Build business success with free, updated microbusiness guide

Dear Community Partner,

Millions of U.S. residents either work for themselves full-time or run a small side business, yet only 50 percent of these businesses last at least five years. Regardless of the type of venture your clients are considering or have already launched—from computer consulting or event photography to selling flowers or operating a food truck—their business success depends on having the information and resources they need.

Consumer Action’s updated and expanded small business guide, Micro Business: Preparing for success, walks those who are in the planning stage through the crucial steps for getting their business off the ground, from writing a business plan and choosing their business structure to finding funding and avoiding common start-up mistakes.

For existing businesses, the guide offers information and tips for establishing good bookkeeping practices, finding money to grow the business, expanding their business to the internet, and finding legal and consulting services if needed.

The 12-page guide can be downloaded—free—from the Consumer Action website, and it’s available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean (immigrants are more than twice as likely to start a business as U.S.-born residents). Community educators can also place a bulk order for printed copies online, or use the attached form to order by fax or mail.

 

“Jairus” (Part #3)

 

“Jairus” (Part #4)

 

“A prayer for knowing God’s will”

 

“Father”

17, June 2018

“Father” (Part #2)

‘My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands’ (Proverbs 3:1 NKJV)

If you’re a dad, God expects you to be the leader in your family. That means: (1) You must want to lead. Without good leadership, the chances are your kids are headed for a life of trouble. Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr said, ‘If you look at the one factor that most closely correlates with crime, it’s not poverty, it’s not unemployment, it’s not education; it’s the absence of the father in the family.’

(2) You must know where you’re going. Without clear direction for your own life, you can’t guide your kids. God expects you to enable your children to make wise decisions in such crucial areas of life as sex, money, relationships, marriage, and the vocations they choose. These are make-or-break issues. It’s your job to teach them both in precept and practice what those crucial life issues are, and to help them make godly decisions in each one.

(3) You must ‘be there’ for them. Let’s use this acrostic on the word DADS: Direction. Availability. Discipline. Spirituality. The most crucial component on the list is ‘availability’. Why? Because if you’re not available you can’t give direction, your discipline will be resented, and your spiritual leadership will be rejected. Nature abhors a vacuum, and if you don’t lead your children, someone will lead them for you. If you’re not there for them someone else will be—someone you may not like … And when that happens, the greater problem isn’t that you won’t be around; it’s that you’ll no longer be missed! In the Bible, God is called ‘Our Father’. So today ask Him to help you become the father your children need.

 

“Jabez” (Part #3)

03, May 2018

‘So God granted him what he requested’ (1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV)When Jabez prayed, ‘Enlarge my territory,’ he was saying, ‘Lord, I want more than I’ve got, and I’m asking You for it’! This man had great ambitions, and God blessed them.

There are three common misconceptions that can keep us from having great ambitions:

(1) We confuse fear with humility. We say, ‘Oh, I could never do that,’ and think we’re being humble. But that’s not humility. That’s fear; that’s lack of faith. A truly humble person would say, ‘With God’s help I can do it. With God’s blessing I will do it. I may not be able to do it on my own, but with God’s help I can’. That’s real humility.

(2) We tend to confuse laziness with contentment. We quote Paul: ‘I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances’ (Philippians 4:11 NIV) … But this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t set goals. Paul wasn’t saying, ‘I don’t have any ambitions or future plans’ … Just the opposite, in fact! He spoke of ‘reaching forward to what lies ahead’ (Philippians 3:13 NAS). If you don’t have a dream or a goal, ask God for one.

(3) We confuse small thinking with spirituality. Some people say, ‘I serve God in my little way’. Why don’t you start serving Him in a bigger way? Why not let Him use you more? Other people say, ‘Well, I’m just fine the way I am. That’s the way God made me’. It’s wrong to blame God for your lack of growth, because He has provided all the tools and ideas you need in order to grow. Bottom line: think big or you’ll get in God’s way!

 

“Jabez”

02, May 2018

‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed’ (1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV)

Jabez prayed that God would bless him in three specific ways:

(1) ‘Enlarge my territory.’ He had a dream of owning more land, and he asked God to bless that dream. When you stop dreaming you lose direction. When you stop setting goals you stop growing. You must have something you’re pushing towards. As long as your horizon is expanding, you’ll be spiritually and emotionally healthy.

(2) ‘That Your hand would be with me’. God’s hand represents His power. Jabez realized that if he got more territory it meant he would have more responsibility. He would have greater demands and more pressure, and he would really need God’s help in his life. So he requested God to be with him … And when you ask for God’s presence in your life, you can be sure He’ll answer.

