Articles
Finding the “New Normal”
I have to admit, I hate the term “new normal.” The reason I hate it is that it seems to be saying, “How do we get back to the way things were?” That will never happen. We are not ruined but we are forever changed by COVID-19; that inescapable truth. Entrepreneurs don’t look for “normal.”…
Read MoreRich?
Legacy Ventures Network Kingdom Capital FundLegacy Ventures Network Kingdom Investment Clubs Richard H. Weidner, General Partner It is one of the more subjective words in any language. In the U.S. if your annual income for a family of four is less than $ 25,100, you are living in poverty. For billions of people around the…
Read MoreGlobal Approaches to Business as Mission
Many debate the “true meaning of BAM” and, frankly, advance the cause, not one inch. There’s room in the big tent for a lot of different approaches; the common ground is that we know business is a high and holy calling from God and a tremendous way to bring Him glory in this world. The…
Read MoreCan Missionaries Do Business? Part V
Yes! Yes! Yes! Business is all about risk-taking—not foolish, jumping out of an airplane sans parachute risk but thoughtful, facing potential problems, and acting anyway risk. Many of the missionaries that I’ve met at home and around the world have taken huge risks to leave hearth and home, to move their families to underdeveloped countries…
Read MoreCan Missionaries Do Business? Part IV
Again, yes! Don’t confuse doing business with being an entrepreneur like Elon Musk. They are not the same thing. Less than 15% of people have the “entrepreneurial gene” yet 90% are in business of some kind. Business is simply the discovery of need(s) in your community that people are willing to pay to have met.…
Read MoreDecision Guidelines for Cross Cultural Business Ethics Issues
Written by Larry Sharp This post is designed to help with decision making for business owners working cross culturally in frontier economies. It recognizes that there are few absolute standards that apply to all contexts all of the time and thus hopefully these guidelines will assist business owners in making tough decisions on matters related…
Read MoreFive Essential Reminders if you are Managing a Crisis
Written by Larry Sharp I was responsible for matters related to a crisis for many years as the VP of a mid-sized mission agency. During that time I faced the challenge of evacuating an unconscious child from a high-risk country, rescuing an imprisoned employee in East Asia, a mega-earthquake in Haiti, famine in Africa, automobile…
Read MoreCan Missionaries Do Business? Part III
Yes! The answer is empathetic, “Yes! Missionaries can do business!” But there are several “if’s” to consider… They can if they see business as a good thing from God and useful (not just acceptable) for the Kingdom. They can see that their call may include business and not treat it as a sideline. They believe…
Read MoreCan Missionaries Do Business? Part II
The short answer to this question is yes they can and probably must. Not only are missionary visas difficult to obtain, but funding is also becoming harder and harder to come by. Giving is down globally. Funding for missions in the US has dropped dramatically. The new development in missions is to figure out how…
Read MoreCan Missionaries Do Business? Part I
As the global landscape changes, more and more countries are resisting or refusing to allow traditional missionaries to enter. “Religious Worker” visas are harder and harder to get. Hence, the advent of “business as visa.” Business as Visa uses the creation of fictitious or quasi-businesses to obtain an entry visa to a country only to…
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