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Bob Bush: A PhotoUp Manager Shares Key Leader Qualities

May 30, 2026

IBEC Managing Director, Robert Bush, reports on a visit to one of  IBEC’s clients in the Philippines,  a real estate photo editing company. Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com —–  If you want to find out what a company is really like, it’s easy to do…you talk to the people who work there.  […]

Memorial Day 2026

May 22, 2026

Memorial Day is an important day for a nation like the United States.  It is a day to remember and honor those who died while serving in the nation’s military. The day originated after the Civil War where more lives were lost than any other US war (620,000).  Memorial Day is different than Veterans Day […]

Ryan Stowell: Reflections of a Startup Owner on BAM Coaching and Events

May 15, 2026

As an owner of a fourth-year BAM coffee startup in Northern Thailand, my wife Rebecca and I find ourselves hyper-focused on our own world day in and day out. That means trying to control costs, boost marketing, improve employee contact and relations, contact new prospects, inspect products before shipping, preparing loan payments for investors, receipts, accounting, […]

There’s always a Crisis … it means Opportunity is Knocking

May 8, 2026

It has been a long time since I was in business school and it seems I don’t remember much; however, there is something I do remember.  It is the question, “why does one start a business?”  The answer (and the books remind us) is to either solve a problem, or meet a need, or follow […]

Pivoting, Diversification, and Innovation in Kyrgyzstan: Business as Mission on the Cutting Edge

May 1, 2026

“My job is that of a detective,” stated Micah Lund shortly after we met. What? I thought we would be talking about a significant agribusiness, Oasis Agro, in Central Asia where he serves as the CEO.  I had learned about his robust work in the development world with organizations like the Peace Corps and USAID, […]

Retire or Re-tire? (How and Why I got involved in Business as Mission)

April 26, 2026

When I was growing up in the 1950’s and 60’s, it was common to retread automobile tires, sometimes called re-tire. It is the process of replacing the worn tread on a used tire with new rubber, giving the tire a second (or third) life instead of sending it to a landfill. That issue described me […]

Employee Fit Matters – Especially in a BAM Company

April 18, 2026

My youngest daughter is a Human Resource professional, currently working at Oregon State University.  She recently shared a book she had just read entitled “FIT MATTERS” and knew I would be intrigued with the sub-title, “How to Love Your Job”. My first teaching job was in 1970 at Prairie High School in Alberta, Canada; my […]

Dave Kier: Continuous Quality Improvement

April 11, 2026

IBEC Board member, Dave Kier, owned and operated a sizable animal feed mill in Iowa (see the IBEC video on the website.)  This is one of the many lessons learned over the years in business. Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com —– “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, […]

Why Easter Matters: (Does Easter Shape the Why of Your Work, Business, and Investing?)

April 5, 2026

I have often taught and referred to the Kingdom of God (and Heaven) as in the New Testament Gospels books. Approximately half of the references refer to this Kingdom as “here and now”, and half to the “not yet” or the afterlife. In thinking about the “here and now”, some scholars refer to the “Four-Part […]

Bob Bush: Job Creation and Jesus for the Most Needy of India

March 28, 2026

IBEC Director, Bob Bush, and Director of Coaching, Jonathan Brake, recently returned from India where they were teaching and coaching BAM startups. Among other relationships, they had the opportunity to meet with Nisha Ghosh, owner of an architectural business in Bangalore. Nisha’s love for India’s impoverished women inspired her to start a new business called Zero. You […]

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