BAM School

Business | Adventure | Mission
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An experience you’ll be talking about the rest of your life!

Travel Including 20 States and 10 countries in Europe.

You’ll never experience so many different places, countries, and cultures in such a short time. 

Discipleship & Business

Most days will be filled with instruction, dialogue, videos, or guest lecturers, discussing either business or discipleship. You’ll be immersed in deep conversation about how the gospel applies to your business and everyday life.

Community for Life

Expect to make memories and friends to last a lifetime. We hope to keep your cohort together after school ends, and catch up annually on the anniversary of graduation.

Real World Skills to Pay the Bills

You will walk away from the program with skills that are relevant to today’s marketplace, skills you can use to buy, start, or grow your own business.

BAM School Checklist

✓ Adventure

✓ Business

✓ Mission

✓ Building Life Long Community 

✓ Instagrammable moments 

✓ Leadership

✓ Lifelong Friendships

✓ Disciple Making

✓ Purpose

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"Super blessed by The BAM School. It shaped, guided, and solidified our mission in Thailand. Oh, and it was super fun. Thanks again, Buddy, for being who you are in the place we needed you. You changed my life...possibly even saved it. Thanks man."

Mike Gaudet

“Buddy helped me believe I was ready to launch my cafe and even gave me a loan to help me get started”

Bay Sareephan – Founder, Bay’s Cafe

Buddy is unrelenting in pushing you to be the best version of yourself. Through Buddy, I learned the best way to serve the people I encounter is to know myself well, accept those giftings, and live them out to the fullest, and by this, those surrounding me will be blessed. If it wasn’t for this lesson I’m not sure my business Liv Thai would exist today. Buddy cares about helping others hone in and be what is right for them. And he has the tools to get you there. www.livthai.com

Liv Steffen, Founder Liv Thai

“Buddy helped us work through some team issues and created a safe place for us to take risks and grow together. We're a much stronger team for it."

Evan McCall – Co Owner Expat Homes

Success

Buddy, The last 8 months have been one of the richest seasons of my life.  I think God can and does use you to help people become the richest versions of themselves.  This has been a huge season of growth and life change for me.  I feel like I am different guy than the one that started this program and that’s great.  I just want to let you know how much I loved the program.

Sam Andrews // Graduate

Areas of Instruction

Business Development

Marketing Strategies

We use a variety of learning methods, including typical university-style lecture and discussion, case studies, Zoom meetings with leading experts in their fields from around the world.  We also use audiobooks while traveling, videos and other online resources.  We encourage reading, especially Monday through Thursday evenings with limited entertainment time during those evenings.  We are big believers in learning by doing.  You will gain technical and marketing skills by working on actual projects that will move the sponsoring business forward.  Below are some of the core subjects we will cover.  

Travel and Adventure

One of the best learning experiences of BAM School is learning just how accessible authors, business people, and leaders of all kinds are in this day and age.  Our trips to different places will include connecting with thought leaders you will reach out to as students.  We will meet with these different leaders from 1-3 hours in intimate settings usually in their location or perhaps on the Adventure Bus.  

Our trips will include hikes, time in nature, visiting interesting people and places with the team.  

We will take at least 2 longer trips.  The actual itinerary will be dictated by the people that we reach out to and decided by the staff and students ahead of time.  

We will also take multiple trips to closer locations like the Outerbanks islands or Charlotte, NC, and perhaps hit some pertinent conferences or events. 

Adventure Bus Team Building

To travel around the USA we will be building a conversion bus as a team-building experience.  We will find a school bus and be painting, adding bunk beds, a bathroom and a kitchen, and use it to travel around the states during our time together.  In the afternoons and evenings for the first couple of weeks, we will be creating our very own adventure bus to move the team around.  You will get experience working and have the skills and know-how to create your own conversion van or bus in the future if you choose.

The 3 Week Europe Adventure Trip

Places we will be visiting during the month-long Europe Adventure Trip after we raise the $20,000 through our business:

London, England

Oxford, England

Brussels, Belgium

Stuttgart, Germany

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Innsbruck, Austria

Izola, Slovenia on the Adriatic Sea

Umag, Croatia on the Adriatic Sea

Trieste, Italy on the Adriatic Sea

Venice, Italy

Italian Rivera ~ Cinque Terra, Italy ~

Genoa, Italy

Milan, Italy

Interlakken, Switzerland

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Geneva, Switzerland

Paris France

 

During the trip we will meet with Business as Mission experts, Disciple Making Movement leaders and spend time in celebration, reflection, and planning the next steps in your journey. You will be changed by our time together and need time to process as well as create a strategy to see your vision come to fruition.

We will be traveling in a Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter Van and staying in Airbnb locations.

Are you one of us?

We are looking for adventurous 18-30-year-olds who want to create or be part of a business that will allow them the freedom to live out the purpose that they feel God has created them for. These are the kind of people who are looking for something more fulfilling than the American Dream. 

Full Scholarships Offered for the Following:

1. Photography and Video Expert.  All students will get some training in video and photography but we would like to have at least one student that already has excellent skills in either photography and video or both.  This would include both shooting and editing abilities.  

2.  Carpentry, Mechanical, or Electrical Skills. One of the first things we will be doing is building and outfitting the adventure bus.  If you have carpentry, mechanical or electrical skills let us know.  We may be building additional “skoolies” during the year to fund the Europe trip if we have the skillset to do it within the team.  

3.  Graphic Design or Web Development. If you have graphic design or web development skills, especially with the use of word press let us know.  

