2025 Year in Review

Dear Colleagues, Partners, and Friends,

As we close out 2025 and step into a new year, I want to pause and share both gratitude and reflection.

As we started 2025, I had selected our theme words for the year, not realizing those words would also describe what ISM would have to live through again: resiliency and contingency. I choose theme words each year to guide our work. It has been humbling to see how often those words end up reflecting the reality around us, intentionally or not, for the people, organizations, and communities we support.

One lesson we keep seeing is that programs succeed when we invest as much in the organizations delivering the support as we do in the entrepreneurs receiving it. Capacity building, systems, and trust are not extras. They are the infrastructure. That belief shaped our work in 2025 and will guide 2026.

While it is not possible to list all of the activities, partners, and people that made 2025 possible, I want to say thank you to all. What follows is a small example of 2025 highlights and accomplishments.

2025 marked a year of resiliency and contingency for ISM. The year tested us in ways we could not have anticipated, through global crises, shifting economic conditions, and obstacles that impacted our work and the communities we serve. Like many mission driven organizations, we navigated periods of constrained resources and significant financial adjustments that challenged our resilience.

Despite these realities, we stayed anchored in our purpose of empowering organizations and supporting entrepreneurs around the globe. By embracing innovation and prioritizing sustainability, ISM continued to provide practical guidance, tools, and program support, helping our partners and the entrepreneurs they serve build momentum, strengthen strategy, and move forward with confidence.

2025: Action and Impact

In 2025, ISM refined core programs, launched new initiatives, and expanded our reach across the United States and internationally. Our work continued to focus on what we do best: designing and delivering entrepreneurship and small business programs, strengthening ecosystems, expanding access to capital readiness tools, and supporting organizations that support entrepreneurs.

A brief example of impact

Across multiple cohorts and initiatives this year, we watched founders move from uncertainty to clear next steps. They refined business models, strengthened financial narratives, improved lender readiness, and built momentum with greater confidence. At the same time, we saw partner organizations strengthen their own delivery capacity, so the support continues well beyond any single cohort.

Global Partnerships and Global Expansion

Trade Missions to Türkiye and Poland
ISM represented United States innovation while supporting entrepreneurs and partners as they built global relationships and explored opportunities for international expansion. These engagements strengthened partnerships and advanced regional and international growth goals.

Capacity Building Tours in Egypt
In 2025, ISM facilitated capacity building tours that blended targeted training with immersive exposure to entrepreneurial ecosystems. We brought entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders to Egypt, connecting participants directly with business support organizations, investors, and peers through curated business meetings and ecosystem engagements. By pairing learning with real world interaction, these tours strengthened networks, expanded market insight, and opened new opportunities for collaboration and growth.

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Growth Programs

Kauffman FastTrac Programs
Kauffman FastTrac remained one of ISM’s core offerings. In 2025, we delivered multiple cohorts in partnership with long standing and new collaborators, providing entrepreneurs with structured business planning, financial tools, and strategic guidance. Through facilitated sessions, coaching, and practical coursework, participants strengthened business models, built comprehensive plans, and gained confidence to launch, stabilize, and grow.

Exploring Entrepreneurship
ISM delivered courses and workshops designed to inspire and equip the next generation of entrepreneurs, with a focus on engaging underrepresented communities, including immigrants and minorities. In 2025, the program was delivered in Hamtramck and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, providing hands-on learning that helped participants test ideas and develop actionable business plans using ISM online communities and AI enabled tools.

Capital Readiness and Technical Assistance

Capital and Finance Readiness Program
Building on its successful launch the year prior, this initiative offered small businesses technical assistance, tools, and readiness support to pursue funding.

Business Coaching and Mentoring
ISM continued delivering personalized coaching and mentoring for entrepreneurs, helping them develop sustainable business strategies and achieve growth milestones. We expanded our footprint as a technical assistance provider through continued collaborations, including Oakland Thrive, Detroit Means Business, and the City of Pontiac, along with approval for Motor City Match.

Ecosystem Development and University Based Business Center

International University Heads and Business Center Initiative with AAST at the Arab League Headquarters
In collaboration with AAST, ISM supported the hosting of international university leaders to advance the establishment of business centers on university campuses. This convening was hosted at the Arab League Headquarters and included participants from 25 countries, representing the Arab League and AAST network. The work supported long term ecosystem infrastructure by strengthening the role universities can play in entrepreneurship and small business development.International Fellows and Global Knowledge Exchange

Hosting International Fellows
ISM hosted multiple fellows through the KoreaWEST program, welcoming participants into six month engagements that will continue into 2026. We also hosted short term fellows from Ukraine, Montenegro, and Azerbaijan, along with virtual fellows from additional regions, providing hands-on exposure to entrepreneurship support and ecosystem development. We are especially grateful to Global Ties Detroit and their network for their partnership and support related to international fellows. Their connection and coordination strengthened learning, relationships, and the overall experience for participants and hosts alike. 

