company culture – Business as Mission

10 Ways the Bible Shows the Purpose of Business

27 April 2026/in Biblical Foundations, Integration, Latest/by Guest Author

by Dave Kahle

Most cultures think of business as simply a vehicle to make money. That is the message the world sends out, and most people accept. That view of business, however, ranks high on the list of Satan’s deceits, especially when it is the only perspective our churches have about business.

As businesspeople, we often define our success by the increase in sales and profits. While there is nothing wrong with that, if we focus exclusively on that, we limit the potential of the business. It is like trying to grow an apple tree in a pot inside your home. There is just not enough light and air to produce an abundant harvest of apples.

When we limit our concept of business to just making money—even when we intend to be generous with that money—we severely limit its potential to be a force for good in the world.

The Bible notes at least 10 purposes, or benefits, of business:

1. A business can be a vehicle for the multiplication of wealth

There is nothing wrong, per se, with multiplying resources or accumulating wealth. Note the parable of the bags of gold, where the worthy servant was rewarded for increasing the master’s wealth. The servant didn’t give it away, nor did he squander it on a richer lifestyle. Instead, he focused on increasing the master’s wealth. The master rewarded him with a larger area of responsibility and a closer relationship with him.

Think of Abraham, who is regarded as the epitome of faith and obedience. His business was large enough that he was able to assemble “318 trained men born in his household.” (Gen 14:14) . His business probably consisted of hundreds, if not thousands, of employees/servants.

It’s our attitude to that wealth that God is concerned with.

2. A business provides economic security to the employees and stakeholders

While God is the ultimate provider, He does so through natural means. And a business is one of those means. A successful business provides the means of economic sustenance for the employees and stakeholders and thereby is a conduit for God’s providence and blessings.

The business woman in Proverbs 31 is described as a model provider, bring economic security to her family, her household and servants. She is able to help the poor and influence her community through her hard work and business activities.

3. A business shapes the next generation of leaders

Many major characters in the Bible were raised in a business environment, and had their characters shaped by that experience. Think of Isaac and Jacob, who were raised in their fathers’ households. Or Saul, who was on a business project when he was called to be Israel’s first king. Or David, who was employed in his father’s business when he was called. Or, even Jesus, who spent his formative years in his father’s carpentry business.

A business, with its tasks, hierarchy and accountability, provides valuable lessons for the next generation of leaders.

4. A business can develop character among its employees

Not only does a business act as a fertile training ground for future leaders, but everyone can grow sound characters by being guided by the values and goals of a good business and held accountable for adherence to them.

The Bible has much to say about honest business practices and doing work with integrity, a few examples in Proverbs 12:22 and 20:10, 2 Corinthians 8:21, James 5:4.

5. A business can provide a unifying bond for families

While much is said these days about work-like balance, the scriptures present a different perspective. A business in the Bible wasn’t something separate from the family, it was the families’ occupation. As we have seen already, in children grew up in the family business, added their energy to it, and reaped the benefits of that. While it may be difficult in today’s corporate age to duplicate that level of engagement, the opportunities still exist to integrate family members into the business and so, instead of balancing between work and family, bring the family into the work.

Visualize family meals where the topic of conversation is the business, as opposed to the latest social media trends. Imagine kids who watch the family’s provider at work and learn from him/her.

6. A business can provide the venue for the application of spiritual gifts

In one of Bible’s first recorded instance of supernatural gifts being used, Joseph used the gift of interpreting dreams to vault to the top of what may have been the largest business enterprise in the world, Pharaoh’s grain distribution business (Genesis 37-41).

The first description in the Bible of someone being filled with the Holy Spirit is a craftsman, Bezalel, in the context of him using his craftsmanship. These are skills—working with gold, silver and bronze—are ones he likely honed in a business setting before being selected by God to make the decorations for the Tabernacle (Exodus 31 and 35).

The constant interaction with customers and vendors as well as the close relationships that typically develop in a business provide a fertile field for spiritual gifts to touch people.

7. A business can impact the community for good

All the way back to the days of the Egyptian captivity, it was a couple of midwives who impacted the community and were rewarded with growing businesses.

In our age, Christian companies can, and have, made an impact beyond their customer base. Among other things, a business has power to create and manage larger giving and serving projects. As an individual, we can work at a soup kitchen. A business can create and organize the soup kitchen, or community clean up operation, or English language lessons. By virtue of its potential to assemble money and people it can create a more powerful impact than an individual can.

This website is full of stories of companies providing benefits for the community at large, as well as the customers and vendors it serves.

