#SME_101: Preparing for the Marketplace

“Business is war, the marketplace is the battlefield, the businessperson is the warrior, information is their arsenal, and profits are the spoils of war.” It calls for preparation to enter such an arena. Unfortunately, businesspeople are faced with the worst and most destructive challenges of all; lack of business management and entrepreneurial skills. According to Dun & Bradstreet, 88.7% of all business failures are due to management mistakes. Many entrepreneurs embark on business albeit with an insurmountable degree of ignorance. Unfortunately, ignorance leads to terminal mistakes and there is no excuse.

Self-preparation has to do with developing your charisma and your character. This is a process by which you invest into your passion and values. Your passion is your charisma [a divinely conferred power or talent], and your values form your character [the mental and moral qualities distinctive to you as an individual].

Business demands resilience and discipline. Discipline means your ability to focus and conduct yourself in line with your objectives.

Often when people decide to get into business, challenges are enough to make them change their minds. But you have to understand that challenges come because you are on the right track. Therefore stay focused. Remain disciplined and stick to the objective.

Discipline also refers to fiscal discipline and frugality. Because of elements of grace and forgiveness, church business may often lack discipline and that lack of frugality and lack of control may lead to the demise of church enterprise.

These and several issues of reflection are shared in this book. It is also important to note that success is just a result of how you use the information you have in the environment you are in to get the result you desire. You therefore have to learn all you can, be creative with what you learn, and win as much as you can.