Visibility, Thought Leadership, and Community

Expanded Detroit Office Ribbon Cutting
ISM celebrated a major organizational milestone with a ribbon cutting ceremony for our expanded Detroit office, including remarks from City of Detroit leadership and livestream coverage.

FOX 2 Detroit Feature
I was honored to be featured in a FOX 2 Detroit interview, sharing my personal journey and the road to founding ISM, amplifying our mission to a broader audience.

Global Trade Mission Youth Programming
ISM continued programs engaging youth from the United States and the Middle East, teaching entrepreneurship, product development, and global market insights in STEAM environments. In 2025, the program was offered through partnerships with Lawrence Tech University in Southfield, Michigan and the Center of Hope Family Services in Toledo, Ohio.

Global Entrepreneurship Week, Year 6
For the sixth year, ISM shared insights with entrepreneurs and partners, joined by special remarks from the Michigan Governor and MEDC President Quentin Messer Jr., reinforcing our shared commitment to inclusive economic growth.

The Finjan Show
The Finjan Show continued inspiring audiences with engaging discussions and actionable insights, delivering practical strategies and real world guidance entrepreneurs can apply immediately.

Faris Alami Blog
In 2025, I continued sharing thought leadership through my blog, offering practical insights on entrepreneurship, ecosystem development, and communication.

Tools and Resources Expanded

Apply for Funding through ISM Partnerships
ISM continued connecting entrepreneurs with trusted lending partners, expanding access to capital and helping small businesses navigate financing options critical to sustainability and growth.

REP Canvas Translations
To strengthen accessibility and inclusion, ISM translated the Resilient Entrepreneur and Leader Canvas into additional languages, enabling more entrepreneurs and organizations to engage planning and resiliency tools in their preferred language.

2025 in Numbers

Programs Delivered:

27+

Total Number of Zoom Sessions Held:

1000+

Topics Spoke on:

24

Total Number of Zoom Hours:

2,875 (172546 minutes)

Social Media Reached:

21% increase in followership

Conferences Invited to:

18

Female/Male Participants Ratio:

65% female / 35% male

Business Coaching/Advising Hours Delivered:

650+

Participants Reached:

4100+

Countries Reached:

36

Technical Assistance Hours Delivered:

130+

2026 Theme and Priorities

2026 Theme: Accelerate Together

In 2026, ISM will deepen partnerships, scale what works, and expand practical pathways for entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them.

Who this is for
This note is especially relevant for cities, universities, funders, chambers, incubators, accelerators, and entrepreneurship support organizations, as well as small business owners ready for strategic growth.

2026 Priorities

  1. Scale Yallah Global Jordan with MoDEE and expand global market pathways for founders in Jordan and the diaspora. Learn more here: https://www.yallahglobal.com/jordan

  2. Grow United States based technical assistance capacity so more communities can support entrepreneurs where they are

  3. Expand capital readiness pathways with tools, trusted lending connections, and stronger financial resiliency programming

  4. Advance global partnerships, trade missions, and capacity building tours that create real market access and relationships

  5. Strengthen ecosystem infrastructure, including university based business centers and Train the Trainer efforts that build durable local capacity

  6. Accept small business owners into ISM coaching and mastermind programs focused on strategic growth, accountability, and long term scaling

When you are planning your 2026 work, I would love to explore how ISM can support your goals. With more than 20 programs and initiatives, impact across 100 plus countries, and 30 plus years of learning behind this work, we would welcome the opportunity to leverage these insights to make an impact in your local community or take you global with us.

With this year’s theme, Accelerate Together, I humbly invite you to explore new and long standing ways to work with ISM to strengthen the communities we all serve and to create local impact that goes global.

Three ways to work together in 2026

  1. Partner with ISM to deliver a cohort or initiative in your community

  2. Build local capacity through Train the Trainer and business center development

  3. Join ISM Coaching and Mastermind for strategic growth and accountability

If you are planning 2026 initiatives, email me directly at ceo@myisminc.com to schedule a call. You can also reach ISM through our contact page athttps://myisminc.com/contact.

Thank you for the trust, the collaboration, and the shared commitment to building local impact that goes global.

With gratitude and respect,
Faris Alami
Founder and CEO, International Strategic Management (ISM)

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