The Christian Entrepreneur » christian home based business

Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (3 of 3)

Brad Harmon — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:00:37 +0000

Ever feel like when you are at work that you should be spending more time with your family, but when you are with your family you start thinking that you should really be out working for your family?

It’s that classic paradox between being too busy making a living to be able to spend the time enjoying that living.

Have you ever lifted up your head at the end of the day, the week, the month, the year and ask “How did I get here?” Does it seem that you are always too busy? Ever feel like there just isn’t enough time in the day? Listen to what Zig has to say on this topic.

Zig Ziglar: Setting Goals (part 2 of 3)

The Featured Video this week is from one of my favorite motivational speakers – Zig Ziglar. It is an excerpt from his course on setting goals, and it is the last video in a three part series. The video series is a little dated, but don’t let that fool you – the advice Zig provides is timeless.

Selected Highlights from the Video

Listed below are some of the quotes and other information from the video that I found helpful. I hope you find them helpful too.

I Don’t Ever Have Time to do Anything!

You see the basic problem is that most people when they’re working on their job start thinking, “You know, I really ought to be spending time at home with my family”. And then when they’re at home with their family they start thinking, “I really ought to be out there working for my family.” – Zig Ziglar

You see the basic problem is not lack of time. It’s lack of direction. We all have the same amount of time whether we are a millionaire or a pauper. – Zig Ziglar

What Goals Can Do For You

Goals chase the blues away.
Goals create activity which creates excitement.

Zig points out that “Logic will not change an emotion, but action will.” How many times have you thought your way out of a bad mood? Isn’t it doing something that changes our frame of mind?

College Dream Experiment

In the experiment, they hooked students up to monitors where computers recorded their brain waves. The students went to sleep, but when the computer recorded that they were in a dream state the students were awakened.

Then they were allowed to go back to sleep, but the same process was repeated throughout the night. The students received a normal amount of sleep, but were not allowed to dream. Here are the results:

After Night #1 – Many students felt nervous and fidgety.
After Night #2 – Students felt irratable, short, and cross.
After Night #3 – Experiment aborted due to concerns for student’s mental health.

Twenty-four hours later, most students had returned to normal. Within a week, all the students had returned to normal.

Conclusion: When you are asleep, you need your dreams. And Zig adds…

“I’m here to tell you that when you’re wide awake you also need your dreams. You nust have your goals. You’ll never make it as a wandering generality. You must become a meaningful specific.”

Are You a Processionary Caterpillar?

Processionary caterpillars received their name because they follow their leader in a procession. Jean Henri Fabre wondered what would happen if he lined them up on the rim of a flower pot without any gaps between them.

The caterpillars kept moving in a progression around the rim of the flower pot for several days without stop. He put pine needles (their favorite food) in the center of the flower pot, but the caterpillars kept marching around the rim of the flower pot.

Seven days later some of the caterpillars died of starvation, which broke the circle creating a leader that led them to the food.

They confused activity with accomplishment. You’ve got some friends that are in this same shape. They’re busy, busy, beeing all the time. They’re going, going, going, going … and they’re here and they’re there or they’re somewhere else. But they never really accomplish anything because they don’t have those specific, clearly identifiable objectives. You’ve got to have those goals. – Zig Ziglar

Missed part of the series? Find the prior videos here:

Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (1 of 3)

Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (2 of 3)

Will Christian Entrepreneurs Be Able to Squeeze Through?

Brad Harmon — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:12:42 +0000

Should Christian entrepreneurs be concerned with making a profit and generating wealth?

That’s the question we left unanswered in Christian Entrepreneurs: I Said Prophets, Not Profits! – GOD.

In that post, the “big guns” were brought out; those passages in the Bible that appear to be the most negative on this subject.

If you are still standing – that’s good. Hopefully, that means that you understand and appreciate the warnings in those passages and still have a desire in your heart to be an entrepreneur. Okay, but why? Why are you willing to risk it all?

It’s a Tight Squeeze Christian Entrepreneur

Do you really understand what is at risk? Christ illustrates the dangers of wealth in this passage.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” – Matthew 19:23-24 (NIV)

Now that’s a tight squeeze! I would hate to be that camel! So is this it? Become wealthy and you can’t enter heaven? Notice that Christ did not say it was impossible, but that it is hard.

