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Total Commitment - An Import and Export Company in China
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Guest post from Josie at YWAM's Business as Mission Website - For 6 years Gabriella and her husband Marco have been successfully exporting goods from China to their native Brazil. Starting from nothing, they have built up a small company 'Total Import & Export', based in China. The company handles research, negotiations, quality control, logistics and shipping arrangements on behalf of their Brazilian clients. Most of their income is generated in commission, as a percentage of the value of the goods exported. Other income sources include the company's hospitality services and product research services.
To date Gabriella and Marco have exported over 120 containers and have been profitable since the beginning. They export a diverse range of goods, everything from industrial sewing machines to floor tiles, from power tools to fashion accessories. Their company has grown through referrals from existing clients, with recent approaches from new clients in Singapore and the USA, as well as ever growing interest in South America.
However, in the past Gabriella and Marco have been somewhat reluctant to embrace this growth, in fact they have been reluctant business people. Gabriella admits, "I have actually asked some clients to keep quiet about us, I have told them I don't want the business to grow too much!" However, recently everything has changed and as Gabriella puts it, "I have had my thinking turned completely upside-down."
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| Don Miller remembers R.G. LeTourneau | |
One of the great creators of the last century was a man named R.G. LeTorneau, who invented and created many of the mammoth earthmoving machines that build our roads, raise our buildings and mine the depths of the earth. LeTorneau died on this day in 1969 and worked tirelessly over his life to dominate an industry and inspire thousands to greater engineering feats.
LeTorneau did not separate his faith from his work, seeing the creation of earthmoving mechanics as an extension of the play he enjoyed with the world God made. He flew endlessly to the corners of the world to inspire people of faith to work with their minds and hands to better the world, and even bought an old hospital in Longview, Texas to start a university, now called LeTorneau University, one of the most esteemed engineering schools in the country.
You can read Don's full post by clicking here
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Featured Influencer of the Month:
Bill Peel, Executive Director of Faith and Work Center at LeTourneau |
 Over the past few years I've enjoyed spending time with Bill Peel. An author, a writer, a guy who loves the church and longs for more business people to seize opportunities for ministry in their workplace.
Bill's now launching the Faith and Work Center a LeTourneau, a school with deep roots at the intersection of business and ministry. They will be launching their website later this fall, in the meantime you can connect with Bill through the LinkedIn Network.
Check out Bill's LinkedIn profile
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Praxis launches to Support Social Entrepreneurs. Plus $100,000 in Cash Awards.
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Dave Blanchard is driven. Over the past year I've enjoyed watching him launch Praxis, an organization that supports entrepreneurs tackling major social issues.
Dave has just announced the opening of applications for the inaugural Praxis Accelerator program. Just 12 non-profits and mission-driven for-profits will be selected for the development program, where mentorship, peer support, and a myriad of organizational development resources will be provided, culminating with a pitch event with $100,000 in cash awards. The accelerator has been designed in collaboration with Q, a learning community that mobilizes Christians to advance the common good in society.
The year-long program, designed to be progress-focused and iterative in nature, features three main events, in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. At each event, Praxis Fellows will receive guidance from over 20 highly experienced mentors that Dave has assembled, including:
Chris Crane, Founder of Edify, former CEO of Opportunity International
Jamie Tworkowski, Founder of To Write Love on Her Arms
Jason Russell, Founder of Invisible Children
Edwin Keh, Former COO and SVP of Global Procurement for Walmart
Gabe Lyons, Creator of Q
Joy Anderson, Founder & President of Criterion Ventures
Jena Nardella, Founder & Executive Director of Blood: Water Mission
Peter Greer, President & CEO of HOPE International
Charles Lee, CEO, Ideation
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Create a Ministry Plan for Your Business - One Day Event in Dallas with Buck Jacobs, founder of C12
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Have you been knocked off-task by the bumps in the road and want to get back on track with an organized and systematic plan for ministry? Do you often feel that "there must be more than this" as you think about your life as the Christian leader of your business? Is it challenging to keep your focus on the eternal values of what you do at work?
Buck Jacobs, founder of C12 will be in Dallas June 14th from 7:30 to 11:30 AM to help business leaders come away with a process to express your Christian vision through your business and a plan to put into action that models Christian business principles and ministry practices.
For more information, please contact C12 Area Chairs Tom.ODwyer@c12group.com, Joe.Galindo@c12group.com, Tom.Hawes@c12group.com or call 214.415.7104.
Here's a look at a few other conferences coming up in the months ahead.
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