In today's episode, we're unpacking the concept of incorporating God into your business, and how He can become your ultimate business partner. Fostering a solid relationship with God has been instrumental in steering our ventures towards success.
We walk you through our tested seven-step process, designed to help you solidify your partnership with God. From selecting a time to meet with God to setting goals and visualizing progress, we share tips on how to avoid a mundane routine and keep your relationship vibrant. These steps have been fundamental to our own growth and we believe they can guide you on your own journey as a faithful entrepreneur.
So, if you're ready to elevate your business to a whole new dimension, this episode is one you can't afford to miss.
In today's episode, we're unpacking the concept of incorporating God into your business, and how He can become your ultimate business partner. Fostering a solid relationship with God has been instrumental in steering our ventures towards success.
We walk you through our tested seven-step process, designed to help you solidify your partnership with God. From selecting a time to meet with God to setting goals and visualizing progress, we share tips on how to avoid a mundane routine and keep your relationship vibrant. These steps have been fundamental to our own growth and we believe they can guide you on your own journey as a faithful entrepreneur.
So, if you're ready to elevate your business to a whole new dimension, this episode is one you can't afford to miss.
Welcome back to the expert ownership podcast. I'm David, I got Jason here. We are finally back in our studio after traveling like crazy through the fall, and Today we want to talk about partnering with God in business. That's truly what expert ownership is all about. We're talking about owning every, every area of your life, but when it comes to your business, you don't truly own it. God owns it, you're just the managing partner. Yeah, that's right. He, he partners with you, for sure, but he's the majority owner. He's made you managing partner, so just just remember that God is the majority owner. I am the managing partner, all right. Well, let's talk about how to actually practically do that, jason. Yeah, okay. So if you want God as your partner now listen, we've talked a lot about this at expert ownership, so I mean it bears repeating our repetition Absolutely talking with partnering with God. But we've got, we've got some keys for you. I've got 10 specific things I'm gonna share with you, but I broke it down into three and seven, all right, and these are gonna help you have that vibrant relationship with the Lord.
Speaker 1:Now listen, with every business partner that you have, the number one thing that you can do with that business partner is focus on your relationship. Okay, I'm not talking about, hey, let's go to coffee. No, I'm talking about being someone of value, who values them as a person above all things first and does what scripture says considers them more important or better than yourself. Yeah, so partnerships are all about relationships. That's why, when people come to us and say, hey, I'm thinking about partnering up with this person. What do you think about business partnerships? I'm like partnerships will work. You know, dave Ramsey said the only ship that doesn't float is a sale. Is it that doesn't sale as a partnership? And I get that, but that's, that's broad stroke, that I they can work and they have it can work. And so what we like to say is that if you're gonna partner with somebody, you've got to look at it like a marriage, and when you covenant with somebody in a marriage, you're gonna take their spankings if God needs to spank them. So in a co, the covenant is different from a contract. A covenant is based on mutual yielding. A contract is based on mutual shielding. So a covenant, especially the covenant of marriage, is I'm all in, no matter what a Contract is, I'm all in if you do these things. Now, of course, we have to have contract law, when we contract things and in a partnership, you truly actually do have a partnership so that you can have clarification, because clarity is kindness, but truly you have to operate covenantally. And so, and Jason, a couple of things.
Speaker 1:I know this isn't your show note. What are some of the relationship killers? I know contempt is a relationship killer, it's the number one relationship killer. So you have to give them the benefit of the doubt. Right now, you can tell me to say this is negative thinking toward another person. It's, there's something that happened or something they said or did, and you're thinking negatively and then that negativity just Just grows and blossoms and you, you can't stop thinking that negative thought and it's basically unchecked criticism in the mind. But but let me, let me just say this that's a relationship killer. But if you want to partner with God, you you 100% have to focus on your relationship with God. Okay, and that's what we're gonna talk about today.
Speaker 1:Now, real quick, if you want to accomplish anything in life, any type of goal that you want to accomplish, and and obviously we're talking to fateful entrepreneurs here at expert ownership, so let's just think about your business. You want to, you want to have a business that's gonna generate 20% margin, you know for 2023, like that that's your goal. Or you've got a new Business vertical that you're gonna open up and you'd like that to generate a 10% margin, bringing in a million revenue, like. Whatever goal it is, it doesn't matter what it is. There are three things that you need to have in order to make sure that you have that, that you can accomplish that goal, that vision, okay. Number one is you've got to have the vision for it. Okay, what is it that you want to accomplish? You need to be able to see it. You need to be able to look into the future and see what is that vision? What is it that we want to accomplish? You've got to have that vision now. That's so important, and I shared this on our living among lions podcast about how David and I, when we were kids, teenagers, we both wanted two things.