A Needle By Another Name?

This is why some believe that the needle He was referring to was a night entrance gate into the city called “the needle.” It was much smaller than the normal gates and a camel would need to be unburdened of its load to fit through this gate.

Imagine it. Your caravan pulls up to the city during the night after a long journey and the main gates are closed. If you want to enter you will have to unload your camels, lead the camels through the gate, unpack the cargo, carry the cargo through the gate, repack the cargo, and then reload the camels.

This could easily take hours, and by then it would be daylight and the main gates would be open. Rather than enter in at the small gate, wouldn’t you just camp outside and wait?

Critics point out that there is no evidence for the smaller gate being called “the needle,” and that the disciples would not have reacted surprised had it simply been a gate nor would Christ have said that “with men this is impossible.”

Christian Entrepreneurs Must Be Willing to Lose It All

Backing up just a little, Christ had been talking with a rich young man answering his question on what he needed to do to gain eternal life. Interestingly, Christ did not refute the man’s claim that he had kept all the commandments, but He went straight to the heart of the matter.

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” – Matthew 19:21 (NIV)

Sadly, the young man turned and walked away. Why, “Because he had great wealth.” He had laid up his treasure here on earth along with his heart. He was not willing to unburden his camel so that it could fit through the small gate and he could enter in.

Perhaps, it is this “perfect” young man turning away that caused the disciples’ reaction. Christ did not say that the rich man entering the kingdom of God was impossible for man, but that salvation is impossible for man to earn. It is through God that all things are possible – especially salvation.

Christian Entrepreneurs Receive a Higher ROI

Peter asked Christ, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Christ told him that he “will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” Wow, what a return!

God never asks you to give up something that He is not willing to pay back to you many times over. We must be willing to make that investment though when He calls for it.

The distinction of being a Christian entrepreneur is that we accept our roles as mere stewards of what God has put us over, and because of this, we act in accordance with His will as we operate our business.

Being a Christian Entrepreneur is a Calling

Paul taught us that we are all members of one body. It makes sense, therefore, that part of this body is comprised of Christian business men and women who generate wealth that is used for His purposes.

The Bible is filled with Christian entrepreneurs who used their wealth for God. They are instrumental in God’s plans and yet their roles in fulfilling His will are all too often glossed over while their faults are highlighted like front page news.

Where would they have put Christ’s body if it weren’t for a wealthy merchant named Joseph? Where would the church at Philippi be with Lydia, the seller of purple? Where would Christ have had the last supper had it not been for the unnamed man who lent his home and prepared the dinner?

In fact, I challenge you to list both the poor and the rich in the Bible and see how many more wealthy people there are on your list and what their contributions were.

The Few, the Proud, the Christian Entrepreneurs

This calling is not for everyone. It is more than just having good intentions. It is more than just tithing or helping the poor.

It takes special people to be able to risk walking down the road to wealth without succumbing to it. To have at your disposal resources that could bless you or bless someone else and be able to discern their appropriate use.

So my answer is yes, Christian entrepreneurs should be concerned with making profits and generating wealth if that is their calling. But first, and always first, they must seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness knowing that:

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48b (NIV)

Did you miss the first part of this post?

You can read it at

Christian Entrepreneurs: I Said Prophets, Not Profits! – GOD

Brad Harmon — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:00:21 +0000

Have you seen those billboards with one line messages from God?

Whenever we return home from my wife’s parents house we pass by a couple of these billboards. It is a very clever marketing campaign.

At first you chuckle, but then a sense of guilt begins to creep in. As a Christian entrepreneur, I have had my fair share of guilty feelings as I slid an invoice across the table to a client.

It is something that we, as small business owners, have a tendency to dread regardless of our faith. For the Christian though, there is an added dimension of whether we should even be making a profit.

With the rise of mega-churches preaching a prosperity gospel while selling everything from Bibles to Starbucks coffee in their lobbies, this issue is causing some Christians to wonder whether we have stepped over the line.

Whatever happened to “blessed are the poor” they ask? Christ taught us to pray that God would give us our daily bread, so how is it that we can ask Him to make us wealthy?

