The American Approach to Entrepreneurship With Israel Won't Work
Can the American model for entrepreneurship succeed in Israel's unique cultural and economic landscape? Explore the challenges and opportunities, and discover alternative approaches for fostering innovation and success in the Israeli startup ecosystem.
The Economic Powerhouse of the United States
The United States is a really important country because it has a lot of money and is the strongest country in the world. Because of this, people think of the United States as a leader in many different areas. But when it comes to starting your own business, something seems to be missing. Even though the US is a big and powerful country, it has a hard time making the world's economy better, helping people who are not as lucky, and giving enough support to its own veterans.
A Comparison: The US vs. Israel
When we look at how businesses are set up and supported in the US and Israel, we can see that the US has a much bigger economy and sells more things to other countries. In 2021, the US was in 10th place and Israel was in 20th place when it came to how well their economies were doing. Also, these two countries have a really close relationship because they have been connected for a long time in terms of money and safety. Israel has given a lot of money, almost $42.4 billion, to the US.
But these numbers only give us some of the information. Israel is called the "Startup Nation" because it has a lot of new businesses, and many of them are worth a lot of money. These new businesses are really good at turning really cool ideas into things that people want to buy. That makes them worth a lot of money all around the world.
Economists say that it's really important for a country's economy to keep growing. They think that one way to do this is by coming up with new and better technology. Israel is really good at coming up with new ideas and starting businesses. This is a big reason why they are successful. On the other hand, the US might not be doing as well as other countries when it comes to encouraging people to start their own businesses and making things that are cheaper to make than what other countries make.
The American Mindset
To know how Americans do business, we need to look at American society after World War II. After the big fight, almost half of the soldiers became owners or managers of businesses. This created a strong group of veterans who started their own companies and made the community better. The GI Bill of Rights helped veterans by giving them money to buy houses and start businesses. This helped them come up with new ideas and make things better in different industries.
However, the number of new businesses founded by former military personnel has decreased over the past few years. There are a few reasons why things have been getting worse. First, people in the military have a hard time making friends and connections with people who aren't in the military. Second, it's been harder for them to get money to support themselves. And finally, there aren't as many jobs making things anymore, which has made things even more difficult. The problems and difficulties that veterans experience in their minds are also very important.
The Israeli Mindset: Hutzpah and Embracing Failure
The way Israelis think about starting businesses is what makes them different from others. People from Israel have something called "hutzpah," which means they have a lot of self-confidence. It's like they believe in themselves a whole lot. This means being ready to take big chances, question the way things are done, and speak up when something isn't right. In Israel, people like to be straightforward and honest. They believe that it's important to express their opinions, even if they disagree with others. They think that by doing this, they can find better solutions and make things better.
Also, Israel thinks about failure differently. When people make mistakes, they see them as chances to learn something new. But it's important to take risks in a smart way, not in a careless way. This way of thinking helps create a culture where people come up with new ideas, and if something doesn't work out, they don't see it as a big problem. Instead, they see it as a way to learn and get closer to achieving their goals.
The Importance of Military Service
In the US, people can choose whether or not they want to join the military. But in Israel, everyone has to join the military, even if they don't want to. But just making everyone join the military doesn't fully explain why Israel is so good at starting businesses. Other countries also encourage people to join the military, but they don't have the same level of amazing new ideas and inventions. Before you join the military, it's important to understand that your mindset and what you focus on are really important.
In Israel, some young people try to get chosen by special groups in the Israel Defence Forces. They want to be part of these special groups because they are considered very important and powerful. After they finish their time in the military, the group they join next can really affect the kinds of jobs they can get later on. This focus on joining the military and becoming part of special groups like Unit 8200 (a smart group) helps people learn about technology and do well in their careers.
The Future of US Entrepreneurship
The United States is a place where many people start their own businesses. Some of the famous companies that started there are Tesla, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. Taking care of and growing this place where we live is really important for the US economy. But there are difficult things that we will have to deal with in the future.
One of the biggest money problems for the US is when it spends more money than it has. This is called the budget deficit, and it's getting bigger. The government has been using more money than it gets from taxes, so it has to borrow a lot of money. This borrowing makes interest rates go up. This problem, along with a possible decrease in how well the economy is doing, could lead to a recession.
Israel has gone through tough times when their economy was not doing well, but they found ways to make it better and keep it growing. The United States can learn important things from Israel's experience. Israel's way of handling money, like how they control how much money is available and how much it costs to borrow money, has been successful in difficult times. But Israel also has some problems. One problem is that they rely too much on money from other countries to start businesses. Another problem is that they depend too much on selling things to other countries. And finally, many smart people are leaving Israel's universities to go work in other places.
When the United States and Israel work together, it helps Israel do well. This shows that it's important for countries to work together with other countries. Israel is a country that can inspire us, but they didn't become successful all on their own. They had to work together with others to get where they are today.
Conclusion
The way Americans conduct business and launch their own businesses is intricate and influenced by past events, societal norms, and financial issues. Looking at how Israel does things can help us understand what the US can do better. People are worried that there might be a recession, which means the economy is not doing well. The United States needs to fix bigger problems than just being good at money stuff so that we can keep growing and being successful.