BOOZ KASHI

So this last Sunday, I have the privilege of attending my first ever Booz Kashi event here in C. Asia. I've heard a lot of hype over it the last few weeks and I finally understand why.

The Objective: While riding a horse, getting beat & whipped mercilessly by other riders, take the dead goat carcass and place it in the big tire in the middle of a field.

Why: Prizes range from Televisions, to Persian or Turkish rugs, to cash rewards.

Now this game goes back for centuries, so I got to experience some history while dodging horses running full speed in every direction (including mine). I'll let the videos and pictures tell the rest of the story:

While trying to capture the intensity and thrill of this C. Asian sport on camera, I was nearly trampled by horses a few times as the videos will show. I was fortunate. However, this man was not:

But please don't worry about him...he turned out to be just fine. Tim & I got our picture with him since he was such a trooper:

Here is where the riders are supposed to place the dead goat to get the prize...inside this tractor tire:

If the goat is dropped before the tire, the riders fight over it and it has to be taken outside the field of play before being brought back in for another try. Here is a tug-of-war that doesn't work out so well for one of these 2 guys:

Before the afternoon fun was over, Miles, my team leader, talked some of the leaders of the village into letting me ride one of the horses:

Hugh...I hope you would be proud: I didn't get thrown off the horse.

Conceiving, Warming, & Hatching Business Ideas

Have you ever had a business idea? If so, what kept you from trying to start a business? Lack of education, guidance, finances, or advice? Maybe you have never attempted to start a business before and felt inexperienced and unqualified, or maybe you didn't believe it would be successful or worthy of trying.

What if there was a business solely devoted to helping you not only start a business, but also seeing you into the first 3-5 years of operation for the mere cost of consulting fees? Just as egg incubators provide warmth and an environment conducive for growth to hatch chickens, so a business incubator provides direction and an environment to help hatch entrepreneurial businesses. Entrepreneurs in an incubator would receive guidance in every aspect of business:

• Business-Planning
• Book-Keeping
• Government Registration
• Tax Administration 
• Investor Relations
• Financing Options
• Marketing & Sales
• Business-Process Refining

Business incubators are programs designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources and services, developed and orchestrated by incubator management and offered both in the incubator and through its network of contacts. Incubators vary in the way they deliver their services, in their organizational structure, and in the types of clients they serve. Successful completion of a business incubation program increases the likelihood that a start-up company will stay in business for the long term: older studies found 87% of incubator graduates stayed in business,^[1] in contrast to 44% of all firms.^[2]   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_incubator

This is what we are starting here in C. Asia as a new paradigm for creating lasting, sustainable, and deeply-impactful relationships. But why business? Aren't businesses focused more on making a profit for financial gains? What benefit does a business model offer that an NGO or other model does not? 

Accessibility, credibility, and most importantly...sustainability. Working in certain countries entails that you have legitimate purposes for being there for any extended period of time. Most countries in the world will recognize the legitimacy and need of businesses for its economy, thus there is access. This leads to credibility. As businesses are developed and jobs are created, any government will see the benefit of such a model for its economy and people. Sustainability is the crucial part. What happens when an NGO or other non-profit closes up and leaves a location? The work stops. But what if we have spread the knowledge and ability for "like-minded" individuals to help create business relationships that would train others in ethical, profitable, reproducing ventures and relationships? The impact would continue to spread like a drop on the pond long after we are gone.

Fifty three percent (53%) of the population here is below the poverty line (est. 2009). Forty percent (40%) of this country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from Russia. There are few jobs here in this struggling economy. Therefore many fathers and sons leave their wives, daughters, and sisters for Russian to find work as minimum-wage manual laborers to support their families. As anyone can imagine, this causes tearing in the family structure here and sometimes divorces ensue. This is especially true of the area in which we work.

The survival rate globally for business start-ups is 44%. A business that begins in a business incubator stays in the incubator for an average 3 years and has an 87% success rate. Three years is a long time to build impactful relationships.

We believe Father wants us to change change lives on every level. With His guidance through a business incubator, we believe we can have an eternal impact.