Recently, my wife and I shared the miracle of bringing our first born child into the world.  The experience of pregnancy was waaaay more work for my wife than me, but it still left a lasting impact on my life and my perspective on faith.  As soon-to-be parents, we had an overwhelming excitement for the little girl on the way.  We painted her room, bought clothes, and filled our home with all of the necessary tools for taking care of an infant.  We prepared!.. and when we felt we had done all we could to prepare, we waited… and waited… and waited… until our baby girl arrived.

Having faith in God’s plan for your business and your life requires the same two key components….  Preparation and Patience! 

PREPARATION

James 2:17 – KJV – Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

While we waited patiently for the baby to arrive, we prepared and created an environment for our daughter to thrive and grow successfully.  We must actively work towards the goals we have for our businesses as well.  You can not expect God to make your business global, if you are only prepared to accept local clients.  There are so many champions of faith in the Bible that knew the first act of faith was preparation … Noah … David … Ruth… the list goes on and on… While you wait for your chance…work and prepare! 

PATIENCE

Hebrews 11:1 – KJV – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

While we may not see immediate evidence with our natural senses, we must be patient in knowing that we serve a God that always moves in the perfect timing for our lives.  If God has said “it”, He will do “it”.  The plans that God has for us may not come with an ever expanding belly and a sonogram machine to watch the progress, but we must still have confidence in knowing that God is working on our behalf.  With pregnancy, the baby is in a gestational period for 40 weeks, and it is ideal that the baby does not come sooner or later than that.  If a baby comes too soon, or too late, it can be detrimental to the fetus! When God has something new for you, it may take time to cultivate and develop, before He can give it to you.  But when He does bless you, it will be on time, and it will be greater than you would have ever imagined!

Are you in a waiting period now? What are ways you are keeping your hands to the plow to make sure you are prepared?

Faith = Patience + Preparation … Have you done the Math?!?! is a post from: More Than A Company (Inside Christian Business)

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Last weekend, I listened to a powerful message that Dr. Samuel Chand shared a few years ago on the topic of making decisions. He theorized that if we were led more by our vision than our current budget, we would be more likely to reach our goals.  While Dr. Chand’s thoughts were directed towards church planning, they made me ponder how this relates to our businesses and the way we prioritize short term development plans.  Based on his teaching, I have summarized a few questions to consider in the prioritization process. 

Question 1: Does this idea line up with the vision I have for my business?
While it may seem like a simple question, we can often be sidetracked from our strategic vision by the promise of fast cash or noteriety.  If the idea is not in line with your long term vision, you are only going to take yourself off track.  The fastest direction from point A to point B is straight… don’t take a detour!

Habakkuk 2:2 ..Write the vision And make it plain… 

Question 2: Do you feel passionate about this idea?
If your heart is not into it, then don’t put your money into it either.  You will lose interest and ultimately lose money that could be spent on an idea you actually care about.

Question 3: Does this idea maintain proper ethical and christian standards?
At all times, we have to hold up a proper standard.  If we aren’t doing that, then we are setting ourselves up for failure.   God will always reward His people for holding up a righteous standard.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

If you answered “No” to any of these questions, you should not give this project the “Greenlight”. 

These questions are the main ones that came to mind for me… What other questions do you consider when considering fresh ideas for your business?

Scrap that Idea!…When to Greenlight your next Project is a post from: More Than A Company (Inside Christian Business)

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Social networking has revolutionized the way we market our business and connect with clients.  Using LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook has allowed businesses to acquire a tremendous amount of social capital that they may not have otherwise acquired.  Now social networking is moving beyond social capital to the generation of financial capital.  These avenues are called Peer to Peer lending sites, or social lending networks.

Web sites like www.Prosper.com, www.Zopa.com and www.LendingClub.com allow borrowers to connect with numerous potential lenders directly, and eliminate the “middle man”.  In 2005, there were $118 million of outstanding peer-to-peer loans. In 2006, there were $269 million, and, in 2007, a total of $647 million. The projected amount for 2010 is $5.8 billion (Market Watch).

HOW DOES IT WORK?

1. Borrowers can post a business or project for which they need financing
2. Lenders review all projects and can choose to invest based on their own personal assessment of the terms of the loan and the credibility of the borrower.
3. Once a borrower begins receiving capital from investors, they will begin making payments back through the website at the agreed upon interest rate and timeline.

