Business Resources We Recommend
Disclaimer – BYU MS Asia, BYU MS, BYU, BYU Idaho, and BYU Hawaii are not responsible for these recommendations. The recommendations are for general informational purposes only. The recommendations do not mean that one product is endorsed over another. The information is for you to use and decide which companies you will contact or products you will use.
BYU MS Chapter Training Idea
Here are some ideas or resources to help you grow your BYU MS Chapter
Recommended Business Books
In The Prosperity Paradox, Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, and Karen Dillon reveal a paradox at the heart of most approaches to solving poverty. While noble, current solutions are not producing consistent results, and in some cases, have exacerbated the problem. At least twenty countries that have received billions of dollars worth of aid are poorer now.
TEDx Talk Recommendations
Recommended by Joseph Pushnam, BYU MS Malaysia. TEDx Talk by Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action?
Microlending Business Resources
Below is a list of 4 microlending business resources that you can contact about potential funding. We have included information on each company; you can contact the company directly via the website link.
Kiva
Kiva crowdfunds loans from people around the world and uses partners to issue them. The nonprofit has enabled the funding of more than $1.33 billion in loans. Kiva emerged in 2005 and has partnerships with financial institutions throughout the world, where it transfers the crowdfunded money.
The local field partners then loan money to Kiva’s lenders. Kiva has a 96.8 percent repayment rate and operates in 78 countries. On Kiva’s website, lenders can sort loans by region or category, such as agriculture, women, and eco-friendly. You can find out more about Kiva by clicking here.
Zidisha
Zidisha is the first direct person-to-person micro-lending service that focuses on entrepreneurs and job creation. Its name” comes from the Swahili word meaning “grow.”
Unlike Kiva, Zidisha does not loan through financial institutions but facilitates direct lending between people. Zidisha’s loans total more than $16 million and have financed more than 240,000 projects. You can find out more about Zidisha by clicking here.
Building Resources Across Communities
Building Resources Across Communities (BRAC) is the largest non-governmental development organization in the world in terms of a number of employees. Hasan founded BRAC in 1972 and it employs more than 120,000 people in 11 countries.
BRAC has a microfinance program, primarily in Bangladesh, which has loaned 5.6 million borrowers, 87 percent of whom are women.
Unlike Kiva and Zidisha, which operate person-to-person lending services, BRAC distributes loans to lenders on its own using donations and other funds. BRAC also does work unrelated to microfinance, investing in schools and in water, hygiene, and sanitation services. You can find out more about BRAC by clicking here.
Women’s Microfinance Initiative (WMI)
Women’s Microfinance Initiative (WMI) began issuing loans in 2008 and trains local women in managing loan hubs. WMI has loaned more than $4.5 million to rural women in amounts of $100 to $250 at an interest rate of 10 percent.
According to WMI, 99 percent of its borrowers report doubling their income within six months of being involved in the program. WMI reports a 98 percent repayment rate. You can find out more about the Women’s Microfinance Initiative by clicking here.
Recommendations For Blogs, Websites, Etc.
Ezoic
Ezoic is one of the best ad networks out there. I really love how easy they are to work with. They have a great new LEAP program that will help you understand what improvements need to be made on your site. Also, they accept any size website. For a non-techie like me, this has been valuable. Find out more by clicking here.
Passive Income Geek
By far, the best program out there to help get you started as a blogger is Passive Income Geek. I really love how Morten is so personable and gives you such a great deal of detailed information to help you get started in publishing your blog. To find out more about Passive Income Geek, click here.
Rooftop Publishing
Rooftop Publishing is a wonderful resource and helps you self-publish your book; they also give great advice on collaborating as a team and group. We feel this is very useful for many in BYU MS as collaborating as a team is one of the key things we need to do in our chapters and the area. You can check out Rooftop Publishing and its other services by clicking here.
Grow To Gather
Grow to Gather is a grassroots initiative about gathering YSA and others around the world. They have some wonderful conferences that are filled with a lot of great learning and information. You can find out more about them from their website by clicking here. They also have a YouTube Channel you can subscribe to and learn from by clicking here.
