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Client to biz coach: “I want you to make me successful”

21 September 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

I am writing just after Jews around the world have celebrated their New Year, always a time for reflection. To paraphrase a recent demand of me from a client:

You are my business coach and mentor. How will you ensure that I succeed next year? Challenging!

When I probed for a definition of success, the response was fairly grey. And this probably highlights the reason why that particular organisation is struggling for now. Little internal direction. No specific view of what the future should hold.

I am a firm believer of 3 yardsticks. This is usually a combination of:

  • a financial target
  • a focus on the number of new clients sought
  • and possibly the most important – a definition of the type of clientele you want to bring in.

It is this last element that has seen two of my clients change direction and find the courage to reach for some very heavy duty new customers.

So how do business mentors describe success? They cannot brag that their business has grown. That is of small use to a potential client who is understandably only interested in themselves and their own issues. After all, a mentor is often perceived as somebody who sits back, listens wisely, and then moves on without much fuss.

In my case, it is not the words that I use. Nor is it the methodology that I apply. Looking back on 12 months, I can relate to a vast array of different case studies, where the client has reached the ‘finishing line’. For example:

  • I have created international packages, involving separately Hong Kong, Greece, USA and India.
  • Despite Covid-19, I have seen shops open premises in Jerusalem and nearby.
  • I have created strategies for innovative entrepreneurs, ensuring that they introduce their tech to investors with sound business models.
  • I have lent support and drive to numerous new immigrants and members of the ultra-orthodox communities, as thy have opened new companies.

If I had to pick my favourite, I will refer to a young lady, not yet 20 years old, from a minority community. She came to me with an idea and quickly absorbed the principles about pricing, importing, selling techniques, contracts and more. When turned down for a loan due to age and inexperience, we created alternatives.

The company was established two weeks ago. The first clients are lined up. They are expected to generate a high enough profit margin to pay of much of the founder’s investment.

As a closing thought, it is definitely important to measure your success. However, make sure that you can own and feel that difference. And thus when it comes to moving ahead, you will be better able to describe those very achievements to your target audience ……. in order to kick off the next round of sales.

What just happened to Israel’s Prime Minister?

16 August 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Around 6.00pm on Thursday evening in Israel, the news broke that Trump had convinced Abu Dhabi to sign a peace treaty with Jerusalem. With a slight of hand, Israel’s PM, Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi) had outflanked both his right-wing opposition and the Palestinians. Ironical, eh!. And his sagging popularity flipped back upwards.

However, for Bibi that was not the main talking point of the week. I am not talking about how he quietly postponed his annexation plans. Nor am I referring to the threat of yet more elections, which he was also forced to take off the table, for now.

The key issue for Bibi was and remains his upcoming trial in January 2021. This is the trial that Bibi said would never need to come about, because there was no evidence. However, the police force and the country’s legal system, both led by his own appointees, have argued that there are no less than three (for now) cases to answer.

So in the same week of this wonderful news about peace, we learnt of three moves by the Netanyahu camp to block his trial. In no order of importance:

  1. His wife, Sara Netanyahu, claimed that she had been the target of verbal violence. Personally, I found her remarks unusual in light of the demeaning comments her husband had thrown at a female celeb in a recent election campaign. And she had little to say about her son’s vitriol over various female journalists.
  2. It came to light that Deputy State Attorney Liat Ben-Ari, who ‘by chance’ happens to be Bibi’s chief prosecutor, will be investigated for possibly illegally renovating an investment property. Funny how this came to light in a media source that is closely identified to the Netanyahu group.
  3. We must not forget the PM’s own bitter speech directed at the Attorney-General. Unprecedented.

I cannot believe that these incidents are not linked. But now add in two pieces of background information. First, the Netanyahu team is complaining that it does not have enough lawyers to manage the case workload, maybe because they are too busy creating alternative spin in the minds of the electorate? Second, they claim not to have the financial resources to mount a full response, even thought the key defendant himself is estimated to have amassed a personal wealth of tens of millions of dollars.

What does this all add up to?

Hopefully, the second wave of corona is almost under control, although another 8 people sadly died over the Sabbath. The economy is contracting by the second, well below the worst depths predicted by the central planners. Terrorists in Gaza are continue to send over incendiary devices in balloons.

I would not accuse the PM of being complacent about any of these issues. But they are not central.

What is pertinent – in fact, what is the only things that matters – is ensuring that his trial does not start in January, by almost any means. The rest of us citizens are worth less than pawns in this personal gam of power-keeping.

Whatever Bibi’s next move, the core motive will feature the January 2021. The Holy Land indeed!

The best pot of tea in Jerusalem?

11 August 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Those who know me will tell you that I rarely start my day without a decent cup of tea. My children have labelled it as my daily brain massage.

It’s the ‘cuppa’ that gets me going. And ever since I left England for Israel decades ago, I have always managed to maintain a decent supply of English tea bags. They are rarely sold in the Holy Land and only at the most disturbing of prices.

Corona has interrupted the regular deliveries. There are few international travelers these days to top me up, armed with gifts from Waitrose et al. My favourite brand is Yorkshire Tea, strong without being too bitter, although PG Tips is an excellent second choice. However, we all have our own individual taste buds.

