In Israel, everyone is an entrepreneur. At least, sometimes it seems that way. Everyone knows someone who has started up some kind of venture, whether it's related to technology, finance or industry. Sometimes I can't believe how many people I personally know who have technology startups. Many of these ideas do come to fruition and succeed on a large scale. Look at Teva, Amdocs, and Comverse for some examples of the biggies, and see this list of the top 10 Israeli Web 2.0 wonders for a look at some of Israel's most promising startups. But how does Israel rank on a global scale for entrepreneurship? According ...

Thanks to my new Administrative Assistant (bless her soul), I have finally managed to get around to organizing the second Entrepreneur Breakfast meeting in Jerusalem. Entrepreneur Breakfast is a not-for-profit effort to strengthen the small business community in Israel. The group meets monthly and the idea is to come together to gain valuable knowledge, advice, and support from each other. Date of Event: Thursday, June 28, 2007 Venue: 1868, The Café, 34 Derech Beit Lechem, Jerusalem Time: 8:30-9:30 am Cost: 45 NIS Topic: "Innovative Online Marketing Solutions for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs" – ...

According to the entrepreneur experts, it is important that business owners create a carefully structured work/life schedule, because if they don't, work and life can blend and this can be bad etc. When I first started out, I did manage to define my work hours. But that was at the beginning, when I had way fewer projects, and they were nicely spaced out so that in between each one I had a kind of vacation. Now the work is non-stop, which is a good thing but also makes life very hectic. Plus, running a business means spending time on many ...

Recent conversations with other entrepreneurs and small business owners have made me realize that the problems and challenges I face as a small business owner are not unique. While in the past I have felt like I must be the only one in the world to face these issues, it seems that no matter what business one is in, we all face similar challenges in the management, development and growth of our businesses. For a while I had thought about setting up some kind of forum where entrepreneurs can meet and give each other advice and discuss how they have solved issues or overcome difficulties, and support each other in our ...

Dane Carlson lists 20 Things Not to Do Before Starting A Business. While I agree with some of his points, I disagree with many others and think that if you follow them, they will either hinder the growth of your business, or get you into trouble. Dane's point was to help entrepreneurs bootstrap, but it is important for business owners to walk the fine line between saving where possible, and spending where needed. So let's go through his list. I will discuss five points at a time, so let's begin: Don't quit your day job: Disagree This is advice I see repeated for entrepreneurs, but it's not ...

The media exudes an aura of authority. They write and talk like they are experts and know-alls on whatever topic it is they are discussing at that moment. And many people refer to the media for their knowledge on many issues; how many times have you heard someone say "But I read it in the paper!" Ramit at I will Teach you to be Rich documents some of the errors made by financial and business magazines in predicting which businesses that would succeed and fail. When these publications would be proved wrong, there would me no mention of their mistakes. I've ...

With Pessach around the corner, many people are busy scrubbing their homes to rid them of all signs of chametz. In honor of this season of cleaning, here are 6 (mostly) free tips on housekeeping for your computer that anyone can do to keep it optimized and in good health: Antivirus program – make sure you have a good antivirus program installed on your computer, and that is constantly being updated. Two good antivirus programs are Norton Antivirus and McAfee, and they ...

It is apparent that many women find the work environment to be a hostile place. Stories abound about women being asked all manners of inappropriate questions in interviews, such as if they have children, do they plan on having children, what does their husband think of their career, etc. Employers want assurance that work will come above all else, and an employee must commit to that work ethic or else. For mothers of small children, this approach is particularly problematic. As we know, children are unpredictable. They can get sick, they can have vacations, and they may just want and need attention. All of this demands time and understanding, something rare in the workplace. Many newspapers ...

One of my last posts was about the burden of taxes on small businesses, and how they stifle growth. To continue in that spirit, here are some quotes about the beauty of taxation: "I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." -Winston Churchill "Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." -P.J. O'Rourke "Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize ...

After I gave birth recently, I found myself in an entirely new situation with regards to motherhood and work. For the first time, I gave birth not as an employee, but as a business owner. This meant that I could not expect a maternity leave like the one I had known after my previous child was born, where I switched off almost all connections from anything work-related. I did not know what I was in for, and I have to admit that the new reality of business-owner/new mother caught me off guard. Before I gave birth, I made an effort to find information that would help me manage ...