In my previous blog post on this series, I told my story of how I rose from grass to grace. It was not funny! I really struggled through life. Thank God I am where I am today! (If you desire to read the story, CLICK HERE NOW! Otherwise, continue reading this blog post)
Today, I want to discuss the three (3) foundational pillars to Break Financial Limits In Your Small Business.
Hear this; every product in the marketplace passed through a process.
There is absolutely no product without a process.
The seeming complexity of the process, the more valued the product and the higher the price.
For instance, gold passed through a very rigorous process, that is why its value is immeasurable and its price unquantifiable.
In the same vein, every successful person is a function of a successful process.
Until the process is discovered, known, and applied, the manifestation of its success is not guaranteed.
That you acquired technical knowledge of how to make money, without applying what you know, makes no sense.
Money is not the colourful paper or the metallic coin. Money is your concept, your idea, your skill, your creativity…
Even if you are in the pit of life, indebted, battered and bitten by the forces of the earth, you can still make money.
Any money you spend without multiplying it is money lost.
Every money has two major parts: The seed part and the fruit part. The seed part: for you to sow. And the fruit part: for you to consume.
The Foundational Pillars To Break Financial Limits In Your Small Business No. 1: WORK
In the race of life, only those who are willing to pay the price ever win the prize. Those who undertake deliberate acts make the most of it. No one succeeds by accident. This is because life is not a biological accident. It is a deliberate creation of a great creator.
It is laziness that makes a graduate to stay at home, searching for some non-existing jobs, for five to ten years, without doing anything. It is laziness that makes a man blame his boss for his ugly financial position. It is laziness that makes one blame Mr. President and other government officials for ones financial mess. It is laziness that makes you complain of economic crisis.
Listen to me now: There is no amount of economic crisis that can stop a man of vision from succeeding. There is no amount of economic crisis that can stop a man of vision from succeeding. There is no amount of financial pressure that can destabilize a diligent man or woman. You complain because you know not. If there are generational curses, there are generational blessings.
The fact that the world is complaining is the major reason why you should be rejoicing. It is only the person that is not redeemed (born again) that suffers economic disaster. However, I want you to understand that redemption without adequate financial intelligence amounts to earthly suffering. Open your eyes, you redeemed. You are not meant to suffer on earth. God instructed us to come on earth; to be fruitful, multiplied and replenish the earth. We are meant to enjoy all things including wealth. Remember that the earth is of the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; everything on this earth belongs to God. He told us also that the desires of the righteous shall not be cut off. Why are you still lazy? Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise; which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long will thou sleep. O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Proverbs 6:6-9
Many want to get rich without working for it. Any wealth you acquire without doing any work, directly or indirectly, will soon finish. Hear this: Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: But he that gathereth by labour shall increase.
No one ever makes it in life doing nothing. It is only a lazy man or woman that goes about on a Monday morning, visiting people in their jobs to chat or talk about trivial things.
Laziness makes one to be waiting for a hundred thousand Naira to start a business when one thousand Naira is more than enough to start that business. Imagine if Christ was waiting for five thousand bread and five thousand fishes to feed the five thousand people at His crusade.
When diligence takes over, a problem becomes a sure route to the palace of prosperity. Maybe you are a graduate waiting for employment for the past three years, and you have been told to start something small and you refuse, still wait until you become irrelevant to your generation! You will soon become obsolete.
Wake up and go to work. Prosperity is not allowed where laziness is the commander -in-chief. Prosperity is not cheap talk; it is hard work; though hard work is not by strength alone. It is a combination of God’s mercy and man’s effort. Please, wake up and do your own part. God has done His!!!
Laziness makes one procrastinate. Procrastination is a detour to destiny. Procrastinators are navigators without destination. Prosperity is not guaranteed where procrastination is the major player. Procrastination simply means abandoning what you can do today for tomorrow, which by tomorrow you are bound to abandon again. Procrastination is a thief of time. Wisdom has it that the reason most people don’t go very far in life is because they sidestep opportunity and shake hands with procrastination.
Don’t waste your destiny in laziness. To be prosperous, go to work. It’s only a working hand that God favours. He does not derive joy in your poverty. His will for you is prosperity.
The Foundational Pillars To Break Financial Limits In Your Small Business No. 2: SAVINGS
The first basic step to financial abundance is savings.
SAVE STRATEGICALLY
“A part of what you earn is yours to keep”
Assuming you have been keeping 10% of all you earn, how much would you have in ten years? Go ahead and calculate this. Unimaginable! You might have screamed. But, why have you not been keeping it?
See, the money you make is a slave to work for you. Money is entitled to bear its child. Its child is also entitled to earn more for you. If you must become wealthy, then what you save must earn, and its children must earn; all shall help to give you the abundance you crave.
What have you to show for your earnings of your past months? What about the past year(s)? Why are you fooling yourself, labouring for another man; feeding from hand to mouth? “A penny saved is a penny earned”Benjamin Franklin noted.
“The secret of smart money is to learn to live like a millionaire but a pauper on paper….Making money is one set of skills. Keeping it is another.” Robert G. Allen added. “Wealth, like a tree, grows from a tiny seed. The first penny you save is the seed from which your tree of wealth shall grow. The sooner you plant that seed, the sooner shall the tree grow. And the more faithfully you nourish and water that tree with assistant savings, the sooner may you bash in contentment beneath its shade”Clason noted in his book, “The Richest Man In Babylon”.
Do you know that there is another classical law that states, “Unto him who keepeth and spendeth not a certain part of all his earnings, shall gold (money) come more easily? Him whose purse is empty does gold (money) avoid”.
The first penny you saved shall, by law of attraction and multiplication, attract more money into your purse.
Try this now, open a savings account with any bank or “Akawo”, start saving. Watch if you would not have an amount beyond your imagination in less than no time.