So, a few weeks back, as I could see that I was running down towards the last of my precious stock, I resorted to eBay. The picture above is the result of my efforts.

Immediately, sanity and calm was restored to the household.

To add to my joy, I read this week that an “English Tea” will soon be served again in Jerusalem. That wonderfully exotic and historical hotel, The King David, will offer a “three-tiered tray” of goodies between the hours of 4.00pm and 6.00pm, six days a week. Champagne is an optional extra.

We live in a year, when corona has shaken up all of us. Most politicians have failed in their primary task of providing leadership. It is at times like this when we need to rely on our core resilience, sternly and most nobly sustained by a pot of tea, in Jerusalem. Enjoy!

Here’s the challenge. Stop reading the blogs and name the one big item that motivates you

21 July 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Business, Jerusalem

In some ways, the title is contradictory. I seem to be saying: ‘stop reading this and just get on with it’. Before you do so, hear me out. It’s in your interest.

I have been meeting with a Jerusalem-based client as his business mentor, when I realised that I was making all the suggestions. Effectively, I was acting as a consultant. This is against the rules and the progress has been minimal.

I had to find a way to motivate him so that he can think for himself.

Today has been my opportunity to catch up with some work on digital media. By chance, I began to realise that I was looking at material that continuously hit on the very theme of motivation. And all the posts seemed to share the same message.

This hour long conversation features two amazing stories – standing in freezing ice for ten minutes and finishing an ironman competition against the odds.

This is a story of war hero being told that he was not good enough because of his background and having the wrong accent.

  • ITEM NO’ 3: It is only impossible until it has been achieved.

I have tried to find the origins of this remark – maybe Confucious? Whatever. I posted a short video, emphasising this motto. Featuring two cute animals, the message is very sharp and immediate.

  • ITEM NO’ 4: How did our schooling condition us towards appreciating achievements?

Emmy-Award winning director Nick Nanton has created a film, featuring six unenterprising individuals and how they came from nowhere to become international role models. (H/T to cleantech entrepreneur, Sonya Davidson.)

There is a line that Nanton emphasises and one that I cannot get out of my head. So many of us are taught – no, we are commanded…..

“Get your heads out of the clouds. Come back down to earth.”

How boring! How devastating! What for? To conform?

And when I think about it, it is so often the people who have this methodology drilled into to them that they are afraid to move ahead and to experiment. I see that weekly as a business coach.

You are allowed to dream. Correction – you should be encouraged to dream. And then go and do your utmost to fulfill that crazy ambition. That is where we need to focus and emphasise our emotional efforts. Go for it.

Now; stop reading and get down to some ‘doing’.

Amazing Jerusalem tech moving ahead of covid-19

12 June 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Three months of various stages of lockdown and Jerusalem’s tech scene has not stopped buzzing.

To quote an item from Forbes magazine last month:

There are currently 405 active tech companies in the Jerusalem ecosystem, a 102% increase over 2012. In 2019 alone, $233.5 million were invested in Jerusalem-based companies and startups, a 21% increase from the prior year. Over the years, Jerusalem-based companies have seen 22 exits and total investments of $1.6 billion, according to Start-Up Nation Central’s Finder.

Only yesterday, I was on a zoom call linking a serial investor group from the holy city with a team in Hong Kong.  The previous week featured a bunch of us talking with an Israeli scale up and a partnership from the heart of the Muslim block.

Yes, finally if belatedly, the Arab side of the sector will receive its share of the glory.

The Silicon Wadi project entails the construction of approximately 200,000 square meters (2.1 million square feet) of commercial area, with an emphasis on the high tech, trade, and hotel sectors. Among the goals of the initiative are to create 10,000 jobs in east Jerusalem, increasing the participation of east Jerusalem women in the job market, and to bolster support for the Israeli school curriculum in east Jerusalem schools.

And come Jun 22nd, OurCrowd, arguably Israel’s largest investor fund and located in Jerusalem, will host its “covid summit”.

It is interesting to note that part of the international impact of corona has seen more Jews seeking to move to Israel, particularly Jerusalem. Keep watching folks!

 

The financial stress of corona: How retail could provide some ironic relief for economies

19 May 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

It is relatively straight forward to connect the dots in the trail of the demise of modern retailing.

  • Ever higher rents are forcing shops away from city and town centres.
  • Humongous food shops are driving local supermarkets to despair.
  • Amazon has sapped the strength of large retailers, who have often reacted with the speed of dinosaurs.
  • And now Covid-19 has taken people off the streets. The shops are left with rent to pay, but no sales.

Last week, my wife ventured into the centre of Jerusalem, as Israel emerges from lockdown. She reported back how several shops had just disappeared – shut and no stock inside. This included some leading local chains.

And yet………..

Covid-19 has taught us a lot of things. Sociologists will have a field day, when their research kicks in. For example, Israelis, known for their paranoia to watch news programmes, have began to steer away from the media featuring current events.

Similarly, much has been made of how ‘community spirit’ is coming back into play around the world. People are going out of their houses, together praising workers in the front line, praying or just creating social-distanced silly dances.

As retail expert Paul Brooks remarked in a classy podcast with Jonathan Gabay, Covid-19 is bringing about a “transformation” in how we approach our lives. In an effort to readdress the balance between ‘work, rest and play’, Brooks argues that we are focused on “authenticity”.