8. A business is a God-given way to steward the earth’s natural resources

When the Israelites were about to enter the promised land in Deuteronomy 8, God showed them that they would be running agricultural and mining operations: “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land… a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills… Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God.” (Deut. 8: 7-11)

A key principle in being good a steward is not forgetting the Lord, and “walking in obedience to him and revering him” (v6).

9. A business can provide a community to facilitate the gospel

The New Testament contains several examples of the head of a business committing to follow Christ and the entire household—employees, family, servants and slaves, followed that lead.

Businesses are built on relationships, and relationships are how the gospel of Jesus is shared. We can be witnesses to the Good News in the context of daily work. Businesses can even became one of the contexts for people to start to gather to grow in faith, to birth small group Christian meetings and ongoing discipleship.

10. A business can grow the faith of the owners and key employees

I have often said “If you want to grow closer to God, start a business” There is something about the constant press of decisions, the impact of those decisions, and the accountability that attaches to them that leads a business owner, and those employees who are invested in the success of the business, to go to God for guidance and assistance when things don’t go well.

Indeed, one of the key pillars of a Kingdom-focused business operator is to work at staying close to God and allow Him to be the general manager and chief consultant to the business.

Those business owners and key employees who embrace the functions of a business above, beyond just making money, will unleash their companies to fulfil their potential to grow, succeed and make a mark on the world.

Written by Dave Kahle, adapted for The BAM Review by Jo Plummer.

Dave Kahle has been a Bible teacher, elder, house church leader, short-term missionary and Christian executive roundtable leader. For 30 years, he has been an authority on sales and sales systems, having spoken in 47 states and eleven countries. He has authored 13 books, including The Good Book on Business. Sign up for his weekly messages here. Dave regularly writes at the Biblical Business blog and shares his articles on his YouTube Channel, listen to this post here. More from Dave at: www.davekahle.com and www.thebiblicalbusiness.com.

BAM Global Summit 2026

Thursday 7 May

The BAM Global Summit 2026 theme Flourish reflects that God loves flourishing!

Flourishing businesses help people, communities and nations to flourish.

Join us at this annual gathering of the global BAM community and hear more about God’s purposes for business. Come and be equipped to flourish in your own BAM journey—to help you build flourishing companies and communities.

More Summit Information

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

3 Ways Businesses Integrate Faith

28 April 2025/in BAM 101: Introduction, Integration, Latest, Leadership, Research & Academics/by Guest Author

by Min-Dong Paul Lee, Hannah J. Stolze and Denise Daniels

Can a for-profit business demonstrate faith? For years, the answer seemed obvious: companies exist to make money, not to practice religion. However, with the rise of business as mission as well as the faith and work movement, more and more Christian entrepreneurs today believe they can integrate faith with their business and work. Then, how does faith manifest in businesses?

At Wheaton College’s Center for Faith and Innovation, we engaged in a multi-year research project to explore this question. With remarkable openness, five Christian entrepreneurs invited us to scrutinize their companies, asking for thorough, unbiased feedback. Our research, encompassing interviews, focus groups, surveys, and site visits, focused on identifying the presence and impact of faith within their organizations. Workplace leaders and employees were asked to describe the ways that they observed or experienced faith expressions in the workplace.

We were initially surprised that workers saw expressions of faith in many different forms. We identified three ways faith comes to life in these workplaces through a systematic qualitative and quantitative analysis. The three dimensions of faith expressions are distinct in terms of how readily observable they are as well as how explicitly they are connected with faith.

1. Embodied Faith

The first dimension required little to no thought for most respondents to identify—this category included such things as the presence of a cross or the practice of corporate prayers. These symbols and practices are easily observable, and their meaning is explicit in that most people would interpret them as faith-based. We call this kind of expression “embodied faith” because it gives tangible and visible form to faith.

For example, one firm displayed a mission statement that included “glorify God” on the wall. Another had a prayer chapel and crosses at headquarters. Embodied faith is also expressed through practice. Prayers, especially, stood out. A sales team member shared, “Whenever we have meetings, sales team or any of the meetings, we start with a prayer.” At another company, spontaneous prayers were routine: “We stop every now and then, get on the floor, and pray with each other. We know each of us has problems at home… We talk about it and pray with one another.”

These symbols and rituals aren’t subtle. They’re what anthropologist Clifford Geertz called concrete embodiments of belief—easily spotted and clearly tied to faith. But employees warned that crosses and prayers alone don’t cut it. As one put it, faith “can’t be hypocritical!” Embodied faith is just the surface; it needs deeper roots.

