Luke 14

Wise Finances – Spend

2026-05-28T13:59:04-05:00June 26th, 2026|Tags: , , |

The financial returns and income generated by our work give us an opportunity to demonstrate gratitude for God’s blessings and partner in God’s work. Scripture offers wisdom for allocating our income through giving, spending, and saving. We can spend to exalt ourselves buying products and services that make us feel worthy. But a scriptural approach to spending calls us to ...

The Impact of Humble Leaders

2026-05-26T11:21:15-05:00June 11th, 2026|Tags: , , |

Harvard Business Review highlighted two studies that point to the importance of humble leaders. One study related to leaders helping their employees return to work after Covid. This study discovered that employees were less likely to consider leaving their employer if their leader was humble – someone who acknowledged personal limitations, was open to learning new things, sought input, and ...

Seven Keys to Successful Startups: Part IV

2025-01-30T19:56:30-06:00February 13th, 2025|Tags: , , |

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 ...

Inflation Lag

2023-03-03T16:22:45-06:00March 20th, 2023|Tags: , , |

Recently, my wife, Kathy, came home frustrated that her hairdresser had increased his price by over 50%! It reminded me of an inflation factor that I think often gets overlooked – the inflation lag.  Large businesses constantly monitor product pricing so they are quick to increase prices. Small business owners, however, do not take increasing prices lightly.   Frequently, their ...

Count the Cost

2023-04-07T17:07:48-05:00October 3rd, 2022|Tags: , , , |

California’s Governor Newsom recently signed a bill that has the potential of forcing business owners, against their will, to increase their employee wages from $15 to $22 per hour!   In addition, this bill will give the commission the right to speak into employee hours and working conditions, without shouldering any of the financial risk that will fall on business ...

Profound Questions

2022-06-29T12:00:26-05:00June 29th, 2022|Tags: , , |

When we host events, we hope to host a large audience and to make a difference in our guest’s lives. Yet, we can get so wrapped up in the event that we lose sight of quantifying our desired results.   That’s when I love hearing someone ask the simple question, “What would success look like?”  The simplest questions are often ...

A Doomed Business Venture

2022-06-15T14:47:19-05:00June 16th, 2022|Tags: , , |

CNN hired 700 people and invested $100 million to launch their CNN+ subscription service. Three weeks later their new leadership terminated CNN+.  It didn’t take a lot of math to realize this venture was likely doomed to fail. CNN’s new leadership made a wise, but difficult decision to take their losses and terminate CNN+.   Many failed ventures linger too ...

Fulfilling Your Promises

2022-04-01T21:32:08-05:00March 30th, 2022|Tags: , , |

During the pandemic, the US Government offered tax credits to help small businesses weather the troubling times. The government, however, seems to have forgotten to plan and fund the additional support the IRS needs to distribute the funds.   Many businesses filed for these credits early in 2021 and have yet to receive any monies.    In business, it’s easy to ...

The Minimum Wage Debate, Part IV

2022-05-09T12:41:35-05:00April 8th, 2021|Tags: , , , |

Even if you agree with the merits of doubling the minimum wage to $15 per hour, in my opinion, the timing of this mandate should be seriously considered. The industry that uses the most minimum wage labor is the leisure and hospitality industry. The most devastated industry by the pandemic is also the leisure and hospitality industry. If we dramatically ...

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