“I started from scratch and built everything all over again, but this time with tools that give me an opportunity to grow”, says one of the business women chosen to be part of “Zinuk”, the first and one of a kind program in Israel to empower growing women owned businesses.
When Kiram Baloum started with “Zinuk” program, she knew exactly what she wanted. As CEO of Jasmine, leading intensive programs to empower business women for years, she decided that this year she is focusing on helping existing successful businesses grow and lead them to maximize their potential and reach the top of the business world. “Zinuk aims to empower strong women, who have already established their business and want to expand it and succeed even more”, says Baloum, “this program offers a unique opportunity to grow and reach new places in the business world, to track and expand potential audiences, execute their business plan, sell and increase profits”.
Baloum explains that women who participate in “Zinuk” program were carefully chosen out of many candidates, to achieve measurable results: “this is the first program in Israel which provides practical tools and opens doors for women who want to form networks and co-operations and business relationships with business men and women throughout Israel, reach new markets, be exposed to new audiences and present their products and makings. “We provide the tools but doubtlessly these women work hard to reach results by the end of the program and are asked to complete assignments during the program.” Says Baloum.
Baloum supports diversity of participants, as someone who is socially- economically active and works on changing the mentality of society and promoting independent women rights by recognizing their social and economic strength. In accordance to the vision, the participants chosen for “Zinuk” came from all over the country, different ages and have many and diverse business orientations. Among them is Rivky Gleese, a 34-year-old woman from Bet Shemesh, a mother of two children (8,19), and owner of a company “Marketing Couching”, dealing with marketing couching for small businesses. “I established the company 7 years ago”, says Gleese, “Zinuk gives me a management perspective. Today, I see the business as a manager not as an employee. This was something that I lacked in the past”.
Gleese also states that the program gives her financial management tools, pricing and product profitability:
“the world of numbers requires correct management. The program will provide the opportunity to run the business according to a financial plan. Also, this will allow me to manage the business with calculative perspective, like how much is my time worth. Until now, I have never calculated the time I invest, it seemed like a given thing. Now I have the ability to do things planned wisely an expand my business”.
During “Zinuk”, the participants learn and precise the basics of management, strategic planning, pricing and action, and on the next stage precising the marketing strategy and performing profound work on branding. Participants are required to specify a measurable goal, which each participant thrives to achieve by the end of the program, hence measuring the success through outcomes, profits, number of clients and more.
Nadine Cohen, 57 years old, residing in Kibbutz Nahshonim, speaks about the process. She runs her company “Click Enter”, which provides training services for companies and organizations via computer apps: I established this company 18 years ago and now I have tools that help me look at the business growth of my company for perspectives that I haven’t seen until today”. She also states that the program gives her the opportunity to manage the business from a new perspective: “these changes will lead to business growth. Sometimes, we need to look outside the box to make changes. Habits can sometimes hold us back and “Zinuk” is exactly the right program. The program is very well structured, rich and professional and the assignments we get help us better understand and implement business management. We came to make a change, and that’s what we’re doing”, says Cohen.
To lead them to success, “Zinuk” offers a professional staff and experts of all fields of business management. Among them, an expert in solutions for a profitable business, digital media branding and marketing experts and more. Anat Yaguri, an expert in management solutions and effective progress: “to improve the participants’ work and make it more efficient, we work with them through training and guidance, providing tools and different skills. These participants enjoy rich sessions of knowledge and tools to maximize performances, alongside close guidance between sessions aiming to assist them as much as possible to reach their goals. What makes our progress unique is the ability to realize substantial benefit professionally, while reorganizing according to the required change and readjusting the content to the specific needs”.
Daniella Klein, 58 from Harish, runs a business for the past 35 years, called “Through the Mirror”, providing guidance services to managers through developing leadership. “I came to the program out of distress” says Klein, I saw that i couldn’t promote my business properly. Right from the beginning I realized that I was never a business owner. I was a professional who worked and didn’t look at my business as a business. The program gave me the tools to run my business.”
When asked about her expectations from “Zinuk” program, Klein says: “I expect to increase my profits no less. I expect to implement everything I learn. This program is an opportunity and I have the responsibility to act. My goal is to increase the work of the business and reach more clients, as in institutions and organizations. These will become the biggest part of my client list.” Klein, like other participants, sounds excited while describing the change she’s experiencing since she started the program, “”I started from scratch and built everything all over again, but this time with tools that give me an opportunity to grow”, she concludes.