Multiplying Your Influence by Using Good Words

28 November 2024/in Company Culture, Integration, Latest/by Guest Author

by Dave Kahle

“Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Did you have that saying in your childhood? Or one like it?

It was a response from our parents when we were verbally attacked, criticized, or otherwise made to feel bad by what someone said to us. It was probably helpful in nudging us off our hurt feelings. However, like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, in my childhood, it was untrue!

The truth lies in the opposite direction. While words may not break our bones, they can have a huge impact on our lives. On one hand, they can build us up and give us confidence and dedication, and on the other, they can generate feelings of inferiority, a defeated self-image and lead to depression and passivity.

Words are one of our most powerful tools for living a life of fulfillment and purpose.

The Bible is full of passages that remind of this powerful truth and encourage us to choose our words wisely. For example, the Bible is God’s Word. Not Gods feelings, not God’s actions, not God’s intentions. It is God’s Word for a reason.

Words are one of our most powerful tools for living a life of fulfillment and purpose.

In addition, God spoke the world into existence. It was His words that formed creation. (Genesis 1, NIV)

And, Jesus is called the Word. ..

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. (John 1: 1, NIV)

In case there is any confusion, Jesus makes clear how important words are to God:

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37)

As with so many other passages, we often relegate the idea to the realm of “church” and give ourselves a pass when it comes to our behavior in the marketplace. But there is no exception here for people in the marketplace. No where does it say, “This applies to your life, except your business or career. You don’t have to obey this on the job.” Read more

Multiplying Your Influence by Striving for Excellence

18 November 2024/in Company Culture, Integration, Latest/by Guest Author

by Dave Kahle

As a college student, I supported myself by working in a relatively expensive men’s clothing store. It was a small local chain, with five stores around town – one big headquarters store downtown, and four suburban stores in shopping centers.

One of our premium clothing lines was named after the designer – Oleg Cassini. He came to our city to promote his line, and the company’s executives held an evening reception for him. Even though I was just 19, I was one of the few employees from the suburban stores who were invited.

Why was that?

Even though I was young and relatively inexperienced, I was the number one salesperson among the four suburban stores. The company wanted to recognize that excellence by including me in the reception. It was excellence in my work that led to the reception invitation and the consequent recognition and influence.

That was my first exposure to a powerful rule of human behavior by which Christian businesspeople can create a disproportionate impact for the Kingdom: Excellence in your work inevitably leads to greater influence and that influence can create a significant impact for the Kingdom.

Excellence in your work inevitably leads to greater influence and that influence can create a significant impact for the Kingdom.

Since then, I’ve seen the connection between excellence and influence manifest in multiple situations, people and industries.

For example, in athletic contests, it is the outstanding player who is interviewed after the end of the game. Patrick Mahomes, the American football quarterback, to name just one, often gives credit to God in postgame interviews. That’s a perfect example of excellence in work translating to influence for the kingdom.

In company meetings, it’s the star salesperson who is often asked to opine on the new product line or lead the discussion on strategy or tactics. In my work, I often interview some selected representatives of the sales force for a client company. The people that management selects to talk to the consultant are invariably the best. Those who are struggling with mediocrity aren’t considered.

In industry associations, it is the leading companies who are asked to be on the committees and chair the task forces. Read more

So That They May See your Good Works and Give Glory to your Father in Heaven

31 October 2024/in Features, Latest, Leadership/by Guest Author

by Larry Sharp

Read Part 1 of this two part series here

Michael Oh, re-affirmed on the eve of the Fourth Lausanne Congress in 2024 that the workplace is the most strategic mission field in the world (watch his opening address here). Considering that workplace believers comprise 99% of the body of Christ, it must be a priority to equip Christians in the workplace to fulfill their role in the Great Commission (Eph 4: 11,12).

Jerry White and Bill Peel wrote in 2023,

“What if the 99 percent understood that playing a part in someone’s journey to faith in Jesus could begin with something as simple as having a cup of coffee with a colleague, encouraging someone who had a rough week, or offering a helping hand to a boss or coworker under stress? What if they understood that doing good work can turn on the light for coworkers ‘so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven’ (Matt 5:16)?… We might be tempted to believe that the exponential growth of the early church was the result of effective preaching by Peter, Paul, and a few other gifted communicators whose work was spreading the gospel. Or we might credit Paul’s strategy of targeting key cultural centers and planting churches that could infect the surrounding countryside. These efforts were no doubt noteworthy and important, but even more so is the fact that early Christians of every ethnicity, gender, and level of society were passionate about extending Christ’s kingdom”.

