Israpreneur

Israpreneur is an online magazine for entrepreneurs in Israel. On this site we discuss everything from starting a business in Israel to how to polish your CV. Fight back against the recession!

Archive for Inspire

Watch the video below. Do you see just a piece of paper or of a vision coming to life. Everything begins with a blank slate, a paper napkin, or just a piece of paper.

Origami In the Pursuit of Perfection from MABONA ORIGAMI on Vimeo.

Categories : Inspire, Video
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300px Seth Godin The Puzzle Model: Piecing together as a business model
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Just read another great post by Seth Godin called “How to be  a Packager“. In it Seth starts out by talking about putting a book together and being the one that manages the flow. Everything from putting the authors together to designing the cover to selling the book. Kind of like a wedding planner for books.

“A book packager is like a movie producer, but for books. You invent an idea, find the content and the authors, find the publisher and manage the process. Book packagers make almanacs, illustrated books, series books for kids and the goofy one-off books you find at the cash register. I did everything from a line of almanacs to a book on spot and stain removal. It was terrific fun, and in a good year, a fine business. Along the way, I worked with just about every major publisher and created more than a hundred books. I packaged (with various levels of success) video games, college professors, Julia Robert’s astrologer, an award-winning children’s novelist, the Weekly World News, Kinko’s and (almost) Craftsmen Tools.”

He then goes on to talk about using this model but for other ventures. The truth is this is not a new model and as I said on top it’s sort of like being a wedding planner. There are many industries and businesses that are built on being what Seth call a “Packager”.

Now while Seth is talking about taking perhaps existing products and or content and packaging them together, I would like to spend a couple of minutes talking about “Packages” that save time and the value they bring.

This is probably best noticed with consultants. Consultants have the experience and the knowledge to direct and guide you to the solution you are looking for. While it is possible to find the information on your own, a consultant can save you tens or even hundreds of hours. You just need to ask yourself how much is your time worth.

Another similar deal is a web design firm. Where as I am a big advocate of using FREE website designers, this is mostly for informational type of websites, easy E-commerce sites or for when you are just getting started. But if you are looking for a more advanced type of website, a web design firm will create a whole package for you including hosting, paypal integration, blog software, forms, design, etc.

The point is even though you can do something yourself with enough time, is it really something you should do? Again, it depends on how much you value your time.

Another thing to think about is how can you create a new business by saving time for people whose time is valuable. Think out of the box. The same with being a packager. What can you package together that will bring value and save time for those that need what ever it is your selling? There is plenty of opportunity out there and the article by Seth Godin is a good way to inspire you and get you started.


 The Puzzle Model: Piecing together as a business model
Categories : Business Idea, Inspire
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It’s true! I made a big mistake on how I marketed the seminar and the perception I gave. Watch the video for details. In order to fix my mistake I will be sending out a FREE copy of my presenation with all the links for anyone that comes to the seminar so register Now by sending an email to rklein@nbn.org.il. Seating is limited!

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We have talked about in the past about “failure” and how it is a good thing and a learning experience and how entrepreneurs are not afraid to fail. We have seen VC’s that would rather invest in an entrepreneur that has failed then from one fresh out of college who has not yet gone through closing a company he started.

But this post is about seizing the moment. Some times an opportunity arises that if you don’t take advantage of you regret it for the rest of your life. People have a natural fear of rejection. No one wants to be rejected and sometimes that fear is what keep us from success and missed opportunities.

Have you ever come close to a famous person or a business leader that you felt too shy to go and introduce yourself? Have you ever been in an audience and had the opportunity to answer a question but didn’t jump on it? Perhaps you have a fear of sounding stupid? Could be, again, no one likes to be looked down upon, but an entrepreneur knows that it is going to happen. Not everyone is going to like you or your product. Not always are you going to sound like the genius that you think you are.

So what do you do? Start practicing. I have purposely said things in conversations that absolutely makes zero sense but said them in a serious manner and had people nod their heads in agreement. I have stood up at conferences and introduced myself and asked questions that I thought were relevant. I have spoken on panels at trade shows and have given presentations infront of people who are worth billions of dollars. The fact that I never read over these posts or edit them before posting them shows that…. Well, anyway.

Below is a picture of me from my cousins wedding a couple of months ago. I was sitting at my table and saw the opportunity. I litterally jumped out of my seat and dived in. The thumbs up I got from the photographer and the smile on the Brides face made it all worth it!

bestweddingpic1 Seize the Moment: A true Entrepreneur has no fear

Categories : advice, Fail, Inspire, Leaders
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AKA – Making your CV stickout when trying to get a job in Israel

I have spoken about this idea in the past and I will say it again and again. Don’t be just another number, make yourself count! If you see a job you want, show them that you want it. Don’t just send in a CV like everyone else, make yours stick out like a sore thumb! You want your CV to be at the top of the pile. The whole point of the CV is to get the interview not to get the job. Once you are at the interview that is your time to shine.

