Go Global
This blog is from a global entrepreneur panel we hosted on BAM Canada Network video podcast, the BAM Perspectives. Enjoy leaning into the wisdom from three of our community members and global business owners! Let’s dive in.
Take a guess: how many people start a business every year in Canada? The answer: over 40,000 (according to Stats Canada, in 2018). Now, with that knowledge, how many entrepreneurs would there be worldwide?
You guessed correctly一a lot.
Entrepreneurship, and more specifically, global entrepreneurship is a constantly growing field. Millions of businesses open up every year, each with their own unique products and goals.
Business in the global context is an avenue and opportunity for Kingdom transformation and impact.
As a Christian in the global Business As Mission field, your motivations and objectives would be determined by something greater than yourself. It’s not just about purely creating a profit and calling it a day. With BAM as the lens, your theology of work shifts drastically.
We sat down with three members in our private Network/app (each in different niches and expressions of global entrepreneurship) to hear their perspectives on cross-cultural business as mission. To kick off the conversation, we asked each person what initially drew them to global entrepreneurship. What about the world of business was so appealing? The first answer from a global business owner in tech gave us an awesome explanation of the power of BAM right from the start:
“What I’ve always loved about business is that it’s a leverage… it’s a multiplier.”
He continued to explain how business serves as a multiplier not only for finances, but for opportunities and time with people.
“That’s been our interest in BAM… using it as an opportunity to open a lot of doors.”
As you bring business, employment and work to others, people are brought into God’s mission and desire for their lives as well. Maintaining a people-minded business is also, of course, an integral part of the “Quadruple Bottom Line”. It is incredibly important to be considering how you’re impacting others from start to finish.
Our second guest on the interview gave us this challenge:
“I start with: ‘How is my business serving others?’”
You’re here to serve—people’s real, felt needs, but also their spiritual ones too. It is not enough to run a business for five years, make some profit, and then ask how your business can be used to serve others. “No”, as our third guest in business said it, “[The quadruple bottom line] HAS to be set from the beginning.”
Profit should be growing with your community impact. The two should be intertwined from the start. Even if you’re not working abroad or globally—as an entrepreneur or business owner in Canada—keep asking this question:
“How can I keep people at the core of what I’m doing in my business this week?”
You ready to get practical? We give our Network community action steps after each interview so they can integrate this holistic approach into their daily lives and work:
Think of one person in a community outside of your work community. How (if at all) is your business serving them? What is one way it could serve them this week?
As an entrepreneur, reflect: how are you inviting your employees into joining God’s mission with you? In what ways could you invite your staff to do not only their daily duties but to create an impact in the lives of others as well?
If you’re someone who’s interested in global entrepreneurship, but not currently involved in it, REACH OUT! We’d love to connect you with our Network Partner, GlobalWorks Canada, that helps launch and support businesses abroad. Likewise, the BAM Canada Network is a Canadian community that was created for conversation, collaboration, and to meet like-minded people who share in those aspirations and passions with you.
Curious about joining the Network or learning more about BAM Canada?
Check out our private Network.
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