BENEFITS

• Eliminates the “middle man” and you can correspond with investors directly
• Projects can have multiple investors
• Provides an additional source of capital to get your business going
• No pre-payment penalties
• Investors are not entitled to ownership of your business

ITEMS TO KEEP IN MIND

• Before lending, be sure that the borrower appears to be credible and capable of paying the terms of the loan
• Before borrowing, ensure that the loan rates and payment timelines are conducive to your current financial capability and you can pay it back.  The bible says that the wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives. (Proverbs 37:21)
• Pray that God would give you wisdom to make the right decision (James 1:5)

If you are looking for additional capital for your business, it may be time to connect to this other dimension in the social networking space. Who knows… You may find the start up money you have been waiting for.

If you decide to lend or borrow through one of these peer-to-peer lending sites, or already have, please share your experience with us!  Are they useful? Are there additional biblical principles to consider?

$ocial Networking your way to Venture Capital is a post from: More Than A Company (Inside Christian Business)

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A few weeks ago, despite my best efforts to weed and feed and keep it perfectly manicured, my lawn was a bit out of control. I was certain the HOA would send me a letter. So off I go to rectify the situation in the front of my house. After about 45 minutes into my labor, I find a business card tucked away on the side of the house, in the high grass/weeds. I am almost certain that it wasn’t placed there deliberately, but perhaps it was blown by the wind until it could travel no further.

As I read the card, I began to laugh to myself. It listed the following services: Trim Bushes, Mulch
Grass Planting, Yard Fertilization, Hauling & Cleanups, Mowing, Sprinkler Systems, Edging, Tree Trimiming
Flower Bed Maintenance. You might ask why did you laugh? Well you see, of all the services listed I could place a check next to it, to indicate I had it covered. Except for the Weeds, which was ironically what the card got caught in.

So it got me thinking, about customers with nicely manicured lawns vs. my weed infested lawn. This landscape company didn’t list what I needed, so I assumed they would simply cut the weeds along with the grass, and not treat the greater issue. Is that how you treat customers that have a less than favorable attitude, when they come in contact with your company? You know, mow down the issue, and get it taken care of as quickly as possible, and out of your face.

As a business owner with the mindset that you exist to be more than just a company. You may need to shift your thinking about how we relate to difficult customers or clients. Remembering that Jesus’ was the greatest of servants, who died to meet our greatest need. We all have weeds that attempt to overtake our spiritual lawns. Some lawns need more work than others, for various reasons. As a business owner striving to meet peoples spiritual needs as well as the needs that our service provides, we have to be mindful, that we serve a God who chooses to work through human interaction. Wouldn’t it be awesome, if they met Jesus while you were serving them? Decide in your mind today, that you will allow God to use your company, to shape someone’s view of Him.

Here are some tips that may help when dealing with an angry customer.

• Pray! More specifically, pray for an ability to remain calm, under the attack.
• Ask yourself, does God desire to intervene in the middle of this customers bad experience.
• Think to yourself, “Are the weapons of our warfare seen in the natural, or are there spiritual ramifications here”.
• Listen to the complaints with an open mind.
• Don’t take it personal. (As hard as this might be, try to separate yourself from the business. Remembering it’s not who you are, but what you do.)

Let us know some ways that you have dealt with difficult customers or clients. What are some tips you can provide for others who strive to be more than a company?

Ministering to Difficult Customers is a post from: More Than A Company (Inside Christian Business)

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The summer movie season is upon us, and with that has come a summer packed with superhero blockbusters.  I thoroughly enjoy watching these extraordinary beings rescue the lost and save the planet from eminent destruction!  Who knew there were so many criminal masterminds out there with diabolical schemes capable of stopping mankind from continuing in our typical and mundane daily existence?!?!

With the excitement of watching these movies, I always wonder what it may be like to finish paperwork faster than a speeding bullet, or simply fly over the rush hour traffic to my office each morning.  As much as I daydream of the possibilities, they are not my reality.  I do, however, have a supernatural God that I serve.  He may not have provided me with Green Lantern’s ring, but He has given me a plethora of spiritual gifts to help me along my way.  When I am not sure what decision is right for my life or my business, I can rely on discernment and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  When it seems like my progress in career and business developments are slow, I can tap into the Fruits of the Spirit and activate Patience and Long Suffering (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV).  When I see a client struggling, I can use my prophetic voice to edify and uplift them (1 Corinthians 14:3-4 KJV).  God’s gifts are truly boundless.

These gifts are not simply limited to a select few people (1 Corinthians 12 NIV).  These gifts were given to us when we accepted His greatest gift, which is His supernatural capability of forgiving us in spite of our transgressions.

