You Can’t Start a Podcast Like That
Like many great ideas, this one started over coffee. We got together at a cafe in Tel Aviv to catch up on life, politics, the jewish world, and a slight argument over which hummus place is the best. 6 months had passed since we last met up. Itzik was looking for his next challenge after leaving his role as head of global digital marketing at Mobileye, and I was busy preparing for my next big startup event at Axis Innovation. Similar to all entrepreneurs, both of us have daily new ideas — but that day Itzik surprised me with a totally different one. It went something like this:
Itzik: “Jason — lets do a podcast together about Israeli entrepreneurs!”
Jason: “Another podcast about entrepreneurship? C’mon man, there’s so much stuff already out there! I’m tired of hearing the same things over and over about “how to be an entrepreneur”. It’s overdone today anyways.”
Itzik: That’s only the technical steps! Like how to find co founders, raise money, work with big corporations — of course there is tons of good stuff already out there. But look — the reality is that more than 90% of startups are failing, even in Israel. You and I have been working with dozens of startups and know the biggest thing that makes a difference -“
Jason: (cutting off Itzik) “Is the attitude! The mentality and beliefs of the founders make all the difference. You know it’s one of my favorite topics to speak about. It’s the most important thing any entrepreneur has and what I wish everyone would learn more about.
Itzik: “Exactly! And in Israel we have something really unique — Chutpzah! The attitude of not taking no for an answer, trying again despite failure, pushing the limits to achieve success.
Itzik takes a long sip of coffee, and my eyes start to light up with the idea.
Itzik: “Think about it — You and I have been working with startups, building our own projects, and telling Israel’s Startup Nation story for years. Everyone wants to know the same thing — how does Israel really do it? What makes Israel the startup nation beneath the surface? People want to hear the real stories and struggles of founders. We have a chance to take the real secret sauce of Israel — the Chutzpah — and share it with the world. And no one has done a podcast like that before!”
Jason: “OK… it is a pretty cool idea. We can talk about Israel and the Startup Nation from a totally new angle, and also dig deep into the real stories of entrepreneurs to give people real tools for life. We’ve done it for groups before, but now we can take it to people everywhere!”
I take out my phone and start to take notes.
Jason: “We’ve done a lot of things but never a podcast. If we’re gonna do this, we gotta do it right. Let’s start reading about podcasts, get some equipment, draft a few scripts, get a space at one of the coworking spots-”
Itzik: “No way man, we’re doing it the Israeli way! Let’s meet tomorrow and just record it, don’t worry.”
Jason: “Tomorrow? We can’t just meet tomorrow and make a podcast — we gotta plan this thing out!”
Itzik: “Jason my friend — you’ve been in israel for 10 years — the first thing you know about Isreali chutzpah is you gotta jump in! Yalla!”
This first episode wasn’t actually recorded the next day (Although not for lack of trying — Google for Startups Creator Studio was already fully booked) but was recorded soon after. We had so many ideas to share that we dive right into the power of Chutzpah — what it really means, why you need it no matter who you are, real practical advice, and Itzik’s classic Israeli humor to top it off. No script, no faking it, and no BS. Just two guys — one Israeli and one American — breaking down Israel, entrepreneurship and life from a fresh and fun perspective. This podcast will make you feel ready to tackle your next big challenge, turn that idea into a reality, and look at Israel’s Startup Nation in a whole new way. Yalla — let’s go!