And nowhere is this more true than the return to prominence of the local neighbourhood corner shop – food, clothes, books or whatever. How come?

Covid-19 started out when somebody let a horrendous virus escape from a man-made lab. All the clever algorithms and the internet gadgets in the world could not stop it from spreading. In fact, man-made devices like travel had the opposite effect.

Time for a return to basics? Time to reject the offers from big companies, that often represent an attempt to dump dead products. Time to downsize.

And this, ironically, is where the small retail trade could look to a revival. They represent everything that has been turned away over the past few decades; available nearby, a human voice, no preset script, and a feel of ‘made for me’.

For example, earlier to today I was talking to the owner of a shop that sells ladies’ fashion. Now that she is out of location and readjusted her approach to selling, she told that Sunday had been one of her best days ever.  One anecdotal story? Yes, but surly it is no coincidence that many of the latest entrepreneurs that have come my way in the past two weeks have also chosen these principles?

What next? Too early to tell. However, I assess that there is a move towards small is beautiful. Retail, encouraged by local authorities, have a chance to lead the selling revival.

 

Jerusalem in Statistics: May 2020

18 May 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Israel, Jerusalem

Today, President Rivlin received the 2020 Statistical Yearbook from the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research.

A press release detailed some selected statistics for 2019:

*Jerusalem is the largest Jewish city in Israel with 569,900 Jewish and other residents, and the largest Arab city in Israel with 349,600 Arab residents.

*For a second consecutive year, there is negative migration of -6000, the lowest level for a decade. Of those leaving the city, 46% have left for communities in the Jerusalem metropolitan area.

*The number of those moving to Jerusalem is the highest ever: 12,800 people.

*There is a wage differential of 20% between men and women in Jerusalem, as opposed to 33% nationally, 32% in Tel Aviv-Yafo and 35% in Haifa.

President Rivlin noted that:

Jerusalem is the largest ultra-Orthodox city, and also the city with the largest Arab population. Jerusalem is also ‘young demographically: the percentage of young people in Jerusalem is large, in part as a result of Arab and Ultra-orthodox growth in numbers. These young people are our future.

Jerusalem is a microcosm of our existence here, its population a representation of the demographic diversity of the state of Israel. We must find a way to create a conversation, to connect, to build partnerships. I thank the Jerusalem Institute staff for their dedicated work to depict our reality. Their ongoing and determined efforts to understand our reality and to make it accessible to the public are extremely important. 

What you can learn from Israeli businesses in order to overcome the corona economic recession

26 April 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

As I write this Sunday, demonstrations are taking place in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The self employed are disgusted at the government’s response, or lack of, in helping small businesses survive the corona fall out. To give some perspective, on Friday, the Ministry of Finance had announced a third set of proposals, which like its predecessors seemed to be designed to help as few people as possible.

These measures were prompted by a heart breaking appeal from a falafel booth owner in Ashdod. His video had gone viral: He explained that he has paid taxes all his life, that corona has destroyed what he built up with his bare hands, but that the criteria for financial support means that he will receive zilch.

The Prime Minister called the man. The politician assured him that he would personally ensure that he would get through. Hmm. Anything to do with the fact that the stall owner comes from the boss’s core voting caucus? But lesson number one, albeit learned sub-consciously, go viral and embarrass the top!

My work as a business mentor has led to talk to tens of organisations in the past month, particularly in the Jerusalem region. Part of this effort has been sponsored by the Ministry of Immigration, seeking to help those newcomers who have been enterprising enough already to launch a business.

These people know long before I voice my suggestions that the government’s main support is through loans, which only encourages more debt! And even if you were to qualify for one of the schemes – for example, you can only claim up to 16% of the previous year’s sales(!?!?) – but you go broke, the bank will come looking for you. What’s wrong with that? The government guarantees at last 85% of each loan.

With hindsight, the operations that I have been dealing with have come to an understanding; 3 sentences that can be uttered in the same breath.

  • Yes, we all recognise the tragedy that the virus has forced on thousands around the globe.
  • No, we are not waiting around for public support, usually espoused by well-meaning bureaucrats, who would not know a VAT form if it was stuck to their face.
  • Yes, and here’s the difference. Corona is not a challenge. It is an opportunity! Just test your ideas faster and move on out quicker!!

Everyday, I am involved with more and more examples of this approach.

  • A studio for the performing arts has launched an online mentoring course to improve self-confidence and self-awareness, core elements of what it teaches anyway.
  • A book publisher, which relied on a third party distributor, is now rapidly creating an alternative solution via digital marketing.
  • Two separate financial advisory services have identified niche markets that probably have always existed, but they now realise how these can be approached.
  • A national NGO has overhauled its procedures, ensuring staff and beneficiaries are better protected against layoffs.

Last week, I caught the headline of a large cinema (in America?), which opened its car park for drive-in movies. They are sold out most nights.

Israel is known as the start up nation. The high-tech boom in the early 1990s emerged in spite of the government, before the mandarins realised what was happening (and could claim credit). Over the past decade, countries like the UK have tried to copy that format.

It would seem that the same thing is about to happen again, “thanks” to corona, a change led from below.