Today is a day for you to tap into the supernatural power of our God.  Let the God who parted the Red Sea and turned water into wine do something supernatural in your life, your career, and your business.  With Jesus Christ on your side, not even a weapon formed by Lex Luthor stands a chance (Isaiah 54:17 KJV)!

Are you Waiting for Superman? is a post from: More Than A Company (Inside Christian Business)

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A Dream Deferred – Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

There have been times in my life when I have wanted to give up on my pursuit of Gods plans for my life.  My goals cast to the side, dreams deferred, and ambitions reserved for later.  Whether it is God’s plan for my personal life or professional career and business, there have been moments where I pause to consider the act of continuing down the path He has laid out for me.  Sometimes the path feels too complicated, sometimes too long, sometimes the next turn in the journey of life came too soon. Regardless of the reason, there are these moments where doubt and confusion step in and try to steal my destiny.

I have learned to fight these feelings, pray through the moment and press forward.  I choose not to let the dream die, but rather, review the plan, remember the past success and press into the future.

REVIEW
When you have moments of doubt, take out your business plan and review it.  Let the words sink down into your mind again.  Let God bring everything back to your remembrance (John 14:26 KJV), so you can look through the steps in your plan and find your place in the process.  Consider the business plan a written reminder of the future.

REMEMBER
Don’t forget what you have done to get to where you are now.  A journey has multiple destinations and we can not solely ignite the fire of ambition by looking at the future.  It is also important to take a look at the past and remind ourselves of the successful moves we have made thus far.  God has been with us the entire way, and like Moses, he has made a way for us through our wilderness moments (Deut 8:2 KJV).

PRESS
The Bible says that we should PRESS towards the mark for the high calling in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:14 KJV).  I think that passage applies to all aspects of our lives.  It does not say walk to the mark, the Bible says press.  This gives me the impression that we have to work to reach our goals.  There may be obstacles and walls along the way, but if we press forward, we will reach the final destination.

Keep dreaming, and don’t let your dreams dry up like a raisin in the sun or explode!… God has much better plans for those dreams.

A Dream Deferred… is a post from: More Than A Company (Inside Christian Business)

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Creating a strategic alliance through joint ventures or partnerships, can be a rewarding undertaking. Alliances can be formed for various reasons including, breaking into new markets, reducing costs, enhancing product offerings & services, access to technology or manufacturing processes, diversity, and increased capital. The preceding list is in no way exhaustive, but I hope it outlines just a few reasons to consider entering a Business to Business relationship. As a christian business owner there are also spiritual implication associated with creating a strategic alliance, that have far reaching ramifications. Today I want to share a few tips to navigating the world of business partnerships, that will give you confidence in finding out if an alliance is right for your business.

Two are better than One

⁹ Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

When it comes to labor, two heads are definitely better than one. For obvious reasons such as having more hands on deck, and an ability to divide responsibility. Verse 10 however, gives us a less obvious reason for partnerships. If one were to fall, there is a friend to help them back to their feet, for the purpose of keeping on. In a strategic partnership, encouraging one another to accomplish the goal at hand is definitely a plus.

Selecting the correct partner
Measure with the same scales
In my many business ventures, I have experienced many partners, and I can tell you that a good business relationship makes the world of difference. The foundational piece to creating a strong and successful alliance is of course picking the right partner. If you are planning on remaining more than a company, rule #1 to selecting a strategic partner is finding a person or organization that aligns themselves with your business’ code of conduct. (Which I pray is Biblical, or perhaps you are on the wrong site.) 2 Corinthians 6:14. “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?” If you ignore this advice you may find yourself in a position that could cause you to compromise what you believe.

Also, remember the Bible speaks of a good reputation being better than material wealth. Proverbs 22:1 . So choose a partner wisely.

Let’s Deal
Once you have decided on a business relationship it is equally as important to document the relationship. “…Write the vision and make it plain… that he may run that reads it”. Habakkuk 2:2. Getting it in writing builds the lines of communication in such a way that both parties, know what is expected of them in the relationship. In writing the vision be sure that you discuss the roles each side will play, goals and expectations that need to be met, boundaries (Make it very clear, what is being shared, and what’s off limits), and methods of operation. Before you move forward get total buy in, so that he may run that reads it. If you don’t have a written agreement, then you don’t have an agreement at all.