According to theologian Michael Greene, these early Christians were determined to ‘act as Christ’s embassy to a rebel world, whatever the consequences’. [1]

As early as Acts 8 we find that it is not the apostles but those persecuted in Jerusalem who became workplace missionaries, taking the gospel wherever they went. This was not formal preaching, but informal chatting with friends and chance acquaintances, in homes and wine shops, on walks, and around market stalls. They went everywhere gossiping the gospel; they did it naturally, enthusiastically, and with the conviction of those who are not paid to say that sort of thing. [2]

Contemporary context and application

Back to my friends’ perplexity in his corporate world in East Asia that I shared in the opening of Part 1. How should he start with the human condition, move to living out contextualized values which make common sense in the culture – all without “spiritualizing” any of it? Yet!

While my thought and action process is still a work in process, a simple grid developed which lists a value for human dignity and flourishing (column 1), the biblical source of that value which is not readily known and available to the employees (column 2), and thirdly a plan of action (column 3). All of this is prior to any planned verbal testimony to Christian values and gospel witness. Read more

Toward a BAM “Kingdom of God Purpose and Impact” with a Secret Start

24 October 2024/in Company Culture, Latest, Leadership/by Guest Author

by Larry Sharp

Part of the working definition of business as mission is being “intentional about Kingdom of God purpose and impact on people and nations”, but what does that look like in practice?

A while ago I was in communication with a BAM worker in a large Asian country. During our conversation, he remarked that he wished he knew how to be intentional about teaching Christian values on the job without overtly revealing the source. He assured me that he was living out the values personally, but he wanted to do more, before they identified him as a Jesus follower.

I began to pray and think about the challenge and with the help of a grant from the Pollard Fellowship, I started to look for models and try to develop something concrete that he could use.

I became interested in comparing the need for a low-key witness in countries which forbid Christianity and proselytism with the various occasions where Jesus required those who were healed or who were otherwise benefited from his ministry to keep quiet about it. Matthew 9, 16, Mark 5, and elsewhere records events where Jesus commanded that they “tell no man.”

Some theologians believe that one of Jesus methods was to do work in secret before in public. The idea was that open news of a miracle would hinder his ability to move on and do ministry elsewhere. Notoriety could disturb and interrupt what his intentions were. He wanted to make certain progress before it was known that he was God.

So with these thoughts, first we will consider foundational assumptions, then some contemporary applications.

Some Foundational Assumptions

In his classic book The Soul of the Firm, Bill Pollard, long time CEO of ServiceMaster, presents the question, “How then do I relate my faith to a diverse and pluralistic marketplace?” He suggests four options:

1. Do I redefine my faith to be more inclusive and tolerant and acceptable? Water it down so as not to be offensive?

2. Or do I maintain the old separation between sacred and secular? Live a bifurcated life and accept the premise that religion and business just don’t mix, and
keep my faith a very private matter.

3. Or do I use my leadership to promote and propagate or impose my faith?

4. Or do I seek to live and share my faith in such a way that it can be examined, tested by my colleagues, and fellow workers and yes even be embraced by some, all within the context of a community that works together to produce goods and services and generates profits.

In selecting option #4 Pollard assumes the codes, commandments, guidelines and principles of God’s word as the foundational truths. These include such well known documents as the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, the Golden Rule, and the Parables. He proposes that we enter the lives and space of those in the workplace and community, just as Jesus did when he came to the shepherds, the hungry, sick and needy. Read more

Foundational Principles for Developing a BAM Company Culture

9 October 2024/in Company Culture, Latest/by Jo Plummer

by David Skews and Jo Plummer

Company culture is vital to success in business as mission. In BAM we ‘show people around the Kingdom, and introduce them to the King’, as one practitioner expressed. Therefore, an important goal of a BAM company is to establish a ‘Kingdom of God’ culture in relationships and the business environment – influencing for God and for good inside the company and in the wider community, among all stakeholders.

Secularisation and mission-drift are a very real threats to a BAM business as it grows larger. The faster a company grows, the greater the threat of culture dilution. The question of how to maintain and strengthen your company culture is something to seriously think about as you prepare to grow as a BAM company.

The Belief Tree

Culture develops out of beliefs and values (roots and trunk) that grow in the ‘soil’ of our worldview. From there comes the principles that guide the decisions we make and the policies we create (branches). These in the turn produce the ‘fruit’ – the actions, behaviours, routines, practices, initiatives, programs etc. in our company.

