Archive for Ramat Bet Shemesh
Thinking outside of the Box
Posted by: | CommentsIt drives me crazy when I see businesses in Israel conduct business like everyone else. Meaning just doing what everyone else is doing. There is a severe lack of creativity and of “metooisms”. What’s meetooisms? Metooisms is creating a business like someone else because they are already doing it. I was thinking about this rescently when I heard that yet another candy store is opening up in Bet Shemesh.
Now I wish the owners success, but do we really need a new candy store? There is already two of them in Ramat Bet Shemesh and a big one in the industrial area. So does that mean they can’t succeed? Of course not, they can succeed if they decide to think out of the box! Make themselves stand out. Be different!
One idea I had is to be in touch with all the schools in the neighborhood and offer big lollipops with a ribbon around it for teachers to give out to kids who learn the best each week or for when finishing a book of the Torah or many other reasons. Or even smaller treats to hand out. Just make sure that each ribbon has the name of your store and these 2 words “10% Off”.
Now you will stick out! Now you are creating incentives for kids to do well and the schools/teachers are happy with the free gift to give out and you get parents that now have two good reasons to come into your store. The first is because they feel appreciation for the free gift and second because they now have a 10% off coupon to use.
So will the new store do this? Unfortunately I doubt it. It’s hard to break out of the box of Metooisims.
Just read this great post written exclusively for WDD by Jim Lodico.
I have always been a fan of getting youth started young to be an entrepreneur. Just like giving you kid art, music or sports lessons, why not give them entrepreneur lessons? It is never too early to learn. I have written about young boy in Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel here which you can read and I think it is absolutely fantastic.
One of my partners, Hillel Scheinfeld, just told me about a restaurant he went to called Lilith where they have a rather unique social agenda that I find admirable:
One of the most impressive things about the restaurant is its social agenda. Owned by Alam, a non profit organization for teenagers at risk, the kitchen at Lilith takes in youngsters from difficult backgrounds and gives them the opportunity to get a profession and learn about the world of cooking.
I think it is a fantastic way to give a productive outlet for youth on the street and I think every community should have a similar program for it’s youth. I have an idea for a very similar program that I will eventually do as I think it would give an incredible sense of accomplishment and self esteem to the youth in my city where I live, Ramat Bet Shemesh.
Anyway you look at it getting youth started in business at a young age can be an amazing outlet and self esteem builder. One of the risks you would need to look out for is that you don’t want your children thinking that “making money” is the most important thing in the world. Then again you can say the same thing about playing music or sports.
In this article the author writes about his daughter Sophia who decided to open up a lemonade stand, but ended up making more money then you would have thought by giving away the lemonade for FREE. Read the article to find out how she did it and how you can learn and apply the lessons to your own business.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE
New mall is opening, what kind of food is secondary to what is really important
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- Image via Wikipedia
I saw this on one of the Bet Shemesh Email lists today:
Have your say and eat it! Choose today what food will be served in the Dolev
Mall
Y&G Surveys, designers of consumer and public opinion surveys, invite you to
rate your food preferences:
Which eatery would you be interested in having in the new mall on Nachal
Dolev? (Rank between 1 ? 5, where 1 is of greatest importance.)
Coffee Shop
Burger
Pizza
Pita, Felafel
Ice Cream Parlor / Fresh Juices / Crepes
Now I am as excited as the next guy for havine some new places to eat in Ramat Bet Shemesh, but they are asking the wrong questions or focusing on thewrong things. In my 7 years so far living here I have seen many retaurants come and go and have never been excited about any of them besides Aroma and now Hashamen for great Shwarma.
Lets take an example. Asking us if we want another pizza place in this community, well if it will be anything like the existing 4-5 places we have I would say no, don’t bother. But what if it was a Pizza Hut or Sbarraos with a Mehadrin Hechsher? Or even a branch of Giant Pizza from Modiin? Well then I would be excited and welcome it. What if it was a Pizza Place with a choice of 15 different toppings, a full salad bar and perhaps some pasta dishes or Heaven Forbid Eggplant Parmajan and Cheese Fries? Well then I say who cares what the name is, bring it on!
Now if I had to choose one place I would like, I would have to say a coffee place, A mehadrin version of Aroma with a bit of a different meny would be most welcomed. But will it have the speed and cleanliness of Aroma?
Another falafel place I don’t think is needed and the falafel in town is pretty good. Another burger place is also not something I think is so needed. A separate ice cream store can also just be combined with a great coffee shop or deluxe pizza venue.
How about asking us for our own ideas? Not sure if it would succeed or not, but an American style fast Chinese place would be great, something like they have in Malcha Mall or Center 1.
In anycase I think what people in this community in the Dolev area is looking for is:
- Mehadrin Hechsher
- Cleanliness
- Speed of order
- More options on the menu
- Unique menu
- Free Delivery
What type of food being served is secondary.
