The International Business and Education Consultants was incorporated as a Pennsylvania Not-for-Profit on Sept 22, 2006. In 2008, the corporate office was moved to Perkasie, PA, and in 2010, the company filed for a DBA as IBEC Ventures, by which it is most known today.
IBEC was formed to solve a problem. In 2005, Crossworld, a mission agency, was increasingly interested in business startups in underdeveloped unreached countries, yet they lacked the capacity and personnel for business development in high-risk countries. It seemed that at least some employees could be re-purposed to start and operate businesses, however, new personnel needed to be recruited and trained.
Crossworld then assigned Larry Sharp, VP of Operations, to the task of presenting an action plan. In June 2006, he invited 15 men and women with a robust business background to a day-long consultation in Bala Cynwyd, PA. He and two other Crossworld executives listened as businesspeople made observations and suggestions, many which have been followed to this day.
The decision was made to start a separate organization, and by late 2006, the Crossworld President and Board of Directors agreed to provide seed capital to incorporate and start a Business as Mission consulting group. From the start, IBEC has been an independent entity based on trust with Crossworld, with a crossover executive sitting in board meetings. Bob Johnstone had been consulting with Crossworld for several years, so he was a natural, experienced, and competent person to lead the IBEC Board of Directors.
The first board meeting for IBEC was in March 2007 when Bob Johnstone was elected chair; Harold Schell, Treasurer; and Torrey Sharp, Marketing Developer. Larry Sharp as Director, was an ex offico board member. The bylaws were approved in April, and Harold applied for 501(c)3 status and received it on January 31, 2008. The purpose and vision were established at the first board meeting in 2008. Torrey Sharp worked quickly to setup a website.
New board members began to be added in October 2007, probably the most significant of which was Ken Leahy, who became Director of Consulting Services and the architect of the business model/consulting tools. Ken modeled consulting trips to countries such as China, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and elsewhere. By the end of the decade, IBEC was consulting with businesses in China, Nepal, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Kazakhstan, India, Kosovo, Morocco, the Middle East, Haiti, and Indonesia.
IBEC’s funding model from the inception was to receive part income from donations and part from a fee for service or retainer contracts. For the first several years, Crossworld was the largest client with a sizable retainer contract.
In January 2011, IBEC hired Dean Callison as the CEO, and Larry became an apologist for Business as Mission, and a trainer and speaker on behalf of IBEC. Dean built many relationships, including bringing on board member Dave Kier, and foundation funding. IBEC also, during Dean’s leadership, began to be more intentional about our identity, thus, giving us more relationships with the Christian community in North America. When Dean left in November 2012, Ken Leahy agreed to serve as acting CEO, and did so until March 2014. Ken then continued as a consultant with IBEC.
In 2010, IBEC began to refer to itself as a virtual organization, committed to regular phone meetings and other consistent communication. We started to add consultants from all over the United States. Bob Johnstone was a stabilizing and visionary force from the beginning, and even after his term ended in 2014, he continued as Treasurer and as a consultant. Don Worthington, who joined the IBEC Board near the beginning, assumed the role of board chair in 2014.
In June 2014, the IBEC Board of Directors appointed Bob Bush as the new Managing Director. Bob quickly began to infuse new marketing energy and vision into IBEC and continued with the same leadership team which served with Ken – Gary Willett, Jim Mayer, Larry Sharp, Gwen Rapp, and Bob Bush. The Board of Directors and leadership team have been intentional from the beginning about spiritual impact aligned with business success. Spiritual and economic impact has been observable in projects in Nepal, China, Indonesia, India, and Ethiopia.
During the period of 2012-14, IBEC worked hard to strengthen its CRM system (thanks to Gary Willett, Jim Mayer, and Gwen Rapp), and hired a social media specialist, Carolyne Hart, to complement Torrey on the marketing side. She replaced Ms. Rapp on the leadership team, and Gary Willett replaced Ken as Director of Consulting, and became the primary connection between IBEC and the clients in the overseas markets.
By early 2015, IBEC had working agreements with Ibex Associates, Agora Enterprises, Third Path Initiative and GEN; and new expat clients for North American agencies. The social media strategy included a weekly blog and other active media. The education side of IBEC included curriculum for BAM understanding, being taught in every venue from weekend modules to 3 credit college/seminary courses.
By the time of the 10-year anniversary, IBEC had about 30 projects under contract, and was beginning to move in the direction of serving business clients who are third world nationals and secondly serving USA business owners desiring to expand operations overseas. IBEC consultants were prepared to serve US businesspersons working for large corporations, which is a new development.
Managing Director, Bob Bush, captures the second decade of IBEC’s history with a personal reflection, significant milestones, and key learnings:
Why We Do What We Do
The world has undergone incredible change since 2016. These events include major milestones that have impacted the globe, such as the COVID-19 Pandemic, the AI Boom, the space-race, the Russia-Ukraine War, ongoing Middle East conflict, increased political polarization, economic shifts, and the impact social media has had on all of us. Our ability to pivot and adapt remains essential in a world defined by constant transformation. Even with all this change, our focus at IBEC Ventures remains the same today as it was when we began back in 2006 – to provide coaching expertise that allows us to help build sustainable companies focused on making disciples for Jesus. This will never change. Ever. It’s why we do what we do.
IBEC Milestones
- We have grown our client base to ~50. This includes both startup and existing BAM businesses, primarily in the 10/40 window. We continue to serve in the unreached people group locations.
- Back in 2019, we launched Triventure. The combination of Courses, Coaching, and Capital continues to address a major gap in the BAM ecosystem. We have played a significant role in launching key BAM businesses all over the world. Without Triventure, these businesses would never exist.
- We now have two IBEC Centers of Excellence. One is in Curitiba, Brazil and the other is in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Local coaches, businesses, and investors will allow us to scale quickly in these strategic locations. More locations to follow!
- We have built a team of coaches that is the envy of the industry. Talented men and women who want to give back and live out the Great Commission are part of the IBEC Team. Lives are changing on both fronts. Coaches and practitioners are coming together for one common goal – to build excellent companies for Christ. After all, these companies belong to Him, and they should be better than secular options.
- Over the course of twenty years, the name IBEC Ventures has become a trusted source in the BAM world. Building brand equity doesn’t happen overnight. We take our jobs very seriously because we firmly believe that we report to Jesus. He has given us a tremendous opportunity to make a difference for the Kingdom, and with it comes significant responsibility. We will never take this for granted.
IBEC Key Learnings
- Building and growing BAM businesses is very difficult. Never attempt to do it alone.
- Every practitioner should have a coach, someone who believes in them and can help navigate the potential landmines that surface with every business.
- Networking is key. We know everyone in this space because we’ve invested time in getting to know the players. We network because it’s the right thing to do, not because we need something.
- IBEC Ventures is a great landing spot for men and women who want to get off the sidelines and into the game. Being a coach will change your life.
- The missionary world is changing. In many cases, proselytizing in the world’s unreached areas is not an option. So, how do we get the Gospel to those who have very little chance of ever hearing the Word? The answer can be a simple (but difficult) one – We create jobs!
As we hit the 20-year milestone, we need to acknowledge that none of this would have ever happened without God’s covering. He is the reason we are still here today, and He is the reason we will keep pushing forward to avoid the complacency trap. Every job we help create ultimately impacts numerous lives; therefore, we will not rest on our laurels. Our goal is to make disciples for Christ, and to do so in a way that impacts generations to come. What a privilege it is to serve Him this way. Thank you, Lord!
Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures
Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com