IBAM- International Business As Mission Biblical Entrepreneurship

What if the biggest thing standing between you and your calling isn't a lack of opportunity, but the decision to finally begin?In this episode of the IBAM Podcast, host Tom Carter welcomes Sebastian Uzcategui, founder of Stocks University, for an inspiring conversation about faith, financial education, entrepreneurship, and finding freedom through purpose-driven work.Growing up as an only-child immigrant in the United States, Sebastian watched his family endure exhausting 12-hour shifts while searching for the American dream. Those experiences motivated him to explore investing and entrepreneurship as pathways toward financial independence.Today, Sebastian shares how he's using financial education to help others, including Christian students and church leaders, pursue greater financial stability. He explains how his investing work has helped support churches and mission trips, and why he believes wealth means far more than money.The conversation also explores the challenges Sebastian faced while building his business. Drawing from Proverbs 10:22, he shares how putting his faith, voice, and business purpose first led to an unexpected turning point in his entrepreneurial journey.And his greatest lesson? Just start.Whether you're considering a new business, seeking financial independence, or learning to live your faith more boldly, Sebastian's story offers encouragement to take that first step.3. Five Key Takeaways01 Financial education can help break cycles of struggle.Sebastian believes a lack of financial knowledge contributes to ongoing financial instability. His approach prioritizes education and helping students see results before charging for his services.02 Business success can support Kingdom work.Sebastian describes how investing has enabled him to generate funds for church leaders, churches, and mission trips, connecting financial progress with his desire to serve others.03 Wealth is about more than money.Reflecting on Proverbs 10:22, Sebastian describes wealth in terms of freedom, prosperity, family, and relief from the struggle of simply surviving.04 Putting faith and purpose first can change how you approach business.Sebastian recounts how embracing public speaking, Christian values, and the purpose behind his business preceded a fourfold increase in his business.05 Don't let perfectionism keep you from starting.Sebastian's most memorable advice comes from a question he heard at 18: "At what point is procrastination, disobedience?" His answer is simple: start, accept that you'll stumble, and learn as you go.🎥 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/h6HZxEd4WJs🌍 Join the mission here- www.thirdfish.org

What if your business could do more than generate sales? What if it could transform lives and advance God's Kingdom?In this episode of the Kingdom Impact Summit Podcast, host Tom Carter welcomes Christopher Harold, founder of God's Masterpiece and the self-proclaimed Kingdom Marketing Superman, for a conversation about building a business with God instead of simply working for Him.With more than 20 years of digital marketing experience, Christopher shares how personal struggles, burnout, and a season of spiritual realignment changed his approach to business.His defining revelation? Moving from sales funnels to soul funnels—shifting the focus from chasing income, influence, and conversions to creating meaningful transformation and making disciples in the marketplace.Christopher walks through his five-stage Soul Funnel framework: Attract, Engage, Convert, Transform, and Multiply. He explains how Christian coaches, consultants, and entrepreneurs can grow their businesses while honoring biblical principles and fulfilling their God-given assignments.The conversation also gets deeply personal as Christopher shares how business success and failure affected his identity, why he had to learn to separate his worth from his results, and how keeping God first transformed his perspective.He closes with three principles for Kingdom-minded entrepreneurs: Alignment, Identity, and Assignment.Whether you're growing a business, navigating challenges, or searching for deeper purpose in your work, this conversation offers encouragement to pursue impact beyond income.Five Key Takeaways1. Move from sales funnels to soul funnels.Business isn't only about making sales. Christopher challenges Christian entrepreneurs to use their marketing, offers, and services to make disciples and create Kingdom impact.2. Build through the five stages of a Soul Funnel.Attract with authority and anointing, engage through Spirit-led messaging, convert with God-honoring offers, transform through meaningful outcomes, and multiply through systems and processes.3. Don't let business results determine your identity.Christopher shares how his struggles taught him that God's love doesn't increase with business success or decrease with failure. Identity must be grounded in Christ, not income.4. Prioritize alignment, identity, and assignment.Christopher's three guiding principles encourage believers to seek God's Kingdom first, understand who they are in Christ, and faithfully fulfill their calling in the marketplace.5. Recognize your business as an opportunity for ministry.Christopher explains that Zoom meetings, social media platforms, and everyday business relationships can become opportunities to demonstrate biblical principles and reach people beyond the walls of a church.🎥 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/MLvziKI8HAs🌍 Join the mission here- www.thirdfish.org

