Recently, IBEC Director Bob Bush and I were asked to speak to a regular session of the Pragma Advisors. We were asked to give an overview of lessons learned throughout our IBEC history of coaching in frontier markets. We decided to organize the lessons around the graphic above.
Right Person
We learned that it is vital to have the right person leading a Kingdom Business. Twenty years ago, it never dawned on me that God had wired people with business acumen and wealth creation. I had never considered that business itself is a God-given gift (Deut.8:18).
In addition to the business component, the missional side is essential because the making of followers of Jesus is what every believer must have as their focus – in every expertise. This includes a unique calling to the spiritually unreached.
We learned this the hard way. Twenty years ago, missionaries became aware of Business as Mission and missionaries and their leaders thought business was something just anyone can do. I was a mission executive tasked with helping missionaries become businesspeople. Almost everyone failed. We had not developed a theology of work at that time and falsely concluded that anyone can learn to be a businessperson.
Leaders of a Kingdom Business startup must understand BAM to be a full-time endeavor, must have a strong work ethic, be coachable, and have an intentional mindset for integrating faith with the workplace. Today, we look for those who have some business experience in their home culture before turning toward cross-cultural BAM, and also evidence of integrating their missional faith in the workplace.
Right Place
Business as Mission primarily works cross-culturally and in international frontier markets. It is essential then that BAM workers have a sense of “calling” to their place of work. Integrating into a new culture and language is no small thing, and it is important that workers know that God has called them to that place. Sometimes, it is a people-group; sometimes, a language or regional calling; sometimes, a team focus serves to determine place.
The place also must be a location where an economic problem can be solved, or an opportunity realized. We learned that the lean canvas tool can be helpful with this question. Essentially, there must be an established market for our product or evidence that we can create a market.
I know two practitioners in a large Asian country. One understood clearly that he and his wife were in the right place. He worked hard at creating value in their city, even talking to authorities in the mayor’s office, assuring them that he wanted to help them solve problems like with handicapped people in the city and job creation.
The other decided to join the Chamber of Commerce in his city; the only foreigner to do so. This gained him respect, and eventually, the chamber invited the couple to help solve some issues with a minority group in the country. Place was important to both these BAM workers. They loved their adopted country and city and served it well.
Right Process
Business is a process-oriented enterprise. Something is created; outcomes are expected; the business provides goods or services for someone or a community; it is action oriented.
Business develops a process to measure success or failure. Metrics are mandatory to business success, and when progress is stalled, pivoting in essential. IBEC Managing Director, Bob Bush, has stated that tactical execution is the primary issue facing businesspeople these days.
Kijani Forestry in Uganda is an example of (https://www.kijaniforestry.com/about) starting, learning, pivoting, innovation, change. From simple beginnings in 2007 with sustainably sourced charcoal, to forest regeneration, to today’s marketing of substantial carbon offsets. They are making an amazing difference to addressing Uganda’s deforestation problem. The key has been paying attention to the process as they grew to a company of 700 workers, and serving thousands in the supply chain.
Kijani leaders understood the importance of the sales process. IBEC consultants helped develop sales funnel metrics, sales cycle stages, customer close rates, acquisition costs for a new customer, and retention rates. All of these and more demonstrate the importance of having a process in place.
Right Product
When I started providing coaching services to BAM startups, I didn’t realize how important it is to have the right product. It was on a trip with one of our coaches, Ken Leahy in Asia, when he often repeated that, “If you don’t have a customer, you don’t have a business.” It seemed that clients would say things like, “I have loved coffee all my life and roast and grind my own beans, why can’t I start a coffee business?” Or another said, “my friends say I am good at photography, so I think I should start a photography business.”
Potential startup individuals like the above lacked serious research to determine if there was a problem to be solved or a real opportunity for their product. Was there a real market either locally or within a cost-effective distance? Did the product fit the market?
There must be a reason the customer will buy the product. This is called the value proposition and clearly proposes how the product creates value. Feasibility analysis involves testing, evaluation, and validation of a proposed business model. This is why we use the lean canvas model, because it requires a serious evaluation of the uncertainties involved in a startup and considers the risks and how to reduce them.
This is what happened with Clint and Val who came to us early on in our history with many assets already, such as love for the people in Asia, significant ability in the language, and proven expertise in making disciples. They wanted to make wedding dresses in India and sell them in the west. The consultant spent several hours of research and determined that there was little likelihood of business success. Before long, there was a new business model based on research. The tour company was profitable before the 4th year.
It is also helpful if the practitioner understands the product and has a high level of passion about producing, marketing, and selling it. This may not be a mature indicator at the beginning, but the person may need to be committed to growing in an understanding of the proposed business.
Purposeful Prayer
All of this is tied together with purposeful prayer, because business is a spiritual activity. Not only do we pray as a believer, but this kind of prayer goes beyond – bless this day, please give me wisdom etc. It is a prayer focusing on the business as ministry. It is an integrative prayer, and we believe that it is helpful for every business owner to have a business plan and a spiritual ministry plan. Both are written and subject to daily prayer as the specifics of each are integrated with each other. It is the old adage, “What would Jesus do?” in relation to each aspect of the business.
The business must establish practical ways to reflect Jesus at work. Some can be as simple as greeting employees by name, showing compassion when someone makes a mistake, or taking an interest in family names. In a more profound way, we should do everything with excellence, and expect honesty in all things, care for customers, suppliers, vendors and employees. We do all of this because BAM owners are actually stewards. God owns the business. Ken Eldred says this in his book God is at Work, “The real goal of business is simply this: to serve others to the glory of God.”
I remember visiting Rob’s business in Indonesia. He had 30+ employees, all of whom were Muslim and Hindu. Every morning before the work in the factory began, they assembled together for Rob to pray to his God. I will never forget that about 18 months later, I got an email saying one young man who had been studying the Bible with Rob came to faith.
It is not always easy to integrate our faith in the workplace; or to integrate all aspects of life into one cohesive whole; or to live in ways that reflect what we believe. Thus, the daily communication with God the owner – He is the biggest and best asset we have – it is Purposeful Prayer.
Larry Sharp, Director of Training, IBEC Ventures
Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com