Some key ingredients you need to run a successful business as a Christian
What do you need to run a Christian business? How do you become a successful Christian entrepreneur?
If you are a new Christian business owner (or thinking of starting a business), and you’re asking questions like the ones above, I want you to know that these are legitimate questions and concerns. In this post, I am going to do my best to answer your questions and provide you with some useful tips that can set you up for success.
Before we dive in, let’s touch on a few things.
First, it goes without saying that as a Christian, you should be committed to applying Christian business principles to your business. Also, you should only engage in Christian business practices and build your business on Christian business values.
The above are some of the foundational requirements for starting and running a business as a Christian.
If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur and would like to know how to start a business as a Christian, I have linked to a couple of posts below to help you get started.
Now, let’s look at some essential things you need to run a successful Christian business.
Related: Seeking God to Start a Business
How to Start a Business as a Christian
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How to Run a Christian Business: 4 Essential Things for Success
1. HARDWORK
While success in business doesn’t have to be difficult, I’d be lying if I said it was easy. A successful Christian business requires hard work, dedication, and commitment.
Don’t assume you will get a pass because you’re a Christian and have faith. Running a Christian business isn’t an easy thing to do and you are going to have some bad days as well as good days. What will set you apart is how willing you are to work and fight for the success of your business.
I want you to approach your business with a realistic mindset so you can remain steadfast and be willing to invest time and resources into your business.
The Bible says that in all labor, there’s profit, so you must remember that. Let that encourage you to work hard to build a successful Christian business.
I know there are people out there who believe hard work isn’t always an essential ingredient for success, but that’s the exception, not the norm. In my experience, focused, consistent work (without burning yourself out) is the way to go.
Now, you need more than hard work if you want to run a successful Christian business, so we will also talk about some other essential things you need but I wanted to begin with hard work since some Christians tend to downplay its importance.
2. PURPOSE
Yes, you need clarity and purpose to run a Christian business. It’s not enough to start a business, you should also have a goal or reason that motivates or drives you.
A lack of purpose can prevent you from achieving your goals or becoming successful. Think about it for a moment. Are you aware of why you want to run a Christian business or why you want to be successful?
In case you’re wondering why this is important, the reason why it’s important to have a purpose is that when you’re not invested in the reason for working towards a goal, it’s easy to lose focus or become discouraged when you run into obstacles.
A sense of purpose can shield you from these negative emotions or challenges, so take some time to think about what drives you. Think about why you want to run a Christian business and let that be the fuel that keeps the fire burning inside to achieve your goal.
3. PASSION
Passion is different from purpose because you can feel the need to do something but lack the passion to actually do it. You need both purpose and passion to run a Christian business.
Your passion for God and a willingness to do what’s right is an essential ingredient for any Christian who wants to build a kingdom business. Your passion is what gives you joy in serving the Lord with your business.
If you are not passionate about your business, it will eventually become a drag and not something you enjoy doing. For example, I have been involved in a few things but I didn’t have the passion for some of them so I let them fizzle out or jumped ship at the first sign of trouble.
However, right now feels different. I don’t have any problem with my passion for God or his word so that helps me to stay inspired and motivated. Also, it’s easy for me to focus on my purpose since I don’t lack passion.
So I encourage you to find ways to sustain your passion so you can keep working on your business and continue to use your business to meet your goals and glorify God.
4. CONFIDENCE AND SELF-BELIEF
As a Christian entrepreneur, I know I am God’s steward and my sufficiency is in him. I acknowledge that without him I can do nothing. He’s my rock and my foundation and that gives me the confidence to pursue my dreams without fear.
When you have a clear vision and a clear purpose, it inspires complete confidence in you and makes it easy for you to take action.
Entrepreneurship is full of challenges. There are times when you face some roadblocks that seem insurmountable or too much for you to handle, however, when you have confidence in yourself and your ability, you know that you can tackle any challenge and find solutions to problems.
Lack of confidence breeds fear and tend to lead to procrastination. I know some entrepreneurs who keep putting things off because they are scared. I also know some aspiring entrepreneurs who refuse to start their business because of a lack of confidence.
If you want to run a Christian business that thrives, you must work on your confidence. Believe in yourself. Trust your instincts. Don’t give in to fear. Trust your judgment and pray for wisdom if you struggle to make good decisions.
When you are confident, it’s easy to get rid of mental blocks or limiting beliefs. If you lack confidence, spend some time praying and identify the cause so you can fix it. Don’t let fear stop you from achieving your business goals.
5. SELF-LEADERSHIP
Self-leadership is simply the ability to govern yourself. It’s the ability to lead and motivate yourself every day.
As a Christian business owner, you are also a business leader. Like many leaders, it’s possible you spend more time focusing on and influencing others. While that’s a good thing, it’s important you don’t forget to focus on yourself.
Self-leadership is all about focusing on yourself. Building your strengths and working on your weaknesses. As a leader, you must ensure your values and beliefs align with your business practices, that’s why you should always set aside some time for self-reflection to make sure you don’t get too busy working on your business while neglecting the inner work.
Leadership includes taking responsibility for yourself and your business. Investing in self-development and self-growth. You also need a passion for learning so you can become more competent and fill any knowledge gaps you may have.
Leadership is all about your inner strength and courage. It’s the ability to motivate yourself to succeed even when you don’t feel like it. It’s the courage to do the right thing no matter the circumstance.
Knowing how to self-govern is one of the most important ingredients to running a business so make it a priority in your life.
6. PRAYER AND FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
So you have passion, purpose, and a willingness to work hard, now you need prayer to put it all together. You need prayer to stay connected to the source of your strength and the one who gives you the power to get wealth.
Prayer and the study of God’s word are essential ingredients for running a Christian business. No matter how busy you are, you should always find the time to pray and fellowship with God by spending time in his word. If you want to really grow as a Christian entrepreneur, you can’t neglect to pray or read the Bible.
The Bible is replete with lots of wisdom you can apply to your business. Reading the Bible will help you to stay grounded and vigilant because it’s pretty easy to stray from biblical principles when you run a business.
If you’ve put praying and the study of God’s word on the back burner, it’s time to make them a part of your daily life. Don’t try to run a Christian business without putting God at the center of it.
Related: 7 Daily Practices for The Christian Business Owner
Closing Thoughts on How to Run a Successful Christian Business
Running a Christian business is the same as running any other business in lots of ways, but the difference is how you approach things. Operating your business with biblical principles and focusing on the most essential things is what differentiates you.
Hopefully, the tips in this post will help you to run your business successfully and help you achieve your goals.
Which of these essential things do you struggle with the most?
Related Christian business advice posts
5 Habits of a Christian Entrepreneur (That Will Set You Apart)
5 Biblical Keys to Success for Christian Entrepreneurs
Top 9 Tips for Christian Entrepreneurs
How to Run a Christian Business: 4 Essential Things for Success
thanks. this really helped give me insight into my business.