Many mistakenly view entrepreneurs simply as people in business. Entrepreneurs are a great deal more. In taking a closer look at Jewish business secrets, it is important to understand the distinction. Entrepreneurs are change artists. They create and innovate. They are people of discipline who spot opportunity and know what to do about it. They build, establish a new order of things and in so doing they bring increase. They challenge the status quo with better solutions to problems and they know how to do so at a profit. The Jewish perspective in viewing these prime entrepreneurial characteristics, of creating and bringing increase entails even more.
Culture — Jewish Business Secrets #7
We’ve taken a look at the foundations, the model and gifts that are vital to understanding the dynamics of what have given Jews the renown of being a people of business. Now, before we start digging into the dynamics of entrepreneurship, I want to cover some background about Jewish culture. This background will provide keen insights into the uniqueness of entrepreneurship from a Jewish perspective.
Gifts and Destiny — Jewish Business Secrets #6
God gives gifts to men. There are natural gifts and there are spiritual gifts. When a person applies excellence and masters their gift, it releases creativity and opportunity. During this session on Jewish business secrets, I’m going to expand upon what I’ve discussed about our gifts and talk about how our gifts become essential in mapping […]
Misguided Tongues
MISGUIDED TONGUES Dedicated to the Memory of Trisha Ruddick Stemple (June 14, 1966-Oct 24, 1996) Memorial Day is a time of reflection. October 24, 1996 is a date our family will never forget. It is the day our 30 year old daughter Trisha Stemple was brutally murdered. Trish, a beautiful young mother of two, was […]
Perspectives and Opportunity
PERSPECTIVES AND OPPORTUNITY Back in the early eighties, I served on the Political and Public Affairs Committee of one the most powerful trade associations in the energy business. In addressing one of our agendas, the Chairman of the committee and CEO of the Rowan Companies, posed an illustration. He suggested that had the rogue, totalitarian […]
The Gifts — Jewish Business Secrets #5
God gives gifts to men. Ancient Jewish writings elaborate that a person’s gift makes room for them and brings them before great people. When vital combinations of these gifts are nurtured within a trust community, it provides ripples of opportunity and a dynamic that strengthens the community. Business is about providing a product or a service to customers. It involves outperforming competition with that product or service. What is required is developing excellence, becoming the best in what your business offers. That is where the gifts, the talents on which the business is based, come into play.
Model Applied — Jewish Business Secrets #4
In the last session I talked about the ancient model established Abraham: the God-centered, entrepreneurial community. I began telling you about a friend of mine, with a most unusual story of how this model can be applied, how this model can work in the most adverse of circumstances. Globally today, two thirds of the world has little to no middle class. These are people who live on less than $2 a day. Well-intended humanitarian efforts, as well as the efforts of many church-related groups to alleviate poverty and hunger have simply not changed things. So let’s look at a real-life example of how this ancient model applied can change things.
Ancient Model of Jewish Business Secrets #3
What are the ways of the Jews that have enabled them to overcome the many instances of adversity and persecution over the millennia to become a people known for their disproportionate achievement? It is more than a set of principles, although the principles involved are important. It involves a way of thinking as well as models that strengthen and protect the community. During this session, we’re going to take a closer look at the model that consistently has been applied by the Jewish people.
Enduring Elements of Jewish Business Secrets #2
Enduring foundations of Jewish business secrets form the basis of determining one’s identity, how a person’s gifts are developed and applied to business, all of which combine to pave the way to determine the purpose or destiny that an individual is on the earth to serve. These Jewish foundations nurture “trust communities” that enhance the entrepreneurial dynamic for its members. It has become a cultural distinctive whereby the diversity of the gifts of its members are nurtured to the benefit of the entire community. So let’s take a closer look at some pertinent enduring foundational elements that have defined the Jews as a people of business and the long-term success they consistently have had in business settings over the centuries.