Graphic and Belief Tree Teaching by YWAM International

Our worldview is developed by our experiences in the culture and family which we grew up in. We need to first ask ourselves how our own worldview needs to be transformed to align with a biblical worldview – one that is shaped by the Word of God. Then we need to recognise that the people we are working with may have a different set of values, beliefs, principles and practices, growing out of a different worldview to ours. Read more

Three Stories: How BAM Goals and People Goals Fit Together

7 December 2022/in Latest/by Jo Plummer

This December marks 8 years of regularly posting content on The BAM Review Blog. This month we are sharing some past posts on practical BAM topics that you might have missed.

We asked company leaders to share how their goals as a BAM company fit with their goals for their people, and how that influenced their business planning and development.

Three BAM practitioners share from very different industries on how their strategy for their staff connects with their overall strategy to be a Kingdom-focused company.

IT Company in South Asia

We work hard to manage expectations upfront that the company exists only because of Jesus and has been dedicated to bringing glory to God. So 100% of our staff are aware of our high level BAM goals in that sense, but mostly just the around 15% of believers connect fully. The other 85% connect to our Kingdom goals of renewing our industry, providing meaningful work, raising up leaders worth following, and so on.

We spent years passionately praying for, discussing and trying to understand God’s purpose for the business. Saying that a business exists to make money is like saying I exist to breathe oxygen and keep blood flowing through my body to stay alive. We all have a purpose and calling as individuals and I believe we do as businesses as well.

We continue to seek and refine our purpose. It is an evolving thing with God revealing new layers and aspects, again, just like us as individuals. So in our early startup phase we spent an absurd amount of time navel-gazing, trying to understand the “WHY” and our employees saw this and see it today. They know they are a part of something bigger than themselves. Most of them acknowledge that Jesus is an important part of the company even if they don’t agree or like that. They know we don’t have it all figured out and fail often. But they have seen the process of us passionately seeking God, doing our best to follow God and simply asking them to, “Follow us as we follow Jesus”. Read more

Pray More and Pray More Intentionally

12 May 2022/in Features, Latest, Prayer in the Business/by Guest Author

by Dave Kahle

How do I Integrate my Christian faith with day-to-day business practices?

This is a question almost every Christian professional and businessperson considers regularly. The answer isn’t simple, and it varies from time to time and place to place.

The Christian life is a journey and we focus one step at a time. It’s like walking through a forest at night, with just a small flashlight to light your way. You can’t see more than a few feet ahead, and the light illuminates only the next few steps.

That analogy provides us a perspective on the question. The answer to the question today may be different than it will be just a bit down the road. Because our circumstances vary, the opportunities and relationships that we have today will be different than what we encounter further down the path. What’s important is that you keep asking the question. Today’s answer is just today’s answer, and not necessarily a lifetime prescription.

Having said that, there is a body of knowledge about some principles and practices that extend beyond the specific details of our current situation. These are principles and practices that apply regardless of the circumstances.

In this post, we’re going to drill deeper into one such principle: Pray more and pray more intentionally. In other words, intentionally add depth and breadth to your prayer practices.

First, let’s establish some Biblical principles upon which this practice is based:

1. We are commanded to pray for everything

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the Peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6

Does “everything” include our careers and businesses and the multitude of decisions we must make, the relationships which occupy us, and the never-ending list of tasks to be accomplished? Of course. “Everything” means just that.

There is a horribly debilitating idea that is, unfortunately, quite commonly held; that God doesn’t want us to pray for our careers and businesses. This mistaken mindset reserves our prayers for our families and sanctioned “church work.” It is okay to pray for a missionary your church supports, for example, but a bit gauche to pray for that big sale on which you are working. You can pray that you find a new youth pastor, but not that you find a new administrative assistant.

Those ideas must be some of Satan’s greatest lies. By getting Christian businesspeople to believe them, he has successfully removed a major sphere of activity from being God-influenced. He must congratulate himself every time he sees someone who could be praying about a business issue and doesn’t. Read more

Three Practical Steps to Experiencing the Spiritual Potential of Your Business

18 December 2019/in Features, Latest, Prayer in the Business/by Guest Author

by Dave Kahle

Almost every Christian businessperson has a sense that there is potential in their businesses or professions to make a greater impact for the Kingdom. Unfortunately, the idea is often too vague and unformed in our minds, and therefore seems overwhelming. With no direction from the local congregation, and all the noise surrounding us from the purveyors of worldly wisdom, it’s no wonder we’re confused.

