I have a great idea.
I think I’ll start a business.
People really like my stuff.

If you are experiencing some level of business success, it’s most likely because of who you are not because of what you produce. Your customer could easily go to the local grocery store and buy a birthday cake, but they don’t. They buy it from you. Why? I’m not sure exactly why, but I can almost guarantee you that it’s not because they want a birthday cake. 

Do yourself a favor and figure out what your “thing” is early on. If you are smart, driven, resourceful, persistent, willing to sacrifice, and a little lucky; you get to go from solopreneur to entrepreneur. You get to make the transition from me to we.

“We” will not naturally operate at the level of “me”.

“We” has other ideas about how to do things.

“We” might not love your baby.

“We” might  just be here for a paycheck.

Expansion has caused the wheels to fall off many small businesses. During the transition to we, be very careful not to lose the “me” that made the whole thing possible. Guard your “special sauce” as though the life of your business depends on it, because it probably does.

What are the odds that the odds are against you?

Why does “pick yourself up by your bootstraps” work for some folks and not for others?

Why are some people born into poverty and others into opportunity?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

I don’t have the answers, and I’m not so sure I could understand them if I did. What I have is faith, hope, love, and a handful of promises.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Ask, and it shall be given you.
Seek, and ye shall find.
Knock, and it shall be opened to you.
Narrow is the way that leads to life.
Believe on Jesus, and thou shalt be saved.

What are the odds that the odds are against you? 100% But don’t let that stop you; it’s already a statistical improbability that you are reading this. If you beat the odds once, I bet you can do it again. 😉

A hero struggles to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, defeats the adversary, and wins the day. This storyline resonates with all of us but it doesn’t always mirror real life.

What happens when the hero doesn’t overcome the obstacle?
What happens if the adversary never relents?
What happens when there is no win, just another day of struggle?

The wrong answer is “everyone gets a trophy”.

Your eating habits align with your health.

Your media inputs align with your gratitude.

Your relationships align with your happiness.

Your work ethic aligns with your success.

If you find one side of the equation is not what you expected, look at the inputs on the other side. Your results align with your actions.

And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.

Exodus 35:21 KJV

If you pay attention to the pennies, the dollars take care of themselves.

If you pay attention to your actions, your character will take care of itself.

If you pay attention to detail, the outcome will take care of itself.

We make huge errors when we force results without first focusing on the detail.

Detail isn’t just a big deal… it’s the whole deal.

“Act like who you are.”
I can’t count the number of times I’ve said this to my children. Every time they leave my presence I want them to remember to uphold their family name and ultimately remember they are children of GOD.

“Act like who you want to be.”
Be intentional. You first have to act like the person you want to become. You cannot be an owner if you act like an employee. You cannot be a winner if you practice like a loser.

“Your actions have consequences.”
This isn’t a negative statement. It’s a promise. 😉

Your silence shows empathy and respect.
Your silence allows you to listen.
Your silence is a negotiating tool.
Your silence shows compliance.

There are times to speak out and there are times to listen. If you don’t listen first, you will speak as a fool.

There is great wisdom in knowing when to be silent.

If you look around, every successful person or organization has a “way” they do things. 

There’s a pattern to success.
There’s a pattern to consistency.
There’s a pattern to efficiency.

As wonderful as patterns are at yielding consistent results, they can also stifle creativity and build layers of waste into your life and work. If we continually look for ways to improve and make incremental changes toward perfection, everyone wins!

There is a perfect pattern for everything, all we have to do is find it. 🙂

And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

Exodus 25:40 KJV

There is a difference between giving and investing, but we often confuse the two. That’s why we’re disappointed to hear our gift was used for alcohol instead of food for the family. That’s also why we’re cynical about politicians receiving gifts from donors and lobbyists.

Corruption results from calling an investment a gift. (This is a lie.)

Disappointment is the result of thinking a gift is an investment. (This is foolish.)

When our minds, our money, and our hearts are in the right place we can truly give with “no strings attached”.

And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

Exodus 23:8 KJV

If you want to know who a person really is, pay attention to how they treat the people they don’t need.

Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 22:21 KJV