Making a Profit – The Root of All Evil?

Well, let’s look at what the Bible has to say on the topic. I think that the first verse that will pop into most people’s head is …

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. – 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)

It is such a great verse, but too many people misquote it as “money is the root of all evil” leaving out the “love of” part.

This verse does not say that making money is evil, nor does it say wanting to make money is evil. It is loving money, or greed, that is the root of all evil.

Despite what Gordon Gekko says in the movie Wall Street, greed is not good. In that movie, as in real life, those who chase after money and are consumed by their greed have indeed “pierced themselves with many griefs.”

How Secure is Your Vault? Storing Up Your Treasures

Okay, so it’s okay to desire to make a profit as long as I am not greedy? Let’s hold off on answering that question and look at another verse from the Bible.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

It is interesting that this advice is preceded by Christ teaching us to ask daily for our bread, and it is followed by His call for us not to worry because God would provide for all our needs.

I believe that it isn’t so much the storing up of wealth that Jesus is concerned about, but that we begin to rely upon this wealth rather than in the true source of the wealth.

There is no real security in wealth, nor may I add, any real happiness. We don’t really need the Bible to show us this though; just look at those who have it.

Wall street giants are being shook from their silver-lined clouds by the thunderous clap of the stock market crashing through the floor hoping their golden parachutes won‘t fail them. Hollywood stars and professional athletes live out their day-to-day drama in the tabloids one ruined relationship after another.

Serving Two Masters

Somehow though, Madison Avenue breaks out the air brushes, paints over the bad parts, and sells it to us wrapped in a pretty bow. This is where the dilemma enters the pictures. Christ says:

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. – Matthew 6:24

As Christian entrepreneurs, we know that the emperor is not wearing any clothes but do we tell him? Or do we look the other way, take a shortcut here and there, to stay competitive and preserve our profit?

I pointed out in Should Your Small Business Advertise as Christian Owned? that when you slap the Jesus fish on your business cards or advertisements there will be those that try to use your faith against you. Even if you choose not to be a fish slapper, you must remain vigilant against the temptations you will face.

There are just some roads that we as Christian entrepreneurs should never go down regardless of how profitable they may be. There is a real danger when profits add up to become wealth that the temptation to rely upon that wealth rather than God becomes too great.

The Results After This Brief Commercial Break

So how are you doing so far? Are you asking yourself why you want to be an entrepreneur? Good, I think it is something that we all should ask ourselves from time to time.

Are you seeking wealth? Why? What will you do when you have become wealthy? Will you be able to handle the temptations?

There’s still more to look at before we have our final answers.

Read the conclusion of this post in

Will Christian Entrepreneurs Be Able to Squeeze Through?

Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (2 of 3)

Brad Harmon — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Have you ever met someone who is always going to do something, but never seems to get started?

Perhaps you see that person in the mirror each morning?

Last week we learned that the first step in setting goals is to actually make the choice to sit down and write them out.

Have you made that choice yet? Or, is this something that you always seem to be going to do?

Zig would tell you to get started or you might get “Cooked in the Squat.” Listen as he explains what he means.

Zig Ziglar: Setting Goals (part 2 of 3)

The Featured Video this week is from one of my favorite motivational speakers – Zig Ziglar. It is an excerpt from his course on setting goals, and it is the second video in a three part series. The video series is a little dated, but don’t let that fool you – the advice Zig provides is timeless.

Selected Highlights from the Video

Listed below are some of the quotes and other information from the video that I found helpful. I hope you find them helpful too.

Getting Cooked in the Squat

“The people who wait for Aunt Matilda to move out, or John to get on the day shift, or the new models to come out, or the new mayor to come in, or for the new advertising campaign to get started … The people who wait on the new senator in Washington, or until inflation slows, or the rate of interest comes down, or the people who wait for changes to take place out there, before they do the changing in here, are flat gonna end up getting cooked in the squat.” – Zig Ziglar

Procrastination

Procrastination is a cancer that will eat at the dreams of the small business owner. The danger in putting it off another day is that we are not guaranteed another day.

