So, God's Calling You To Start A Business, Eh?
Man, Oh, Man!! I love this part! The birth of a new baby! I've started about 10 in the last four years!
I'm absolutely convinced that God is calling business people up from all over the world to start generating revenue for the Kingdom in massive quantities and using their business savvy and judgement to give directly to the most effective causes. I can't BEGIN to tell you what's happening, but it's MASSIVE! At least once a DAY someone is telling me God told them to start a business and do I have advice! I've certainly got advice because God had us on a crash course the last four years. There is some writing I need to finish on a book about "The Jesus Plan for Business", but in the meantime, the email exchange below is pretty typical of what you're going to hear from me.
Please understand, this site is NOT about self-promotion. But ... it and everything else we do for the Kingdom is enabled because God has built a business infrastructure for us that can support it all. The more money the business makes, the more we can support the Kingdom. I have salary caps built in and have never gotten anywhere close to them. I have no intention of ever making any money from ministry donations EVER. But if you want good products at a fair price and great service, please support our businesses and other Christian businesses around you that are being obedient and are fully owned by God.
God told me, "If they will only give 2% of their money to the church, but they spend 50% on discretionary products, then just SELL them stuff! That's where their heart is anyway." There are MASSIVE streams of revenue in the economy in retail, banking, insurance, construction, etc. - and one tiny little stream off to the side for the church (of which 0.01% reached the most unreached!). Just three businesses like mine giving obediently would exceed the total missions budget of the 4,000 person megachurch we used to attend. And if we all give directly to efficient causes instead of beauracratic infrastructures, we have the potential to have MASSIVE impact.
That said, please visit our sites, buy something if you like, tell your friends, link to us from your websites, whatever. Ask me about our unique affiliate programs for fund-raising for groups and missions projects. If you're a fully committed, obedient manufacturer of products that we might be able to retail, let me know. I'm eliminating ALL my vendors that aren't Christians.
BuiltToLastHome.com - Over 250,000 home accessories, furniture, lighting, gourmet foods, hardware, outdoor, kid stuff, custom linens and table pads, and much more. Everything for the home, all BuiltToLast. Many Christian manufacturers.
AcrossCountries.com - Fair Trade products from all over the world creating jobs for the poorest of the poor. Many supporting Christian missions projects. All profits return to evangelism.
BackYardGym.com - Residential playground equipment. Also links to PlaygroundGym.com the commercial big brother site which also has sports equipment, backstops, fieldgoals, and more.
BuiltToLastChurch.com - I love this one! If the churches are going to insist on ignoring everything we say, at least they can buy the stuff from US! Then we'll give the profits to missions! For some of them, that's as close as they'll get to the unreached! Stacking chairs, cubicles, bleachers, desks, lighting, linens, fund-raising programs and more.
Coming soon will be some kind of organized directory listing of businesses that are a part of our network so that we can cross-promote and folks can find you to buy stuff.
(From Denny - but I get lots like it!) 12/2/04 3:35pm
I had a dream, and I don't have dreams; I emailed a prophet friend and didn't tell her what I was having but asked if she would go to the lord in my place and ask Him if it was indeed from Him or from the advisary! She did and emailed back particlulars that I had not told her!
So here goes; He kept me awake one night telling me He wanted me to have a business here in Danville, VA and He was going to take care of everything; He brought a product into my mind that I had done some research on some years earlier and completely forgoten about!
He pretty much laid out the plan and etc. The next night He kept me awake and told me the four employees or salesman and what I would pay each and what I was to provide them with and also gave me the name of a computer programer to come to this area and do the computing and help with the books and business.
Now, what I need from you, is your advice; I'm 58, disabled and a little bit afaid of all this; I want to do whatever it is God wants me to do and have been living on faith for sometime now.. But getting finances and business plans and all of that is a little scary for me right now!
Any Help would be greatly appreciated!
Denny
(From Doug) 12/2/04 11:15pm
Hi Denny,
If God is telling you to do this and you feel confirmation, don't go getting all absorbed in the processes of Man. We've never had a business plan or even outside funding and we're up 5000% in five years! Just pray and go as God leads. Stay pure. Stay Holy. Be obedient in the little things AND the big things. Find Godly advice and accountability.
You might try connecting with these guys - http://www.christambassadors.org/ . I think I'm going to start writing for them and I know they have some money to lend out for Christian business startups. But don't let it bog you down, just plow ahead.
God will send what you need. Don't follow Man's path. If it was God's idea, God will help with the details. Just forge ahead in faith. It's going to be a fun ride!! UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you be "unequally yoked"! I'm deadly serious on this. DO NOT bring on partners, investors or even employees that aren't fully committed to a higher cause and purpose in this. Do not help make someone rich so they can get their third wife the plastic surgery she's always wanted. Commit to God that you're going to be obedient with the profits and live simply. Don't consider it yours. If you use it to buy a big new house and a yacht, God's going to crush it AND you. That's what's coming to the churches that have worshipped at the altar of money.
Commit now how much is the maximum you will ever personally benefit and commit the rest to God. Do not try to store up for "retirement," there is no such Biblical option. Make sure that you invest earthly treasure in ways such that it will guarantee MAXIMUM return on investment in Heavenly treasure. Do NOT default to giving to the churches and denominations. Find an individual, ministry or church you know to be true and faithful. We like Gospel for Asia, but Voice of the Martyrs, Brother Andrew and Open Doors are all great, too. We also support various individuals we know to be doing God's will and sacrificing so as to live like Christ.
