by Dave Kahle Stories can be powerful tools to shape behavior and dramatically communicate expectations. Wise executives continually seek for opportunities to capture and then relate a story that supports and illustrates the organization’s culture. If the story can be tied to a piece of physical support, then it’s even better. Here’s an example. In […]
By Robert McArthur The Year: 1758 The Month: April The Situation: Sending thirty cash-strapped Moravian Missionaries to Suriname Additional Requirements: a shipment of stripped linen; and one Moravian, Jonas Paul Weiss, to do some hard thinking on economic activities in missions, to articulate and pioneer this way of doing missions. Long Term Results: Over two […]
By Howard Partridge While attending a very high level, exclusive leadership training, we were taken to the largest independent advertising agency in the U.S. We were taken on a tour of the massive, modern office space inhabited by over 700 employees that included a gym that would rival any local health club, nap rooms, and most […]
by Peter Shaukat Business as mission is communitarian and team-oriented, not individualistic. Beyond considering the individual characteristics that BAMers need, I would then ask, “What does the business team need to have in their overall profile?” I think of the business team in a matrix model. One axis maps character, competence and charisma. Along the […]
by David Skews An organisation may consider many things as of particular value to their business – such as, reputation, market exposure, industry leadership, intellectual property etc – but the one thing on which all of these depend is top quality staff. Whether one or many people, your team have the potential to make or […]
by Mike Baer There is no more important decision you will make in your BAM startup than the formation of your team. Actually, it’s several decisions rolled into one: Who? What? When? How? Who? By this I mean simply hire the best and never settle. Many BAMers hire those most in need, buddies, fellow missionaries, […]
Our panel of mentors regularly answer your practical business questions. Send us your questions! Dear BAM Mentor, I am aware of the tendency to be a bit idealistic when working through the Financials section of a Business Plan. As I start thinking about the numbers, what are the hard questions I need to ask myself – or invite […]
Our panel of mentors regularly answer your practical business questions. Send us your questions! Dear BAM Mentor, I am aware of the tendency to be a bit idealistic when working through the Financials section of a Business Plan. As I start thinking about the numbers, what are the hard questions I need to ask myself – or invite […]
by Dawn Fotopulos According to an Intuit survey from 2015, 87% of small business owners do their own books and 47% claim financial illiteracy. It’s not a surprise that more than half of small business start-ups never survive to see year 5 of operations; it’s remarkable that half do. If you follow start-up history out to […]
by Mike Baer Funding for your new business is obviously crucial – no cash, no business. So let’s think about this from an investor’s perspective. What is it that interests him or her? What does he or she want to see? What questions answered? Here’s what I’d be asking: What exactly is the product or […]
by Colleene Isaacs Let me start by saying, I hate dealing with financials! In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have to think about or plan for the financial aspect of doing good business. Or better yet, I would have some really smart CFO-type deal with it, and be done with it. Unfortunately, as far as […]
by Mats Tunehag Los Negocios como Misión, (en adelante BAM, del inglés Business as Mission) puede sonar como algo un tanto extraño pero, aun así, es un concepto capital y una praxis ineludible. Eso no significa que BAM sea la estrategia definitiva, ni la solución a todos los problemas. Se trata, en realidad, de un […]
by Peter Greer and Phil Smith Do you remember how you felt when you received your first paycheck? In middle school, I mowed elderly Mrs. Johnson’s lawn. She would inspect my work and acknowledge that I had cut close enough to her barn and not missed any sections under her apple trees. Then she would […]
by Larry Sharp What if Jesus was your boss? What if he was the chairman of your board? What if you reported to him each month for your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)? What would he expect that those KPIs would be? How would he measure how you are doing? A wise owner or manager continuously […]
by João Mordomo Why be a business professional (or any other type of professional) when you can be a “Great Commission professional”? Here’s my first bit of math: “Great Commission = to make disciples of all peoples” (see Matt. 28:19-20.) Many of us have been taught bad math. We’ve learned two formulas in particular whose conclusions […]
