I recently participated in a Google Hangout featuring entrepreneur Marla Schuchman, who is well-versed in Tel Aviv-based startups and small businesses. On the hangout, she described eight different qualities that entrepreneurs based in Israel share and explained the environmental and cultural factors that make Tel Aviv a global startup capital. Schuchman broke down eight different startup tips you can adopt within your small business.
- Be arrogant: Carry an unreasonable amount of confidence in your ideas and ventures.
- Be generous: Contribute to the greater good by sharing ideas and collaborate with others.
- Be hungry: When you’re hungry, you’re motivated to achieve great success through intense pitching and hustling of your ideas.
- Be thrifty: Conserve resources with care so that you adopt a lean discipline as you grow.
- Be external: Meet new people and gather fresh ideas, even get up and go outside.
- Be stressed: In the positive sense, carry the right amount of stress so you see your idea/solution as critical to customers’ success.
- Be supportive: Support your peers and would-be competitors as they achieve their goals.
- Be insubordinate: Avoid bureaucracy, challenge the status quo and get things done.
Maybe these qualities are generalizing, and, to some extent, marginalizing the rest of the world’s entrepreneurs, but I believe these qualities are present in many successful startup founders. Regardless, these attitudes have worked for many young companies and could work for yours.
There are quite a few startups based in Israel that have found success. In 1993, security appliance and software company, Checkpoint Software, was founded. Later, they acquired the security arm of Nokia. In 1996, ICQ, the predecessor to AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), was founded by Yair Goldfinger, Sefi Vigiser, Amnon Amir, Arik Vardi and Yossi Vardi. Today, notable Israeli startups include Waze, Soluto, Any.do and Yedda (acquired by AOL). Today, there are nearly one thousand active Israeli startups today!
I found Schuchman’s advice fascinating because all too often, we feel pressure to adopt traditional business development models. Startups in Israel have a strong vigor in their work and a unique formula to collaborate and deliver large results.
Schuchman’s international experience and interest in startups affords her a unique advantage as she advises startups through her marketing consultancy firm, The Three Sheep.
What qualities or characteristics do you have as an entrepreneur that you would credit to your success? Share them in the comments below!
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This post Do You Embrace These 8 Killer Startup Characteristics? was first published on the Big Ideas Blog.