POSTSCRIPT: Yesterday morning, my wife and I went for an early morning walk to catch the sunrise overlooking Jerusalem. It was drizzling and there were few around at that hour. One exception was a short,75-year old religious lady, speed walking.

She told us she was just turning back to go home…..which would take her another hour or so. She then explained that she has to do something as corona has closed her beloved public swimming pool. And then with a broad smile described how she has also invested in a piece of apparatus …….. a trampoline!

In a week where we celebrate Israel’s 72nd Day of Independence, I am proud of the spirit of the “start up nation’, which lies in the people themselves!

 

 

 

 

Israeli economy after corona? You must be joking!

17 April 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

A month or so from now – say early June 2020 – it is possible to envision the Israeli economy trotting back towards a semblance of normality.

But what does that mean in reality? Before corona, unemployment was around 4%, people had been ignoring the price index for years, and the GDP was set for a 3.25% or so growth for 2020. Very healthy, but in the past.

Let’s face it, a big chuck of society, especially in Jerusalem and peripheral areas, revolves around the tourism industry. Hotels, airlines, tour guides, tour sites are all ‘out of position’ and will almost certainly need to lower prices for a year or so. In Eilat, where 70% unemployment has been recorded, the good times will not be returning tomorrow morning. Nationally, 26% of the workforce currently does not have a job to go to on Sunday morning, and the number is growing.

It is not all doom and gloom. Some commercial sectors have held up well. For anecdotal evidence, juts look how all the building projects in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have leapt ahead. On the high-tech front, overseas investment continues, although at a slower rate:

  • Smart LD lighting firm, Juganu, has raised US$18 million.
  • Hargol, foodtech, secured a further US$3 million.
  • Entrée Capital venture capital fund announced this week that it had closed a US$100 million seed fund.

However, none of that has stopped the IMF forecasting a 6.3% drop in Israel’s GDP for this year. The Governor of the Bank of Israel sees a 5.3% dip ‘only’. Sure, these are predictions, but in this case there is no prior model to make such estimates. To make the point, both teams foresee a relatively quick rebound, but how much and when is up for debate.

My main concern for the future lies in the economic policy, or lack of, for the next six months. First, much of the immediate central government help for businesses has been built around loans. Allow for the fact that old-fashioned bureaucracy is delaying their approval. Once eventually in play, companies will be depending on sales rising quickly in order just to pay off loans.

If that does not happen, the government will have printed money for no good reason. That is a trigger for inflation. In parallel, more companies will simply go under. More unemployment!

And second, the government is effectively paralysed. The country has held three general elections in 12 months, and a potential fourth is looming. The Minister of Finance is a political has-been. In other words, there is no fiscal direction from the centre, and neither is their likely to be soon. Commerce is being told to get by, on your own.

I am not kidding you when I say that a 6.3% tail off might actually turn out to be too optimistic, especially with this current government in charge.

Corona asks tough questions in Israel

14 April 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Corona has brought out some black humour this week.

This is a joke going around Israel. Which is the higher number- the average count of daily tests for the virus, the number of eggs available for sale or the number of general elections the country has to face every twelve months? (Quick explanation – the first is far too low, the second has seen a ‘scramble’ by the government to import the difference, and the third is three, for now).

However, the joke forces us to ask the questions: Why after a month of planning are the number of tests low by any standards? And why are eggs flown in from Europe, when local farmers are destroying produce as the price they are paid makes it uneconomical for them to sell locally?

No straight answers are available. And that is why business mentors are rarely employed by public authorities. It is the job of the outsider to raise problems in such a manner that they force out the painful truth, which in turn will hopefully result in changes.

I recently read two blogs on why or why not to work with business coaches and mentors. The first is an excellent summary of the pros and cons of hiring a coach. Maybe not surprising as it is written by a business owner, the author ignores my key point. The second explains how “a business coach can help no matter where you are in the process of developing your business…”

A great example of this issue was released in clip, produced by Jay Shetty. He observes correctly that so many of us stubbornly hold on to our bad moments in life. He latches on to that well-known fact that we all typically host 60,000 thoughts in an average day.

So, why don’t we also recall and keep those good times – our successes? Isn’t that more important? Ouch – he has a point!

How does this work in practice? Along with about a dozen other mentors in the Jerusalem area, we have been asked to reach out to the community of new immigrants, who have set up a business. ‘Just talk to them for an hour. See what you can do.’

I have already linked up with several such people. Typically, they initially sounded down, even surprised that I should be showing concern. I prod and encourage and prod more and ask about something else.

All have come out of the sessions realising that they do not have to let corona beat the proverbial out of their hard-earned enterprises. They have more options than they had first accepted. To quote one gentlemen who wrote to me:

Thanks for reaching out to me today. I actually feel like it was some kind of boost I really needed.

What will the Israeli government do? Who knows. The Health Minister has been uninspiring (at best) and is now ill with corona. Most of his other colleagues can be heard via their silence.

I admire the Israeli business owners, who are showing resilience and thus learning to ask their own questions. To end on a positive note, just dive into this most motivating of stories from the Carlton Hotel in Tel Aviv.

Be well. Keep safe.