Speaker 1:We wanted division one full-ride scholarships in baseball and we also wanted to get drafted to play professional baseball. So we had those two things and that vision was very clear to us, and there were lots of times where we would Actually have the, the soundtrack for the natural playing in the background and we could see ourselves Signing D1 scholarships. We could see ourselves Hitting in Yankee Stadium and getting drafted like that vision. We were constantly seeing ourselves Accomplishing what it is that we wanted to accomplish in baseball. So we had that vision out front.
Speaker 1:It's very clear Habakkuk 2, 2. Make the vision plane, write it on tablets so he who has it may run. That vision keeps you moving, okay. So first it's vision and then the second thing is Process. So, once you've got the vision, once you've got the goal, once you've got whatever it is that you want to accomplish, you then wrap a process around it where you create the steps necessary to achieve it.
Speaker 1:And this is all about relationship, yes, talking about focusing on the relationship, yes, with God as your business partner. That's exactly where we're going, because we're gonna give you seven step, a seven step process in just a second, okay. So the first thing is you got to have vision, and you're specifically with. What we're talking about today is a vision for having God as a vibrant business partner who partners with you and helps you and Guides you and trains you and all of these things that an awesome business partner can do. And you want that with God, right, okay, well, what's your vision that you want to accomplish with your business. What is your vision that you want to accomplish with God? Okay, let's have a vibrant relationship now. Let's create a process around that. Let's create a process. That is the steps necessary. That's gonna help you achieve your goal of having God as a business partner.
Speaker 1:Okay, then, once you've had got your process in place, you need the third thing is discipline. Okay, discipline is doing what you don't want to do to accomplish what you want to accomplish. So, those three things vision, process, discipline. You want to accomplish anything in life. You got to have those three things. We're talking about partnering with God. You want to. You want a business that has a deep relationship with God. Okay, that's your vision. What's your process? We're about to give you seven steps to have your process and then discipline sticking to the process.
Speaker 1:I told my kids this I've got a 17 year old son. He wants a D1 scholarship. I told him. I said, jake, you just need three things. You need vision, you need to create a process around that vision. That are the steps You're gonna take in order to accomplish that vision. And you need discipline to stick to the process. If you do those three things, you keep that vision out front where you don't lose sight of it. You know, for David and I, we want to play professional baseball and go D1.
Speaker 1:So I had a Bible verse, philippians 4, 13. I stapled it to my ceiling right above my bed and I wrote in all caps get up and do all things through Christ, who strengthens you, right? So I was talking to myself, I was not listening to myself, and I had a picture of Rafael Palmeiro, who was a great first baseman for the Texas Rangers, one of the best hitters in baseball history, and it was him swinging the bat and I saw myself swinging the bat like him. And so that kept that vision out front and I created a process, david and I both, where we would work out three times a week. We'd get up really early before school. On Mondays we'd push our Volkswagen bug. On Tuesdays we'd do some type of upper body. On Fridays we'd do something different. But it's that process, and having that discipline allowed us to accomplish that goal. Now let me pause for one second.
Speaker 1:Obviously, discipline is doing what you don't want to do to accomplish what you want to accomplish. One of the best things that I ever heard was from a ultra marathoner, iron man guy who was like doing these things at 65, 70 years old I forget his name, but he was really famous for being old and doing all these iron man's. And they said how do you make it through all of these grueling competitions that you enter? He said, very simple, I talk to myself. I don't listen to myself. That's what discipline is like. That's good. He talks to himself, he doesn't listen to himself. So he said, when my body starts to tell me I can't go anymore, I tell myself yes, you can, you can do this, you're strong enough to do this. And sure enough, he was doing iron man's at like 70 some years old. So that's what discipline looks like.
Speaker 1:So we have a vision, we have process, we have discipline. Let me reverse that out real quick. This is David. So if you have vision, process, discipline, the reverse is okay. You have vision, but then it's result and then disappointment. In other words, you have the vision and you don't see the result immediately and you have disappointment. We lost the game. We did whatever. My company's not doing what I thought it was gonna do at this point. Well then you have disappointment and talking to yourself, yourself will naturally say you're not doing it, you're not accomplishing, you're never gonna make it and you're projecting powerlessness into the future, which is really what anxiety is. So if you have vision and then you focus on the result and you're gonna be met with disappointment, you have to have vision, focus on the process, yes, and stay disciplined to the process and trust in the future. At some point the result will happen. And then what happens? When you do that and you stick to the process, here's what's gonna happen You're gonna start to see a little bit of result. You're gonna get motivated. Then you're gonna see momentum. Momentum's gonna start taking place.
