After two years of hard-work and dedication from 11 staff members, 3 interns and 150 volunteers, Paradigm Shift is pleased to share what the last two years have produced and how the results paves the way for a very fruitful next year.
Download the Paradigm Shift Pilot Program Report Below:
Download the printable PDF of Benhilda’s Story below:
When the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe prevented her from being able to provide for her family, Benhilda came to South Africa in search of opportunity.
She began working as a waitress but was unhappy because she wanted to be an entrepreneur. She had previous experience working as a hairdresser, so she started her own hair salon in a small garage.
Benhilda joined the Paradigm Shift program in order to learn how to grow her fledgling business. Through her meticulous record-keeping, she determined that braiding hair was her most profitable service.
She hired two employees to perform other hair-dressing services and rented space in her salon to someone who cuts men’s hair.
Displaying her creativity, Benhilda even changes her own hair style every week as a form of advertising for her business.
Through the discipleship courses, Benhilda’s faith in God has also grown. She has begun memorizing scripture verses and credits God with the blessings she has experienced in her life.
Benhilda says that the training she received through the Paradigm Shift program “has made such a difference in my business. Now I know how to save and budget. Now I know that knowledge is power.”
In 2011, 25 new churches are set to launch Paradigm Shift in their communities and they need your help to make this happen.
Would you make it possible for one entrepreneur to be able to participate? For $110, you can provide a pathway out of poverty for a hard-working entrepreneur, which will have lasting impacts both physically and spiritually.
Download the printable PDF of Edwin’s Story below:
Edwin is an entrepreneur whose desire to succeed in business is matched only by the quality of his craftsmanship. He owns a company that designs, produces and sells high-quality, beaded products. With six full-time employees and four part-time workers, Edwin’s success has helped provide employment for others in his community. However, his business wasn’t always so prosperous.
When he first started his business 15 years ago, Edwin made simple products using wire. Gradually he improved the design of his products and added beads to enhance their appearance. Facing difficult economic circumstances in Zimbabwe, Edwin came to South Africa with the dream of growing his business. He began selling his products from a stall in an upscale African market that caters to tourists.
By the time he joined the Paradigm Shift program, Edwin’s business was well-established; however, he wanted to expand his operations. With guidance from his mentor, Edwin successfully reached an agreement with a leading hotel chain to sell his products in their gift shops. He also formed a partnership with a media firm to design a website for him in exchange for a percentage of his sales through the site.
Edwin has learned the importance of good character and of being trustworthy. His many repeat customers are proof that he treats them fairly and honestly. Since placing his faith in Jesus Christ during the first discipleship course, Edwin has begun to pray, memorize scripture and tithe.
Recently, Edwin asked a group of other entrepreneurs in the Paradigm Shift program to pray that his two-year old son would be healed of a skin condition that had plagued him for almost a year. Miraculously, God answered their prayers and healed Edwin’s son!
Edwin explains that, “[Paradigm Shift] has been so helpful to me in both faith and business. I was taught to give tithes, to pray, read the Bible and memorize scripture verses. In business I know how to save money, how to keep records and to budget.” When graduating from the first training cycle, Edwin shared that he receives encouragement from Philippians 4:13, which reads, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
In 2011, 25 new churches are set to launch Paradigm Shift in their communities and they need your help to make this happen.
Would you make it possible for one entrepreneur to be able to participate? For $110, you can provide a pathway out of poverty for a hard-working entrepreneur, which will have lasting impacts both physically and spiritually.
Download the printable PDF of Grace’s Story below:
Grace is a gifted seamstress. While attending design school in 1999, she realized God had blessed her with a talent for sewing. Now Grace is able to make a wide range of products including ironing board covers, placemats, tablecloths, blankets, chair covers and custom-designed clothes for women and children.
Through the Paradigm Shift business training, Grace has become as adept at managing her business as she is at sewing beautiful products. For example, by implementing a detailed record-keeping system, Grace is able to track her cash flow, her best selling products, her raw materials costs and more.
As a recipient of two microloans, Grace has proven herself to be creditworthy by faithfully repaying them. In just over one year, Grace’s business income more than doubled. In addition to investing her business income back into her business and family, Grace has also become a disciplined saver.
Although her business has prospered, Grace has also faced significant challenges in her personal life. When her husband lost his job, it was not only an economic setback, but also a test of faith. Grace did not waiver in her trust in God to provide for her family, and she has developed a greater sense of compassion for others who are experiencing similar financial challenges.
Grateful for all she has learned, Grace now serves as a volunteer with the Paradigm Shift program and helps other entrepreneurs grow their businesses along with their faith in God.
Grace says, “I thank God for sending the Paradigm Shift program. I was nobody, but now I am somebody. For the first time in my life, I have money in savings, a business brand and confidence in myself and my abilities to run my business.”
In 2011, 25 new churches are set to launch Paradigm Shift in their communities and they need your help to make this happen.
Would you make it possible for one entrepreneur to be able to participate? For $110, you can provide a pathway out of poverty for a hard-working entrepreneur, which will have lasting impacts both physically and spiritually.
Download the printable PDF of Martha’s Story below:
Martha has experienced many challenges as an entrepreneur. When her husband became sick and was unable to continue working as a miner, he started a small retail shop. Despite his hard work, the business experienced financial difficulties and was eventually forced to close.
Then Martha started her own business sewing traditional African clothes, and she was determined to make it a success. Initially she was cautious and would only make clothes when a customer placed an order, but this didn’t provide her the income she needed.