Why Israeli business feels abandoned by its government, and what the CEO can do

4 April 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Governments around the world have had to tackle the corona virus on two – at times, seemingly contradictory – fronts; the protection the health of its people and protecting their economy.

The former started through trial and error. It would be unwise to criticise the mistakes of some leaders. Who was to know better? But when it comes to the economy, some nailed it from the get go, and some did not. Sadly, Benjamin Netanyahu’s team in Jerusalem is firmly positioned in the second grouping.

A table in an Israeli weekend newspaper surveys 13 countries, including the USA, UK, Germany, Hong Kong and South Korea. All have pumped cash directly to companies and individuals. Keep people employed. Enable them to purchase from shops. So far, that tack has had an effect, without being able to stave off a recession.

The prime Israeli response revolves around handing out loans. Listen to leaders of Israel.Inc, business pundits, head of a Kenesset supervising committee, my clients, C-Class execs I have spoken to and they all repeat the same four points:

  • Why loans? They still need to be paid off
  • The paperwork is cumbersome
  • The banks have not stuck to government interest rates
  • The approval process is taking too long.

And after approximately six weeks into the crisis, not one special loan has been approved.

The government has also promised a two-phase grant to self-employed traders. Sounds good. There are tens of thousands of such people in the country, so I do not know them all. However, as a business mentor and coach in the Jerusalem area, not one of my clients is eligible, including myself.

Why? There are four key criteria, each containing a sting. For example, the starting base has to be less than 240,000nis income in 2018. This is not very high, relatively. Fine. Yet, one customer of mine received much more than that, only their expenses were also very high. They will end up with zilch, despite being in a desperate situation.

To make matters worse, the Israeli government has not allocated handouts to employ people. A company told me after laying off 25% of its staff, their is no immediate nor obvious help in sight from the distributor of taxpayers’ money.

As I wrote last week, these policies have been created by senior civil servants and politicians, who generally have never created a business nor even worked in commerce. They are not living under the threat of having their salary cut, as companies try to save themselves. They have not had colleagues sacked, even though unemployment has crossed the 20% barrier. What do they know about what people need?

Let me offer there practical and effective pieces of advice for any CEO reading this.

  1. Complete you tax returns for 2019 right now. Most of you will be due a rebate. Go and get it now, rather drag out the submission until the second half of the year, as often happens.
  2. If you want to secure a loan, obtain the help of somebody who knows the system. Do not waste your valuable time, by trying to do it by yourself.
  3.  I have written previously about corona offering business owners a chance to “reset” their company. Actually, it is more than that. For many, matters are so bad that this is when you can realise just how free you are to do what you want. You no longer have to abide by the old rules and restrcitions.

I am sure the Israeli government does care. However, we have Prime Minister in Jerusalem, who has to spend as much time fighting corona as he does in preparing to answer four charges of corruption. The Health Minister is deemed inept by all people I know and all media I read. The Minister of Finance has little clout, as he is about to leave politics.

So who in Israel has time for the small independent businesses, that make up 95% of all commerce, and can really make a difference? So far, nobody has answered the call and that is unacceptable.

Have the rich in Israel won the war against corona?

2 April 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

An international ranking released on 1st April placed Israel as the safest country in the fight against corona. Certainly, it may be that there is a decrease in the rise of new cases in the Holy Land, but it is too early to be optimistic.

On the economic front, the economy is struggling to avoid shutdown mode. It is an accepted fact by most that Israel has not had a strong Minister of Finance for about 18 months. Unemployment has now shot up from 4% to over 23% in a month, but it can be argued that is an effect to be found around the world.

What does really irk me is what I wrote earlier today on Facebook

We all know of somebody who has been laid off, took a salary cut etc.

We have yet to hear of politicians taking a pay cut. In fact, I hear that MKs even got a pay rise from 1.2.20. And guess what? They can’t even meet at their place of work. So what are thy doing all day?

The Israeli government has allocated a massive amount of money to small businesses through loan schemes etc. I have spent much of my time this week explaining to clients why they may not be eligible for help or how slowly the sums might come through. But that pay rise….

One last question. It seems that we may have a new Israeli cabinet / government by next week. These get-togethers of men in suits have been as bloated as a fat whale in recent years. Do you think we have seen any sign of their numbers being cut?

But that pay rise….

Yesterday, I heard a story of a bakery that had ben barely surviving by making deliveries. A small boutique outfit, it employs about four people. The local council turned up without warning, deemed the premise to be an unnecessary business and closed it down on the spot!

That means that all four people are to be added to the jobless total. The owner has to throw out a week’s supply of raw materials. And as the business is relatively new, the loan schemes probably do not apply to him. For good measure, unlike other countries like Australia, there are no grants to keep staffed in employment.

The good news? The powerful men in suits (and a few token women) around the government table will still have their cakes at their next meeting.

Innovation does NOT stop with Corona

25 March 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

I have referred before to a tremendous article called “Titans of Transformation“. I love the opening section, which is so pertinent in the age of corona.

When it comes to disruption on the modern business landscape, company size is no safeguard. 88% of Fortune 500 companies in the 1955 -2017 period 1 have either gone bankrupt, merged with other firms, or dropped off the list for other reasons. What’s more, it’s estimated that digital disruption will wipe out 40% 2 of today’s Fortune 500 companies in the coming decade.

