Personal AND Business Development

I have often told my classes that when you go into business for yourself, if they were not previously, they WOULD become a person of prayer!

The comment usually brought some knowing nods along with several snickers. Occassionalyy there were even a smirk or two!

One of my favorite examples was the story of how I paid my Personal Property Taxes on the inventory of my first motorcycle business. Shortly after opening in a great building that was only in a fair location, I was able to purchase a good building in a much better location. After being in this location for a couple of years, I discovered that I owed Personal Property Taxes on my inventory! This business was started with a lot of debt and no operating capital. ( A whole story unto itself that we may address later) Because of the financial condition, I did NOT have the money to pay the tax.

At that time I was in the habit of praying for guidance in my business daily. I knew that God wasn’t going to support cheating on my taxes, so I decided to let him figure it out. I knew that he knew I didn’t have the money, so I left it with Him and told Him I would address it when He told me to. Several months later, when praying over the business, this came up after I had completely forgotten about it. I know I may have just been in denial, but regardless it had come up while in prayer, so I took this as God telling me it was time to deal!

That day I went in to see our County Treasurer. When he came out, I introduced myself and confessed that I owed taxes that had not been paid. He looked at me with dismay and said that he had never had anyone come in and volunteer to pay taxes that they had not been billed for! He invited me into his private office and listened to my story. He asked how much my inventory was worth, and asked me about my building. He also asked if the building had been appraised, which it had. It turned out that I had paid taxes on the building based on a value that was just enough higher than the appraised value to cover my inventory. He looked at me and said, “Looks like your biil is paid in full”.

Some may say it was all coincidence, but I say God answers prayer!!

Jolly Joe 

It is said that in order to become a successful individual in whatever endeavor you wish to take, you must have the right attitude and characteristics. This is also true with an entrepreneur. Not everyone can become an entrepreneur. But before anything else, what is an entrepreneur?

According to one definition, an entrepreneur is someone who finances or initiates a certain business undertaking. If you too would want to become a businessperson, you have to possess the characteristics of an entrepreneur.

What are the characteristics of an entrepreneur? Are they really important? Well, of course the characteristics are important because if you don’t possess them, you will have lower chances in terms of business success. The characteristics are as follows –

1. Risk taker – this is a very important characteristic of an entrepreneur. If you’re not willing to take any risk, then you will not succeed as a businessperson. In the everyday course of the business, you will encounter a lot of problems and challenges which you need to decide the soonest.

Some risks are worth taking after careful evaluation especially if it’s for the good of the business. If you’re not a risk taker, then you’re not an effective entrepreneur and you’re bound to fail in your business undertaking.

2. Smart – being smart is another characteristic of an entrepreneur. You have to be clever, keen, and witty in all your business dealings. You have to show mental alertness and intelligence so that you can win the respect and trust of customers and other clients.

3. A leader – leadership is a characteristic that is hard to find among individuals. Not many individuals have the nerve to take the lead. To become a good entrepreneur, you must be a leader. Some say that this is a born characteristic but if you don’t possess it, you can also learn to become a leader.

You’re quite lucky if you’re a born leader because you only have to develop your other qualities and use them when you choose to become an entrepreneur. As a leader, you should be able to guide, influence, and direct people. This way, you can handle all your business activities with ease and fewer worries.

4. Inner passion for business – another important characteristic is having the right passion for business. You have to maintain your enthusiasm and interest in the business. As long as you have the right drive and passion, you can run the business for a long time.

5. Honest and trustworthy – some say that eighty percent of an entrepreneur’s time is dedicated to pooling and attracting customers. This may be true because without the customers, the business will not exist. You have to be honest and trustworthy so that you can develop good will.

There are other characteristics that an entrepreneur should possess. These characteristics help him or her do all the business responsibilities and obligations that need to be done.

These are also the keys to business success. If you want to finance a certain business venture and run the business yourself, you should develop these characteristics. Without them, your business will soon fail and you will suffer the losses.

Be thankful if you already have the characteristics of an entrepreneur. All you need to do now is to study the market carefully, think of a good business venture, and provide for the capital and you’re all set.

This is just a quick note to put out to those interested a guy that I found named Eric. He has been hugely successful on the net and is wanting to help others succeed. This is for real. He is putting out a set of videos on his blog for NO charge that are all about teaching you how to succeed on the web. Check it out. The only thing I have seen him charge for is a $7 book he offered after the last video. They are all available on his blog. He did give several of us the opportunity to donate to a ministry he did some missions work with, but it was entirely voluntary.

Great guy, you won’t be sorry, and no, I don’t make anything off of this, even if you later spend money with him on something! Enjoy, and if you appreciate it sign in to my blog so I can add you to my list. I promise to not mail more than weekly and only to send you information from those that I have had psoitive experiences with.

Jolly Joe