THE SUPER BUSINESSBOWL

Tags

career goals, celebrate, coach, desire, discipline, eternity, goal setting, mentor, passion, physical and spiritual principles, practice, superbowl, winning season

It’s finally here.  Arguably the biggest day in American sports is about to take place Sunday, the NFL Superbowl.  Can you imagine being on a professional football team, playing at the highest level the sport can offer?    And now it has been determined that you are one of the two best teams in the world.

Whether you win or loose the big game, you have the assured distinction of knowing that your efforts to be the best that you could be through your skill, conditioning, training, all those hours of practice and hundreds of played games since you were a kid resulted in this prestigious moment of fame and fortune.  No doubt the winners feeling will be euphoric and unforgettable.

The business world and it’s competition and challenges are not unlike sporting event contests.  For every business industry has it’s Superbowl of accomplishment without exception.  Businesses too face sometimes fierce competition and challenges on the pathway to being the best.  Ironically both scenarios require a similar process and preparation for that day.  Let me point out a few key similarities required to be the best in sports and your business field, then you compare them with your  position or company in the marketplace today.

DESIRE = It all begins in your heart.  You’ve got to want to be successful.

GOAL SETTING = Simply put, if you don’t know where you are going, you will never get there!

DISCIPLINE = Mental and physical control speeds up positive results.

COACH/MENTOR = No replacement for a great teacher.

PRACTICE = Study any of the greatest athletes in the world and practice is a priority.

CELEBRATE = Everything you win or loose knowing that there is something positive to learn with each experience for next time.

I urge you not to limit your career goals with these few practical steps but also include the spiritual, parallel principles that go together to mold your being and purpose for success.

Eph.1:11  He predestined you before creation for His purpose.

Matt.25:14-23 Jesus teaches the parable of the talents in which He tells us that there are expectations for us to do the best we can with our talents and giftings.

Matt.25:24-29 Jesus continues with His admonition that we who are given much, more is expected from us.

Col.3:23-24 Paul reminds us to do all things heartily as to the Lord and that our reward is the inheritance, the SUPERBOWL for eternity.

Now, you talk about euphoria!  Victory in this arena  will be a celebration for eternity and with a great many other believers.

I invite you to consider these practical and spiritual Kingdom Principles as you continue your journey of life.  Realize there will be bumps, bruises and a bloody nose or two along the way.  In fact you may even loose a game or two.  But always remember,  if it were easy……anyone could win the SUPERBOWL.  Be the best you can be always and your seasons of winning will be many.

Blessings………..Rich Forster    KBJ Publisher

THE TRUE SPIRIT OF AN ENTREPRENEUR

Tags

business, business success, entrepreneur spirit, Kingdom Business, leadership, Life, passion, passion for business, persistence in business, Sharktank, starting new business

The post is dedicated to all the struggling entrepreneurs who are seemingly at a standstill with the pursuit of their dream for one reason or another.  I have a piece of encouragement for you today compliments of the television show “Sharktank“.

If you haven’t seen this particular show yet, let me give you a very short description of its format.  Entrepreneurs needing money to fund their  new business ventures and dreams present to a panel of five men and women representing equity companies, referred to as the sharks, the reasons why they should invest in their new enterprise.  The sharks approach to this process can be as unpredictable as a real shark would be with you in the ocean.  They can seemingly disregard you and your ideas and thus be passive or attack your idea as inadequate or foolish while pounding you with a barrage of questions.

There are two things that I have noticed that are consistent most of the time with the interviews. The entrepreneur needs to be a good salesperson for their own idea.  The second is, the sharks are interested in company control and the bottom line profit to themselves.  What impressed me this episode was seeing the exceptions rise forth to override those entrenched mindsets and manifest the “TRUE SPIRIT OF THE ENTREPRENEUR”.

In these two separate presentations, the typical mind and word games were being played and the consistent  issues of company value and control were being played.  Then in both situations, four of the five sharks declined to invest but one stayed interested.  The game was on.  Suddenly the true spirit of those entrepreneur’s burst forth in the form of intense passion, product knowledge and the persistence to work as hard as it took to succeed.  That passion fire rose up in the entrepreneur’s that nearly took the sharks breath away.  Suddenly the sharks realized that these folks were worthy of respect and consideration.  The reason why?  The true entrepreneur spirit.

True entrepreneur’s have PASSION.  They have KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCE at what they are doing.  They are PERSISTENT and willing to WORK AS HARD AS IT TAKES to accomplish their dream.  I truly believe the God has given each of you a Divine Dream and the ability to accomplish that dream.  If you have the ingredients of the TRUE SPIRIT OF AN ENTREPRENEUR, then let no shark or any other obstacle get in your way.  HIS plan for you will work and work very well.  But always remember the GLORY IS FOR GOD.  That is the most important ingredient of all.

P.S.  By the way, both entrepreneurs in the show accomplished their goal and became partners with a shark.

Blessings…….Rich Forster  KBJ Publisher

Passion = Marketplace Ministry

Tags

Bluegrass, Branson Mo, business, family, Marketplace Ministry, music, passion

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

Accountant or Truck Driver?

Tags

Accountant, business, Career, career path, career planning, corporate world, franchise, giftings, Kingdom Business, leadership, legacy, management, passion, retirement, sales, second half, skills, talents, Truck Driver, work ethic, work you love, workaholic

My father in-law is going to retire this month.  He will be 67 years old and has been in accounting all of his professional career. He worked for a company for over 25 years, but one year before he was available to retire, they let him go so they would not have to pay his retirement.  They replaced him with 3, fresh out of school workers and paid them nothing.  The company saved a few bucks, but lost a very good, loyal, and hard worker. 

At the age of almost 60, it was hard finding work, but he was hired by a company who offered him much less than he was used to, and took advantage of the situation by about working him to death.  He was working from 4 am to sometimes 7 pm. This company has put unbelievable pressure on him for the last several years.  It started when they needed him to cover for someone who was leaving,  but they never replaced them.  Then they asked him to pick up the slack for someone else, but they did not replace them either.  He was doing 3 peoples work and for the same pay.  The reason for his retirement is because they asked him to take on the work for a 4th person, so he told them it was time to retire. 

My father-in-law’s dad was known as, “Pepsi-Joe”.  His dad was a Pepsi delivery man for 40 years, therefore, my father-in-law grew up on the back of a Pepsi truck.  His father was a hard worker and gave him a good work ethic.  He wanted to become a truck driver, but instead he went to college and went to work in the corporate world. 

This is a very common occurrence.  We grow up with life experiences and then when we grow up we do what is expected, not what we have a passion for, or what we want to do. 

I want my children to grow up learning that they should follow there passions, gifting, and talents and find the work they love.  I grew up in a family of Entrepreneurs and I guess that was always in my blood.  I wanted to have my own business also, but I did what was expected and went to school, and started a career in selling, and then sales management.  The whole time I wanted to have my own business.  I wanted the American dream, so I stepped out and did it.  At the age of 40 I quit the corporate world and purchased a Franchise business, that is another story!

I have regrets about choices I made and how things in my life have turned out, but hopefully I have been successful in teaching my children to go for it.  I want my children to have the confidence and knowledge that when they are of age, they have opportunities.   

A life-time of work, for what?

After my life working I want to be able to answer  this question like this, “I loved God, my wife, and children.  I built a legacy and made a difference in someones life and the world around me.

How are you going to answer?

 

 

Lowell Lane