Business for Transformation - Getting Started

by Patrick Lai

Business for Transformation - Getting Started focuses on answering the "How do you start a business that transforms communities of unreached peoples?" Starting a business cross-culturally involves thousands of decisions. This book draws on years of experience from scores of BAM/B4T practitioners. It is a must read for anyone who wants to be involved in B4T, both as a practitioner overseas, or as a coach helping B4T businesses.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 2, 2015

About the author

Patrick Lai and his family have lived and worked in the 10/40 Window for 23 years. They served for 4 years as regular missionaries and 19 years as tentmakers. The Lord has enabled his team to plant two churches and begin several for profit businesses. Patrick has degrees in Business, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctorate of Intercultural Studies. He has written numerous articles on tentmaking and lectures around the world on using business as missions for Christ.

Reviews

[Alex Watt]

Patrick Lai distinguishes between Business for Transformation (B4T) and Business as Mission (BAM). BAM is a larger category that "describes any for-profit business endeavor that seeks to reach communities for the glory of God and is not artificially supported by donor funds." A B4T is a "business strategically placed in an unreached area designed to create jobs and bless the local community in Jesus' name, generally through transformation and specifically through evangelism, discipleship, and church planting."

This book is full of practical tips for starting and operating a B4T. The only reason for 4/5 instead of 5/5 is the repetitiveness on a few points.

[Luke]

This helped me see the thought process behind some of the workers in my area. This view of the GC and OPEN Network are growing in popularity. I like what Lai has to say here.