The message is clear. You do not know when something is going to come along that will knock you off your commercial pedestal – competitor or ‘the force’ like a virus.

A prime part of my working life is playing the role of business coach and mentor. I have been rushing around my clients – phone, zoom and the rest – over the past few weeks. The typical conversation starts of with a despondent review from their side but often ends up with a cautiously optimistic outlook.

Why? Well, as someone said to me: Corona is offering us all a chance “to press the reset button”. So true!

For example, I was speaking yesterday with Oded Barel-Sabag from the Jerusalem Development Authority. He told me that there are at least a dozen companies in the city working on a solution for the corona virus, several of them have either switched direction or just opened their eyes what their tech could do.

This morning, I had a new Facebook feed about a fruit seller from Jerusalem’s main street market. As old fashioned as they come. If you had asked him a couple of months ago to contemplate home deliveries via WhatsApp, I can only assume he would have laughed at you. But this week ……

I can give you anecdotes from numerous service providers and high-tech companies who have begun to rethink their strategies. Many of them are using outside consultants. And the reason for this is that it can take a fresh or neutral approach in order to rediscover that spark of hidden genius.

And this applies equally to the field of geopolitics:

Palestinian health care professionals have received training in Israeli hospitals. Israeli labs have analyzed Palestinian COVID-19 diagnostic tests, and doctors on both sides are sharing data…..The collaboration on the Coronavirus includes the health ministries of both governments, along with the Israeli military liaison. Israel in recent days delivered 250 virus test kits to the West Bank and held training sessions for Palestinian medical workers on how to protect themselves. Israel’s Civil Administration, the military-run authority in Palestinian areas of the West Bank, promised to supply medical equipment and training as needed

Corona is awful. The health, financial and social impacts will only be fully understood with the passage of time. That said, we can use the opportunities that it presents to make our commercial lives that bit stronger.

Corona is not an excuse to stop moving forward. It should be your motivation towards further innovation.

 

Corona bashed up your business? Here’s how to respond

22 March 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Top-15-Most-Inspiring-Denzel-Washington-Quotes-Pray-for-rain

I had the fortune of watching President Trump bemoan about how he had created a beautiful economy for America, but now that he has been forced to pump dollars into the system. HIs safety net has been blown away by the corona crisis.

Poor Mr. Trump is clearly not used to one of the maxims of the green berets: “Get used to being uncomfortable!”

Corona has come as a gruesome reminder to most of the world’s human population that we should not take things for granted. We should expect things to happen, even if we pray particularly hard. Parents do not always give children, what they feel they need and deserve.

I have spent the past week, wearing my hat as a business coach and mentor, reminding people that even if they are stuck at home, there is so much that can be done. Get inspired to use the resources around you, even if they seem so meagre.

Let me give you a non-commercial example. Three years ago, Hillel Neuer from the NGO United Nations Watch took on the international body, decrying its hypocrisy when handling the subject of Israel and human rights. They tried to shut him or seal him off, like a bad disease. Yet, his speech has now been heard over eight million times. And the rhetoric in the Council has (partially) changed.

That is one man’s voice against countless others.

In Jerusalem, one of my clients has been running quality extra curricula activities for young children for years. These usually take place in the afternoons. With the onset of corona regulations, she initially switched them to the mornings. Then, the government banned such meetings.

She looked around, literally. She saw her studio was full of materials. So she started creating kits and selling them online. A whole new revenue stream has been created within a matter of days.

Corona has acted as a reminder for all of us, and in the most unsubtle (and sometimes tragic) of manners. Never treat your customers as a given. And just because you may deserve better and life may not be fair, you don’t always get what you want.

The way forward? There is one. Get yourself into a position, where you can find that path, or use the help of an outside mentor to guide you there. For many of us, it is doable.

In the time of corona, some inspiring news from Jerusalem

19 March 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Israel, Jerusalem

This is a period in our lives, when we are waking up, turning on the news and hearing numbers thrown at us. And what they all add up to is that more people have been infected by an anonymous virus, thousands more have been tested, and a few are actually dying. And it is the elderly, who seem to be most at threat.

So let me tell you about a little story of an old man in Jerusalem, who until this week was practically unknown, but who is now a hero of numbers. (For my information, I rely heavily on press releases from official sources).

Our story starts in 1918, when the Hebrew University of Jerusalem was founded by visionaries including Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud. To date, HU faculty and alumni have secured eight Nobel Prizes.

17 years later, Hillel Furstenberg popped into the world in Berlin. The family survived Kristallnacht and managed to flee in 1939. In America, Hillel became a mathematician. When one of his earliest academic papers was published, rumors began to circulate that “Furstenberg” wasn’t an individual but rather a pseudonym for a group of mathematicians.

He emigrated to Israel in 1965 and helped to consolidate the Hebrew University as a world class institution in his field. He won many prizes over the years.

This week, Furstenberg, along with Gregory Margulis from Yale University, secured the Abel Prize from Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. This is the equibvalent of the Nobel Prize in mathematics. The citation mentions their “pioneering the use of methods from probability and dynamics in group theory, number theory and combinatorics”.

