THE STARTING BLOCK PRINCIPLE

Here we go again with the traditional, best opportunity of the year to start afresh and new, leaving failures and wasted efforts behind and planning for a bright and successful future.  So, how’s your New Years plan coming along?  It would be interesting to see the analytics on how many of us have our goals set and on target already versus how many of us have yet to formulate that new plan for the upcoming year.  

I dare not ask for response to this question for fear I may lose some of you because of my meddling.  But if you are one of those who has yet to initiate that plan or perhaps struggling a bit to get to the next few steps, let me offer this suggestion for you to consider to help you along.

What is your heart telling you that is important going forward with your life this  next year?  Take time to examine the priorities that your heart leads you to think about first because that is where your treasure is.  Then, when you’re getting in the starting blocks of this race, listen and feel the pulse of your entire mind, body and spirit and what it is trying to relate to you.

It isn’t so much the number of things you want to accomplish, the amount of money you want to make, the position in your company you desire to attain, the amount of time you want to spend with your mate and family,  but the importance they should be  in your life and future developement.  If you can do this, then you establish your priorities and thus the order of resolutions that you focus upon first to last.

Now why is this so important?  Experience and observation has proven that if we can stay aware and working on one to three of those priority items over the course of the next year, we will be doing really good.  First, the number of items listed can become lost and overwhelming over a period of time.  Second, if we slip and fail a time or two on any number of promises, we get discouraged and tend to just give up anyway.  Alas, we can more easily justify that we “just can’t do this anyway”, and quit all efforts we originally believed in and thought we should and could do.

So here is the ”STARTING BLOCK PRINCIPLE”,  to help you solidify your New Years Resolutions.

1. Seek answers from your heart with importance and meaning to your goal setting

2. Establish the priorities in order so you can focus on the most important issues first.

3. Minimize your list to limit confusion and frustration.  You can always add more.

Oh, and last….WRITE THEM DOWN. 

There is something impactful about writing your commitments to yourself that is much more meaningful than just saying them and usually forgetting them along the way.  If you would like a great scriptural reference to support this, read Habakkuk 2:1-3.

Blessings……..Rich Forster   KBJ  Publisher

The value of Branding your business

Branding your business is a marketing term that quite simply defines or identifys your company with a set of shared values.   Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks Coffee empire adds that “your company needs to make and emotional connection with people outside of your product”.  In his case, the definition refers to outside his coffee.

The needs and desires of your customers are what drive your company’s growth.  Finding the answers to those questions requires a purposeful plan and exercise.   A good business owner or manager has an awareness to customer comments, trends and spending habits but a dedicated and timely effort to secure those answers lends more support to your analysis and conclusions.

The one constant expectation customers will seek until they find it is integrity.  Nothing will sink your business faster that a reputation for lacking integrity when dealing with customers, vendors or employees.  Consequently the best foundation for branding your company to start with is your reputation for integrity.

Once you have determined what wording best defines the essence of your company’s values, you can write a “mission statement” that further defines your company from an overall standpoint.  Incorporating the values of your branding values, you can readily remind yourself, your employees, your customers and vendors of what you stand for in the marketplace.

If you need a good reference to start your thinking process for this exercise, read the Gospels and note how Jesus branded his company.  As you read His life story, you will see the Godly principles he operated in all the time.  History will repeat for you as it did for Jesus in that you will not be able to please everyone as hard as you may try.  But each and every day that reality will give you a chance to build the character and brand of not only your company but you too.  Afterall, the company is you just as Jesus was and is the church.

When you have your branding identified and your mission statement written, be sure and write it so that all your company can read it, understand it and run with it.  That document can become a constant reminder for all involved in your operation that your branding value (reputation) is only as good as your actions.   This platform for your company’s business behavior can be a very effective evangelistic tool. So go, spread the Gospel, and only use words if you have to! 

Rich Forster    KBJ Publisher

Seek First the Kingdom

I think we would all agree that in the “good times”, we are  likely to be less dependent upon God to bail us out of various and asundry messes we manage to get ourselves into.  All it takes today is a fairly major catastrophe , like our economic system collapse, to upset our equilibrium and balance and “help me Jesus and I promise I will never make that same mistake again as long as I live…..I think” . 

Thanks to a forgiving, merciful and loving God, we get plenty of chances to do things over and get it right.  If your like me though, it seems like sometimes I lack the discipline to follow through with my well intentioned resolve.  So why is it that we forget so soon after our newly promised agreement is made and fall back into those same traps once again?  Maybe we have lossed our focus on a very important principle of life and business?

No matter what is is your seeking to resolve, a new job, starting a business or stewarding your financial budget plan better,  we often loose sight of what should be our top priority, “seeking first the Kingdom and His Righteousness, then all these things will be added to you,” Matt 6:33.  What is the Kingdom?  The Kingdom is Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost”, Rom. 14:17.  And where is the Kingdom of God?  It is within you, Luke17:21.

So check your motive and  focus first thing  if your in this pinch and retrace your steps back to your first love and top priority.  With righteousness, peace and the joy of the Holy Ghost, life just seems to be a lot easier to handle.  It’s a supernatural thing!  Getting on the same page with the Author and Finisher of our faith is a great place to be and He is an excellent Partner to have also, don’t you think? 

