DISCOVERING THE ENTREPRENEUR IN YOU

I love entrepreneurship: the art of starting and running a business for the purpose of making a profit and creating wealth. I hope more Christians can step out in faith to start their own business as God directs them. God is a creator and I believe that as Christians, we have the creative force that will produce great businesses that honour and glorify God. We must however place our devotion to God at the centre of all that we do and ensure that the business opportunities we explore honour God in all aspects.

Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV) says: “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today”.

Have a Vision and a Plan

Genesis 1:1 says: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters”.

God had a clear picture of what He desired from the start but the first thing he created was light. His ultimate goal was to create man and create an atmosphere for fellowship with man. But God developed a plan which was progressive over the 6 days of creation. The plan ensured that his ultimate goal was realised within a time frame.

If you are going to start or run a business, it is important to define a vision. What do you want to achieve, what kind of company do you want to run? You must also create a progressive plan to get to your vision. It is the reason I recommend developing a business plan because it enables you think about important elements of your business. Strategic thinking can often ensure that you are successful in the end.

Develop a Godly Mindset

Often there are limiting beliefs and ideas that stop Christians from exploring entrepreneurship or indeed the concept of wealth. It is important that we reject some of these beliefs. I will mention a few:

Money is Evil: This often comes from the scripture about the love of money being the root of all evil in 1 Timothy 6:10. Money is a neutral force like technology, the internet and other tools that are constantly being developed to make our life easier. It is the wrong use of money or the obsession with or love for money that is evil. Godly wealth is an important tool for the expansion of the gospel and money can be a great blessing in the hands of Christians to people around us. There are however core principles that will enable us to become effective in affecting those around us positively.

Profit is wrong: Those who promote this refer to Old Testament rules that talk about God being against “usury” the word used in the old testament to signify profit from lending money. God’s major concern was that the lenders were exploiting the poor and that is why he instituted that after a certain period, such debts had to be cancelled. The parable of talents shared by Christ shows that God desires for us to invest and profit from our earnings if it is reasonable and not exploitative.

We must look at wealth from a positive viewpoint and understand that God wants us to be a model of his goodness. Businesses create jobs and work is encouraged in the scriptures, so I believe Christians are in the best place to model Christ in the workplace and in their enterprise ventures.

Be Strategic

Strategy is often the recipe for success. It defines what type of business you want to run and where you will pitch your tent. It elevates you from the plain fields to unique heights. Develop a secret recipe that makes your business stand out and that inspires people to want to do business with you. Be confident of your ability and take pride in your service because people are attracted to that thing that makes your business special, often described as your unique selling point.

Do not be lured into running a business simply because someone else has succeeded in it. Find something that suits you and that compliments your experience, education and skills set. Develop your own unique way of doing things and put your stamp of your idea. If you are a cake designer, create something that your competitors will find difficult to duplicate. Recognise that God has put in you something special that no one else has. Find that advantage for your business and develop a strategy to make people appreciate that difference.

Be Diligent

Proverbs 22:29 (KJV) says: “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men”. Diligence is essential for success. Pay attention to every aspect of your business and commit to excellence in the way you treat your customers and your suppliers. Diligence also means that you refuse to cut corners and you play by the rules. Standing before kings demonstrates that if you run your business well, it will produce honour and recognition that will often fast track you to significance.

Develop a secret recipe that makes your business stand out and that inspires people to want to do business with you

Stay the Course

As an entrepreneur, I will be honest to say that running a business can be extremely challenging, just like any other thing in life. Business success often brings great fulfilment and joy and it is important to stay the course. With a good plan, success will become easier as you go. One of my businesses is a tutoring company that has been running for almost 4 years. This last couple of weeks, without any extra marketing, we have seen a phenomenal rise in enquiries from existing and past tutees. It is becoming a lot easier to market because we have stayed the course. Don’t give up easily, perseverance will pay off if you are delivering a consistently good service. The more people get to know you, the more opportunities and success you have.

Be People Centred

If you are in business, you must make sure that you never take people for granted. Integrity and consistency are important so people can over time trust you to deliver a great service and/or product. Do not take advantage of or exploit people who come to you.

I Corinthians 9:24 (NIV) says: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize”.

In conclusion, remember that you have the spirit of God and all it takes to be outstanding and unique. Invest quality time in improving yourself. If you want to grow a world class company, you must be world class. Your business will never grow bigger that your knowledge and ability. Improve your knowledge, read widely, socialise and network with other successful entrepreneurs. Have a dream that you want to be the best in your sector and work hard to make your business that vision and that dream God has given you. Let God lead you but importantly also step out in faith and trust God for his help.

You will succeed.

Jonah Ulebor