She wanted to learn how to grow her business, so Martha joined the Paradigm Shift program. She learned about identifying the needs of her target market and how to market her products. She used her microloan to buy fabric and make clothes to sell in her community, which increased her sales and business income.
By discussing what she learned in the discipleship course with her sister Francinah, who also attended the trainings, Martha has grown in her relationship with God. Martha says now she sees more clearly how “God loves us and provides for us.”
The Paradigm Shift program has helped Martha develop her vision and motivation for growing her business. She dreams of opening a factory, not to gain personal wealth, but to provide employment for others in her community.
As Martha continues to receive training through Paradigm Shift, her knowledge of business principles and her compassion for others are increasingly evident.
In 2011, 25 new churches are set to launch Paradigm Shift in their communities and they need your help to make this happen.
Would you make it possible for one entrepreneur to be able to participate? For $110, you can provide a pathway out of poverty for a hard-working entrepreneur, which will have lasting impacts both physically and spiritually.
Download the printable PDF of Francinah’s Story below:
Francinah is a natural leader in her community. Affectionately called a “gogo” (grandmother), she is a source of inspiration and encouragement to other entrepreneurs and volunteers in the Paradigm Shift program. Despite her senior status, Francinah maintains a youthful vigor and says, “I don’t want to be left behind when others are running. I want to run with them.”
Francinah started her shoe-making business after seeing someone else in her community selling similar products. She bought a spool of yarn and a tool for crocheting and, with a bit of instruction from a friend, learned how to make shoes. The quality of her craftsmanship is evidence that Francinah takes great pride in her work. Furthermore, she is always happy to teach others her skill.
Francinah has gained the confidence to continue building her business through the Paradigm Shift business training. The record-keeping techniques she learned have helped her calculate the profit she earns from each pair of shoes she sells. Prior to the Paradigm Shift program, Francinah only made shoes when she received an order because she relied on each customer’s deposit to purchase raw materials. However, with the microloan she received, she was able to buy materials to make shoes to have in stock.
Francinah dreams of growing her business to produce a wider variety of shoes. She hopes to get larger orders from shoe stores so that she will be able to hire other members of her community as employees, providing employment to at least a few of many who are in need.
As a result of the Paradigm Shift discipleship trainings, Francinah says that she has experienced God’s love for her. As she deals with the pain of the death of her daughter, Francinah feels God comforting her. In response to God’s love, for the first time in her life, Francinah has begun tithing regularly.
Based on her life experience, Francinah has a lot to teach others, yet she remains a life-long learner. She continues to participate in the Paradigm Shift trainings in order to grow her business and serve as an example to other entrepreneurs in her community. According to her, the Paradigm Shift program is “showing me what I am and what God has created me to be.”
In 2011, 25 new churches are set to launch Paradigm Shift in their communities and they need your help to make this happen.
Would you make it possible for one entrepreneur to be able to participate? For $110, you can provide a pathway out of poverty for a hard-working entrepreneur, which will have lasting impacts both physically and spiritually.
Download the printable PDF of Sipiwe’s Story below:
Needing a way to increase her income to help support her family, Sipiwe decided to start her own business. Her community had no place for women to buy fashion products at an affordable price; so when Sipiwe identified this need, she began selling handbags, earrings and cosmetics at a busy street corner.
Sipiwe possessed the courage and determination to start her business, but what she needed then was to learn how to operate it more effectively. When she heard about the Paradigm Shift program, Sipiwe seized the opportunity to attend the two-day Business Experience Course offered at a nearby church.
There she learned about promoting her product distinctives, how to price her products and how to negotiate with customers. Excited and eager to learn, Sipiwe attended the weekly meetings where she explored further business skills and studied what the Bible says about her life, family and business.
Sipiwe immediately applied the business training she received. She repriced some products and discontinued selling those that weren’t profitable. She began asking her customers what else they would like to buy and, using her microloans, expanded her inventory to include hats, gloves, slippers and sunglasses. She has repaid both microloans in full. “I always knew that business was my talent, but I didn’t have the knowledge [before Paradigm Shift] to do it well and grow my business,” Sipiwe says.
Business growth is not the only change that Sipiwe has experienced. Since completing the Emmaus Road Course (Paradigm Shift’s first discipleship course), she now continues to study the Bible and memorize scripture on her own.
When her husband was hospitalized with a serious illness, Sipiwe remembered studying the discipleship lesson “Making Sense of Pain”. Instead of blaming God for the hurt she was experiencing, she reached out to Him for comfort and trusted in His promise to work everything together for her good.
“Paradigm Shift has changed my life spiritually and physically,” Sipiwe says. “I now live a life with meaning.” Regardless of the challenges she experiences in her business and personal life, Sipiwe is filled with joy. “God has unfailing love. No matter what, God is there,” Sipiwe says with a smile.
In 2011, 25 new churches are set to launch Paradigm Shift in their communities and they need your help to make this happen.
Would you make it possible for one entrepreneur to be able to participate? For $110, you can provide a pathway out of poverty for a hard-working entrepreneur, which will have lasting impacts both physically and spiritually.
Picture below is one of the four celebrations happening this week.
The response from the Willow Creek Conferences was phenomenal!
Paradigm Shift just finished a six-city tour across South Africa inviting churches to establish Paradigm Shift programs in their communities. The response was amazing. 83 churches in six major urban areas of South Africa responded that Paradigm Shift was exactly what they have been looking for.
Right now our staff is busy engaging these churches in conversation about how to take Paradigm Shift from an idea to implementation.
Exciting days ahead as Paradigm Shift grows, expands and impacts more and more entrepreneurs!
