The Chutzpah Factory... helped me grow

What is 'Chutzpah' anyway?

Who can even say that? It sounds like Hoot-spah and rhymes with Foot Spa but has nothing to do with that at all. The word starts with a kind of deep ‘ccccgggrrhhh’ noise - a guttural sound in the back of the throat. Chutzpah is a Yiddish word. Yiddish is a German word for Jewish. Yiddish is a language of Jewish people.

Yiddish has many derivations, which means it comes from lots of places, so it is a mix of English, Dutch, German, French, Italian … but it is its own language. So Hoot-spah is a word meaning guts, audacity, daring, risk-taker, adventure-maker…

There are lots of fun Yiddish words – some of which you probably already know.

How about nosh? Have you heard this word…. (this means to nibble). Or schmooze (to suck up to people or mingle at a party). Klutz you probably already know. There are lots of great insults in Yiddish. Schmaltzy: which means corny. Like when people kiss in movies with the camera lens all misty and some bad music in the background. Yuck. Literally it actually means chicken grease! Double yuck!

So that’s Chutzpah – nerve, cunning, cheek, guts, front.

We are The Chutzpah Factory. Meaning: We encourage people to get up the nerve to have a go in business.

This is what’s needed to be an entrepreneur – you need to have the nerve, the guts, the cheek, the daring to have a go.

This program is designed to help you get up the nerve to be an entrepreneur or anything else that you want to be in this life.

While we are on the subject of definitions…

Entrepreneur – to us an entrepreneur means someone who identifies opportunity and acts on it. It means being enterprising which includes starting businesses, launching projects and programs that help change the world or make a part of the world a better place. It’s not just about money.  It’s about making a difference.

Although making money can be a part of it, the money is not the only or most important thing. It’s about having great ideas – solutions to problems – and making them happen.

Success – a truly successful person is someone who has goals and achieves them. This is about the full set of goals any person might have. These can be personal, social, financial or spiritual. True success is not about wealth (although that can be part of it).

We think true success is about living a life that lines up with what you think is important.

For one person, success will be spending lots of time with family and being a great gardener. For another, it will be achieving high standards in research and helping people live healthier lives. For yet another, a successful life is defined by living peacefully and quietly.

Living a life you love by doing what you love is the ultimate definition of success.

One other thing about success: All the truly successful people, the ones people admire and respect, give back to their communities. The best of them avoid doing harm and make sure they do good.