Connecting a walk-in cellphone store to e-commerce productivity

Meshi Roimi lives with his young family in one of Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. In 2016, upon completing a MATI marketing course and having successfully applied for a MATI advertising grant, Meshi opened a cell phone stall in a shopping mall. Four years later, and having received additional MATI loans, Meshi was the proud owner of three stalls and was managing a staff of ten. In March, Israel went into its first lockdown, and the usually busy stalls became eerily empty.

For Meshi, it was as though the world had come crashing down on him. Turnover was almost at a standstill, and relations with his employees were severely jeopardized when he was forced to furlough them all, not knowing if any of them would have a job to come back to.

With the aid of a MATI consultant, Meshi searched for alternative options. He took MATI’s beginner’s online sales course and launched an e-commerce store which has been increasingly active throughout the year. He is currently taking an advanced MATI business management training program to develop his managerial skills and to create a feasible recovery plan. Determined to make the most of MATI’s networking opportunities, he is also generating new online business partnerships.