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One-time phone giant BlackBerry officially ended its phone service in January 2022.  At its peak, BlackBerry had 80 million users and 20% of the worldwide smartphone market; I was a proud user of one of them.  As a Canadian, I was proud of a company originating in the land of my birth, but now they […]

There is plenty of talk these days about metrics.  One learns watching the Winter Olympics that score cards and timing are everything.  My high school senior granddaughter works hard in her anatomy and physiology class since college admission people care about her grades.  And of course, business metrics include such things as YOY sales growth,

I believe Bill Gates is correct when he asserts that “everyone needs a coach”.  A 2021 IBEC survey (http://ibecventures.com/blog/ibec-coaching-how-do-we-create-value/) highlighted the value of coaching.  In fact, 42% of the respondents surveyed indicated they wished they had started with a coach. IBEC is a coaching firm and as such I have had the opportunity to observe

Americans stop briefly during the month of February to honor two of their greatest presidents, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln.  There are myriads of surveys which claim to rank the greatest or the best, but almost all of those rankings have Washington and Lincoln in the top five. Both scholars and the public seem to

This recent item by Neal Freyman stimulated my thinking relative to business startups. Good morning. How are great works of art produced? What sparks creative genius? We don’t really know. After all, Michelangelo didn’t exactly tweet out a play-by-play as he was painting the Sistine Chapel. Thoreau wasn’t livestreaming from Walden Pond. But recently, we

IBEC serves businesses in many sectors – manufacturing, coffee shops, IT services, tourism, agriculture, textiles, accessories, apparel, education, and many more.  One of the more recent business sectors is one called ‘freedom business.’  A freedom business is a business which addresses root causes and systemic issues of human slavery through employment of victims. More than

When I travel, I often pick up a copy of Entrepreneur magazine.  The summer 2021 issue included a section on international franchising, which intrigued me. While the topic does not directly relate to IBEC, there were several principles which are of interest to any business startup, whether working internationally or only domestically. Apparently, O’tacos is

IBEC’s Managing Director, Bob Bush, contributed to this installment. Section 1 was published last week. Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com By: Jo Plummer of businessasmission.com The business as mission community is contributing to a wider ‘listening process’ in the global evangelical mission community as part of our connection the Lausanne Movement.

It was a privilege for IBEC personnel to participate in this study.  See if you can find the contribution of yours truly. Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com By: Jo Plummer of businessasmission.com The business as mission community is contributing to a wider ‘listening process’ in the global evangelical mission community as

Dick Weidner, of the Legacy Ventures Network (a partner with IBEC), shared the following quote from George Barna’s book The Power of Vision.  It seems to be a wonderful thought for the start of the new year. Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com “There is great power in dreaming big. God’s vision