Work it out
Discuss how decisions will be made, and conflict resolution. Unity doesn’t mean that you will agree on all points, but it does mean that we decide lay aside being right or wrong for the greater vision. God commands a blessing in unity. Psalm 133:1-3

Exit Strategy
Relationships don’t always work out. Even though two parties may have the same goal in mind, disagreements in the execution sometimes cause them to part ways. (Acts 15:36-41) Barnabas and Paul couldn’t agree on personnel, and ended up parting ways after a strong start in ministry together.

Prepare for the worst and hope and pray for the best. In the agreement, be sure to allow for an escape clause. The escape clause should include scenarios that would cause the alliance to no longer be beneficial, for both parties. Remember there is no need to sour relationships over business endeavors. Be sure to leave on good terms. We are the Body of Christ, and called to a higher standard of living.

Your Thoughts
Strategic partnerships are just another part of doing business. I pray that you found this post helpful in thinking of ways to utilize others in the Body of Christ, who may have gifts and talents that you don’t possess, to mutually build business for one another. Please feel free to leave comments on how you have leveraged alliances with fellow believers.

Building Strategic Partnerships is a post from: More Than A Company (Inside Christian Business)

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Okay, so you have a Twitter account, a Facebook account, and a LinkedIn profile. You are considering Foursquare, you dabble with Google Buzz, you still check your MySpace account every few months, and you just activated your Ping account. That is not an internet addiction, it’s actually pretty normal these days. There are, of course, numerous benefits to the increased number of communications channels, but with this gain, there is also a decrease in the amount of time saved for other equally, if not more, important pursuits. Honestly, who has the time to login to multiple website, remember numerous passwords and track various streams and channels of information? I know I don’t, but with HootSuite, I can give the impression that I do.

HootSuite is a social media dashboard that allows for easy access and management of your social networking empire. Since, signing up for HootSuite, I have saved soooo much time in my day and I am able to really take a more focused approach in building a social media strategy. HootSuite allows you to connect all of your social media accounts in one place and interact across all of them at once.

Easy management of multiple social network accounts
Currently, I manage 6 twitter accounts, 3 Facebook pages, 2 LinkedIn pages, and a few other social network accounts. With HootSuite, I have been able to effectively track and post to all of these accounts from one central location. The HootSuite interface has made it pretty easy to see responses and direct messages to each of my accounts from one web based interface. I can tweet the same message from more than one account with a singular entry, I can create various tabs for each of my social circles, and I can see updates from all networks in one view. HootSuite allows you to have 5 social networks connected for free. If you would like more, you can upgrade for a monthly fee.

Schedule your posts in advance
While I prefer to send tweets and other status updates “real-time”, I also realize that there is a benefit to being able to schedule planned tweets in advance. If you know you have a new blog entry launching tomorrow, you don’t actually have to wait until tomorrow to tweet about it. With HootSuite, you can schedule a tweet the day before and indicate the exact time you want it sent. The same applies to status updates on your other networks as well.

Access from anywhere
HootSuite is completely web based and therefore allows for immediate access anywhere. There are no download requirements or software needs outside of a standard web browser. This is a huge benefit over other social media dashboards like TweetDeck.

Statistics on the effectiveness of my social network strategy
HootSuite has now added a great analytics tool you can use to create customized reporting on the impact of your social network strategy. This feature is limited to users with a monthly membership, but the HootSuite analytics can be a nice addition to your Google Analytics, and can even integrate Google analytics data into your customized reports.

Affordable
HootSuite is very affordable, and to me, this is the best feature. If you are managing 5 networks or less, it is completely free. You only pay a monthly rate if you would like to link more than 5 networks, or if you would like to use more advances services.

Mobile Application
The HootSuite Mobile application allows for a lot of the same benefits you get from the primary HootSuite interface. The best thing about the Mobile application is that it allows for scheduled tweets as well. If you are on the go, you don’t have to remember to tweet something later, you can tweet now and schedule it in advance.

Overall, I find the tool really helpful, and I think you will too. If you try it, let us know, as we would love to hear your thoughts! And if you have feedback on other tools we should be considering, we would like to hear that as well.

Building an effective Social Networking Strategy?..Get HootSuite is a post from: More Than A Company (Inside Christian Business)

Related posts:

1. $ocial Networking your way to Venture Capital
2. Building Strategic Partnerships
3. Top 10 iPhone and Android Applications for Christian Entrepreneurs

When assessing a business process and considering ways to optimize your time, it is always important to consider if your day to day steps are strategically designed to achieve the end goal as quickly, affordably, and efficiently as possible. As busy entrepreneurs, time is precious!