Take a look at this link: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/05/30-artistic-and-creative-resumes/

You will see 30 creative CV’s that will get your creative juices flowing. When you redo yours, send it in to us so we can post your creativity and help yo get noticed.

cvthatsticksout 300x190 Dont be just another number, make yourself count!

Categories : CV, Get A Job, Inspire, Purple Cow
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Funny, I just posted about this very topic about a month ago here. And now Honda has released a great video about failure leading to success. I wonder if they read my post first icon smile Failure: The Secret to Sucess ~Video

Categories : Education, Inspire, Video
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treadmill desk 300x276 Just A Thought: Running on the Treadmill and Running a BusinessYesterday I was able to pump myself up enough to go on the treadmill. (Note To Self: something I should be doing everyday). As I was on it I was feeling pretty good about myself and as I was getting to the end of my 30 minute fast walk session I started wondering if my colleagues at work would notice a difference. And then I laughed at myself. Sure I was feeling great, but going on the treadmill once every three months? Is that something I really think would be noticable? Of course not!

But we live in the “instant gratification nation”. We want to see results instantly and if we don’t, then we lose what ever pumped up feeling we had right before. But the truth is if you want to succeed in losing weight or getting healthy you need to be both patient and consistent in order to achieve any success and the same is true when you are running or starting a business. If after you open up shop and your store is not flooded with customers you may get discouraged. “How dare the entire city not come out to my store on the first day of business!”. But that is not reality. Just like with loosing weight, to see reall success it may take many months or even years, but if you stay patient and consistent you will reach success!

Categories : Inspire, Thoughts
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Categories : Inspire, Just For Fun, Video
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May
14

Create your own Job Opportunity

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Having trouble finding a job? Not finding a job you want to do? Why not try this on for size? Create your own job opportunity!

What do I mean by that? Let me give you an example of what I did.

As you probably read in this post about Mey Eden and Tami4 (if not you should read it if you have either one or are thinking about either one), I am a big believer in not drinking water in Israel straight from the tap. When we made Aliyah from Passaic, NJ on the very first Nefesh B’Nefesh flight in the summer of 2002, one of the first things I did was ordered Mey Eden spring water.

There was only one problem. I was right off the plane and could hardly dial a cell phone number much less talk in Hebrew well enough to order something as simple as spring water. It wouldn’t have been so bad if a live person would have picked up the phone, but the beautiful Hebrew voice system stopped me at Hello. I remember asking my neighbor to help me order the machine and a few bottles of water which she did.

But that got me thinking. I was probably not the only native English speaker that would want the delicacy of spring water and there were probably hundreds of others who would rather speak directly with a native English speaker then in broken grammar school Hebrew. So I called up Mey Eden headquarters and asked to speak with someone in marketing and I made my pitch.

I told them that I would become their Anglo representative to Anglos all over Israel. I will set up a different number with just English voice mail. They would give me a monthly budget and I would run all the advertising campaigns in perfect English and I told that I was sure to become one of the best salesmen the company had ever seen.

Well he went for the pitch, liked what I had to say and invited me to meet with him the very next day at Mey Eden. I was actually a bit excited. Here I was, just a couple of weeks off the plane and I already had an interview with one of the most successful and recognized companies in the country. It was a job opportunity I was excited about and knew I could do well.

So I went to the meeting (took a cab as I didn’t know the bus systems yet) and gave again the same pitch. I was meeting with the descision maker and he impressed. He offered me a job on the spot, but then we came to the salary situation. The truth is the starting salary he offered me wasn’t bad, but I wanted to make monthly risidual commissions on every client I brought them and he was only willing to give me a one time commission on each sale. This was a deal breaker for me as I felt why should I bring in a client who will be bringing you monthly income for several years and only get paid once? I wasn’t even asking a lot, but I knew for me to be motivated and to spend the amount of time necessary for it to be a success it would have to have potential to bring in a big and residual income.

He told me to think about it and so I went home and discussed it with my wife and the next day I called him back and turned it down.

But the point of the story is that I knew my strengths. I knew what would motivate me and what I would like to do. I saw a missing opportunity for a company and so I created a position for myself that they didn’t know they needed (and which they still need in my opinion).

So here is my challenge to you. There must be somoene reading this blog post who is in need of a job. Read my post on Mey Eden vs Tami4 and then pick up the phone and call Tami4. Explain how you feel you can become the anglo representative of the company and with the market being what it is you are 100% sure you can not only sell their product to Anglos who don’t have any solution, but that you can convince a number of people to switch from bottled water to filtered water. Someone outthere can do this and get a job from an opportunity they created with a great company with a great company. Will it be you? Why not pick up the phone and find out.

Categories : advice, Get A Job, Inspire
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Categories : Inspire, Video
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