This is what the Bible tells us about putting things off until tomorrow:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. – James 4:13-14 (NIV)

Now is the time to start accomplishing your dreams. Successful entrepreneurs do not wait around for things to change – they change things.

Zig finishes with part three of this series at

Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (3 of 3)

If you missed part one of this series you can find it at

Zig Ziglar on Setting Goals (1 of 3)

Counting the Costs – Why Do So Many Small Businesses Fail?

Brad Harmon — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:21:49 +0000

You have no doubt heard the statistic that four out of every five businesses fail within their first five years. Sadly, many do not make it past the first year.

Why do entrepreneurs continue to start small businesses every day knowing these odds?

They dream of being their own boss, attaining financial freedom, and spending quality time with their families.

Like the seafarers of old, they crash their boats into the jagged rocks of reality while under the spell of the mythical siren’s song.

Hmmm … I think I will Build a Tower

As entrepreneurs, we know this song very well. It tops the charts in our minds and quickly becomes the song that we can’t get out of our head. It becomes a driving force in our life – our passion.

When the song is loud enough to drown out all of the fears, doubts, and naysayers we jump in and start building our business.

I wonder if this is what the man Jesus asked us to imagine in his parable must have been feeling.

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” – Luke 14:28-30 (NIV)

I can almost picture the abandoned unfinished tower in the background as Jesus spoke this parable. Do you think it was effective because such a sight was so rare or because it was common enough for the listeners to relate to it?

How many times have we seen such “towers” as we drive down the streets of our own town? Today, boarded up shops, going out of business signs, and foreclosure sales serve as a reminder of another entrepreneur’s hopes and dreams being crashed upon the rocks.

A Body in Motion …

In physics, Newton’s first law of motion states that a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless it is acted upon by an outside force. How can we apply this same law to our small business?

If we just jump into the entrepreneurial waters with a sink or swim approach the odds are that the motion we experience will be sinking and the outside force will be the bottom of the lake abruptly stopping us with a thud.

There is no better time to sit down and count the cost than before we launch our business. Once the business is launched, the motion of the day-to-day operations makes it very difficult to be able to stop and do this.

Counting the Costs

Despite all of the “get rich quick” schemes and “easy money” claims we see on the internet every day, there is no free ride. Building a successful business is neither quick nor easy.

There are many costs to consider. The most obvious cost is the financial resources necessary to fund and sustain both us and our business.

The number one reason businesses fail is that they are undercapitalized and are forced to rely on an ever increasing amount of debt to keep the business afloat.

Don’t confuse projected earnings with reality –projections, in terms of dollars or timing, rarely pan out as they are drawn up in your business plan.

Many entrepreneurs discover this too late and pour all their savings, mortgage their homes, and max out their credit cards attempting to postpone the inevitable thud approaching from their outside force (all too often a debt collector).

Dip Your Toe In Before You Dive

If you are like most entrepreneurs, you gave up a full-time steady paycheck to start your business. Don’t underestimate the strain that this will put on your family.

Adjusting to a lower standard of living is not as easy as you might think. It will take time to transition, but too many entrepreneurs wait until after their business is launched to start trying to make this transition.

If you have a two incomes in your family, try living off the paycheck you will keep for a full year before starting your business and put the other paycheck into a savings account. If it’s just your income then live off the amount you would pay yourself during the first year of your business and put the rest in a savings account.

If you cannot make it during that year then chances are slim that you will be able to do so launching your own business and you will have saved yourself the embarrassment of the unfinished tower.

For Everything Else… There’s MasterCard?

The temptation will be great to finance your old standard of living via credit cards. The sheer volume of advertisements your family faces will be a daily reminder of what they have given up.

Having to tell your family “no” is difficult, but it will be a recurring conversation. This can lead to a tremendous amount of guilt that credit cards are all too willing to help you avoid.

Telling your family “no” now is only so you can tell them “yes” later to something much better. This is something you want to make sure you discuss with your family before launching your business.

Recognizing the Signs

If your credit card debt is mounting then it is a sure sign that you are undercapitalized. Take it as an opportunity to sit down and count the costs. Remember, the day-to-day activities make this incredibly difficult to do, but recognize you may be one of those entrepreneurs who lose everything if you don’t.