What if growing your business didn't require more hustle, more followers, or more time spent on social media?In this inspiring Kingdom Impact session, Gabe Cox, goal planning and business strategist, host of the Pursuing Goals, God's Way podcast, and founder of the Red Hot Accountability Club, challenges faith-driven entrepreneurs to rethink what success really means.In January 2023, Gabe stepped away from social media for both business and personal life. Just one month later, her podcast grew by 400%. But she doesn't credit a clever marketing strategy. She points to obedience, renewed focus, and following God's direction.Drawing from Romans 12:2, Gabe explains why Kingdom success isn't measured by likes, followers, or endless activity. Instead, it's about meaningful relationships, lives changed, and fruit that lasts.You'll discover how to redefine ROI through God's lens, including the importance of return on time invested (ROTI). Gabe also shares practical ways to build influence through collaborations, referrals, and long-form content without depending on social media algorithms.She explains why focusing on one platform, one offer, and the next right step can produce more meaningful progress than trying to do everything at once.If you've been feeling stretched thin by constant posting, endless to-do lists, or the pressure to be everywhere, this conversation offers encouragement and practical direction.The takeaway? Kingdom impact doesn't come from doing more. It comes from obeying what God has already placed in front of you.00:00 Introduction01:07 Redefining ROI05:11 Practical Strategies09:18 Long Form Content11:59 Focus and Obedience15:20 Next StepsFive Key Podcast Takeaways1. Redefine ROI Through God's LensKingdom success isn't just about dollars, followers, or reach. Gabe challenges entrepreneurs to measure meaningful conversations, lives changed, testimonies, referrals, and lasting fruit. She also introduces ROTI: return on time invested.2. Obedience Matters More Than HustleAfter leaving social media in January 2023, Gabe experienced 400% podcast growth in one month. She attributes the experience to following God's direction and being able to focus on what mattered most, rather than simply quitting social media.3. Build Influence Through Relationships, Not AlgorithmsGenuine collaborations, warm introductions, referrals, and excellent service can create meaningful business opportunities. Gabe encourages entrepreneurs to identify 10 potential collaborators and look for ways to serve each other's audiences.4. Choose One Platform and Create Content That LastsPodcasts, blogs, and YouTube videos can continue serving audiences long after publication. Rather than spreading yourself across every platform, Gabe recommends choosing one primary channel, remaining consistent, and repurposing content intentionally.5. Steward Your Time and Focus on the Next Right StepBusyness isn't the same as fruitfulness. Gabe recommends starting the week with prayer, reviewing how time was spent, creating a stop-doing list, batching work, and selecting one priority to pursue over the next 90 days.Recommended podcast positioning: Lead with the tension between business growth and social media exhaustion. Use Gabe's personal story to capture interest, then emphasize the deeper message: obedience, meaningful relationships, focused stewardship, and eternal Kingdom impact.🎥 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/9w0K0m_hR5Y🌍 Join the mission here- www.thirdfish.org

