by Karen Lindwall-Bourg | Jul 4, 2017 | Entrepreneur Endeavors
Why do you do what you do?
Whatever you chose to do with your life, do it for the right reason. Don’t do it for recognition or money. Align your motives with the Word of God. What is your why?
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. – Colossians 3:23
With the popularity of Shark Tank and the stories you hear about investors in dot-coms who make millions of dollars, it can be and intoxicating draw to be an entrepreneur -for the sake of making loads of money.
While the Lord values money and instructs us on how to steward it, we are warned not to serve mammon.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” – Matthew 6:24
Money is not evil.
Anything elevated above God is an idol and therefore evil. Money is not evil. The Bible says the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). In other words, greed is sinful. It is ok to want to make money. Earning lots of money is not wrong. However, everything you do needs to be for the glory of God. So before getting too far into your entrepreneurial journey, let’s talk about your why and how it is not about money.
Getting to your why
I can almost hear the protests. But I want to make money. I want to be able to have more control of what I earn.
My question for you is why? Why do you want to make money? An even better question is what are you going to do with the money you make? The reason to make money and how you plan to spend your earnings are not the only whys that need to be clear.
If your why has to do with glorifying yourself, pleasing man or public accolades – it is not the right kind of why. Your why should always lead you back to God. All our gifts, blessings, strengthens and talents lead us back to how we can serve the body of Christ.
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31
Whatever you do
Do you know whatever means? In this verse, it is a part of speech called a pronoun or determiner. In this use, it means lack of restriction in referring to anything or amount, no matter what. It just means whatever – ANYTHING.
Secondly, the verse says to do all to the glory of God. All means all. No in-depth research mentioned there. It means all things; so when you determine your why, consider this scripture.
Everything you do, whatever you do, all things should be done to the glory of God. It’s ok to want to accomplish your goals. It is ok to want to earn money and to be successful. Try this short exercise.
- Write down why you are doing this?
- What do you want to accomplish?
- Who do you want to impact?
- How are you going to make the biggest impact?
- Where will you make the smallest impact? (Yes, even small impacts matter.)
Blessing for Purpose
I bless you for finding your divine why. I bless you with wisdom and crystal clear understanding of the reasons you have started your business and entered into entrepreneurship. I bless you with knowing the voice of God and hearing what He has to say about your business, your purpose and your life calling.
In Jesus Name – Amen
What’s your why?
Sharing your why can help others determine theirs. Join us in the comments or on the Facebook page and let us know how you came to your why.
What advice can you give others about getting to your why?
Read more on establishing firm foundations.
Blessings,
Karen Lindwall-Bourg
“Achieve Levels of Success Worth Celebrating”
*Founder, Karen Bourg Companies http://karenbourg.com
*Owner, President {Inter}National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs/International Christian Mompreneur Network http://nacwe.org
*Founder, RHEMA Publishing House http://rhemapublishinghouse.com
*Founder, RHEMA Lakeside Retreat Center https://www.facebook.com/rhemaretreat/
*Founder, RHEMA Counseling Associates http://rhemacounseling.com
About Karen Lindwall-Bourg
Karen Lindwall-Bourg is the President of the {Inter} National Association of Christian Women Entrepreneurs [est. May 2010] and the new President of the International Christian Mompreneur Network [est. July 2010], both at http://nacwe.org . She and the NACWE Operations and Leadership Teams work diligently to provide
· Community
· Networking
· Education
· Missions
opportunities to Christian Women Entrepreneurs, Mompreneurs and Nanapreneurs alike all over the world!
Our Core Values are
· Community – we value Connection, Collaboration and Contribution
· Networking – we value Nurture, New relationships and New and innovative offers
· Education – we value Encouragement, Excellence and Expressiveness, and
· Missions – we value Ministry and Making a difference
Karen is wife to Fred, Mommy to 6 kids and 5 in-loves, Nana to “going-on” 12 grandchildren, and treat provider deluxe for a herd of Great Pyrenees who protect their north TX ranch! She is an entrepreneur coach, author, publisher, retreat hostess and more! Learn more about Mastermind groups and “Celebration” coaching with Karen at http://karenbourg.com .
by Karen Lindwall-Bourg | Jun 6, 2017 | Writing & Publishing
Like it or not, writing online content is a big part of building any business. You can do it yourself, or you can hire a ghostwriter or copywriter or social media strategist or virtual assistant. Either way, the content for your website, sales pages, advertising, and for letters to your customers is essential. It might be easier than you think.
Tip #1 – Speak Wisely
The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. Ecclesiastes 10:12
Over and over again in the Bible, we are charged with taking our words into account. We are admonished not to speak foolishly, hastily, in anger, or corruptly. Apparently, God thinks words are necessary. So when it comes to writing for your website, it is helpful to have some good tips.
Tip #2 – Write for Online Reading
The way people read online is different than if they are reading a book. Think of your writing as similar to how a favorite magazine is written rather than a newspaper or a book.
We stare at screens so much these days and we usually only scan a website page. Readers scan content for headings, bold-faced words, and bullet lists. If these things catch the attention of the reader, they may continue to read in depth content.
Tip #3 – Make your content easy to read.
There are some simple and easy to follow guidelines for writing appropriate content. Once you catch the reader’s attention, you want to keep it.
- Short paragraphs – Short paragraphs are considered four sentences maximum. These short bursts keep the reader’s eye moving down the page and help prevent fatigue.