Are the costs too great? The only thing worse than being scoffed at because your business failed is being completely broke and in debt when you realized why all the others were scoffing.

Maybe it’s just a lifestyle adjustment that needs to be made? Debt is a tool, but it comes with great risks. It’s far easier to adjust your lifestyle before you get into debt than it is because you are in debt.

Finishing Your Tower

Owning your own business can be a great joy. You can be your own boss, attain financial freedom, and spend more time with your family. You can finish your tower. It takes hard work, planning, discipline, and perseverance.

Just like Odysseus, you too can avoid the jagged rocks of reality where many entrepreneurs have shipwrecked their dreams. You can listen to the siren’s song confidently knowing that your business is bound to the mast of a solid business plan because you took the time to sit and count the costs.

Should Your Small Business Advertise as Christian Owned?

Brad Harmon — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:42:36 +0000

I just read the article Slapping Fish- Being a Christian Entrepreneur by Melanie Hope. She writes about slapping the Jesus fish on the bottom of her website without giving it much thought until someone questioned her about it.

She discusses the inner conflict that Christian business owners face in wanting to be true to their faith without losing potential customers. It’s a great read, and I wish I would have thought of the title.

So what do you think? Does displaying your Christianity in your small business limit your customer base? If so, what type of customers will it attract?

“They Just Cleaned the Carpets and Left!”

Certainly, you will automatically be disqualified by some due to your proclamation of faith. People have become distrustful of the motives of business owners that bring their faith into their business.

It reminds me of the episode of Seinfeld where George is upset that he was not recruited into a cult that operated the Sunshine Carpet Cleaners. He exclaims in disgust, “They just cleaned the carpets and left! They call themselves a cult?”

In a day where politicians proudly proclaim that their faith is left at home when they take the oath of office, many will assume that you will attempt to convert them as part of your business. There may even be a few George’s that will wonder why you couldn’t be bothered to convert them.

It is important that you clearly define why you are advertising your faith. If your business is more of a ministry then be up front with it.

“Mine, Mine, Mine”

You will attract other Christians by openly displaying your Christianity in your small business. People have a natural affinity to live and trade with those who share their customs, religion, and ethnicity.

If you think this makes it easier to satisfy them as customers, you may be wrong.

While it is true that birds of a feather flock together, you will want to be wary that they are not like the birds in the movie Nemo fighting over every little fish in the sea.

Many will be looking for the “family discount” to which they feel entitled. After all, you did market directly to them didn’t you?

It’s not only fellow believers that will expect you to lower your prices. Many believe that Christians should always be the low cost provider – they assume making a profit is the same as loving money (or the root of all evil) and Christians should avoid this.

Remember, Christ said in Luke 10:7 that the “the labourer is worthy of his hire.” If you are providing a quality product or service you deserve to be paid a fair price.

Let Him Have Thy Cloak Also

There are those that will expect you to provide extra products or services for no additional charge, or expect you to always provide these to a church or charity pro bono.

These people can quickly siphon the profit out of a small business, and take up valuable time and resources that could be used to generate profits from more reasonable customers.

What do you do with verses like Matthew 5:40?

“And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.”

Does this prevent you from suing to collect monies owed? Will some customers refuse to pay you or severely delay payment in preference of other less understanding businesses?

What Does the Bible Say About Business Anyway?

The Bible directly, or indirectly, mentions money over 800 times! When we slap the Jesus fish on our businesses we raise the standards to the highest possible level. And even Christians disagree on how to apply all of these passages.

Don’t leave it up to your customers to assume the meaning, or you will only set yourself up to be compared against vastly different standards which you will likely not fare well against.

Even Fish Slappers Deserve a Second Chance

My advice is to take a second look at why you want to advertise your business as Christian owned. Even if you do not advertise your business this way, are you not still required by your faith to run it in the same manner?

If you do decide to continue to advertise your faith, then you should clearly define what that means for your customers in writing. Include it in your “About Us” page or as an answer in your “FAQ” page.

I think many of us have been guilty of being fish slappers without giving it much thought. I have barely scratched the surface on issues small business owners could face by advertising their business as Christian owned, but hopefully I have given you an opportunity to think about why you’ve made this choice.