Dear entrepreneur, you must connect to the spiritual realm to succeed in the entrepreneurial sphere

In the last 4 years where I have been learning the essence of entrepreneurship, the realm of God or the spiritual connection to matters investment and entrepreneurship never really made any sense to me. I mean, I went out, sought deals, closed some, lost many and I moved on. I never considered the important aspect of just how the spiritual realm does affect our physical existence and moreso, in the parameters of business. I say spiritual realm to encompass the many ideals and views we hold of the same, to include atheists who do not believe in the existence of God. As a christian, this was my greatest downfall in my quest to succeed in business. I factored my success purely on my efforts without due regard to God, or the natural blessings of the universe coming together to enchant and empower a student entrepreneur. For whatever we envision God to be or whatever our spiritual perception is, it’s importance in the growth of entrepreneurship cannot be overlooked or ignored.

It’s interesting how we remember God or remember to pray when things are tough, but when blessings come, we forget. Someone once said that money does not change who we are, but that money simply enhances who we are. In the middle of a long deal, where the terms and conditions to deliver and achieve the target can ruffle the best of entrepreneurs, I did realise that faith in yourself and in your business are the focal key points to long term sustainable success. If you don’t believe in yourself, or the idea, product or service you purporting to sell, then how do you expect a potential customer or client to believe in you and take it up? Some of this lessons come to us entrepreneurs in the dead of the night when giving up seems to be the only solution.

I learnt that an entrepreneurial journey is akin to a spiritual journey with key lessons on how to develop a business of integrity and purpose and whose success will have a foundation that can inspire generations to come. Knowing how tough the entrepreneurial journey can be, an entrepreneur needs motivation and syke to encourage them along the way. To remind them of why they doing so. Why giving up is not a solution. Why the society needs people like them and hence they need to keep moving, however tough. The spiritual aspect provides these kind of motivation. Gives the entrepreneur the needed boost when all else seems to be fading.

For me, as a christian, the Bible has come to be an integral part of my entrepreneurial journey and it does feel like I just started yesterday. There are seven verses that have come to inspire me as I learn and struggle along the entrepreneurial journey and I figured sharing them would inspire others to be able to achieve their dreams and moreover not give up. In the book of Deuteronomy 8:18 the element of an entrepreneur giving focus and always remembering God as the one who has empowered us to do what we love to do most. All of our skills and special talents that we use in our businesses are all given to us by God. Hence it’s important to remember that He is the focal point of our business.

In Philippians 4:13 entrepreneurs are encouraged to focus and push through their dreams. The verse reminds us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. As an entrepreneur, when faced with challenges where failure seems as the option, then this verse is my fuel. Proverbs 11:14 forms the basis that every entrepreneur needs. The essence of mentorship. The verse says that without the guidance of good leaders, a nation falls. But many good advisers can save it. We are advised to have mentors who can guide us. Dear entrepreneur, your business will not survive on your experience alone.

Its important to pull together four to five people who are invested in your success. The group should include an existing entrepreneur, a customer, a mentor, a lawyer and an accountant. They will be key as you channel your own path of success. Ecclesiastes 11:4 is the perfect motivation for entrepreneurship. To paraphrase the verse, he who observes the wind and waits for all conditions to be favourable, will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. You must be willing to take the risk and ride the waves to claim your success. Conditions will never be perfect for you to achieve what you desire.

Hebrews 12:11 is a verse I should have been told when I got into entrepreneurship. Many of us entrepreneurs when we seal our first deal, fiscal management is thrown to the wind. We forget to be prudent and we buy stuff to reward ourselves instead of rewarding and reinvesting in the business. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness. An entrepreneur must always be focussed on the bigger picture. Fear is one thing that holds many potential entrepreneurs back. The fear to launch. The fear to pitch an idea to a potential client. The fear of failing. In 2 Timothy 1:7 the Lord has an answer to entrepreneurs who are held back with fear. For the Spirit that God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Many of us entrepreneurs love to copy. We see one opening up shop and we all do the same. We see one setting up a particular business, and voila, we do the same. The bible has an answer to such entrepreneurs. Romans 12:2 states that do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This is a command for us to be creative and innovative in our businesses. We should not ever try to copy and be like others, but through research, innovation and creativity be different and unique.

The bible is a serious gem for lessons and support for entrepreneurs. Its the one tool that we ignore most of the time. Before the best employees are gotten and trained, an entrepreneur must acclimatize himself or herself to the essence of the bible or whatever Holy book they ascribe to. Its the first stone in the foundation of success.