2023 Year in Review – Highlights

2023 was a remarkable year for ISM. We not only succeeded in making a  positive  impact  on  the  lives  of  thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide, but we also celebrated the twentieth anniversary of establishing  the  business  and  continued  our  commitment  to supporting entrepreneurs worldwide. We issued the 20th anniversary of the Impact Report, highlighting our milestones over the last two decades. Download ISM Impact Report 2023.

We continued to deliver our trademarked Train-the-Trainer Program, designed for potential Facilitators, Trainers, and Coordinators of educational businesses/projects. We discuss Entrepreneurship, SME Development,  Coaching,  and/or  Mentoring.  How  to Set Up an Entrepreneurship Center in your comm nity to support startups and scale-ups, including SME development.

We continued to deliver the Kauffman FastTrac® Program, which teaches aspiring, early-stage entrepreneurs how to write a business plan  and  launch  their  businesses  by  gaining  comprehensive knowledge and skills for venture creation and growth. In 2023, we helped  hundreds  of  entrepreneurs  develop  and  refine  their entrepreneurial vision into a thoroughly researched business plan. We are now accepting the 2024 cohort applications.

We continued to deliver our trademarked Resilient Entrepreneur Program, a direct response to managing crises and pandemics designed to prepare leaders and entrepreneurs to sustain their business activities now and into the future. Because we know every business is different, we created three versions of The Resilient Entrepreneur  Program.  Find  out  which  one  best  meets  the requirements  of your organization and register for our monthly webinar. Join the 2024 REP cohort now! Ask how to become an affiliate of ISM to deliver this program in your community.

We continued to deliver our trademarked Exploring Entrepreneurship Program, designed to lead immigrants and minorities to explore business ideas in the U.S. market. The interactive journey of reading, research, and discussion enabled hundreds of entrepreneurs to plan and analyze their entrepreneurial vision by creating an Executive Business Plan. Sign up for the 2024 cohort here.

We  continued  to  deliver  the  Global  Trade  Mission  for  youth entrepreneurs, teaching them global trade, STEAM, teamwork, and solving world problems utilizing local resources to communities across several states, including Tennessee, Ohio, and Michigan. In addition, we run this program virtually with several countries globally, including college students. We hosted college students who have an interest in global business and  TEMpreneurship. Click here for more information about the program.

We   continued   to   serve   our   community   by   discussing Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Globalization via our trademarked Finjan show. During 2023, we shared insights from the entrepreneurs and leaders we work with globally, and guests who shed light on everyday entrepreneurs. Catch up with the 2023 podcasts here.

We celebrated the launch of our book The Power of 7 in Marketing in 2023, in which Faris Alami, ISM Founder and CEO, shared international tactics  and  strategies  to  engage  potential  customers in solid, beneficial relationships. During 2023, Faris presented his personal experience and background in person and his newly launched book. He shared the stories and some of the learning in several places, such as the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, MI, the West Bloomfield  Optimist  Club  in  Dearborn,  MI,  and  the  Palestine Technopark in Ramallah, Palestine. Faris went from building his first successful business at age 18 to being a strategic partner with government and business leaders in over 100 countries. The book is available as a program and you can also buy a workbook to implement the reading from the book.

We proudly launched the Start Where You Are book, inspired by the personal story of ISM CEO and Founder Faris Alami. As a teenager supporting himself, Faris had no choice but to start right where he was: On his own as a refugee from a war-torn country, eventually escaping and creating the globally recognized business, International Strategic Management. Read his inspiring story to learn about the true meaning of “resilience” and gain practical advice on starting right where you are. The book is available as a progra  and a workbook that can be used to plan your own resilient canvas.

We hosted the Global Entrepreneurship Week in Southeast Michigan. For the past three years, we have brought participants a variety of activities  and  an  array  of  speakers  on  funding,  cybersecurity, attracting and retaining talent, marketing, and business growth in all stages of entrepreneurship.

Top Programs and cities served in 2023  (virtual, in-person, and hybrid)

Business Advising - Detroit, United States. MENA Region and Europe.

Business Planning - Detroit, United States. MENA Region and Europe.

Capacity Building Tour - Amman, Jordan/ Ramallah, Palestine/  and Washington D.C., United States.

FastTrac - Detroit, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, United States, and the MENA Region.

Global Presentation for Tomah -  Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Global Trade Mission - United States and the MENA Region.

 

Growth Plan Development Workshop - Riyadh,  Saudi Arabia, and several other countries.

 

IGNITE - Detroit and Dearborn, United States.

 

Women Entrepreneurs Scale-Up & Thrive Virtual Marketplace (1, 2 & 3),  Amman, Jordan/ Ramallah, Palestine/  and Washington D.C., the United States.

 

Resilient Entrepreneur Program - Amman, Jordan/ Ramallah, Palestine/  and Washington D.C., United States.MENA Region and Europe.

Pitch Practice -  Detroit, United States.

Resilient Entrepreneur Monthly Webinar - Virtual

 

Selected Faris Alami’s Keynotes in 2023

Catalyst Symposium in Cape Town, South Africa. Topic discussed was Entrepreneurship Education: Vision 2030 and Beyond (Virtual).

American University in Dubai / Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center in Dubai, U.A.E. Topic discussed - Sustainable Lean Startups (Virtual).

 

GEN in Melbourne, Australia. Topic discussed - Same but Different: How to Support Entrepreneurs Where They Are (In Person).

 

AAST Entrepreneurship Center in Cairo, Egypt. Topic discussed - Cultivating an Entrepreneurship Mindset (In Person).          

Michigan State University in Lansing, MI. Topic discussed - Social Entrepreneurship (In Person).

American International Center and UMass Amherst in Washington, D.C. Topic discussed - Youth Economic Empowerment (Virtual).             

American University in Dubai / Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center in Dubai, U.A.E. Topic discussed -Entrepreneurial Vision, Mission & Strategy (Virtual).

Social Business Creation in Montreal, Quebec. Topics discussed - REP / GTM / Shifting to the Entrepreneurial Mindset (Virtual).

WBE Forum/Great Lakes Women’s Business Council. Topic discussed - Back to Basics Business Growth (In Person).

Leadership Oakland in Troy, MI. Topic discussed - Living with Uncertainty (In Person)

 

Selected Faris Alami’s Panel Discussions in 2023

American University in Dubai / Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center in Dubai, U.A.E. Topics discussed - Raising a Seed Round and Online Marketing (Virtual).

Creativity Lab for Empowerment and Innovation in Ramallah, Palestine. Topic discussed - Redefining the Status Quo in Social Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa (Virtual).

ACCESS in Dearborn, MI. Topic discusses - Access to Capital/ Intro to the SE Ecosystem/ Getting a Global Perspective (In Person).

GlobalTies in Washington, D.C. Topic discussed - Listening to Your Business (In Person).

ISM 2023 Activities in Numbers

  • ISM touched 44 countries in 2023.

  • We provided 600 hours of business coaching.

  • We served over 400 entrepreneurs through our programs.

  • We exceeded the 2022 female/ male ratio for the participants in our programs by 10%.  The female participants in 2023 were 72% of the total participants.

  • We hosted 734 meetings via Zoom with a total of 102463 Meeting Minutes for 2290 Participants.