Here are three specific steps that every Christian businessperson and professional can implement to tip the edge of their basket a bit and allow more of their light to shine in the marketplaces that they inhabit.

1. Embed prayer more deeply into your routines

When God told us to bring everything to him in prayer, he meant exactly that.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the Peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6

For many of us, the notion of praying, in depth and detail, for every aspect of our business or professional lives is a novel idea. But it is exactly what we are commanded to do. A business is rich with the fodder through which God loves to engage with us. Think of the thousands of decisions that could be informed by a nudge from the Lord:

Employee issues – who to hire, who to promote, to whom to give raises, how much and when, who to train, who to discipline, who to encourage, who to terminate. Just this category alone can keep us on our knees for hours.
Customer issues – who to pursue, who to withdraw from, for whom to make concessions, how aggressively to pursue late payments, how close to get to whom, etc.
Financial issues – what to charge, should you borrow, how much and from whom, should you sign a lease, etc.
Vendor issues – who to buy from, who to pay, who to nurture, who to hold at arm’s length, how much of what to buy.
Personal time and priority management – there are a thousand things to do, but not all of them should be done. How do we effectively allocate and focus our time and energy?

I could go on and on, but you understand the point. Being a responsible person in a business puts you in the middle of thousands of decisions. It’s like playing racquet ball against three people at once – balls are flying at you from every direction, and you must successfully manage them.

Are We Drifting? The Dangers of Secularization for a BAM Company

23 January 2018/in BAM Endurance & Well-being, Features, Latest, Prayer in the Business/by Guest Author

by David Skews

The Problem

While we can talk about the dangers of “mission drift” or the “secularization of BAM businesses”, I would argue that it is not really the mission that drifts, nor do businesses, come to think about it!

Recently, while talking to the owners of a failed start-up I was advised that the reason the “business failed” was that there was not enough customers to buy their products. I mused, “How was that the business’s fault?” You may accuse me of being too particular about the use of language. However, our use of language can sometimes be a mask that causes us to deceive ourselves. Sometimes it is easier to blame “something”, anything, before fully examining ourselves.

I would argue that any “drift” or “secularization” for a BAM company is more likely to be our drift from our personal relationship with God and His people, over any external influence.

So why did that business fail? It would help if we could apply the “5 Whys” method for getting to the core issue. We can apply this method anywhere, whether it to our mission, our business, our marriage, church, school etc. Some people ask 6 or even 7 whys, like I have here:

Why did the business fail? (failed to plan)
Why did the market move? (markets do)
Why did you not see that before? (failed to research)
Why did you not do the research? (failed to appreciate the importance of research)
Why did you feel it was not necessary? (sales, quality, environment, staff were taking my time)
Why did you fail to prioritize? (failed to take time for the important things)
Why did you not do the important things? (failed to balance life)

Finding the Right Business Model or Being the Right Business Leader?

4 August 2017/in Features/by Guest Author

AND THE AWARD GOES TO...

Our goal is to provide the BAM Community with the best content and resources available. As we head into summer we are highlighting various articles and resources which have stood out in the past 6 months. Below is the “Staff Pick” for January to July 2017.

Please enjoy and thanks for following!

by Dave Kahle

“Is there one business model that you would recommend to a budding entrepreneur?”

That was the question a young man asked me recently. I reflected for a moment over the past 25 years, and answered this way:

“No. I’ve worked with over 500 businesses, and in that pack there were lots of different business models. What I’ve seen is that the model is less important than the implementation on the part of the company’s leadership.”

Let me explain. It is, of course, possible to have a flawed business model. But, honestly, I have only seen one or two of those, where, no matter what the leadership does, the business is not going to survive. It’s just a bad idea.

These are usually the result of people who are passionate about a product or idea. Unfortunately, that passion displaces common sense, and they ride that idea until it has siphoned their resources and depleted their energy.

The world is not full of bad business models. On the other hand, it is crammed with models that can and do succeed, providing the leadership is effective.

The path toward success is rarely formed by the business model. Far more important are the skills and character of the leadership. Drop a highly skilled, high-character entrepreneur into any model, in any market, and watch as he/she leads that company to growth, prosperity and market leadership.

The ultimate path for business success is far more about improving yourself than it is about finding the right product, market or model. Read more

Finding the Right Business Model or Being the Right Business Leader?

11 April 2017/in Features, Leadership/by Guest Author