Why do businesses fail?  Many are because of financial matters; not enough capital, debt repayment, economy, mis-management…..

Have you ever had a business failure?  Is your business failing?  If you can sit back and think about it objectively… you may figure it out.

I had a business that failed.  I had been working for a company for 10 years and all of a sudden, my pay got cut in 1/2 and my quota tripled.  I had 90 days to change a whole department of 12 and turn it around or else be fired.  I had a couple of other choices; continue, transfer to another position, or just leave.

ALL BOLD STATEMENTS WERE BAD CHOICES.

After a lot of thought, prayer, and anger I chose to go into business.  

I was able to get the loan, I had credit.  I had no capital except doing a 2nd on my mortgage.

I trusted a company who was in the business of selling franchises.   But they had other businesses around the country who were successful and said that it was a great business.  I later found out they were being paid to give a testimony.

After 2 weeks and of training I had a mentor who left to go home early during my training. The next week he quit. I called the company to see who my new mentor would be; they said, “Your doing fine you don’t need one. 

I could go on and on.  The bottom line is I made the choices.  I now have to pay the consequences for these stupid mistakes. 

Don’t do this.  If you are going to go into business use some good practical advice and seek counsel, do your homework, don’t rush into it, and make sure you have money in the bank to live on while you are getting started.

For more information on this topic refer to an article called, “So, you want to start a business”.

Lowell Lane

Is your business a success? 

What is your definition of success?

Let me share with you an idea of success.  I starting working with a gentlemen who has a ministry/business.  He has been working it for 6 years and he did not buy the business because he wanted to, it was a God thing.  I have just started getting to know him and it is apparent that his success in the business is not from his sales or his checkbook.  I see the excitement as he talks about his customers and the opportunities he has had to minister.  The opportunities he has had to listen to someone who needs someone to talk to.  Being able to pray with someone when they are hurting. 

My friend told me a story that really blessed me.  He used to be in the car rental business and had a large organization with many locations.  He said one day he was standing in one of his parking lots talking to his manager. A man and his family pulled up in an old station wagon full of kids.  They had run out of gas. The man approached my friend and asked if he could get some gas.  He told the guy to go see his shop manager and see if he had some work to earn the gas.  The man went to work detailing cars and whatever else needed to be done.   A little later the my friend went to see where this guy was, and nobody could find him.  His wife and kids were out back, but he was no where to be found.  My friend went back to the office and on the way the guy came out of the bathroom.  My friend went into the bathroom and to his amazement the bathroom was spotless.  My friend immediately went and asked the guy if he had cleaned the bathroom, and he had. My friend hired him that day.  He worked for my friend and eventually my friend promoted him to a manager.  Years later my friend landed at a large airport.  The guy was the General Manager of the entire airport with a staff of over 300 people. 

Being in business need to be profitable and you need to be able to generate income… but money is not eternal…

Lowell

Redhead Express

The Walker Family–Brett, Apryll, Kendra, LaRae, Alisa, Meghan, Sean, Joseph, and Ammon

From Alaska to Branson, Mo

Do you have a passion?  Is your passion big enough to sell all you have, take your family traveling across the country in a RV and then relocate thousands of miles away in order to pursue your passion.

I had the pleasure of meeting this family at a Blues festival in our little home town of Carthage, Mo in June 2008.  The Walkers had just arrived in Branson the day before and we getting ready to start at a new theatre on the following Monday. 

This family is very talented.  All the family plays instruments, except dad.  The kids range from 18 to 5 (7 total) and all the kids are red heads (Red Head Express) like momma.  They first moved from Alaska to Nashville and the whole family went to study about bluegrass music.  They did this for months and began traveling doing shows.  When I met them they had just signed a contract to perform at a theatre in Branson for the season doing 2 shows a day 6 days a week till fall.  WOW!  They have since had some changes and are going to one show a day 6 days a week. 

Here is the bottom line.  Marketplace ministry!!  They took their passion (music) and made something of it and now they get to perform a mixture of gospel and bluegrass music to thousands.  They openely sing about God and it is quite an inspiring performance.  Brett said it is a blessing to get to talk to people after the shows and it gives him a oportunity of ministry. 

Look them up  www.redheadexpress.com

My daughter Emily and I even had some fun dancing.