4.  Landscaping and Construction Skills.  During the week each team member has work duties that they are responsible for including cleaning up after meals, taking care of the lawn, washing the bus, shopping etc.  Everyone has to chip in and do their part.  We would love to scholarship someone that has landscaping or construction skills that can do some of the work on the Estate as part of their weekly work duties.  

5. M & A or Business Consulting Experience.  If you have experience in Mergers and Acquisitions or business consulting especially in systems or marketing you are a prime candidate for a full scholarship.  

6.  Sales experience for high ticket items If you have sales experience selling high ticket software or marketing services, you are an excellent candidate for one of our scholarships.

6. Other Areas?  Do you have other skills or abilities or resources that might be of benefit to BAM School?  Let us know in your short pre-application. 

Where is the school based?

The school is based out of a large 3000 square foot home on Timber Creek Estate, a 7 1/2 acre estate in Roanoke, VA.  The property is surrounded by a creek and feels like you are far removed from everything yet it is only 10 minutes to the mall, airport, Chick-fil-A, and Barnes and Noble, as well as being only 15 minutes from downtown.  There are ample hiking and outdoor activities in the area surrounding Roanoke that are incorporated into the adventure and learning parts of BAM School.  Also, there is a 20-minute circuit on Timber Creek Estate.  We will probably have housing off site for our next BAM School but meet at Timber Creek for training and work.  

What are the dates?

The School starts on February 15, 2025. 

The Europe Trip will run from April 21 – May 14, 2025 which is the end date of the school.

What will I walk away with besides amazing memories?

1. You will have the ability to launch or buy your own business or be a business builder.  Over the course of the program, we will help train you in one of our business models that is right for you. Our business models provide a full-time income with a work week of fewer than 20 hours. This isn’t so that you can sit on the beach the rest of the week. We want you to have the time and energy to be 100% engaged in the process of making disciples wherever God calls you to.

2.  You will become a confident disciple-maker. Have you ever dreaded something, and then you went out and accomplished it and realized it wasn’t that bad? Making disciples is often like that before you have done it. You’ll learn a simple transferable process and be trained and get hands-on experience in the most effective methods and strategies for making disciples.

3.  Adventure. We will have many different opportunities to experience different adventures: hiking, waterfalls, exploring the cities. In addition, we will visit a number of other places during the year, including England, Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, and Switzerland. Visiting all those places is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people, but doing it with a group of energetic Christians, while growing and learning more about your faith and business is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.  And the reality is both business and making disciples are awesome adventures in themselves.

4.  Furthering the Cause of BAM around the World. Our primary task during the year will be working on a BAM project that can allow Christians to have the time, money, energy, and freedom through a business to be able to be involved in mission anywhere in the world, with the skills and know-how to further a disciple-making movement through business.

5. Unleashed Potential. One of the things that Buddy has experienced over in over through his years of youth ministry, corporate consulting and running discipleship schools is seeing people being unleashed into their full potential.

 

Days Until BAM School Starts (Feb 15, 2025)

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Then I realized ADVENTURE is the best way to learn.

Apply today to Join us on Feb 15, 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bring my car?

Yes, you are welcome to bring a car though you don’t need one.  

How many students are you accepting?

We are accepting a maximum of 10 students.

What if I need to go to a wedding or other event?

Please let us know in your application or as soon as you are aware of an event. If you have an event you would like to attend, you will be responsible for your own expenses to get to and from and we would prefer you keep those to a minimum, especially if you are attending on a scholarship.  

What costs will I incur?

If you are planning on building your own business in the afternoons the full tuition for the program is $15,000.  If you are applying for a work scholarship all your travel, lodging, food, and teaching expenses will be covered and you will be doing a marketing or other internship in one of our existing businesses.  Extra drinks, snacks, or gifts will be your responsibility. We will pay for some of the adventure items that we want everyone to be a part of like going up the Eiffel tower in Paris or riding on a gondola in Venice, Italy but you will have the opportunity for extra things, such as surfing in at the beach or paragliding in the Alps that are not covered by the program.  You do need to have a decent working computer or at least a Chromebook and a camera or phone with a decent camera to attend BAM School.  

What will a typical day look like?

 Breakfast and time with God on your own.

8:30-10:30 Discipleship Training or Business Training, depending on the day of the week. (Worship and Prayer one day a week from 8:30-9:30)  

10:50 Standup Meeting for Business Tasks and Work Duties

11:00 – 12:00 Business Acquisition or Startup Project

12:00 Lunch

1:00 – 4:00 Business Acquisition or Startup Project

4:00 – 5:00 Personal Development Project of your choice (start a blog, podcast, write a book, learn to code,  etc) 

5:00-6:00 Work Duties

6:00 Dinner

7:00 Grow time Mon-Thurs (Reading, enjoying community, games, meetups)

 

What will a typical week look like?

When we are on the road there will generally be a lower key day once a week, but the other days will be more busy. We do provide plenty of time to reflect, read, and think while we are traveling. When we are at our home base Monday-Friday, the schedule will look like the timetable above, and the weekends are generally free. Some Saturdays will include required team building adventures, and some will be optional. Sundays are generally free with the exception of church and a group lunch.

What if I have food allergies/health issues?

Let us know of any food allergies or health issues ahead of time. We have had people with different issues over the years, but we have also had two people unable to complete the program because of the issues they were facing regarding diet. Please be up front in the beginning so we can make sure this is a great experience for you.  

How do I apply? What if I have more questions?

You can apply by clicking the Application Link:  If you have any questions you can connect with Buddy at buddy@thebamschool.com or call or text at 1.540.632.1759.

US Office

Timber Creek Estate

333 Hedgelawn Ave

Roanoke, VA 24019

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