While giving food or money to the poor provides relief, this form of helping tends to be temporary and generates dependency. If we genuinely care for others, we want to help them create lasting changes in their lives by creating jobs and increasing economic opportunities. There are ways to help that can create sustainable economic growth, foster self-sufficiency, and help people end poverty in their community in the long term.
Thomas Carlson, the founder of ECatalyst, joins us in this episode to talk about entrepreneurial ecosystems and how this helps poor communities create sustainable economic growth as a way to end poverty. Frustrated with the traditional charity model, Thomas invests in entrepreneurial ecosystems to generate permanent changes in people’s lives and create a legacy of positive growth that lasts beyond their lifetime. He shares success stories as well as challenges to support their initiatives with their need for investment capital and skilled individuals to invest in Ethiopian entrepreneurs. Listen now and find out how we can help people see a pathway out of poverty and make a change.
Key Points From This Episode:
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett, et.al
Toxic Charity by Robert Lupton
The Poverty of Nations: A Sustainable Solution by Barry Asmus and Wayne Grudem
The Kingdom Investor Podcast on LinkedIn
About Thomas Carlson
For nearly 22 years, Thomas was a serial entrepreneur. He founded or co-founded six businesses in both the US and overseas in fields as diverse as construction, graphic design, and water bottling. He has an extensive cross-cultural background which includes living 10 years in the Middle East, traveling with significant cultural exposure in over 50 countries, and operating at different times in four other languages. He is fluent in Arabic. Thomas has also served as a professional educator, teaching recently as a Professor of Philosophy at CSU-Pueblo and PPCC. He has given guest lectures in many academic and professional contexts over the last 25 years on topics like business, startup principles, philosophy, theology, world religions, and cultural intelligence.
