One of the first steps to improving profits in a Christian-owned business is to ratchet up your Faith. Past discussions highlighted the important role Faith played in the lives of successful Christian businessmen like Milton Hershey and Dale Carnegie. In this brief discussion I'll show you why Faith is more than just part of religious ideology, and it should be an integral part of you, your lifestyle and your business.
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps" (Proverbs 16:9 NIV). We have the promise of God's guidance. We just need to raise our faith to a higher level and seek God's assistance so that we can bear more fruit.
Accidental Discoveries
Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and his brother Will Keith Kellogg were searching for wholesome foods to feed patients, when they accidentally left some boiled wheat sitting out that got stale.
The brothers tried to make the wheat into sheets of dough, but wound up with flakes instead. Undaunted by the setback they toasted the flakes and served them anyway. They soon became a big hit with patients and set the stage for the founding of the Kellogg Cereal company.
Faith is more than just a way that we can please God. It's a biblical principle that can help your business and prevent you from feeling like we're being victimized when accidents or uncontrollable circumstances occur.
Applying of Principles of Faith In Business
Starting a business is one of the easiest steps in the business building process. According to the SBA, 600,000 businesses are started each year in the U.S. By the end of the second year only two-thirds of new businesses survive, and only 44 percent of those manage to hang in there for four years. To avoid being a part of this grim statistics, and get your business to the next level follow these guidelines.
Focus on that which you desire most.
Emulate someone you admire.
Develop and attitude of gratitude.
Recognize that strength grows out of struggle.
Learn or acquire skills that will take you to the next level.
All of these key elements will help you to harness Faith as a business tool.
You still need to gain access to the best marketing and planning tools and techniques available. To position your Christian-owned business, so when the opportunity for success comes your way you can minimize the chances for failures.
The Academics Of Faith
Focus is a biggie. It is what will keep you pushing forward when the going gets tough.
Emulating others means that you should imitate the Faith of successful leaders and not their personalities.
Being thankful for what you have today, is at the foundation of getting to the next level.
Without test there can't be any testimonies. By exercising Faith and patience you can overcome any hurdles.
The knowledge that you have might be good enough to get you started, but learning has to become a life long commitment.
How Christian-owned Businesses Reach New Level
Bill Gates might have been just another computer programmer if he had not kept pushing the envelope to learn what new things could be done using a computer.
Dr. Ben Carson's book "Gifted Hands
" reveals that many of Carson's decisions are rooted in his Faith, with his greatest priority being to use the talents as a brain surgeon that God has given him to help others.It takes getting out of your comfort zone and moving into a place where you can accomplish more to get to the next level.
Things To Do
It's important to write down all the steps you can take to improve your business. Next, you need to outline them and rate them on a scale from 1 to 5. Using 1 as the least effective and 5 being highly effective.
The next step is to begin doing some informal research and testing of each of the things on your list to establish benchmarks, timetables and action plans for implementing them.
Embracing Change
The main key to improving a Christian-owned or any business is by changing what, when, why or how you're performing some of your daily task.
If you're not willing to change or open to implementing new ideas, then you need to assess whether you're comfortable where you are or afraid to reach the next level.