We must be able to

• Objectively look at the process
• Proactively document the steps we take for further analysis
• Determine if the steps are strategic, tactical, or redundant
• Eliminate the redundant steps and make the tactical steps strategic

Today, I would like to give you three tips for moving your tactical steps to strategic processes

Brainstorm new ideas: Review each tactical step and brainstorm new strategic methods for replacing the existing temporary tactical workflows. The Bible says that God would give you witty inventions, so pray for some great ideas! (Prov 8:12)

1. Review each step individually and examine how they can be changed and modified.
2. Don’t limit your ideas! With God, all things are possible.
3. Research methods being used by other people in your industry.
4. Come up with more than one idea, so that you can compare and contrast them against each other.

*Check out mindtools.com for some ideas to help you kick start your brainstorming session

Pick your Battles: Prioritize each new strategic plan and assess a cost to benefit ratio. Trust God for direction on which steps to take, and He will guide you in the right direction (Prov 3:5-6)

1. If the strategic fix has a marginal improvement on available time and capacity saved, then it should be low priority. If you are only going to save 2 minutes in your entire day, this fix may not be as valuable.
2. If the change implemented has the ability to drastically improve the timeline of a workflow and scale your business accordingly, this change should be high priority.
3. If a strategic change will be too expensive to implement in the short term, create a plan for saving the appropriate amount of money to achieve the change.

Get a Second Opinion: Don’t be too prideful to ask for help (Prov 11:2)

1. Before officially implementing your change and spending money on a strategic fix, get a second opinion. Getting feedback from a third party is helpful in uncovering any unforeseen issues.
2. It can also help to do a test run of the process with your staff/colleagues to get feedback on the process and open it up for further ideas and brainstorming.

I hope you enjoy this process, as it will help you to think about the possibilities that are available to you. The Bible says that you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you (Phil 4:13), and I hope this post was a helpful set of tips to get the ball rolling. It may be time for a new process and I look forward to joining you as you step into it.

Time is Precious… Don’t Waste It On Process Inefficiencies is a post from: More Than A Company (Inside Christian Business)

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In life, as in business, there is often a list of steps we take each day to produce the desired results we want from our businesses, careers, lives, homes, etc. I have found that in some cases, we repeat the same steps on a regular basis, and we can at times fall into a rut of repetition. In today’s post, I would like to walk you through some basic methods you can use to assess the steps in your business and your life, and confirm they are in fact worth the effort.

To start improving a workflow, it will help if you have fully documented all steps associated with that process. Once you have documented the steps, you can examine each step and break it down into the categories of Strategic, Tactical, or Redundant.

• Strategic - The most efficient method to accomplishing a given component in a workflow
• Tactical – Temporary process for completing a given task that is not optimal and can be improved
• Redundant – A step in a workflow that has already been addressed by a prior step in the process

Cleaning up your workflow
Once you have categorized your workflow into three categories of steps, you can now begin streamlining your daily process.

1. Start by eliminating all items marked as Redundant from your daily regimen. Items that are redundant already being accomplished some where else in your steps, and you can eliminate the need to re-process this step.
2. After taking the Redundant steps out of your daily process, confirm that you are only left with items that are Strategic and items that are Tactical fixes you needed for getting your work done.
3. The Strategic fixes are fine and will not need any further discussion. You can continue to follow these steps on a regular basis.
4. The Tactical processes/fixes will need to be reviewed and converted to more Strategic methods. Moving items from Tactical to Strategic can take time and will require some serious brainstorming and has potential financial impact as well! While it can be involved, it is worth the effort and the future time savings.

Once you have these steps complete, you may find that your entire process needs to be reestablished. If this is the case, dont be discouraged. Sometimes it takes an entire renovation to get the impact you are looking for. When God decided to reestablish the process of forgiveness, He could have just simplified 1 or 2 of the steps in Leviticus 16, but instead, He redesigned everything to our benefit and started with something NEW…His Son, Jesus Christ! Keep this in mind and dont be discouraged. Sometimes, the answer is not in editing 1 or 2 components of an old process, but instead, it is in stepping into something completely new.

Isaiah 43:18-19 ~ Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth…

Having said that… if you decide to continue working on editing the existing process, check back tomorrow as we go through the best way to convert tactical fixes to strategic implementation! Otherwise, if you decided to start something new, let us know how it goes, and document the process!

Strategic, Tactical, or TRASH! is a post from: More Than A Company (Inside Christian Business)

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