Starting your own business seems to have become the new norm and there are numerous examples of this – mostly people who have come to a full stop in their careers and seeking something for themselves.
News.com a few weeks ago ran a story on this idea and not only gave a specific example but identified some salient points.
This is on topic for our young writer ministry as quite a number of our young writers have initiated their own small businesses. One aspect of this has been expanding hobbies into a small enterprise.
Recently we circulated to the young writers another idea, the Midge Point small shops complex has its Sealands Café and general store for sale. This our local shop for the mission visitors to Laguna Quays Respite where they can grab whatever they forgot to buy from their supermarket shopping in Proserpine.
Things to consider
As above, something you already enjoy engaging in, and make that into a small business.
The article cited above suggests there is no better time than now. My comment on this is that procrastination is the bane of many a wonderful project that went nowhere.
Another point made is the ultra value of authenticity. There is an old saying, ordinary people can smell a phoney Pastor a mile off. The same applies to customers. There is more salient value-add than authenticity.
And a good idea is only the start. Homework is essential. Jesus spoke of this when doing a building construction. The parable of building on the sand illustrates pathetic planning – doomed to failure. Often investigating X bring to light a far better option in Y but you would have never discovered Y had you not investigated X.
Rudiments
Once the rudiments are in place, stretch the mind and initiate the project, and in the first instance, make a go of it and don’t give up. Many might not be aware of the story of Disneyland that Disney had seven failures of business ideas until this one struck gold. Remember Prime Minister John Howard who came back after defeat and became Australia’s second longest serving Prime Minister.
Outrageous steps do sometimes work – this is the entruepenial spirit – and you’ll never go anywhere if your final step is that of the most cautious of the most cautious. A recipe for disaster.
Ministry
There is a lot learn from ministry outreaches when initiating a small business. I can speak of this in the first person from conviction in initiating the Spots and Leisure Ministry in 1982 with a spirit of expectancy.
By 2000 when I moved to establishing Well-Being Australia there were 150 chaplains to professional sport in place and 250 Christians who were elite athletes connected.
This leads me to another strategic point. There is a time to move on. I cannot name the number of young people who have initiated on-line enterprisers which have become hugely successful and then sold it on to much larger situation. They understood the nature of success and its limitations.
Always be sensible. The scriptures are replete with wisdom. Ronoldo the famous $137m soccer player retired in 2018 – he had everything but nothing. The story is a common one.
Dr Mark Tronson - a 4 min video
Chairman – Well-Being Australia
Baptist Minister 45 years
- 1984 - Australian cricket team chaplain 17 years (Ret)
- 2001 - Life After Cricket (18 years Ret)
- 2009 - Olympic Ministry Medal – presented by Carl Lewis
- 2019 - The Gutenberg - (ARPA Christian Media premier award)
Gutenberg video - 2min 14sec
Married to Delma for 45 years with 4 children and 6 grand children