After 7 years my Aliyah Dream is Finally Complete! Hunts Vanilla Pudding Comes to Israel
Posted by: | CommentsMy wife called me in the office yesterday and said “You will never believe what I just bought for you at the Makolet”. I was a bit busy so I asked her just to tell me and then the euphoria set in. “Hunts Vanilla Pudding!” she answered. And just like that my Aliyah that I started 7 years ago on the very first Nefesh B’Nefesh flight has become complete.
For the last 35 years when anyone would ask me what my favorit food was in the whole world the answer is always the same “Hunts Vanilla Pudding”. I simply could not get enough of the stuff and I’m sure that this is the closest taste to Mana for Shamayim that we have today.
(As I right this, and I kid you not, my two year old is crying since he saw the pudding and my wife asked if I could give him one and I said No. She said she is giving him one anyway and when I go to the makolet I could by more. “But what if they are out?” I ask her in all seriousness.)
Anyway, the obesession started when I was a little kid when the puddings use to come in little tin tuna can type of things. I found a pic of the packaging online as you can see here.
My favorite lunches where when my Mom would put one of these babies into the bag. It brightened my whole day.
When I made Aliyah I realized that this is something I’m going to have to sacrafice with moving to Israel. I figured there was no way it would ever be imported since Israel was known for their puddings and was even an accepted breakfast for kids. And the truth be told the puddings in Israel are ok, just not as good as Hunts Snack Packs. In the end I came to terms with it and I figured from time to time I can get someone to bring some back from the States or I could pick some up myself.
But I have been filled with frustration since last year. My parents went to the states and as a Birthday Present they bought me a four pack of the pudding. It would have been the best present ever except that it was the “lite” version. You know, the one that comes without the taste. So that was a huge disappointment for me, but about a month later I went to the States myself and I made sure that I would not make the same mistake. I bought my self a couple of 4 packs the day before I was leaving back to Israel. When I was packing my bags I realized that I could not pack them in my luggage since they could get squished and opened up and that would be not cool. So I kept the treasures in my carry on making sure to have them close.
Well, when I was going through security them stopped me and guess what they took out of my carry on? That’s right, my Hunts Vanilla Pudding. Apparently they were a bomb threat. I was so disturbed making up stories on how one of my kids needed it because of a medical condition and the man basically gave me two choices.
1. Leave them there to be thrown out
or
2. Eat them on the spot
I will leave which one of the two I chose up to your imagination.
In anycase it seems I will have no more worries since my local makolet in Ramat Bet Shemesh now has them! When I came home early I went straight to my prize to make sure it was the real deal. Below are a couple of pictures for your review. At first I was a bit nervous because for some reason the word “Hunts” was missing from the packaging even though the rest looked the same. Then I looked at the pudding themselves and Thank Hashem it said Hunts and was the real deal.
It is incredible that I am able to wait till Shavous tonight before I have one in order to make my Chag really special. Ok, gotta run to the makolet. Apparently we still need a couple of things!
Chag Samayach everyone!
The Israeli kid candy entrepreneurs are back in Ramat Bet Shemesh
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I am very impressed! A couple of weeks ago we highlighted on this blog a post about these two young brothers who were selling candy on Nachal Dolev in Ramat Bet Shemesh right outside my offices. You can see that post here. Well yesterday they were back! Or at least one of the brothers. The other was probably working another corner spreading distribution.
As you can see from this exclusive photo not only have they fixed there presentation by adding more candy and keeping them in a nice container as opposed to spread out on the stools, but the quality of the candy and the prices hasgone up as well. This time I bought 5 of the candy necklaces at 1nis a piece. This is pure entreprenurism at its best. They tested the market with a product without investing in huge inventory, they saw that there was a market need. So they reinvested the product in more and better stock and are now testing it in multiple locations (according to my theory of where the other brother is). If they keep this up, by the time he is Bar-Mitzva he will be the most successful candy company in Israel (or at least on Nachal Dolev)!
As early as I can remember, and long before I even knew what the word meant, I was an entrepreneur. From babysitting to shoveling snow to selling baseball cards and candy, as far as I can remember I was always doing business. I learned to read Hebrew not so much because I was such a great student in school, but because my Bubbe and Zaidy would pay me .02 for every word I read to them in Hebrew. So when ever I see young kids being entrepreneurial, I can’t help but support them. Today it was two young boys, brothers, that set-up shop outside my office. They were selling individual candies for .20 Agurot each. I gave them a 5 NIS piece and took 6 pieces of candy as a Rosh Chodesh treat for my family. Yes I know I over paid, but I wanted them to feel successful. Because when as youths you feel success in anything you do, it will only lead to more success and to stive to have the feelings of success again and again. It’s the drive of an entrepreneur that makes him successful when others fail becuse a true entrepreneur never fails since he is always in process and learning from his mistakes. The taffy never tasted so sweet.