(3) ‘That You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain’. Jabez asked God for His protection. Why? Because in those days the more land you owned, the more influence you had, and the better known you were … And that made you a bigger target. It’s still like that today. The more successful you are, the more critics you have. The more territory you own, the more your enemies will attack you. The closer you grow to the Lord and the stronger you become as a Christian, the more the devil will harass you because he doesn’t want you to grow. But you can be sure, as Jabez was, that with God’s protection you don’t have to fear anyone or anything. Do you want to break out of mediocrity? Then pray the prayer that Jabez prayed.

 

“Position Yourself To Receive”

10, April 2018

“Position Yourself To Receive”

‘The wise listen to others’ (Proverbs 12:15 NLT)

Positioning yourself to receive—makes all the difference! For example, as you read this, if you position yourself to receive by saying to the Lord, ‘I will take action on what You show me,’ you’ll benefit more than if you read it just to be motivated or inspired. To resist or to receive—that’s a choice you make every day. Nothing dies quicker than a new idea in a closed mind. It’s impossible to learn, if you think you already know it all. One of the reasons Jesus reacted so strongly to the Pharisees was because they refused to receive what He had to say. A wrongly positioned mind is like a microscope that magnifies trifling things but can’t receive great ones. Every situation, properly viewed, is an opportunity. But opportunities can only ‘drop into your lap’ if you position your lap where opportunities drop. When you don’t position yourself to receive, it’s like asking for a bushel while you’re holding a cup. Too often our minds are locked on one track. We’re looking for red so we overlook blue; we’re thinking ‘tomorrow’ and God is saying ‘now’. We’re looking everywhere, and the answer is right under our nose. When a person is positioned correctly, he or she is ready to receive all God has for them.

The Bible often uses simple words. The original term means ‘thick, dull, and sluggish’, and it describes those who are insensitive and unreceptive to the thoughts of others. When God sends His messenger with an idea or a different concept outside of what you have envisioned, don’t dismiss it without relevance. And another thing, only God chooses His messengers. God will speak to you through people, but unless you listen you won’t hear what He has to say. So today position yourself to receive.

 

“What Are Your Strengths”?

14, February 2018

“What Are Your Strengths”?

‘God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well.’ (Romans 12:6 TLB)

Paul writes: ‘Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function … We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well’ (Romans 12:4–6 NLT). Dr John Maxwell recommends that you work where you’re strongest 80 per cent of the time, where you’re learning 15 per cent of the time, and where you’re weakest 5 per cent of the time.

So, what are your strengths? To find the answer to that question, you must:

(1) Be secure. If you allow your insecurities to get the better of you, you’ll become inflexible and resistant to change … And if you don’t change you won’t grow.

(2) Get to know yourself. Spend time exploring your gifts, ask for feedback and receive it, and be honest about your blind spots.

(3) Trust your leader. If you can’t trust the person you’re following, you should look for someone you can trust, or get on another team.

(4) See the big picture. Your place on any team only makes sense in the context of the big picture. If your sole reason for finding your niche is personal gain, your wrong motives will rob you of the very joy, fulfilment, and success you desire.

(5) Rely on your experience. The only way to know you’ve discovered your niche is to try things, take risks, learn from your failures and successes, and discover what God has gifted you to do.

 

“Sound Financial Advice” (Part #3)

13, February 2018

“Sound Financial Advice” (Part #3)

‘The godly love to give!’ (Proverbs 21:26 NLT)

The level of financial blessing God will entrust to you depends on three questions:

(1) Are you mature enough to handle it?

(2) Are you hoping to reap but unwilling to sow?

(3) Are you a hoarder or a giver?

God knows we can’t all give the same amount. Jesus honored a widow for giving her last two coins, saying: ‘they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on’ (Mark 12:44 NLT). On the other hand, businessman Barnabas ‘sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet’ (Acts 4:37 NIV). The more God blesses you with, the more He holds you accountable for. Jesus said, ‘Much is required from those to whom much is given’ (Luke 12:48 TLB).

At offering time, a pastor told his congregation to reach out and grab the wallet or purse of the person sitting in front of them. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘open it up and give as much as you’ve always wanted to give but felt you couldn’t afford’! The truth is, we’re not all called to give equally but we’re all called to sacrifice equally. That levels the playing field. Isn’t it interesting how you can go to dinner at the home of somebody who doesn’t have a lot, and leave feeling like royalty because of their hospitality? That’s because the essence of generosity is self-sacrifice. God entrusts financial blessing to people who aren’t controlled by the love of money. How can you tell when you’re controlled by the love of money? Because instead of giving when God tells you to, you withhold. Understand this: when God impresses on you to sow a seed, there’s a harvest coming your way.