- Short sentences – Keep sentences to about 12 words on average. Some will be shorter and some will be longer. Sentence length variation also holds the reader’s interest.
- Avoid filler words – Filler words are the “um’s” and “uh’s” of writing. Avoid using words like just, very, really, completely, that, sort of, etc. Search for other lists of words to avoid.
- Avoid jargon, gobbledygook and technical words – Unless you are writing to an audience of your professional peers you want to avoid jargon, buzzwords and too much technical talk. In general, it will bore your readers. They won’t understand what you mean.
- Use active tense – Always let the subject perform the action in the sentence. Reading passive voice is boring. Use passive voice sparingly.
- Avoid needless repetition – Unless it is a style choice, don’t repeat yourself. Be clear about what you want to say. Say it and move on.
- Use the word you – When writing on your website, address your readers by using the word you.
Tip #4 – Use a proofreader
Technology makes avoiding spelling and grammar errors easy. Make good use of spell and grammar check tools. If you don’t understand the mistake, investigate it. It will improve your writing in the long term.
One tip I learned long ago to check for spelling errors is to read your content aloud. When you read something you wrote your brain automatically fills in the words. It is easy to overlook.
Another tip is to put something aside. Don’t read it for a while. Give it a week or a month depending on the length of your writing. Coming back to something a while after you have written it gives you a fresh perspective on the content. It can also lead to some of the most helpful self-editing you will ever do.
A second pair of eyes on everything you write is one of the most effective ways to make sure your writing is up to par and readable. Find someone you can trust to catch spelling and grammatical errors. You also want your proofreader to be able to edit your content for flow and clarity.
Tip #5 – Remember that Words are Powerful
In all you say online or offline, remember that words are powerful. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. You will be accountable for every idle word spoken – this includes your writing. Write with excellence and as if Jesus himself were going to read it.
Which one of these tips can you implement today in your writing? Which one have you never considered?
How can the folks at KarenBourg.com or Rhema Publishing House help you?
by Karen Lindwall-Bourg | May 30, 2017 | Entrepreneur Endeavors
It doesn’t matter if you are a brick and mortar business or you are a totally virtual and online business, you need an online presence. That’s where people are! According to the World Internet Usage and Population Statistics (http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm), there were 320,068,243 internet users in North America in March 2017. Multiply that number by 6 for Asia. YEP! That’s where people are – ONLINE! That’s where we need to be as Christian Entrepreneurs.
These are some basics of your online existence.
“You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them.”
Pam Moore CEO & Founder, Marketing Nutz
The internet is an extension of the community in which you live. If you have a brick and mortar business, it is essential to extend your presence in the community through engaging with your community online. If you have an online business, you also need to have a clear and active presence online.
Start with a website.
Your Online Presence Basics – You need a great website.
In our digital and smartphone times, we are always on the go. We have information at our fingertips. We have a tendency to research more. We make more price comparisons, and we read reviews more than ever. You need a website because no one uses the yellow pages anymore to find goods or services and because that’s where people are!
Word of mouth is still one of the most effective ways to advertise and acquire customers. These days, word of mouth is happening online. When you have a website, you can help direct that conversation. Your website provides a landing place for any social media links and any blog posts or articles you post about your business. Your website is a capsule of all you offer, how you offer it and where to get it. Your website is a first impression and a doorway for your customers.
Your Online Presence Basics – Social media networking is imperative.
One of the most overlooked aspects of social media is the fact that it is an active and engaged community. Finding your niche or tribe and creating a following is an excellent way to grow your business and get people talking about you and your business. It is a way for you to show up, interact, and make yourself real to potential customers. It helps create brand loyalty when people know who is behind what they are buying. You have the ability to control and highly influence the social media community you are a part of and that you create. It is a great way to make yourself known, and it allows you to go deeper. Social media gives you an outlet to express and apply your vision and mission. It also gives you the opportunity to show followers how Christian Entrepreneurs do business.
Your Online Presence Basics – Blogs are an extension of your voice.
It doesn’t matter what you are selling or how you are selling it; blogs are a sales platform. They are an extension of your voice, your mission, your vision, and the voice of Christ in you. Blogs are a space you control. You can talk about your product and how it fits into your life and your potential customer’s life. Blogs can be used to give detailed testimonials or case studies. Blogs can also be used to inform and encourage. You started your business because you wanted something more. You felt a pull to something bigger. A blog on your website is a place to grow into that something bigger. Blogs can be personalized and managed by you. You chose how often you write about your products and services. You chose how much you talk about God. You chose how people interact with you on your blog. You get to direct the conversation. It is a controlled environment. With the right strategy, blogs are great sales tools and community builders.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 ESV
Your Online Presence Basics – Community is the foundation.
The point of having an online presence is to build a community around your business and your brand. Keeping a balanced perspective of it being about you and being about your customer is important. We are not meant to maneuver through this life alone. Anytime you can encourage another by identifying with them or helping them solve a problem; you are building community. You are doing it the way Jesus wants you to. Everything you do online is about building community. There are real people behind the pictures, comments, and questions. Treating them as if you were face to face with them builds trust. It also lets people know who you are because ultimately the first thing you sell is yourself.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV
My Prayer for your Online Presence
Lord Jesus,
Please give us the wisdom to represent You and our businesses online accurately. Help us to maintain integrity and excellence in the online community as we do in our real life community. Point us in the direction which is best for our businesses, best for our communities, and best for our lives to glorify You in all we do.
In Jesus name – Amen
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