for the requests to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Investment Center was this past Thursday. The requests deal with new initiatives, as well as the expansion of ongoing ones.
Asher Sheetrit, Deputy Director of the Investment Center and head of its Employment Track, says that the present budget allotted for the new programs, NIS 100 million (roughly $25 million) will not be sufficient. “The requests could lead to 800 new jobs,” he said, “but the budget will have to be expanded.”
Industry and Trade Ministry Director-General Gavriel Maimon notes that the record number of requests is an “encouraging sign” and can provide employment solutions for the periphery and weaker population sectors. He too said, “I hope the new government and the Finance Ministry will identify the potential in this tool and will expand its budget.”
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-03-28
Posted by: | Comments- Great article on BootCamp StartUp: http://tinyurl.com/cz2z6e #
- After Layoffs, Starting a Business from Scratch: http://tinyurl.com/c4vg34 #
- Mashable: How to find a job on Twitter – http://tinyurl.com/bceltr #
- Land of Milk and Honey Praised as “land of opportunity” in the Economist http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/130606 #
- Personal Branding 101 http://tinyurl.com/bbdyqm #
- Personal Branding 102 http://tinyurl.com/br62kz #
Business Idea – Mini Offices for on your mirpeset or in your Garden
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One thing people are always looking for is more room. Currently my home office is a converted machsan built into our apartment, but it is not always the most private and with 5 kids we could probably convert it into a nice guest room. But what to do? So I was surfing the net and I came across these two companies that have a great solution, but they do not operate in Israel. I believe it is a great opportunity for an entrepreneur here in Israel and would probably do very well with it.
Create mini-offices that can sit in your garden or on a large mirpeset (porch). Take a look at these links below and you will see what I mean.
http://www.gardenlodges.co.uk/
When you do open up this business ( and you may be able to cut a deal with one or both of these companies to ship the product and you can put it together here) please contact me as I may be your first client. Wife permitting of course!
In Part 1 we talked about the importance of articulating what you do as results, not as a job title or task.
Now that you can articulate the results you can bring to the fortunate company who will hire you, it’s time to make a list of companies who can likely benefit from such results.
The idea here is to come up with a list of companies, whether you know someone there or not. Whether they’ve advertised an opening or not.
1. Make a list of companies where you believe you can make an important difference.
2. Next: Identify the person or people in that company who need the results you can create and have the authority to hire, or at least, some kind of budget.
How can you find these people? Talk to friends. Use tools like Facebook and LinkedIn. Help wanted ads. Attend events they may attend and so on. It may take some digging and persistence but when you are looking for a job, looking is your full time job. Treat it that way with focus, discipline and by being systematic.
It may take a few links to get to the end of the chain. Ask about the outcomes: “Who in your company really cares that the user interface will be the software equivalent of good poetry?”
“Why, that would be Jane Smith,” you are told.
3. Learn more about Jane, her responsibilities and interests. The better you understand someone, the easier it is to present yourself as just the person they need.
People will and should guard company information and privacy. Even so, if you ask open questions that don’t back your contact into a corner, you’ll get some useful information much of the time.
Once you know who you are looking for, the challenge is to move things along to the next step – a phone call with Jane and then a meeting. (Notice I didn’t say “interview.” More about that in Part 3.)
SOME POINTERS:
- Your list of companies could be long – and probably should be. But work on a handful at a time so that you can do a proper job.
- You can never know where success will eventually come from. While you put one foot in front of another, keep your eyes and ears open for unexpected opportunities.
- Remember to focus your conversations on results, as we discussed in Part 1.
There’s a tremendous difference between saying “I help companies implement controls and manage risks” and saying “I’m the one who ensures you won’t wake up one morning up six months from now, open a newspaper and discover that you are personally liable for someone else’s irresponsibility or outright theft.” Who would you hire?
In Part 3 we’ll share some pointers for making contact and beginning a relationship with your potential new boss.
PS – If you’d like a very simple Excel spreadsheet to track your job hunting efforts, please send me an email and I’ll get it over to you. dovgordon at gmail dot com
The Honest Scammer – Just had to share this with you all
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The Honest Scammer
Shekel and diming your customers in Israel
Posted by: | CommentsDo you shekel and dime your customers? Do you charge them for every little thing? Do you think your customers appreciate it? What if you did the opposite, give more for less. Show them that you care about their money. Then do you think it would make a difference?
One sushi place I know actually charges you less if you bring them your own tray. Now I don’t know how many people actually bring in their own trays or containers, but the fact that they offer that shows me that they care about my money.
Another take-out place has an item on their menu that if you want to order it for takeout they charge you a higher price because they want to make sure they have it in stock for sit-down customers. If it is such a popular item, why not have more? If I’m calling you as a customer, am I less important because I enjoy your food more at home?
