Interview With Hillel Porath

How did you get started in your business?

I originally planned to enter the field of informal education. I spent two years working in the Jewish community in Kansas and was hoping that with that experience I would be able to come back to Israel and get a job with some organization. Well, man plans and God laughs… I ended up working in a Yeshiva in the Jerusalem area. After that year I decided its time to start my own business and that’s when I set up a tutoring business. That whole process of starting a tutoring business was what actually inspired me to enter the field of entrepreneurship and from then on I took on the internet.

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

1] Set goals and stick to them. Setting goals is critical, when you have goals then you know what needs to be done each and every day. When you accomplish your goals…guess what? Set more goals!

2] You need to be in love with what you are doing. This love will help you get through the hard times.

3] Connect with a business guru - this has been a very important aspect in my entrepreneurial career. Even if it’s attending meetings where successful entrepreneurs are the guest speakers this is also part of the connecting process with a business guru. Don’t be shy to ask for advice. Some of the leading ‘gurus’ online have been an incredible resource for me as well.

What outsiders here in Israel have been most important to your business? (e.g., bankers, accountants, investors, customers, suppliers, mentors, etc.) and can you recommend anyone?

Yeul Sachir has been a great resource; they saved me from many bureaucratic headaches. Once you have the bureaucratic stuff behind you then it's alot easier to work with a clear mind.

To learn more about Yeul Sachir please visit:

Yeul Sachir

What sources of information such as books, seminars, cd’s, etc.. Can you recommend for other starting entrepreneurs?

I recommend reading and listening to material that will help you get into the right entrepreneurial mindset. You can read all of the books and what not on how to market a business – but if you don’t have the entrepreneurial mindset, it will be very hard to move forward with your business.

Here are books that I recommend starting with:

- “Rich Dad Poor Dad” series by Robert Kiwaski

- The Randy Gage material on personal development.

-“Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill is excellent.

- "How to Win Friends and Influence People" - Dale Carnegie

As far as seminars I recommend attending the events at:

Events for Entrepreneurs

It’s very helpful and important to meet and connect with other entrepreneurs in your local area.

Good luck!