Managing Your Business God’s Way - Part 5

Healthy Versus Unhealthy Businesses

Growing a business is one thing but growing a healthy business is another.

First, you have to look at what an unhealthy business looks like.

1. You lack impact - your business is just a business or a hobby
2. You lack growth - McDonald's owners do not flip burgers but they know how
3. You can't help others - your time is so invested in keeping your business afloat that you cannot spend anytime in helping others
4. You wonder if - if you will have enough money to make it to the next paycheck, if you can pay any employees, if you can pay the bills, if you can just make the next sale...
5. You are not profiting - the IRS is wondering if you are failing on purpose just for a tax break

So, I stretched the last one a bit but if you are in this situation then you know what I mean.

Growing a healthy business means you have to become determined and focused. It has to become a real business and not a means of support. It must also begin to profit.

Here is the shocker - there is not any set-in-stone, magic formula for success!

There are many models for success (especially for those on the internet). There are also plenty of gurus who make money from the money we spend on their great ideas (and the money they really hope to make from getting you to become a client).

So let's get back to determination. Why are you in business? Why do you want a business? For me as a Christian, I started a business as a means of influencing others, to support my family, and to take the burden off of the church that paid me a salary.  So rule #1 in growing a healthy business becomes staying focused on what matters.

I failed in my first pastoral ministry. I had worked hard to grow a small church in a small town. I look back now and see how close I was to success. I had unfortunately lost focus and tired myself out. I was out of gas and everyone knew it. I waited too long to get back on focus. I was good at flowing with the latest trends without considering if these trends even fit my situation.

It is painful to admit when we fail or when we may have gotten off track, but by admitting it, we can begin to point ourselves in the right direction again. Only through focus do we begin to make an impact.

A second rule is to become as informed as possible about your business. When I mentioned above that McDonald's owners do not flip burgers but they know how, I meant it. They know how their business operates and make sure the right people are functioning in the right positions. They know how the cash flows and make adjustments to then needs of the business. They also educate themselves through peer interaction and reading.

Educating yourself about your business will help you make informed decisions. Many failures in internet marketing comes from of a lack of knowledge and an inability to educate oneself.

I did not know a lot about html but I know enough now to be able to analyze page sources in order to figure out how a certain page functions or is malfunctioning. I know more about organization than I have ever known. I understand filing taxes and good financial management.

All of this comes from reading and getting involved with various forums and others that have made good business decisions with good business practices.

Rule #3 is not to become consumed with business or your performance. When you lose your identity because of business (not id theft, but who you are to those around you), you quickly find yourself sinking.

Staying up late is not going to make you more successful. Take care of your body and you will be able to take care of your business. I just had to throw that in for myself.

Rule# 4 - learn how to create multiple income streams. Wal-Mart became huge by streamlining their business, offering cheap prices, and locating themselves in good locations. They could only do this by moving beyond just household items. They are focused on becoming the one stop shopping place for goods, services, groceries, and even gasoline.

Internet marketers, who succeed, do so through creating multiple streams of income so that if one goes down the others will continue to succeed and keep them going.

Rule#5 - If you keep putting your eggs into a bottomless basket, your eggs will break. In other words, if it is not making money, then you may need to find a new way to profit.

These are not the only rules but they will begin to help you get on the right track.

Business By The Book: Complete Guide of Biblical Principles for the Workplace - Larry Burkett