How can you improve your offers? How can you go out of your way to stand-out from the crowd? What if you offered FREE delivery when everyone else charges? What if you through in a free item from your menu in the order or a bag of cookies with a note that said “Thank you for being our customer”? The cookies may cost you a couple of shekels, but the PR and Goodwill is Priceless.
Try it and let us know how it worked for you.
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-03-21
Posted by: | Comments- Unemployment rate rises to highest level in 14 months – http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072017.html #
- Seth Godin’s advice on Equity when you are just getting started, my opinion? Brilliant! http://tinyurl.com/cvc5m8 #
The absolute best way to recession proof your business in Israel
Posted by: | CommentsThe simple answer? Be The Best!
That’s really the best way to be resession proof. Just be the best at what you do. I was thinking about this when I was rescently talking to a web designer about a project and he was flooded with work with no end in site.
There was no need for me to ask him how he was doing so well when everyone else I know is struggling. The answer was that he was the best at what he did. Not only is he a remarkable designer, but he is extremely honest and a perfectionist. Everyone rants about how good his work is. Yes he is expensive, but you really do get what you pay for.
So take a look at your business. Are you the best? Is your restaurant the most clean? Are your sales people the most helpful? How is your customer service doing? Are you a purple cow?
If you are then you will not only survive this recession, but thrive! If not, then it’s time to rethink your business and I wish you bets of luck.
Host: Dov Gordon
Type: Education – Lecture
Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Time: 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: Your phone. Times are Israel local. Beginning at 10am eastern.
Phone: 97229920396
Email: dovgordon@gmail.com
As the best-selling author of one of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, an accomplished senior-level leadership consultant, and a frequent guest on news-talk shows around the country, Steve Farber has gained a reputation as a “leadership guru” in his own right.
Steve has worked with a wide variety of public and private organizations in virtually every arena, from the tech sector to financial services, manufacturing, health care, hospitality, entertainment, retail, government agencies and more, And whatever the audience, Steve’s speeches are always deeply thought-provoking and eminently practical, as well as inspiring and entertaining—a combination of qualities that are a must for any successful conference or meeting.
On Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at 4pm Israel time, (10:00am eastern) Dov Gordon will host Steve Farber on a special tele-seminar for company owners and senior executives based on Steve’s just released book “Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership.”
After decades of time and millions of dollars spent on leadership development and mentoring programs, why is there still a crisis of leadership at many levels of the business world?
By now, most business leaders have learned that their job is to expand and develop their own capacity, while simultaneously preparing the next generation of leaders to take the reins. Develop talent, they’ve been taught. Be a coach. A mentor.
But it doesn’t happen all that often. At least, not in any significant way. Maybe we’ve just been expecting too much. Steve Farber believes that we’ve actually been expecting too little. It’s time, he says, to set a new gold standard for what it means to be a leader of substance and influence: The true measure of your greatness as a leader is to develop leaders who are greater than you.
In this tele-seminar —based on his new book, Greater Than Yourself — Steve Farber shows that dedicating yourself to bringing others along so that they can achieve more than you is the ultimate way to boost talent, ramp productivity and create truly significant current and future leaders.
With this powerful, three-step approach, Steve reveals how your organization or team can achieve explosive results by encouraging every leader and employee to take on a Greater Than Yourself relationship for unprecedented personal growth and productivity:
* Expand Yourself – you’ll discover tools to deepen and expand your personal capabilities — the raw material for true leadership.
* Give Yourself – you’ll learn the art of ‘philanthropizing’ your leadership approach — the raw material for developing capacity in others.
* Replicate Yourself – you’ll experience the power of expanding beyond your personal, one-to-one influence — the raw material for changing your organization for the better.
As a speaker, Steve ignites audiences with the power of his ideas, and Greater Than Yourself will show you and your organization how to attain the new gold standard of leadership and re-enlist in greatness — beginning with one employee and one relationship at a time.
Quotes from Steve Farber:
“True leadership is not about calling yourself ‘leader’; rather, it’s about
taking up the cause to change things for the better. It is an extreme act
rooted in love and motivated by a desire to create a better world—whether it’s the world of your company, team, neighborhood or family.”
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To receive the call-in phone number, you MUST register at http://www.gordongroupec.com/tc/sf/steve-farber-sign-up.html
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Thank you to our sponsors:
Sun Microsystems Inc. and their Startup Essentials program: http://il.sun.com/startupessentials
The Gordon Group’s Small Company Coaching Club
http://www.gordongroupec.com/sccc/small-company-coaching-club.html
>>Thank you to our partners:
The Israel-America Chamber of Commerce http://www.amcham.co.il
The Tel Aviv Entrepreneur’s MeetUp Group http://www.meetup.com/ta-entrepreneur
ISEMI: Entrepreneurship Israel
http://www.isemi.org
iYazam http://www.iyazam.com
ATID-EDI http://www.atid-edi.com
