Lester Gonzalez is baker in the town of Diriomo. He is recognized by our coaches as one of the hardest working members of the Bless Back Business Academy. Lester, like most small business owners in Nicaragua, struggled to increase his business. The biggest obstacle Lester faced was that he had to rent his wood stove. Two months ago, Lester designed and built his own small wood oven (pictured in the foreground), but he faced many consistency problems with his baked goods.

Lester sought advice from our coaches. They helped him create a plan to build a larger, more reliable oven. The key element of this plan was teaching Lester how to save money from his business earnings to be able to purchase the materials for a new concrete and clay oven. Lester followed the plan with much personal sacrifice as our coaches continued to encourage him. In September, he built and commissioned the new oven. Lester is a great example of the perseverance and grit possessed by the Academy members that we serve.

Lester’s story is a great example of how our Business Academy coaches deploy our unique 4C consulting approach:

  1. Christ-Centered – maintain a Christ-centered approach to helping every member of the Academy
  2. Collaborate – work alongside our members through successes and failures
  3. Cheer – positively motivate our members
  4. Check – frequently monitor our members’ business progress

Coaches’ salaries and Business Academy expenses are fully funded by BlessBack donors. With your help, we hope to expand our Business Academy into neighboring communities in 2020. Please help us fill the funding gap by becoming a BlessBack donor. $600 per month will fund a full-time coach to help transform more businesses like Lester’s.