a message for small business owners
Dear Small Business owner from Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley,
I wanted to introduce you to Bikurim, an Economic Zionist initiative aimed at strengthening the Jewish people’s place within Israel’s heartland.
From your hard work in building a business, you strengthen the region in a real and lasting way. We see you, the small business owner as a modern-day pioneer who is actively securing the region for the Jewish people.
There are many thousands of people throughout the world who also see you as an integral player in safeguarding our future.
It’s through their support and their generous donations that enables Bikurim to deliver the tools and help you need to succeed and grow.
I would like to invite you to learn more about the Bikurim initiative.
Thank you for being an Economic Zionist; one of the exclusive members of the community who are leading in the development and strengthening of the region.
Gedaliah Blum
Executive Director & Founder
Why Bikurim exists?
Bikurim exists to help further build and secure Israel’s heartland through Economic Zionism. We take an active role in strengthening the Jewish people’s place by helping its modern-day pioneers, the family-run small business owners, to grow & thrive.
Our aim is to further concretize the idea that Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley are open for business and the Jewish people are not going anywhere. To unify and strengthen small businesses in the region and become the leading driver of economic growth in the country. We aim to drive job creation & growth for the region and generate new economic opportunities both domestic and international.
While small business owners typically face tremendous challenges in a normal situation, challenges within the region are significantly compounded by political pressures, security threats, and the fact that the region is outside Israel’s commercial and residential centers. These small business owners simply do not have the resources in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley that large cities like Tel Aviv or Jerusalem offer.
Bikurim closes these gaps for family-run small business owners who are experiencing the above challenges and helping them regain financial independence and health in order to achieve long-term stability.
what we do
Bikurim moves beyond the one-size-fits-all approach to services and provides bespoke solutions determined by the individual small business owners’ needs. These include but are not limited through:
Consulting Services: Creating strategic plans for operations, finances, and marketing.
Technology Tools: Identifying and delivering technology solutions such as websites, ecommerce, graphic design, digital marketing and software.
Educational Courses: Facilitating industry-specific and topic-specific courses available in-person and online through partnership organizations.
Conferences and Networking: Building a community of trust and collaboration by bringing people together for a common cause and providing for growth opportunities.
Financial Assistance:
Financial assistance is in the form of an interest-free loan. The total amount is in the thousands of shekel and makes up for, no more than, 50% of the cost of services. The loan begins to be paid back after 2 years. The loan is paid back in manageable monthly payments and will be used to help fund and assist other business owners in the region.
who is Bikurim for?
Bikurim’s goal is to, not only help you succeed and grow, but to help generate employment opportunities for the region. Therefore, Bikurim is for business owners who can illustrate how they will increase employment over time. If you have a vision and drive but just need a boost, Bikurim may be for you.
Qualifications
In order to apply, you must fulfill these preliminary qualifications:
- A resident of Judea, Samaria, or the Jordan Valley.
- Israeli Citizen with National ID.
- An active and operating business for a minimum of 12 consecutive months.
- Scalability & strong forecast plan.
- Show opportunities for employment growth.
- Illustrate drive and enthusiasm for your work.
- Financial need
responsibililites and obligations?
- Fulfill time-line agreement – following an initial consultation and the identification of the specific services to be provided, Bikurim and the business will create a working plan with a timeline for both benchmarks and overall involvement. The business is required to submit materials, schedule meetings with the team, etc. according to the agreed plan.
- Define and fulfill the goals based on the plan.
- Bi-Annual updates for marketing and communication purposes: Video, Pictures, Text. (professional and personal)
- The requirement to “pay it forward” following timeline agreement.
- Following the end of the timeline agreed with the business owner, they will “pay it forward”. Businesses are obliged to make a contribution back to Bikurim in order to extend assistance to other small business owners. The total “pay-it-forward” amount is equal to what was provided for them. There is flexibility in the amount per month according to the abilities of the business.
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how to Apply?
Complete the foloowing form in order to recieve access to the application.
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