All posts in Business
Should You Start A Business or Not?
When I graduated with a business degree, I always wondered what exactly would I do. Most people still don’t know what I do, but I have a couple businesses. One helps churches and another creates marketing materials for organizations all over the place. God has really blessed them, but people always wonder whether or not they have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. I’d say most entrepreneurs didn’t have what you think they had before they owned these large companies.
Most of them simply had an idea that had these attributes:
- The idea met a significant need of people. Apple figured out that people didn’t want to buy whole cds. They thought, “What if people could go online and buy just the songs they wanted?” Boom. Soon we’ll see an Apple Television where that same concept will be applied to cable tv. I only watch 8 channels and pay for hundreds.
- The idea drove them to action. Thomas Edison said that electricity was 1% idea and 99% sweat. You have to take some risk or some action to move the ball forward. You can find yourself in exceptional placement with ordinary actions and thinking.
- The idea inspired people around them. I don’t care how awesome your business idea is, someone has to love it so much that they would be willing to invest their time or money into it. I didn’t need any financial investment to start my businesses, but I had several people donate their time to give me advise and even work.
If you have an idea that does the above, I’d say go for it. =) There’s a lot more, but that’s a good start.
Customer Engagement
Starting a business or a church can be tough. They both often run into the same organizational issues, but simply use different terminology to describe them. Businesses use words like “products” and “customers”. Churches use words like “first-time visitors” and “ministries”. Once a church or a business has had a particularly successful amount traction, the way they connect with their congregants or customers changes drastically.
The need for new products/ministries and services challenges a staff to adapt systems that were put in place during simpler times. Although people are creatures of habit, thriving organizations need flexibility to remain alert to the people who are coming through their doors and market trends.
One system that we all need to be aware of is how we continually engage our customers. We have to be able to stand in their shoes, or better yet, have them tell you about the experience they have had with your church or business. Bringing in church members into the organizational design process allows you to re-think how you engage with them. Whether it is transactional or consultative, you know you are engaging effectively with your customer when they echo back the things that make you special to them.
Here’s 4 indicators you have a healthy organizational culture that engages “customers” well:
- When people know where to turn for help when they need it. (user-friendly website and customer service at the office)
- When the experience people have with your organization reflects the values your organization
- When the service (or product) delivery is consistent and meets (or beats) people’s expectations
- When people understand the value proposition of what you provide
Misconceptions of Networking
When it comes to the brand that “networking” has, it can often leave more of a bad taste in people’s mouth than a good one. All it takes is one bad or awkward experience with someone who’s “trying” to network. Here are just a few of the misconceptions I’ve seen in Networking.
Misconception # 1.) To be a Networker, you must be an extrovert.
Being an extrovert HELPS, but it’s definitely not a must have. In fact, the person that does networking the best that I know is actually an introvert, Justin Lathrop. To be a good networker, you just need to be genuine. How outgoing or not outgoing you are has very little to do with it. If you want to get better at networking, just NOTICE people and really listen to what they’re saying. You’d be surprised how many people have told me that the people they love to be around are the people that “really value” them.
Misconception #2.) Networking is simply for personal gain, for people who are trying to get ahead in their career.
For some people, this is true. But for you, it doesn’t have to be. I use these words at least 5 times a week, “Let’s connect soon.” My number one goal in connecting with people is to help them on anything I can. I heard someone say when I was in high school, “Want to change the world? Ask every single person you see for the rest of your life one question: Is there anything I can do for you?” Good networking is about bringing value to relationships, not taking it.
Misconception #3.) I have enough friends and know enough people, I don’t need to ‘network’.
False. You have no idea who could be missing out from the value you could bring to a new found friendship. I often times will simply connect one person to another person I think can help them. Ultimately, you’re answering this question: “God, how can I manage my relationships to further your kingdom?” At the end of the day, it’s not about you.
Networking can be a really great thing if you allow it to be.
Work Culture Lessons from Google, Twitter, & Facebook
When you take a look at this infographic, you put yourself in two different pairs of shoes. The first pair is from an employee’s pair and you’d think, “Man, I wanna work for Google!” The second pair is from an Executive Leader’s pair and you think, “Man, we’d never be able to afford ALL that.”
Regardless if you’re at the top or bottom of your organization, ask yourself this question: “Do people LIKE working with me, or our my co-workers working with me because it’s simply their job?”
You can make working with you enjoyable. Around the corner from all the places I work is a car wash that cost 75 cents. Asking a co-worker to bring in 5 of their favorite shirts for you to take to the dry cleaners would cost you 10 bucks! Depending on your position in the organization, you hold the power and budget to cater in lunch for your department once a month, but you never do simply because you don’t think about it. Maybe you’re organization can afford a pool table, but you would never put that into a budget. Why not?
Don’t let your work environment become mundane. There are creative things you can do to keep things interesting every now and then with or without the budgets of multi-billion dollar companies. 