Lowell Lane

What is an expert?

Someone asked me the other day, “what are you an expert at?”  I had to stop and think.  I have done lots of different things over the years, but am I an expert?

Expert: a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority: a language expert.

People- I have dealt with all kinds of people in all kinds of situations over the years.  Some say I am a people person.  The DISC assessment testing says I am a communicator.  I am good at communicating information or ideas.  ?

Advertising- I have 12 years experience as a Yellow Page advertising sales representative.   I have build thousands of ads over the years.  Each one being different and I have become very good at building content and designing ads that get results.

Business planning- I have done 4 complete business plans.  Two were for my businesses and two where for others.   All were very good.  I actually had the banker tell me that it was the best business plan he had seen in 20 years.

Goal setting- I have been setting goals for over 15 years.  I have seen many of these goals become reality. 

I am not trying to pat myself on the back.  These are experiences I have had that may qualify me as an expert. 

What are you an expert at?

Write it out as I have. Does your resume reflect these things.  Does your employer know this about you?

This is a great tool to help build your self image and your professionalism.

If you would like more information about discovering who you are, I suggest you visit www.on-purpose.com

Lowell Lane

Have a safe and blessed holiday!

As we are enjoying our freedoms here in America, we need to remember the soldiers who are over in another country protecting us.  Please join me in prayer for our soldiers and their families.

Lord, we thank you for the soldiers who have sacrificed themselves so that we can be free.  Please be with each and every soldier and protect them and bring them home safely to their families and friends.

Amen

During this 4th of July holiday!  I will be on vacation (relaxing).  I will be back Tuesday July 8, 2008.

BE BLESSED!!

We did a simple survey on our website that asked the question, “As a Christian business owner, what is your number 1 business challenge?”

Here is what our survey results, so far.

Sales came in #1 at 50%. So let’s talk about sales and why is it a challenge??

I had a sales manager that used to challenge me and ask me, what do you need

to sale today? 

I responded with, “what do you mean?”. 

What happened next changed my life as a salesman!

GOAL SETTING!

What are your sales goal? 

What is your quota? Quota is the minimal amount.  

What is your goal? What are you aiming at?

In order to hit this goal you should break it down to the ridiculous. 

Break it down to the month, week, day, and even hour. 

If you know what your close rate is and your average sale, then you should know

that if you call on X number of clients you should sell X amount.

Example: 

Goal - $100,000.00

Time - 4 months

Close rate of - 50%

Average sale - $500.00

$100,000 =

$25,000.00 per month

$6250.00 per week

$1250.00 per day

2.5 sales per day

5 sales calls per day 

This is the way you set a goal and the way you can break it down to the ridiculous.

If you are having a challenge in the area of sales I suggest you try this, you don’t

have anything to lose.

If you would like to hear a dynamic teaching from a seasoned sales professional

then listen to this Tele-Seminar on Sales.

Lowell Lane

Have you ever read a really good business book and then thought, I WONDER HOW THAT APPLIES TO MY BUSINESS BIBLICALLY ? 

Let me introduce you to a friend of mine, Dale Schumaker.  I met Dale about 8 months ago when my partner, Rich Forster, had told him that I was building a new website.  He was looking for someone to help build a website for him.  I am not a programmer and web developer; so, I could not actually help Dale.  We had a good visit and I learned about his ability to read several of the latest and hottest business books, write  reviews on them, and then write spiritual reviews.  Dale was doing a book review class at Border’s book store in Springfield.     I’ll let Dale tell you about it.

Dale Shumaker 

Personal educator for entrepreneurs and founder at Spirit Savvy Business

“My signature ability is being a personal educator for business entrepreneurs and self-directed income people. I have an unique ability to observe areas needing developed- both personal skills and areas vital to business growth- then find and provide critical resources that make a significant difference.

As an entrepreneurial-minded person, I have observed with my 30-years experience that most visionary people don’t need someone to tell them what to do. But they are eager to learn, investigate new ideas, and seek the best current information for expanding their businesses. They also desire to increase their personal skills for business. Thus, my position is one of a personal educator. I find the best information and bring it to you; and in doing so, become your personal educator. I find what’s just right for you and assist you with relevant information that you can use. I have a great balance of current business knowledge and education skills.

