Oleg Yefymov has always been entrepreneurial — by necessity and inclination.

As a child in Ukraine, the founder and CEO of Yomes, a site for landlords and tenants, had to help feed his family. Later, he learned about entrepreneurship Israeli-style.

He’s also started the Halifax chapter of Startup Grind, the Google-backed group that links and educates entrepreneurs in 70 countries.

As a boy, between the ages of seven and 10, Yefymov collected bottles in Moscow and Kharkiv, the Ukraine town where he was born.

“We didn’t even have the money for bread. I dreamed of being able to have a Kinder Surprise egg or taste Coke.”

Yefymov, his mother and grandmother emigrated from Ukraine to Israel in 1999 because of the poverty and the anti-Semitism they faced at home.

At boarding school in Israel, 13-year-old Yefymov started his own venture.

“I’d bought a toaster and cheese, and sold sandwiches at night with the bread that was daily available in the dining room, but they told me it was illegal and closed it down.”

Still, Yefymov liked the people at the school, where he lived for five years.

He met his wife, Pauline Bartik, there. He began to understand the Israeli enthusiasm for entrepreneurship.

Israel is often called Startup Nation, after the 2009 book of that name that examined the fast economic growth of the fledgling country with a small population.

Yefymov recognized what Israel could teach him, but he struggled to adapt to the new lifestyle and ways of thinking. And it hurt that he couldn’t see his father who, as a non-Jew, could not immigrate to Israel.

“I was a Soviet Union kid. I was born in 1987 and was exposed to communist culture when I was young.”

But he found Israel’s entrepreneurial energy increasingly inspiring.

“In Israel, startup life is boiling. Part of that is due to immigration, including the many Soviet Jews who brought their knowledge of technology.

“Soviet knowledge combines with Israeli chutzpah. Israelis take risks with business. They see how something works out and take it from there.”

In Tel Aviv, Yefymov built a successful digital agency that partnered with firms to create websites and mobile apps. His company worked with the Israeli prime minister’s office and brands like Samsung and Coca-Cola.

Yefymov was a sponsor of StarTau, Tel Aviv University’s entrepreneurship centre.

Life was good, but he and his wife decided to emigrate because they wanted their future children to be native English speakers.

 “We looked at different countries and chose Canada. When we looked at different parts of the country, we liked Halifax — the people, the scenery and lifestyle. We applied to the Nova Scotia Nominee Program.

 “When we got here, I looked for work with a big company or a venture capital fund. There weren’t too many opportunities, but we didn’t want to leave so I started Yomes.”

Doing business in Halifax is different compared with Israel, he said.

“The pace of business here is slow. In Israel, people will take a chance on doing business with someone they don’t know well, but here people want the relationship to be more developed.”

His family, which has recently grown with the birth of a daughter, Jade Alba, is still being supported by his Israeli business, but he’s hopeful Yomes will soon be profitable.

Yefymov said he is analyzing rental accommodations around Halifax universities and winning the confidence of student tenants.

He is also busy with Startup Grind.

 “Startup Grind is a way for me to give back to the Halifax community. We plan to stay.”