Ramadan is almost here...

...and Coke is celebrating with special designs on their cans sold in some Muslim nations. (Wish I could get one of 'em!)

(from this article)

In 2006, Coca-Cola released a statement about its recognition of Ramadan.

"In a globalizing world, Ramadan presents an opportunity to showcase the true values of Islam and what it stands for," it said. "Because no other brand is as inclusive as and no other company is as diverse as Coca-Cola, we have a unique opportunity to play a valued role as an international bridge-builder and facilitator of dialogue during Ramadan."

This year Ramadan begins sometime between August 29 and September 2. (It depends on where you are geographically and a couple sites had different days listed.)

For more info and to pray, see http://www.30-days.net/reveal/ramadan/

Ramadan recipes: http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Ramadan/Detail.aspx

:)

Counting the Cost

-Patrice Tsague, RCE Partner



"For which of you intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it." Luke 14:28

Have you ever gone to the grocery store, filled your cart with groceries, got to the counter and after the cashier checked in all of your goods, you realized that you took more products than you had money for? Or while driving somewhere along the road you ran out of gas on the highway? Maybe you started a project but midway got distracted by something else or ran out of money and had to leave the project incomplete? The usual feeling when any of these things happen is embarrassment. And then we reflect on what we could have done to prevent them from happening. The cause of each of these problems is simple; they are caused by a lack of planning or not properly counting the cost.


Counting the cost is taking the time to properly estimate the required sacrifice and resources needed to accomplish the task before embarking upon it. Simply put, counting the cost is planning your work or project before starting it. In Luke 14:26-33 great multitudes began to follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ but He recognized that most of those among the multitudes were following Him purely for the benefits that He may provide, without considering the sacrifice required to be His disciples, so He stopped to challenge them to count the cost.



The cost for being a disciple of Jesus includes forsaking your father, mother, children, brothers, sisters, your life, and bearing your own cross. This means that if you desire to be a true follower of Christ, you must value Him more than your family and yourself. You must be willing to reject your family if following it means compromising His teachings. You must put aside your personal ambitions and desires if they do not line up with His will for your life.



Jesus did not want a crowd, He wanted disciples. He was smart enough to realize that in times of trouble the crowd would scatter but the disciples would suffer through. In times of challenges the crowd would turn against Him but the disciples would stick with Him. In times of persecution the crowd would try to save their lives but the disciples would be willing to lose theirs.



As a Biblical Entrepreneur, you must not only count the cost of following Jesus in the marketplace but you must also count the cost of starting and growing the businesses He has entrusted to you. The cost of becoming a Biblical Entrepreneur not only involves giving up the opportunity to receive regular paychecks and health benefits from a 9 to 5 job, but also the financial expenses of starting or expanding the business. The human sacrifices include pleasurable things the Biblical Entrepreneur has to sacrifice in the early phases of the business (e.g. vacation and leisure time).

How do you count the cost?

1. Sit down, slow the business down if you have started already, and develop a plan

2. Evaluate how much human and financial resources you will need to start or expand the business. The various costs to consider are:


a. Opportunity cost - the value of what you must give up to start a new business or expand the business

b. Start up cost - the expenses required to launch a new business or project

c. Cost of goods or services sold - the expenses incurred for each unit of product or service you sell to the customer

d. Operation cost - the expenses you must incur on a monthly basis to cover the overhead of the business i.e. utilities, salaries, insurance, adverting, transportation, supplies, etc. These expenses are required whether you sell one unit or not.


3. Evaluate your commitment to representing Christ in the marketplace; will you stand for Him even if it means losing the business or your life?



Counting the cost has great benefits. By counting your costs, you ensure that you are able to finish - which in turn takes your business to a state of stability and sustainability. It also prevents you from embarrassing yourself and your God. While counting the cost, if you realize that you do not have enough resources to be successful, you still have the time to change your course or not proceed with the business.



Jesus never took up a fight He could not win or start an assignment He could not finish, and He expects the same from His disciples. Go ahead, pay the price now and count the cost; you will not regret it and you will protect yourself from embarrassment.

Be Prepared

I just finished reading a newsletter from a family that is called overseas to missions. (Business as Missions, I think...)

They've been planning to leave very soon but the newsletter was sent out to let people know their departure date has been pushed back, and they may not go until next summer.

Since they're open to staying in their new home in Asia, possibly for the long-term, they received counsel that it would be beneficial (and wise) to take some time now, before going, to PREPARE.

Now, of course they have been preparing all along, you see. They are prepared in many ways: they have contacts in the country, they've been raising support, husband and wife both feel called to this area... but there are also some red, or at least, yellow flags, that some friends and mentors have alerted them to. So, after much prayer and counsel, they have decided to postpone their departure.

Sometimes people can think up a billion reasons why they should stay 'home'--wherever that is--and let someone else go cross-cultural. But these folks are just dying to get over there and get to work--so why not let them? Well, sometimes 'saving' time in the beginning can really end up saving nothing at all.

Culture shock is real, but in my experience it's not really the hardest thing. (Except maybe when I came back to the States--that was a shocker in many ways!) ;) No, it's something called 'culture stress': a cycle of seeing a new culture, perhaps falling in love with it, but then over time slowly becoming tired out by wave after wave of new ways of doing things, new forms of politeness, new terminology (and a new language to learn!), different understandings of personal space, privacy, individualism... all of these things can take their toll on a resident alien, and it's good to (1) know what to expect, (2) have a strategy for how to deal with the stress, and (3) be in a healthy state emotionally and spiritually as well as physically, in order to manage the challenges with as much resilience and energy as possible.

