In this series, we’re discussing seven keys to successful business startups. The fifth key to success is to trust God rather than lenders for your funding. If God desires you to start a business, He has the ability to fund it in multiple and creative ways. Assuming that you need to borrow money, before exploring other possibilities, leaves God out ...
In this series we’re discussing seven keys to successful business startups. The fourth key is counting the cost. As a commercial lender, very few budding entrepreneurs came to me with an actual budget for their new business idea. Yet, one of the most common reasons for business failure is being undercapitalized and overextended. Most entrepreneurs are overly optimistic about how ...
In this series, we’re discussing seven keys to successful startups. The third key is to under promise and over deliver. Trust is the backbone of commerce. Many new entrepreneurs undermine trust by not being reliable. For the first meeting with a new client, try showing up early. Then, at that meeting, make a commitment to provide your next step or ...
In this series we’re discussing seven keys to successful startup businesses. The second key to success is deciding how you will set yourself apart from any competition. Years ago, I helped launch a coffeehouse. We could have competed by having better or cheaper coffee, but we set ourselves apart by focusing on building community and being a convenient location for ...
Years ago, Dean purchased his father’s company and took over the day-to-day leadership. Dean shared with me his fears about whether he would be able to lead his father’s company as successfully as his father. He also expressed fear that the wealth he was coming into might tempt him into actions he would later regret. Fortunately, Dean overcame his fear ...
A common fear in business is the fear of rejection. Many people avoid making sales calls out of a fear of rejection. Avoidance seems to be a common approach to addressing possible rejection. Author and speaker, Jia Jiang, however, took a different approach. Jia performed a 100-day rejection experiment where he sought out rejection each day for 100 days. He ...
In the book, Every Good Endeavor, authors Timothy Keller and Katherine Alsdorf paint a picture of work as multi-beneficial. Work allows us to use our God-given talents to serve God, our employers and our customers. We also honor God by doing our work in a way that serves our professions and our communities. Psalm 90:17 says, “May the favor of ...
One of the core values of Unconventional Business Network is to be open to God-sized opportunities. God’s ways, however, often seems unattainable or crazy. For example, Gideon was charged by God to defeat Midian. The only problem was that Midian’s army “was as numerous as locusts.” Gideon had rallied 22,000 men to go to battle, but God wanted the credit ...
This week we’ve discussed Nehemiah’s 5 steps to success. The final step is to “Encourage Commitment and Accountability.” When adversity comes, teams can either fall apart or they can become stronger together. A good leader recognizes this and handles adverse situations accordingly. Nehemiah’s team received multiple death threats and his team members were scared. In Nehemiah 4:14, Nehemiah was at ...
This week we’re examining 5 steps Nehemiah implemented to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. After “Leveraging the Right Leaders” the fourth step Nehemiah took was to “Build Collaborative Teams.” There were 41 sections of the wall around Jerusalem that needed repair. Each team could have focused on their section of the wall, but without collaboration their wall would become an ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
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