Doing business in Israel

Doing business abroad is always an exciting, or tense, undertaking - depending on how you look at it. There are opportunities, but there are also obstacles in the form of language and cultural barriers, and the further from home you are, the more often you’ll find this to be true.

Direct and open

The inhabitants of Israel have a direct and open style of communication. Whilst this might take some getting used to at first, it can be advantageous. With a bit of courage you can approach anyone and begin a conversation. People in Israel won’t find that strange. Another advantage is that there is little sense of hierarchy in the country so that you can speak freely without the impediment of formalities. The situation is ideal for entrepreneurs who are prepared to take a risk.

Business and private

‘Work hard, play hard’ is an expression that is particularly apt in Israel. Where we might make a strict distinction between our professional and private lives, this is not the case in Israel. You don’t have to worry about contacting someone in the evening about a business issue. The inhabitants of the country are known as being hard workers, but they like to party as well. There’s always a celebration going on somewhere, during which you can make business connections and where it’s unlikely that anyone will say that they ‘don’t want to be bothered with business tonight’. Precisely because the professional and the personal are so closely interwoven, it is very easy to get in touch with the right people.