Ironically, Russian-born Margulis shared a similar background to Furstenberg. He was also heralded as a leading mathematician from a young age. And being Jewish in the Soviet Union meant that Margulis was unable to secure a job at Moscow University and eventually emigrated, also to the United States.

We are facing enormous global adversity. These gentlemen have shown what can be achieved, despite everything. They have also illustrated to us mortals have numbers can be used for happier subjects.

Take a moment to bask in their triumph. Wishing everyone well and safe.

The WOW story about Israel and the corona, and it’s not just about the numbers

18 March 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

As I write, about 350 people have been identified in Israel as corona virus carriers. Five are in serious condition. Thanks goodness, nobody has died.

The numbers are expected to rise, unfortunately, but there is another side to this story, one that the country can be proud of and others can learn from.

In some ways, it was best summed up by a headline from Bloomberg: “The End of the Jaffa Orange Highlights Israel Economic Shift”.

Since peaking in the early 1980s at 1.8 million tons a year, Israeli citrus production has dropped almost 75%….. Just 1% of Israelis now work in agriculture, down from 18% in 1958, while the tech sector has shot up from virtually zero to 10% of jobs today…..

In fact, there are some 200 companies involved in agritech and related fields, as if the wheel has turned full circle.

However, Israel is particularly strong in the field of biotech and pharma. It seems that this is one part of the global stock market that has at least partially managed to resist the steep fall in share prices. Yesterday it emerged that three Israeli medical companies had just raised, on the same day, US$125million between them.

There are those that argue that Israeli high-tech is well positioned to weather the economic push back from the corona virus fallout.

The fact that most of its products are virtual, which has also contributed to bringing the Israeli tech industry to its current thriving self, could help it get back on its feet more quickly following this crisis. Additionally, unlike the dot-com crisis of two decades ago, the coronavirus crisis meets most Israeli companies at a good place business-wise, with stable business models, real market needs, and paying customers around the world.

Personally, I think this is wishful thinking. That said, I could not fail but to be amazed at a most powerful statement from Jon Medved, the CEO of Our Crowd Funding in Jerusalem. Describing how his teams are changing their work habits in these strange times, he mentioned that:

……..some two dozen companies on OurCrowd’s portfolio develop technologies that pertain directly to the corona crisis, from a company developing remote patient monitoring technologies to a company creating new kinds of disinfectants.

Staggering!

3 big ways how small business owners can beat the Corona slowdown. Welcome to your Escape Room!

14 March 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

More and more people are having to stay at home – be you self quarantined, instructed by large offices to cut down on numbers at the office, or just because your government has ordered you not to go in to work. Yes, the Corona virus is bad news for industries like tourism and travel. But do small businesses have to suffer as well?

Let us be clear. In most of the near 200 countries around the world, SMEs – small and medium enterprises – make up 95% of any given economy!

Business mentors and coaches teach that you to use to the resources that we are provided with. They may seem meagre or even irrelevant, but this is what the Escape Rooms teach us, if we are just prepared to think differently.

One very simple example. I was discussing with a client about a tour guide. His clientele has simply been sucked into the ground like a biblical curse. His solution? He is creating virtual tours, and selling packages on line.

And there are plenty more examples. Another client of mine in Jerusalem, who runs after school art classes for kids, has totally switched around their schedule to the mornings. And I heard today of an unemployed air stewardess, who is turning her talents to baby sitting, which is suddenly in much demand.

So how to get started? How can you switch your whole operation so that it is home based and when you cannot dash out to the marketplace.

First and foremost, realise that even though you may seem that you have endless time on your hands, you do not! Countries like China and Hong Kong have shown that the crisis does have an end. More importantly, neither your competitors nor your bank manager are waiting around for you, sympathetically. So, get a work in plan in place, immediately.

Second, remember that Corona is all about health. And you need to stay healthy at home, which should include sleeping 7-8 hours every night. Build an exercise plan. Why? Because, exercise and quality sleep lead to creative cognitive thinking. That will serve as your base for your brain storming.

Third, as if you have not got the message by now, digital media is there to help you. So many people say that they are going to build a website, but claim they never have the time. Hands up those who have wanted for ages to earn more about LinkedIn or Instagram but have prioritised everything else.

Those excuses hold no water any more. And this is especially true as these are the tools and weapons that are going to ensure you keep in touch with your marketplace and / or create a new one.

I firmly believe that for many of us, Corona can end up presenting more opportunities than we initially contemplated. It is time to think out of the box. (To do that, it helps if you know the origins of that phrase.)

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy ride over the next few weeks.

The rise of Jerusalem’s new economy

24 February 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Jerusalem’s economy is changing, and quickly. It is no longer centred around government offices or even tourism. The Our Crowd Summit  earlier this month – featuring thousands and with attendees from over 180 countries – is just the tip of a growing iceberg.

Only last week, I was invited to a new Fintech forum. This was on the back of one of my clients in the field receiving a massive overseas investment. At the same time, Crossriver, which only opened its R&D facility in Jerusalem a year ago and already employs about 60 people, has announced that it will build a brand new complex in the city. This will allow it to expand its activities far more quickly.

At the Our Crowd Summit, I was able to have a look at the wonders of Labs02. This is a hub of about a dozen companies. It is located in a revamped building near the former Jerusaelm railway station and which used to house the country’s money printing press.