Whatever you do, do it FAST! Time is short. Don't waste a single minute on fruitless, frivolous pursuits. Hobbies, TV, books, magazines, bass boats - it can all wait. Test every minute to see what was accomplished for the Kingdom. God will give you the strength. God has never been one to take handicaps or age into consideration when assigning big jobs. Look to the old, crusty dudes in the Bible and what they accomplished. ;-)
Go get 'em! There's nothing better than being a part of God's plan and feeling like you're just sightseeing along HIS rollercoaster!! Just don't fall off. And don't listen to ANYBODY that's not filled with the Spirit of Truth.
In the last two years, I have GIVEN AWAY four businesses to people that I knew would use them and would take and run with an idea that I wasn't going to have time to pursue. Decide if it's your business or God's.
Decide if these people God is sending are true and faithful and committed to the same ends. If they are, throw out the heirarchical, military models of man and build a First Century church kind of team. Each comes and lays what they have on the altar for the benefit of all and builds something together. Ask boldly for commitments and proof of Fruits. Don't play footsie with anybody. There isn't time. Don't be afraid to share ownership - SO LONG AS you know them to be true and you build accountability systems to keep them (and you) incorruptible.
If you're obedient and God blesses it, you could be talking about big piles of money that can wreck people FAST. Plan ahead for it. Act like it's coming, then don't be surprised when God does it.
And anytime anybody asks you the secret of your success, loudly and proudly give all the glory to God. This one thing has opened more doors for me than anything else could have.
Doug
(From Denny) 12/3/04 2:48am
Doug,
God will not turn lose of me to go to sleep tonight! He's inside my brain, telling me all kinds of things!
It will be God's business, not mine, I'll just be the CEO of His operation and four of the five are died in wool , Jesus loving Christians meaning they are committed and devoted! And the fifth is a brother I led to Christ and is getting hotter in the Spirit as we speak! However, if I could get him in the company of other deeply committed Christians, I'm quite sure he would progress rapidly!
God showed me this morning that in order to function for Him we must consider ourselves as a hand! We are not the hand that does the work, we are only the fingers; God is the body of the hand and we are the ones He's chosen to do the work!
Thank you for answering me, you've confirmed some things that I've been feeling in my spirit but just had not put to words!
I hope you don't mind, I put you in my address book, so that I could keep in touch with you from time to time!
God Bless you,
(From Doug) 12/3/04 8:37am
Denny,
Bless you, Brother. Right now I'm staying up all night about two days a week. On the others I'm sleeping six hours or less and EVERY morning I wake up with something God put on my heart to right or do.
I'd like to post our entire exchange on a new page of the site for thoselooking for business advice. Others like you are writing in from all over.
Since my advice is from the Word and Truth doesn't change, I anticipate having to say the same exact thing OVER and OVER. It would help to just post it for everyone's benefit. And if, by chance, someone in Danville, VA reads it and comes to help you, all the better. If you're willing.
God bless you, dear sweet child of God. What a great blessing to be used by God! And you'd miss the whole thing if you weren't attentive, willing and obedient. And it will crash and burn HARD if you stop being those things.
If I don't see you sooner, I'll hug you in Heaven! Won't be long now!
MARANATHA!!
Doug
(From Denny) 12/3/04 9:38am
Doug,
I was going to thank you for being able to hear the cries of my heart but in essence, I have heard the pearls of your heart! Every word you have written me, I have physically felt the witness of the Spirit! While reading your emails, I've found myself talking to your words and saying things like, yeah, I will and God bless you Doug! I've done a lot of crazy things both in my heathen days as well as my Christian days but never remember speaking to a letter!
I believe God ordained our meeting and I'll always take a lot of stock in your advice! Simply because of where you have gotten this advice from; the Master of business!!!
Keep your ears open to the Danville, VA area, for not to long and you will hear of a new business called "MARANATHA HOMES", so you see He's even given me the name of the business!
Oh by the way, God kept me up most of the night, last night, just telling me this and that! I kept telling Him, why does it have to be all cotton picking night, why can't you tell me this stuff in the daytime! And He chuckles and tells me He wants my undivided attention!
Oh yes, I will definitely will keep you posted!
Through the love of Jesus,
Denny
Then on 12/5 he sent me this. :-)
A woman goes into Wal-Mart to buy a rod and reel for her grandsons birthday. She doesn't know which one to get so she just grabs one and goes over to the counter.
A Wal-Mart associate is standing there wearing dark shades. She says,"Excuse me,sir. Can you tell me anything about this rod and reel?
He says ,"Ma'am, I'm completely blind; but if you'll drop it on the counter, I can tell you everything you need to know about it from the sound it makes."
She doesn't believe him but drops it on the counter anyway. He says, "That's a six-foot Shakespeare graphite rod with a Zebco 404 reel and 10-LB. Test line. It's a good all around combination; and it's on sale this week for only $20.00."
She says, "It's amazing that you can tell all that just by the sound of it dropping on the counter. I'll take it!" As she opens her purse, her credit card drops on the floor.
"Oh, that sounds like a Visa card," he says.
She bends down to pick it up and accidentally breaks wind. At first she is really embarrassed, but then realizes there is no way the blind clerk could tell it was she who farted. Being blind, he wouldn't know that she was only person around.
The man rings up the sale and says, "That'll be $34.50 please."
The woman is totally confused by this and asks, "Didn't you tell me it was on sale for $20.00? How did you get $34.50?"
He replies, "Yes,Ma'am. The rod and reel is $20.00, but the Duck Call is $11.00 and the Catfish Bait is $3.50 .
I know. But it hit the spot. :-)