What happens when your business is growing, but you begin asking a deeper question: “Lord, who do you want me to serve?”In this conversation, Tom Carter sits down with Garrett Maroon, founder of Two 10 Realty Group and The Faithful Agent, to talk about what it looks like to live out Christian faith honestly and openly in business.Garrett shares how he entered real estate in 2014, went five and a half months without selling a house, nearly quit several times, and eventually built a thriving business. But his story became about much more than professional success.After losing his mother in 2022, Garrett began seriously questioning what God wanted him to do with his work. That journey led to The Faithful Agent, a community and podcast serving Christians in real estate.Garrett discusses why faith cannot simply be turned on and off depending on the room, why Christian professionals need community and accountability, and why profitability should not automatically be confused with faithfulness.He also challenges the traditional business scoreboard of income, sales, and recognition. Instead, he encourages leaders to consider the legacy they are building through their faith, marriages, families, and the way they steward their work.This conversation is an honest look at humility, leadership, discipleship, and what it means to keep the gospel at the center while building a business.00:11 Introduction01:05 Garrett's Background02:55 Defining Ministry Moments06:00 Impact on Agents07:00 Overcoming Challenges10:37 Personal Growth18:12 Concluding Reflections5 Key Takeaways1. Your faith should not be something you take on and off.Garrett describes his faith as inseparable from who he is. When asked not to discuss Christianity during a podcast appearance, he explained that his faith was not a “backpack” he could simply remove depending on the environment.2. The most profitable decision is not always the most faithful decision.Garrett challenges Christian business owners to stop assuming that the decision producing the most money must automatically be the right decision. Instead, he encourages them to ask what faithfulness requires.3. Success needs a different scoreboard.Money, transactions, and professional statistics can easily become the primary measurement of success. Garrett encourages leaders to think about what they want their lives and legacy to represent beyond business performance.4. Community should include accountability.Garrett believes Christian business leaders need people who are willing to speak honestly into their lives. His community is designed not only to encourage believers, but also to challenge them when their priorities begin moving in the wrong direction.5. Business can shape the person building it.Garrett describes entrepreneurship as a humbling experience that has exposed his own pride and continually challenged him to keep the gospel central. Building the business has also become part of his own spiritual growth.Watch full episode on YT - https://youtu.be/yl5rNKfNgMsJoin the free Third Fish Academy at ThirdFish.org 

What happens when building a business becomes less about forcing your own plan and more about surrendering to God’s direction?In this Kingdom Impact Summit conversation, business strategist Buki Ekeowa shares the journey that took her from working in the City of London to entrepreneurship, property, YouTube, coaching, and helping women grow businesses online.Her path was not a straight line. After leaving her job in response to what she believed God was telling her, Buki experienced seasons of success, setbacks, experimentation, and plenty of questions. Eventually, she reached a place of surrender: “Not my will, but yours be done.”That posture changed the direction of her business.Buki shares how she felt led to start a YouTube channel even though being on camera did not come naturally. By simply sharing what she had learned, new opportunities began to open.Steve and Buki also explore what Kingdom impact can look like through ordinary business. It is not only about openly presenting the Gospel. It can mean serving people well, solving real problems, working with excellence, building trust, and allowing transformation to be demonstrated through the way you show up.Buki also introduces the O-I-L framework connected to her book Beyond Abundance: offering yourself in surrender, imagination with God, and launching out with your gifts.This conversation is an invitation to stop hiding what God has given you, stay open to His direction, and let your business become a place of service, excellence, and Kingdom impact.00:00 Introduction01:06 Meet Buki Ecoa02:21 Finding Purpose03:35 The Journey Begins06:14 Uncovering Framework09:13 A Leap of Faith11:09 Surrender to God15:42 Business Excellence24:42 Faith and Work26:45 A Personal Touch30:13 Conclusion5 Key Takeaways1. Surrender can change the direction of your business.Buki describes surrender as the posture of saying, “Not my way, Lord, but yours,” while remaining open to new directions, ideas, and actions.2. Stop assuming God’s direction will look like your plan.Buki resisted starting YouTube because it did not seem like an obvious path to building a business. Yet sharing what she had learned eventually opened the door to coaching.3. Kingdom impact happens through service.A business does not have to be overtly Christian in every interaction to serve people for Christ. Buki emphasizes solving problems, helping people, and showing up with a posture of service.4. Excellence builds bridges.The conversation highlights how doing excellent work can build trust, create conversations, and open opportunities to share how God has worked in your life.5. Use the “oil” God has already given you.Buki connects the widow’s oil in 2 Kings 4:1–7 with the gifts and expertise God has placed in people. Her encouragement is to recognize those gifts, stop hiding them, and launch out with them.Buki explicitly describes surrender as being open to God’s direction, letting go when needed, embracing new ideas, and acting boldly despite discomfort. Her YouTube story and its connection to coaching appear earlier in the conversation. The service, excellence, and Kingdom-business discussion comes from the later portion of the interview.Watch full episode on YT - https://youtu.be/Y5v2OceCoYwJoin the free Third Fish Academy at ThirdFish.org