These firms are handpicked. They are given an 18 month grace period and wrapped in the arms of brilliant tech mentors like Menachem Sheffer.

One that caught my eye is IntellAct. The concept is brilliant. We all know about the need to change a tyre in Formula 1 races within micro-seconds. This company applies the same principle to the ground services at airports. By smart-mapping the various suppliers – food, cleaning, refueling, onboarding, etc – the company saves the airline critical time, which adds up to a lot of big bucks.

Moving away from high-tech for a moment, I was struck by a joint effort of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture, located in the Holy City. For decades, Israel has been sharing its agritech with countries in Africa and elsewhere.

In Ethiopia, about 85% of its 110 million people live in small farming communities, and usually poor ones at that. Over the past three years, an Israel sponsored scheme called TOV – Good in English – has trained thousands to grow strawberries, tomatoes, avocados and cabbage. These are considered local staples and relatively profitable. In addition, there are many instances of new cooperatives, allowing for greater economies of scale.

If there is a sting in the tail of these success stories, it is the rest of government officialdom. Benjamin Netanyahu has been Prime Minister for 11 years consecutively. Despite his promises to counter the problem, Israel has consistently fallen down the international ratings when it comes to regulation and bureaucracy. For example, when it comes to flexibility and efficiency, the country has dropped twenty places to 69th.

Imagine what could really happen in Jerusalem if there was a Prime Minister who would let government free?

 

 

 

The one question most business owners fear, and what your answer has to be

1 February 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

It is such a simple question. It can be shrunk down to four words. And most of the people who walk through the door of my office fail to even rank a 6 out of 10.

Why?

Take this very typical case study. I was just starting out on my career as business coach and mentor, initially focusing on the Jerusalem region. I had gone out to visit a new set up, established by a couple of very capable and widely read people. They knew everything about their industry. Google had been ransacked and they had spoken to a range of experts.

So, having spent a good few minutes mapping out the background and having received very detailed responses, I gently lobbed out a question: What do you need to get started?

Those seven words clearly stumped them. The answer was….silence. The good news is that we did progress and they started to sell. However, the point is why were they lacking an answer. What was missing?

How many business owners do you know, who try to exude confidence. but it is often fake? Some tell-tale signs include not smiling due to continuous stress, trying to do everything themselves, and prioritising those issues that do not increase revenues.

These are the people who spend so much time trying to be perfect that they end up worrying more about what they should be doing rather than creating a solid strategy.
They become an expert in everything, except what is important.

Why? Because they have failed to answer that one core and basic question.

What do I do?

4 words, 4 syllables 9 letters – not too complex. And yet when I ask CEOs this question, I frequently receive back a flurry of inconsequential clichés, sometimes with great fluency, but which invariably add up to something of very little meaning.

And the worst is that once they have finished talking, they look sheepish. They realise that they have been caught out. And it hurts. It is OUCH time, far more painful than the anxiety described above. Most simply do not know.

Think! If bosses really know what they are selling, and why people want this service or product, then most of the reasons to fake self-confidence will evaporate.

The problem is that they / we all get caught up with the rut of immediacy – yet another email, another post that takes too long to compose, those WhatsApp groups that you did not mute – and all of this before we have dealt with the ‘trivial’ matters like clients.

Is it your turn to face that question most corporate leaders and managers hate to consider? The answer does not have to be detailed, but it should make sense and can be validated.

Just what makes Israel’s economy so incredibly interesting and attractive

24 January 2020
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Categories: Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem, Blog, Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Yesterday, I reported on Jerusalem’s miraculous economic turn around. As for Israel’s national economy, well:

  • Over 50% of the country is a desert, and yet it is a high-tech powerhouse.
  • The country was born in a geopolitical mess and has remained there ever since.
  • The electorate is burned by an over zealous political system, now facing its third general election within 12 months.

Now get this:

As reported by Bloomberg, the Tel Aviv stock market rose to a record high this week.

The TA-35 … extended its increase in the past 12 months to 15%. The benchmark is mostly composed of financial, health care and real estate companies, and Israel’s is the only equity market in the Middle East classified as developed by major index compilers.
……. A combination of low interests rate and optimism over economic growth is helping stocks, analysts said.

Eyal Dabby is the head of equity research at Bank Leumi Le-Israel in Tel Aviv.

GDP is expected to grow above 3%, and inflation is very low. Unemployment is also at the lowest level. It is a strong economy with fair pricing and very low interest rates. The combination of all these parameters is supportive for the equity market…..It is difficult to predict what will be the exact market performance in 2020, but if nothing special happens, especially in the U.S., to which the Israeli market is highly correlated, the equity market could continue to deliver between 8%-10% gains on average.

These statements come on the back of a very strong year for the high-tech sector in Israel.

The total value of Israeli exits in 2019 reached $21.7 billion in 138 deals including the $6.9 billion acquisition of Mellanox by Nvidia, which is still subject to closing. This figure is up sharply from $12.6 billion in 2018. The total value of exits of up to $5 billion in 2019 was the highest ever, with $14.84 billion in 2019, compared with $12.63 billion in 2018.

Now imagine if there had been a stable and effective government in power for the past 18 months. Would that have improved things even further?

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