My focus is more on developing the person who develops the business and increasing his/her abilities to be one who excels at exceptional levels. What sets me apart is my emphasis on the Spiritual factor we all have access to and putting that to work so you get results beyond the natural. When Spiritual skills are combined with personal skills and talents, it creates an exceptional personal power. My theme, then, is combining business skill excellence with Spiritual excellence. With my seasoned experience and visionary/ entrepreneurial mind, I am able to be a supreme complement who serves alongside high-impact leaders.

Unique abilities:

*To adjust to and work with varied personalities;

*Superior strategic and innovative thinking, teaming, people-reading and inspiring;

*Organizing skills and unique talent in synergizing efforts;

*Spiritual gift of seeing where things are going, gift-spotting and developing insights into people’s unique gifting that increase their effectiveness.

E-mail contact: biznetsave@yahoo.com

Dale Shumaker’s Specialties:

Providing business knowledge and personal education with recommendations on how to use the best business principles along with superior Spiritual principles. In other words, I am your personal educator, and serve much like a prophetic business sage… relating Biblical Spiritual principles to real-world work in business.”

~Dale Schumaker~

FREE!  FREE!    Dream Builders Dynamic Dozen + 2    FREE! FREE!

Check this out! it is a very good FREE offer.

Check out his new product!

 
Dale is a very neat guy and I think you will really like his book reviews.

ENJOY!

Lowell Lane

I am sitting in the newly remodeled library in Carthage, Mo.  Carthage is known as the Maple Leaf City of Southwest Missouri.  I was born and raised in Topeka, Ks and in 1993 I moved to Carthage, Mo with my job.

My office was in Joplin, Mo, but my boss lived in Carthage and when he invited me over and took me for a tour of the town, I fell in love with it.  We moved to Carthage in the Fall.  Fall is the best season of the year in Carthage because of all the Maple trees. That is why it is called the Maple Leaf City. In the fall everything is beautiful with all the colors of the trees. 

In the fall we have a parade called the Maple Leaf Parade. It is the largest parade in the entire Southwest Missouri area.  Awesome time and thousands come to see the over 200 entries every year.

Carthage, Mo is also so blessed to have the Precious Moments Chapel here.  Sam Butcher is a famous artist and found a beautiful piece of Land just south of town and built his world famous chapel.  I really enjoy it and it is one of the prettiest places I have ever seen.

Well I hope you can tell, I Love living in Carthage, Mo. The Maple Leaf City.

Lowell Lane

Have you discovered Twitter yet?

www.twitter.com

Twitter is a social network. It is made up of comments of 140 characters or less.

What are you doing ?  This is the question from Twitter, so in 140 characters or less you can talk about whatever you are doing. 

Making sales calls, writing a blog, updating my calendar of events on my website www.kbjnetwork.com, looking at my lovely wife, eating lunch with my children, sending email messages to folks I met at the Carthage Chamber ribbon cutting yesterday.  

Do you get the idea.

It is very interesting because you can find people with like interest and follow them.  This is great for friends, family, and business.  

My friend David Tinney introduced me to Twitter.  Davids stats are:  

WARNING:

The twitter zone is like going to Wal-Mart.  You look around and 2 hours later you wonder what happened.

Check out my Twitter.

Tweet Tweet!!!

We have been making a few adjustments here at KBJ.  We just did a kickoff for the KBJ Network yesterday.   It was a great turn out.  I thought it was interesting that after the noon meeting, several men stayed and talked for about 2 hours.  It was a great time, and much was discussed.  It was anointed.

I want to talk about one point that was discussed yesterday. If you are doing God’s will for your life, it is going to be tough. Each one of these guys is doing what he believes is God’s will for his life; and, it has been hard.

The point is God just wants a willing vessel. I got in the car yesterday and turned the radio on to Dr. David Jeremiah. The words he said were, “If you are doing God’s will, God will take care of the rest”.  Wow! He went on to discuss his story of how he came to his current church. He received a word of prophesy that he was to go and start a new church; but, he said, “God did not tell me that”. It took about a year; and then, he was obedient and willing. He said that when you agree to do God’s will in your life, it is not like going into business or accepting a job. In both of those situations you get the information first, then agree and sign the contract. 

God wants you to be willing to just sign the contract.  He will give you the details later. 

Psalm 37:4-6 (New International Version)