The goal of every business is to make a profit however for those of us that also have a calling to serve God through our business we have a second layer to our goals. The second layer is to share the truth about our Lord with as many as we can within the marketplace.
So how do you do this while also ensuring the business can sustain itself by being profitable? In today’s tip, I will share with you the top three areas of focus for your business.
Clarity
Chaos and confusion can deflect the financial increase from coming into our business over my twenty-year career of working with business leaders having clarity on the purpose and goal for the business is an area that I have seen time and time again as the biggest challenge for those leaders to come to. Why? The challenge exists mainly due to the need, as leaders, to discern our purpose from our passion.
Your purpose may be the very thing that doesn’t bring you the most passion, this is something to be on the lookout for as the longer you strive to do work that you are passionate about the longer it will take you to work in your purpose. When you are working in your purpose clarity will come into the business which can bring innovative ways to create new offerings for your prospective client.
Daily Disciplines
Discipline is a learned skill, even new cadets in the military are put through a series of exercises to build up the discipline muscle. Ask yourself this question. In what areas of my life, as a business leader, do I need to become more disciplined? Here are a few examples to get you started:
- Do I need to wake up earlier in the morning, before my household, and spend quiet time with the Lord?
- How much of my workday is spent on non-incoming producing activities?
- Do I need to start saying no more often or not now to obligations that take me beyond my capacity?
The daily discipline for each leader will be different but none the less it is a muscle that as leaders we need to build up.
Systems & Structures
A business is only as stable as the system and structures that it is built on. The first example we have of systems and structures within an organization is the ministry of Jesus. Each of the disciples had a responsibility and were held accountable for it.
I want you to picture the setting when Jesus feeds the 5,000 (Matthew 14: 13-21).
If the disciples did not already know who is responsible to do what task, then that day would have been a logistical nightmare. However, we know that the Bible tells us there were many baskets of food leftover.
For every business, either if you are just starting out or if you have a team of 50 employees, requires organization and structure or eventually, the business will cease to exist. Here are a few key areas to take a look at within your business to identify if structures need to be implemented or improved upon:
Customer onboarding – When a new customer is acquired what are the first 5 steps that should be taken to fulfill the order? (Important Note: This can be for a physical product or a service).
New business leads – When potential client inquiries about your offer how is that lead identified and what is the process to follow up with the contact?
New team members – How do you monitor, provide feedback, and hold new team members accountable during their first 90 days?
These three focus areas within your business will be ever-evolving and will not be improved overnight. I challenge you to select one of the areas of focus and set a deadline within the next 90 days that you will improve in that area so that your business can be ready to receive the financial increase.