Speaker 1:But now listen, when momentum takes place, there's still one thing that can kill that Difficulty without discipline. So even when momentum is taking place in your relationships or momentum is taking place in your business, and then bam, you hit some really difficult times, right, if you don't have discipline in that moment, you're just gonna stop. You're going to do the four things. Now I learned this from Craig Grishel four things that you do that are momentum killers. When difficulty takes place and difficulty arises, you default to what's safe, easy, comfortable, familiar. Those are cuss words to a faith-filled entrepreneur. Doing what's safe, doing what's easy, doing what's comfortable, doing what's familiar those four things will kill momentum. If you hit difficulty without discipline, you'll default to those four things. But if you stick to your discipline, do what you don't wanna do, no matter how difficult it is, you will get through it. You'll have that vision. You stick to your process. You've got that discipline. The next thing you know you are accomplishing what it is that you want to accomplish. That's right.
Speaker 1:So if you have been asked the old adage how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. You have to focus on the bite. You can't focus on the elephant, yeah. Or how do you climb Mount Everest? One step at a time. You can't focus on the peak. You can look at the peak yeah. Wanna get there Now, boom. Your focus is one step at a time. So maybe you need to renew your vision, maybe you need to revisit your process. Maybe you need to return to living a disciplined life. Whatever it is, you can do it Now.
Speaker 1:We're talking about making God your business partner and growing in your relationship with your business partner. That's our vision for today. That's our vision for you today. It's engaging with your business partner. Okay, now we have created a seven step process that will help you as a faith-filled entrepreneur. Okay, to make sure that your time with the Lord doesn't get routine and mundane. So if you're gonna have God as your business partner, then you have to spend time with Him, and this isn't your Sunday school. Spend your time with the Lord and do your divo kind of talk. No, this is you have a business partner who wants to talk to you. You have a business partner who wants to help you and he will help you and you need to focus on your relationship with him, just like you need to focus on your relationship with your spouse. You know, and you need to create a process around that where it's like, okay, date night every Friday or date night every Thursday, whatever it is, and those things can easily get routine and mundane, but you don't let it get routine, mundane. So here's how you're gonna do it. Here are seven steps. Here's a seven step process for you. Okay, you got your vision, your process, and then discipline.
Speaker 1:Number one pick your time. Okay, pick your time. So when are you gonna meet with God? I think Jesus modeled this, especially for those of us who are entrepreneurs have our own business. He modeled it early in the morning. I try to train my kids. Do it first thing. Do it first thing, but late at night is just too difficult. I know a couple of people that do that and it works for them, but they're freaks Actually not really. But you pick your time so early in the morning. So you're gonna start with your time when is it that you're gonna meet with your business partner? And don't miss that time, okay, so pick your time.
Speaker 1:Number two set your goal. What's gonna be your goal? You need a goal. If you're gonna meet with God, then you need a goal. It can't be generic, like I wanna meet with God, I wanna grow closer to the Lord. That's subjective. You gotta make it very clear and measurable. So if it's 20 minutes a day, okay, that's good, that's part of your goal. But what else are you gonna accomplish.
Speaker 1:This is where we get into scripture. Where set your goal? Like I wanna read through the New Testament in a year. I wanna read through the whole Bible in a year. I wanna get through the Gospels in a year. I wanna read through the Gospels in a year and I wanna read one commentary that goes along with that in a year. And I wanna journal at least one time a week on what I've learned Like it's specific and measurable. These are goals and time bound, okay, so set your goal. So pick your time. Set your goal.
Speaker 1:Number three choose a plan. You can come up with a goal like read through the New Testament, but if you don't get yourself a plan, you won't make it. It's like I'm gonna read one chapter a day Okay, that is a plan. But pick a plan that's already marked out for you. Okay, and we'll tell you why you need that. But Jason does his digitally, I do mine. Old school, since I was 12 years old, I've been on the same Bible reading schedule. It's a little leaflet. It gets me through the whole Bible in a year. I use my pen, I checkmark the date with the Bible reading for that day and it's visual for me, it's physical and I can see it. And even right now we're in the month of November and I am already looking back at all the checkmarks and it feels really good to have gotten pretty much through the Bible again for my whatever 30, 60 year of life. Yeah, so pick a plan. I mean the great folks at U-Version, the Bible app, they've got tons of plans. So pick yourself a plan, okay.
Speaker 1:Number four this is important Delay your meal. What do I mean by that? Well, if you pick your time, you set your goal. Like you want to read through the New Testament, you choose your plan. Now you got a plan that you're that you're subscribed. To Delay your meal means don't eat until you've read your Bible. Don't eat until you've spent your time with God.
Speaker 1:So if you wake up in the morning and you're just too rushed and you don't have time to read your Bible or to do the plan that you've got, don't let yourself eat. And then, trust me, your hunger will spur you on. It will, so you delay your meal. Our dad always taught us this way when we were reading our Bible. He's like don't let yourself eat until you've read your Bible every single day and your hunger will drive you on. Now we we're to a point, by God's grace, we just don't miss Right now.