Rich Forster  KBJ Publisher

My weekend of entrepreneurial venture

Selling Ham and Beans and Tators and Onion cooked over a wood fire

Last year another family in our church decided to do a craft festival and asked If I could help, I said sure.  I was in charge of publicity on the web and to local media and Dutch Oven cooking.

We are doing it again this year and today we had a great turnout. I wrote about this on my other blog and so here is a link.

CLICK HERE

I’m Moving!

I have been doing WordPress for over 1 year. I have a blog on my website and I have decided to change over to it.

I have over 300 post on this site, so take a moment and look around.

When you are done come and visit my new blogsite.

Simply click this link which will take you to our website home page and scoll to the bottom for the blog.

KINGDOM BUSINESS JOURNAL BLOG

Blessings

Lowell Lane
Kingdom Business Journal

Will work for food!

Have you ever seen a person along side a rode who has a sign that reads, “Will work for food”?

I saw a guy yesterday who was standing at an intersection that said, “Steve the painter” Interior painting and his #.

How creative is that?  Marketing with no money!

What will you work for?

Direct mail marketing ~ New experience

I have been busy preparing a mailing.  This is a first time for me, and it is a lot of work and it has been frustrating.

The computer I have is a Windows XP- Garage Sales Special.  I am not joking.  My laptop died and I was at a garage sale and bought it for $25.00.   Shortly after getting it it crashed, but they were able to restore it and since it did not have the Office disc’s, they installed Open Office.  It works fine, but printing labels has been a nightmare.   I finally got it to print the labels, but they are not perfect as I wished.

We have all 1500 envelopes ready except the postage and inserting the letters.   They are will be going out Monday, I hope.

I have only had people tell me about direct mail marketing in the past.   Since the average is about a 1-2% return, I have never messed with it.  This is a different situation and my boss says it is an effective tool.

What about you, have you tried direct mail marketing?   Letters, postcards,  or flyer’s?

If you have had experience with this form of marketing would you share it by commenting ?

Blessings!

Lowell Lane

What I learned about TWITTER AND FACEBOOK

I have a friend who sent me a comment about me using Facebook. I told her I had attended a Tele-Seminar about social media and I offered to share my notes.

I decided to write a little article about it.

Hope they help you!

CLICK HERE TO READ!

Surviving or Thriving?

This is interesting.  I decided to write about Surviving or Thriving, and so my wife decided she would also.  Laura wrote the post before reading mine.  Here is mine!

Last week at church someone asked, “How is business? You know there are a lot of people going out of business and cutting cost to survive!”   We continued to talk and the next thing they said was,”but you know this is the time to advertise and get aggressive, when thing are bad.”

So, are you in survival mode or a Thriving and opportunity mode?

I am a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Graduate, and I like what Dave Ramsey says,

“I’m tired of hearing all the gloom and doom coming from the media about the economy and unemployment—I bet you are, too! Let’s take a minute to look at the true reality of the situation and what we can do about it.

Yes, many people have lost their jobs and houses. You may be one of them. But guess what? People have lost their jobs and houses even in a bull market. About 93% of people are still employed. That is pretty good! I was alive in the 1970s when unemployment hit double digits, and we’re nowhere near that right now! I’m not making light of the fact that some people are struggling; I’m just putting the situation in the proper perspective.

Even though you may be currently unemployed, that doesn’t mean you have to participate in the recession. People like me who have chosen to not participate acknowledge the reality of a slow economy and suffering people. However, we have decided that we’re not going to form our lives around the negativity coming out of the media and government. We’re intensifying our efforts and going to have the best year of our lives in spite of things slowing down.”

I side with Dave Ramsey, I choose not to participate.  Yes I am aware of the problems that are going on with the economy, but this is the time for opportunity.  When others are surviving  and cutting all cost, others are thriving.  People have asked me, “Isn’t it a bad time for you to be starting a New Shepherds Guide book”?  My response is, that it is God’s book,  God is building it, God called me to be a servant, and God will provide.

Let me give you an example of a direct sells company I am involved with.  Saladmaster is a direct sales company with the finest product on the market in there industry. They looked at the market and found opportunity.  They found that many people are eating at home and cutting back on eating out.  Food prices are increasing and there product helps cut food cost.  Many people are being health conscience and there product provides a healthy method of food preparation by eliminating oil and retaining nutrients.  They also found that more and more people are looking to supplement there income.

Guess what!  They have a are having record sales and they are hiring a lot of part-time people.  They are making an opportunity out of the current condition.

So, are your going to make an opportunity out of the current condition?  Take a look at your product and your market.  Do some research.  Are there hidden opportunities that you could take advantage of ?

CHOOSE NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE RECESSION!

CHOOSE TO THRIVE, NOT SURVIVE!

TO SEE LAURA’S VERSION CLICK HERE

Just mow the grass!

I am taking the Master Gardner class this year. We learned all about lawns last night. I was not expecting to learn that there is one thing that you can do to make a huge difference in the results of your grass.

MOWING- higher mowing heights encourage greater root growth of grasses and better competition against weeds. If you mow 1-2 times a week at 3-4 inches in height, you can reduce weed growth by 80%.

WOW!

If we consider just this one simple thing it can make a huge difference.

What is the one thing in your business that can greatly effect your results?

I heard someone the other day say, you need to be more effective than efficient. Do you spend more time on the computer updating records and organizing, or do you spend more time out talking to potential customers.

Let’s use this example to be more effective in our businesses.

JUST MOW THE GRASS!