Roadside stand

His definition of prosperity is particularly helpful. “Prosperity is simply the condition of being successful or thriving,” he writes. “You can be prosperous without money — and in fact, some of the most prosperous people are those with moderate incomes, but healthy families, healthy bodies, and strong relationships with God.”

Soar draws on Old Testament scriptures and the innovative experiments of flight pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright to suggest pathways to get businesses launched, keeping them airborne, and flying to new heights.

Female entrepreneurs are enjoying a strong updraft, he noted. Women now run more than 9 million firms in the U.S., 30 per cent of the total. He cites an American Express study stating that the number of female-owned businesses grew by 74 per cent between 1997 and 2015, 1.5 times the national average.

African-American women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the US. The number of businesses owned by black females grew by 332 per cent over the 18 years of the AMEX study.

Jakes makes a compelling case for finding help wherever you can get it, finding “crew members” of supporters, advisers and mentors to assist at various stages.

He also advocates for managing stress by recognizing your limits. “Being stressed is not just about burnout and depleted energy levels,” he writes. “The real source of the stress is the increased weight added by new roles and responsibilities as well as unexpected conflicts and complications. Stress is about lacking the structural support for the weight you are carrying.”

Being a good detective is also an important skill for those who aspire to entrepreneurial greatness, he writes. “It’s how you integrate and assimilate the knowledge gleaned from your research and how you use it to influence your own designs that make the difference.”

Many famous businesses started by accident, he notes. Coca Cola began when a pharmacy assistant spilled soda water into a glass his boss was using to create a headache cure. Play Doh, Silly Putty and Viagra were all unintended consequences of other efforts.

A desire to make money can’t be the primary motivation for launching a new venture or it will limit how high the business can fly, Jakes says. A start-up “must be tempered by a clear vision of what you want to accomplish and the sheer passion for whatever field, industry cause or product you hope to bring to the rest of the world.”

All new efforts should also be studied through the effort-to-impact (E2I) ratio, he argues. “Misplaced priorities can cause your E2I ratio to be as powerless as an impotent swing at the monster in your dreams.”

Whatever the business plan, Jakes cautions against actions that don’t incorporate faith.

“If we put together a Hall of Fame for great entrepreneurs, I guarantee that entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, George Washington Carver, Shonda Rhimes, Wilbur and Orville Wright, Mary Kay Ash, Thomas Edison, and Tyler Perry could each attest to the role that faith played in their ascent.”

Both books are easy and entertaining reads. Surprisingly, it is Jakes, the professional pastor, who delivers the greatest amount of widely applicable advice on entrepreneurship. ◆

“Prosperity is simply the condition of being successful or thriving.”

In the face of conflict, will you be an agent of change?

The M,aslel' of Pca .ce o:!ld Comlict stud'es

(MPACS) isa. vibrnnt, interdiscipliruuy

J)togl'ilffl 'that ,"ltlpOW('f'S 54.Udcllb' rith skills and knowledge to corrlribute to nonviolent peacebuilding, Combining rigorous interdiisl'ip]inary scllollamhlp wilh prncti.cal application, the MPACS progam provides students wilh tools lo understand oonllie and ronlribute to pcnceful tmnsfmmation. Be part of a uniq_ue oommunityfooused lenmlng envirpnment at Grubel, while beneliting from the reputalioo and rt..."5Qurces ohhc Univm'Sity ofWotcrloo, onr· of CWlada's p · ·micr u.niwrsities .

tpl byFd:iruary 1

, , .. , UNIVERSITY 0 1' WATERLOO , uwaterJoo.ca/rnpaGS --.,-Conrad Grebe) Univ, rslty College