When you save money, you become a money magnet. When you save your money, you activate the law of attraction in your life. Each Naira or dollar you save will attract another Naira or dollar. A wise one saves for the future, but the foolish spends all he/she has (Proverbs 21:20).
A note of warning: life is meant to be enjoyed. Do not over strain or try to save too much. If 10% of your earning is all you can comfortably keep, be contempt to keep it.
Contributing to these, Robert G. Allen, in his book, “Multiple Streams of Income (2005:29-30)”unveiled “50 Ways to Save $50 a Month”; thus, making saving money easier for us all. Hear him:
Shop with a list – and stick to it.
Just say NO to ATMs with fees – plan ahead for your cash needs.
Does your bank charge high fees? MOVE YOUR ACCOUNT.
Pay off that credit card balance.
If you must carry a credit card balance, shop around for a card with a lower rate.
Look for lower premiums on your insurance policies.
Consider higher deductibles for your home and auto insurance.
Do you have private mortgage insurance? If you’ve built up 20% equity in your home, you can cancel it.
Use a mail-order pharmacy for long-term prescriptions.
“Doc, can I get that as a generic drug?”
Check all medical and hospital bills for errors – many insurance companies offer rewards.
Rent-never buy-something you’ll only use a few times.
Turn your yard into a department store-have a rummage sale.
Switch long-distance carriers-then switch again.
Call waiting? Not usually? Cancel those add-on phone services you don’t need.
E-mail your friends instead of calling.
Skip the movies-rent a video instead.
Dine out? Eat in.
Lunch is “in the bag”-or it should be.
Free up space in your mailbox-cancel that magazine subscription you never read.
Watch a parade or have a picnic-free entertainment is often the best.
Turn your car into a “chat room.” Carpool to work.
Join the “bus crowd” avoid cab fare.
Buy airline tickets in advance-and always stay through Saturday. You’ll have more fun and it’s a lot cheaper, too!
Quit that health club-join in local gym instead.
“COUPON” & “DOUBLE COUPON DAYS.” Enough said.
What’s in a name? Buy generic instead.
Skip the paper towels-wash your cloths ones instead.
Watch out for “convenience” foods-they’re expensive and not as healthy for you anyway.
Join a warehouse club.
“Scan” those scanners and receipts-mistakes do happen.
Avoid “pricey” specialty stores.
Comparison shop “on-line”
Premium gas for your car? Most run fine without it. Check your manual to be sure.
Forget the words “automatic car wash” – do it yourself and get some fresh air.
Use that quick-change oil and lube service on the corner instead of a full-service garage.
Never pay extra for service contracts or extended warranties-the manufacturer’s warranty is usually sufficient.
Cancel that premium channel you never watch-or cancel cable TV altogether.
Don’t touch that thermostat-put on a sweater instead.
Take a shower instead of a bath.
Only run a full dishwasher.
Have an energy audit done on your home-some companies offer them for FREE.
Never pay extra for car rental insurance-you’re probably already covered by your credit card or regular car insurance.
DON’T PLAY THE LOTTERY-the odds of getting hit by lightning are better than your chances of winning.
Time to refinance your home? Keep an eye on interest rates.
Pay yourself first-set aside a dollar a day.
Buy a “piggy bank” for all the spare change you keep finding in your couch.
Don’t spend your next pay raise-INVEST THAT MONEY INSTEAD
Making generational money demands a transgenerational mindset. Turn your solutions into intellectual property and it will live beyond you.
You can be born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, serving as a Pastor, Deacon, Bishop, or any other related, and still be poor. Real money is intangible. It cannot be seen with the physical eyes. It is a spirit. It is only attracted by the operation of the law of attraction. Until you come to money frequency, you can’t ‘hear the voice of money’ nor connect to it. That is why the Bible said that money gives voice to the poor.
Money won’t make you rich. Of course, no one needs money. No one needs any material thing in reality. What we actually need is the satisfaction and freedom that comes with having money and acquiring all that we will ever need. You cannot eat money itself; you can only eat what money can buy.
Money without the requisite mindset will always culminate into foolishness in the long run.
The Foundational Pillars To Break Financial Limits In Your Small Business No. 3: TRUST GOD, NOT MAN!
The Bible said it and I believe it, “Woe is any man that puts his trust on man”. Some people are poor because they are looking up to their uncles, parents, relations, and friends for financial assistance. You have been blaming your brother, who stays abroad and could not send you money, for your financial mess. Who told you that you can’t be the person sending money to Him? Who told you that you can’t be the financial pillar in your family?
Putting trust on men has been one of the major reasons why people are poor today. It has made a lot of people loose their thinking faculties. Imagine a graduate staying at home everyday, doing nothing. He claims that nobody wants to help him to secure employment. Imagine a person who has learnt a particular trade or service staying at home because his /her parents and uncles fail to give him/her the required startment capital.
Until you stop looking unto man and start looking unto God as the source of your help, you are not permitted to be prosperous. Men will fail you. Your closest friend can disappoint you. Your father can abandon you. But God can’t disappoint you.
When you blame people for your financial crisis, you become a financial leper.. When you put your trust on men, God turns His back on you. Little wonder why you end up being disappointed. Your source is not man but God. When it is God guiding you, even your worst enemy can favour you. This is because God can use even stones to bring you into financial establishment.
Lay not your trust on man but God. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof….” (Psalms 24:1)
More details later
P.S: I have made up my mind to become a Social Engineer and a Blogger who proffers solutions to the seeming hydra-headed challenges and problems of Africa. This I started doing through my e-books, especially my latest e-book, “Secrets Of Business Breakthrough”
See you in my next ARTICLE!
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To Your Success,
Gabriel Onyekawa,
News Reporter,
AlaNaija News,
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