Posts in Social Entrepreneurs
Refugees finding work in Colorado
Refugees finding work in Colorado

Millenials flock to Denver faster than almost every other city in the country. Colorado’s recreational culture, active lifestyle and surging downtown create a magnetic atmosphere for young people. But our new neighbors include more than hipsters in search of tech startups and fresh powder.

“Colorado is better than other places,” said Ah Hki, who moved to Colorado two years ago from a refugee camp in Thailand. “I found a great job and have a lot of work. Housing is expensive here, but the wages are higher here, too. And the weather is better.”

Each year, several thousand refugees make Colorado their home. When they do, a make-or-break factor in their acclimation is whether or not they can find good work.

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Chaplaincy, Social Entrepreneurs, Recruiting & TalentHenry Kaestnergreat commission, great commandment, Chris Horst Comment
What Does Big Data Tell Us About the Land of Opportunity?
What Does Big Data Tell Us About the Land of Opportunity?

Big data has revealed a shocking finding regarding the American dream: you have a better chance of achieving it if you don’t live in America. We Americans generally think of our country as the land of opportunity, that no matter where you’ve come from, you can improve your station in life through hard work.  But research by Raj Chetty at Stanford University reveals that for large swaths of people, they’d have a better chance of reaching the American Dream if they grew up in Canada. Or Great Britain. Or Denmark. In other words, America is no longer the leading candidate for the title, “The Land of Opportunity.”

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Mission Drift, Ministry in Deed, Social Entrepreneurs, Church and Theology of WorkHenry KaestnerEqual Opportunity Project, sacrificial hiring, Matt RustenComment
A Redemptive Story of an Automotive Entrepreneur
A Redemptive Story of an Automotive Entrepreneur

We started off our week earlier this month with a short video that we found to be a great encouragement.  We love a great, feel good story to kick off a week.

There is much to like here: a church coming around an entrepreneur, and the virtuous continuation of continuing the path of forgiveness and redemption with the hiring others of others in need of a second chance.

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Recruiting & Talent, Social Entrepreneurs, Church and Theology of WorkHenry KaestnerRedemptive Entrepreneur, Henry KaestnerComment
Going Out on More Limbs
Going Out on More Limbs

I’m the CEO and Co-founder at New Story - a nonprofit that builds homes and communities for the world’s poor internationally. This year, we’ll surpass 2,000 homes building 17 communities collectively, since our founding in 2015.

Recently, in partnership with ICON, we unveiled the first ever 3D home printer and printed home designed to serve the world’s most vulnerable families.

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Social Entrepreneurs, Risk & FailureHenry Kaestner3D, sustainable housing, Brett Hagler Comment
Hope International - A US Entrepreneur making a huge Global Impact for the Kingdom

I will never forget the time when I first came to know about Hope International.  God had started to bless Bandwidth with more success, and I knew that I wanted to get more serious about giving.  I became fascinated with the concept of microfinance.  God had placed a passion in me for marketplace transformation and I knew that entrepreneurship could create great opportunity for poverty alleviation in the US, but especially overseas.   Mohammed Yunus' Book, "Banker to the Poor" had just come out and I couldn't get enough.  I read everything I could find on MFI and eventually came across a podcast from Kiva that shared the stories of their member partners and what they did with MFI and where they did it. 

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Social Entrepreneurs, Business as Mission (Global), Excellence in Our WorkHenry Kaestnermicrofinance, spiritual poverty, Hope International, Henry Kaestner, Peter Greer, Jeff RuttComment
The Praxis Business Program....Why I like it, and why I think you will too.
The Praxis Business Program....Why I like it, and why I think you will too.

The Praxis Business Accelerator Program is accepting applications until June 1 and there is no better time to share with you why I think it's something that all faith driven entrepreneurs should know about.  Well, actually, a better time would have been about a month ago when you had more time to plan :), but you are a faith driven entrepreneur and you have a unique ability to quickly assess and pursue amazing things quickly....this is one of those things.  I've never done a Top 10 list, but in homage to David Letterman and more importantly, Dave Blanchard and the crew at Praxis, here goes:

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Social Entrepreneurs, MentoringHenry KaestnerPraxis Accelerator, Frank ChenComment
Redeeming the Cell Phone
Redeeming the Cell Phone

I was at the Praxis Redemptive Entrepreneurship Summit last week in New York.  I was so impressed with the incredible group of people that Dave, Josh and the team were able to put together in one room.....it was a great privilege to be with them.  The theme, as you might imagine, was about redemption.  There was talk about redeeming all aspects of the entrepreneurial process...even some jokes about what a redemptive email might look like, or how we might redeem the cheeseburger (at one of the breaks we had some incredibly delicious cheese burgers made from a new vegetable product.....really good, but I'm not sure that the cheeseburger is in need of redemption :).)

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Social Entrepreneurs, Communication, Mission DriftHenry Kaestnerredemptive plan, Republic Wireless, Praxis Redemptive Entrepreneurship, Henry KaestnerComment
A Vision for Entrepreneurship in Africa
A Vision for Entrepreneurship in Africa

Sometimes, God calls entrepreneurs to audacious obedience in their business ventures. While starting a business in Lincoln, Nebraska can have just as much Gospel impact as starting a medical clinic in Malawi, the latter will likely require far more personal sacrifice and risk along the journey.

That’s exactly what has happened with Jun Shiomitsu. Jun is the founder of African Business Institute (ABI), a Gospel-centered business accelerator/MBA program serving three African countries.

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Social Entrepreneurs, Risk & Failure, Business as Mission (Global)Henry Kaestneraccelerator, African Business Institute, University of Oxford, Gabe Cooper Comment
Podcast Episode 5 - Spirituality of Fundraising
Podcast Episode 5 - Spirituality of Fundraising

Fundraising. It’s something that we as entrepreneurs all have to tackle at some point. In this week’s FDE podcast episode, we examine the different issues that are associated with fundraising. You'll hear Henry note at the outset that this particular episode is a bit more weighted for the social entrepreneur or ministry entrepreneur....but I hope you'll agree that the mindset on fundraising is very relevant for entrepreneurs of all types.

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Generosity, Faith Driven Investing, Stewardship vs. Ownership, Social Entrepreneurs, FinancingHenry Kaestnerfundraising, money, financial support, heart motiveComment