One day down Sleep deprived, stressed, hiding in the office to cry, then pulling it together and working hard physically, attempting to speak a foreign language, smiling at potential customers, doing everything for the first time, from start to finish, from nerve-wracking open to exhausted and exuberant close. We did it! There was cash in […]
Our panel of mentors regularly answer your practical business questions. Send us your questions! Dear BAM Mentor, I keep hearing about succession planning and having an exit strategy… But when should I be thinking about this? How does it tie in with leadership development in my team? ~ Thinking Long-term Dear Thinking, Start the Beginning with […]
Our panel of mentors regularly answer your practical business questions. Send us your questions! Dear BAM Mentor, I keep hearing about succession planning and having an exit strategy… But when should I be thinking about this? How does it tie in with leadership development in my team? ~ Thinking Long-term Dear Thinking, None of us will […]
by Bill J. In Hebrews 4 we read, “So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works.” Sabbatical rest here is not the same as observing the Sabbath. They are different words in the text. The Sabbath is a day […]
by Patrick Lai Ideally, every BAMer or B4Ter wants a perfect work-life balance. But as you’ve probably already experienced, this mythical balance is rarely achievable. Striving for balance can lead to more ‘stress over being stressed’ than work itself. To help you manage the work-life balance debate, tune out the opinions of others and start […]
by Peter Greer Excerpts from eBook ‘Stop Helping Us!’ reproduced with kind permission from the Institute for Faith, Work and Economics and Peter Greer. Buy eBook. Stop Helping Us! introduces a new paradigm for an evangelical response to poverty alleviation. Being effective means recognizing that there is a difference between short-term aid, which is important and […]
by James McHaffie Modern slavery has been a major and growing issue for some time. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that 21m people globally are victims of forced labour, generating $150 billion in illegal profits annually. Of this, there are 10.7 million victims of labour exploitation in private enterprise, reaching US$43.4 billion in illegal profits […]
by Dr. Phil Walker and Renita Reed-Thomson There is a story told about a frog in a kettle. The frog is placed in a kettle of cold water. The frog does not notice that the water temperature is being turned up gradually until it is too late. He dies from the heat of the water, not […]
by Joseph Vijayam We who form the Church of Jesus Christ are called to usher in the kingdom of God in all its fullness. Bringing in the kingdom requires the Body of Christ to do many things. One of these is to create wealth. In Ephesians 5:25-27, Paul uses the imagery of marriage when he […]
by Mats Tunehag As we do business, we create wealth – not only financial wealth, but also social, cultural, intellectual, and spiritual wealth. The Bible talks about wealth in three ways: wealth creation, sharing and hoarding. The last is condemned. Wealth sharing is encouraged and is often facilitated through NGOs and churches, but there is […]
…and 5 Assumptions Why it is Not Present by Michelle McDonald Pride In a capitalistic economy, competition is spoken of freely. It is arguably a cornerstone of the free market and the way by which entrepreneurs distinguish themselves in an ever-evolving sea of technology and startups. Competition allows businesses to create loyal tribes of customers, […]
by Courtney Rountree Mills A quick framework to help entrepreneurs learn how to integrate their faith life with their business life in a practical way. Let’s face it. Life is hard enough as an entrepreneur. The whole world always seems to be resting on your shoulders. The pressure to succeed is immense. After all, if you […]
by Larry Sharp and Gary Willett IBEC Ventures was incorporated in 2006 as a consulting group to provide consulting services primarily to Business as Mission startups in areas where there is high unemployment, great injustice and where there a few followers of Jesus. IBEC’s Purpose: IBEC helps build sustainable businesses through consultative expertise that changes lives […]
by Patrick Lai The Hebrew word “avodah” (ah-vod-ah) is translated in the English Bible for both work and worship. A better English translation when referring to work is service. God receives work as worship done unto Him. Put simply: work is worship. The similarity between the two clarifies that in God’s eyes our work is worship in […]
by Bill Westwood Ever since I left school in 1974 and joined the marketing department of a major (unfortunately now defunct) motor manufacturer, I have loved marketing. It was the genesis of a lifelong passion for the business world and happened to broadly coincide with the start of my faith journey too. Not that faith and […]