Speaker 1:Obviously there are some practical things that happens. You know the Tory rush to the hospital. You know 4 am to have Lundy and it's like I remember that day I didn't read my Bible, I was in the hospital and so there was stuff that I had to do and I still ate. So obviously there are extraneous circumstances, but as a rule of thumb, you're going to delay your meal until you've read your Bible every single day. And now again, I'm not talking about just reading your Bible, when it comes to a relationship with God, and you're going to pick your time and you're going to set your goal. It's like I want to spend 30 minutes, you know, or an hour, with the Lord every single morning, and part of that time is spent through prayer and then letting your prayer morph into Bible reading, because when you're reading the Bible, that's the only book you can read where the author is right there with you. Okay, so then you've got all of that going. So you're going to pick your time, you're going to set your goal, you're going to choose a plan. You're going to delay your meal.
Speaker 1:Okay, number five, you're going to make it real. That's where I just told you that when you read your Bible, it's the only one where God is, that the author is sitting right there with you. Don't just let it be a checklist thing. Don't just read scripture, no, dive into it, because God, your business partner, wants to show you things. David and I, when we were building our business, we learned the rule of five right out of the book of Leviticus and if you read our book, expert Ownership, we'll tell you about that rule of five. You know, I think we've even done a podcast on it. But God spoke that to us specifically about business and how we were going to make sure that we didn't fail in the first five years. And then God gave us this little plan. So make it real. Don't don't let it just get routine and mundane. Spend some time praying with the Lord and then, when you get into your Bible readings like okay, lord, I'm listening, what do you want to say to me? Okay, so you're going to make it real.
Speaker 1:And number six track your progress. This is why I said choose a plan, because what you want to do and if you, david, if you could see David's plan he's got little check marks beside it. I've got a digital plan where I've got little highlighters, it, once you've read it, check it. This feels good. It tells your brain that it is fulfilling something and accomplishing something. It's what Jesus did breaking the creation order down into steps. And at the end of every day, yeah, god did that Well. Yeah, jesus, sorry, but but at the end of, at the end of every day, he looks, he says it's good, check and that's so. That's like that little dopamine hit. That's actually where I'm going with number seven. Let me give you the first six Pick your time, set your goal, choose a plan, delay your meal, make it real, track your progress. And number seven reward yourself.
Speaker 1:Rewarding yourself is very, very important, like what David was saying with God sitting back at day three when he's creating, and he sat back, took a deep breath, he goes hmm, that's good, you want to reward yourself. Like, if you're, if you're trying to read through the New Testament and you you got through a whole month and you've done it, go, go, get yourself cold stone creamery. That's okay, go ahead and do it. If you make it all the way through the Bible, you and your spouse go out to eat or you know, do this. Take these seven steps and do it with somebody. Grab another business owner and you guys tell each other. If you both make it through and you both get through the whole Bible in a year and you've, you've, you've made God your business partner and you've grown in him, at the end of the year you're going to take your wives out on a double date and you're going to go to a very nice steakhouse Right. Reward yourself.
Speaker 1:So when you do these things, let me give you one more recap the three things to accomplish anything in life, but specifically making God your business partner. You got to have a vision of it. You need to create a process and you need to have discipline. Here's the process Seven keys. Pick your time that you're going to spend with the Lord every single day as your business partner. Set your goal, choose a plan, delay your meal, make it real, track your progress and reward yourself.
Speaker 1:All right, that's it. Own it or loan it. Jason Patagonia jackets Of course you can own that. I don't like the way they look, but yeah, I don't think they feel really good. Yeah, I'd rather have under armor, so I'm gonna loan it. Okay, that was kind of that was kind of terrible, but it's cold, it is All right.
Speaker 1:Subscribe rate review. Send this out to some friends. This thing's been growing. It's been very fun to listen and hear from folks.
Speaker 1:Let us know what you think about the podcast and if there are certain things you want to reach out to us, ben and Brotherscom, let us know what you want us to cover. If there are things that we need to discuss, we should. Generally. We'll be happy to do that. We should do better on social media at Ben and Brothers. But, david, I don't like social media. I'm not a huge fan. If you've commented to us or asked us a question on social media, we ain't going to answer it. We're building businesses. Ben and Brotherscom. Info at Ben and Brothers is what the email is. It goes directly to Deb, our awesome executive assistant. We see every single one of them, so you can always reach out to us. And CHM is Christian Healthcare Ministries is our sponsor. They are so amazing. Expertownershipcom slash CHM. We're thankful for those guys. They've saved us a bunch of money and taken care of all of our medical needs. Alright, we'll see you guys next week. Peace.