I spoke to another acquaintance a couple of months ago about his experience working and living in another culture. He preferred to avoid what I imagine he might think of as 'psycho-babble' and just get the show on the road, diving right in to life in a second culture and learning as he goes. That's all well and good, but... it's easy enough to hurt and be hurt, give offense and be offended, even when one has learned all one can about the culture hosting you... I can't imagine trying it without much preparation. You can never learn all you need to know ahead of time, but it sure can help you make some sense out of what you didn't find in the Lonely Planet guide...

BAM folks are no exception to this rule. Whether we go as students, professionals or professional 'missionaries', it's helpful to head out with hearts and heads open to learn, but with some kind of framework on which to 'hang' all the new knowledge and experience we'll be learning as we go. I continue to wonder if BAMers will learn good lessons from the not-always-stellar history of missions, or if many are like the person who doesn't want to 'waste' time for 'unnecessary' preparation.

Anyhow, three cheers for the family who has humbly decided they need to learn more and be filled up before they are ready overflow and pour out in a new culture. And may I learn this too, and be preparing even now for our own return to Asia!

RCE Update

-Skye Ganba'atar

Hi folks! I'm back from maternity leave and adjusting to leaving our beautiful baby at home w/ Dad while I am at the Center. It's been good to be back and it's fun to see how much is happening at RCE these days!

Tom Stansbury is in Ukraine for 3 months; he taught BE (Biblical Entrepreneurship) and is working with our Center in Ternopil, along with other projects he has going.

John Mulford is in Africa at the moment, visiting various countries (including Kenya, Congo, Burundi and Rwanda)--nurturing relationships, brainstorming projects, and meeting friends old and new.

Wes Stewart got a new job and moved to DC in what seems less than the time it's taking me to write this post! He has just finished his Masters in organizational leadership so it's wonderful to see how the Lord has provided a wonderful job just in the perfect time. :)

So it's good to be back!

Start-up Cost

-Patrice Tsague, RCE Partner (on left in picture at right)

"For which of you intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it." Luke 14:28

There are two dimensions to start-up cost; the spiritual dimension and the natural dimension.

The spiritual dimension involves the price and sacrifice that you must endure as a new believer before you reach spiritual breakeven. In addressing the multitude, Jesus was mindful that if many of them did not consider this cost before following Him, they would become spiritually bankrupt before the end of the journey.

Spiritual breakeven occurs when the price and sacrifice that you must endure to follow Christ, and the rewards associated with following Him, are equal. Once you reach this point you are about to cross the dimension where your walk with Christ becomes profitable. You no longer look back, you enjoy the fruit of obedience and you are no longer tempted by temporal pleasures.

The natural dimension of start-up cost is typically defined as the pre-opening, one-time expenditures that one incurs to open a new facility, introduce a new product or service, or open a new business. I would like to expand upon this definition to include the operating cost required for the business to breakeven, which may include the owners' salary, if he or she operates the business and does not have any other source of income.

Having said that, I define start-up cost as: the one time expenses required to open a new business until it reaches the point of breakeven. These expenses may include;
1. Business training
2. Business registration
3. Rent for 3 months plus
4. Salaries for 3 months plus
5. Supplies
6. Inventory
7. Business licenses
8. Insurance
9. Advertising for 3 months plus
10. Legal and accountant fees
11. And more

Unfortunately, when many entrepreneurs consider their start-up costs, they do not include everything they will need. Furthermore, they limit their costs to the expenses necessary until the opening day of the business. The consequences of this are: their businesses become under-funded, they experience cash flow shortage, and they may have to close down.

Until you experience breakeven, you are still in the start-up phase. Breakeven is the period in the business when your sales revenue equals your total cost. At this point, you are neither profitable nor do you experience loss. You cannot be profitable until you breakeven. Before breakeven, your business is sustained by the capital investment you began the business with, or the additional capital that you had to acquire after the business started. If you do not have enough capital to last you until breakeven, you may run out of cash and be forced to shut the business down or drastically reduce expenses.

What are the keys to accurately determining your start-up cost?

To determine your start-up cost consider the following:
- Your start-up cost begins on the day you decide to open the business - even though the business may start months (and sometimes years) from the day you decided to start the business. Every cost related to the business, that you incur from the day you decided to go into business, is considered a startup cost.

- Research similar businesses - to ensure that you do not miss anything, talk to other entrepreneurs who started similar businesses and find out the various expenses they had to incur before they started their businesses and how long it took them to breakeven.

- Get quotes from prospective vendors - to ensure that your estimates are accurate, make sure to talk to prospective vendors to ensure that you get up-to-date prices.

- Keep fixed costs to a minimum - many entrepreneurs are so eager to create a perception that they are successful that they commit to fixed costs such as rent and salaries that are beyond their abilities. High fixed costs require a significant start-up cost to cover them. They also lengthen the period that is required to breakeven.

- Consider all the expenses required to breakeven - this is critical because until you breakeven you will need capital to finance the business. Therefore raising capital in the front end makes managing the business easier.

- Consider your cash flow - you may breakeven but still need cash because you have not collected all of your money. Depending on the nature of your business or your collection policy, you may not collect 100% of your receipt on the day of purchase. This can cause you to need cash even though you have the assets in your receivables. When this occurs, you will need to use the cash from your initial investment, or raise additional cash, to fund the business until you are able to collect everything.

Are you considering starting a new business, expanding an existing business or launching a new product? Sit down and determine your start-up cost to ensure that you have enough resources to finish, so the Lord can be glorified in your efforts.

Patrice Tsague is the founder of Nehemiah Project International Ministries (NPIM)