"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God" ~ Leviticus 19:9-10 In a recent devotional Os Hillman, founder of Marketplace Leaders, wrote about the responsibility of helping take care of the poor. From a Biblical perspective those in business are supposed to play a pivotal role in this process, even more than the government or churches. He writes: So how does God want us to care for the poor? Is it through government welfare programs, food stamps, or soup kitchens? God gives us his answer in the Old Testament story of Boaz, Ruth and Naomi. It was customary for farmers to not glean their entire fields in order to leave some of the crop for the poor to glean. This allowed the poor to come at the end of the day and work to receive their provision. This is how the widow Naomi was able to care for herself. Boaz allowed the poor in his community to come to his field at the end of the day to get the leftovers of the harvest. Finally Hillman asks, "What are the gleanings in your business? Consider how you might serve the poor." Have you ever thought about how your business can serve the poor? I would love to hear your thoughts below... We know the cost of the fallout is not yet calculated from the aftermath of the events in Ferguson over the past few days. However, what we do know is that the first victims after the verdict was announced were small businesses in the "hot zone" that were burned to the ground. Operation Hope CEO and empowerment advocate John Hope Bryant wrote an article on LinkedIn entitled: "The Second Victim of Ferguson. The Death of Business and Jobs" that highlighted the potential long-term devastating impact of the loss of small businesses. According to Bryant, the specific small businesses that burned down and/or looted included: QuickTrip, Ferguson Market, AutoZone, wireless telephone store, beauty supply store, a public storage, and a BBQ restaurant. Bryant says: "None of these businesses had anything to do with the injustices of Ferguson and its criminal justice system, but many may never open again, or even have a desire to come back. And given that 92% of all jobs in America are private sector, this means that a community that had few jobs before the Michael Brown crisis, now will have significantly less still. This is one reason I'm a huge advocate for entrepreneurship training in urban areas as a vehicle to create opportunities and help lift people out of poverty. Prayerfully Ferguson's entrepreneur community will be able to rebuild with an increased emphasis on more people becoming small business owners. Economic empowerment must become one of the the key aspects of community rebuilding. Click here to read the full article on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141125191809-23074630-the-second-victim-of-ferguson-the-death-of-business-and-jobs Leave your comments below... Listen to the Teleconference Recording: Make the Jump from Employment to Entrepreneurship10/31/2014 A few days ago I hosted a teleconference focusing on helping people understand what it really takes to make the jump from employment. I shared 3 powerful insights that will help you be successful as you make the transition from working for someone else to working for yourself. If you are considering making that jump or you know someone who is, this will be a great listen for you. Enjoy! If you would like to learn more about how I can help you make the jump please visit www.incmydream.com.
Please leave your comments below... Whether we realize it or not, we are in the age of the "Entrepreneurial Economy". This doesn't mean everyone will be an entrepreneur. What it means is that every worker needs to approach the workforce with a new mindset. Along with a new mindset, workers will also need new transferable skills that will be sustainable in any work environment or economy. Every person is a personal enterprise who brings significant value to the marketplace. While that may be somewhat frightening for some, this new normal actually creates many opportunities for those who are willing and able to adapt and adjust. That's why we're excited to host Dream Rally for Jobs in Suffolk, VA this Friday, October 17th at Gates of Heaven C.O.G.I.C. We will be restoring hope, igniting visions, and inspiring dreams of the unemployed, underemployed, and misemployed. If you have been unsuccessful in finding meaning work with a living wage or you know someone in that position please join us for this special event beginning at 7:30 pm. Aren't you tired of hating your job? Aren’t you tired of having a longing in your heart that’s not satisfied? Aren’t you sick of being jealous seeing other people doing the things that you love and are capable of doing? It’s time to stop this cycle of frustration, irritation, and stagnation as it relates to your career. It’s time to make the jump!
Join me for a FREE online coaching experience: Make the Jump from Frustrated Employee to Fulfilled Entrepreneur. Our focus will be on helping you build an "entrance strategy" into the purpose and destiny that God has for you in the marketplace as an entrepreneur. God's plan for your work life is greater than what you have experienced so far. Register today so you can join me October 20th on this adventure to discover what else God has for you! As we wade through another holiday shopping season of hyper-marketing, once-in-a-lifetime-until-next-year black Friday discounts, and customer brawls, it's easy to lay the blame for this atmosphere on our "greed-driven capitalism." However, the reasons for the current environment is more complex than that generic label. In his recent article, Capitalism and the Kingdom, Bob Lupton of FCS Urban Ministries discusses the delicate balance through which we should view capitalism, especially as it relates to how Christians are to deal with the poor. Here's an excerpt... "I am convinced that the only thing that will enable the poor to emerge from poverty is a decent job. I am further convinced that the best chance of creating decent jobs lies with our free market capitalists. Does this mean that capitalism is the Divine design for bringing about Shalom? I suspect not. Nor is any economic system devised by flawed humanity. But in spite of its bent toward self-interest, even with its excesses and inequities, capitalism has an historic opportunity to create shared prosperity that can benefit every person on the globe. What capitalism needs in order to fulfill its promise is sanctified self-interest." In a recent post I talked about my new role with Metro Merge, a South Atlanta based Christian business incubator. Well we are joining a joining a momentum that's happening across the country of organizations who see entrepreneurship and small business development as platforms for empowerment. Sunshine Gospel Ministries, a 108-year old non-profit in the Woodlawn community on the South Side of Chicago, is shifting from a charity model to a development model. One of their goals is to launch a business incubator that helps to establish companies that will eventually employ 200 people. Through their 8-week Business Leadership Academy, they aim to teach promising entrepreneurs how to manage capital, leverage technology and wisely choose growth opportunities. The project is modeled on a successful program run by Rising Tide Capital, a 9-year-old nonprofit based in Jersey City, N.J., that has graduated 750 small business owners from its academy and seen 300 of them operate successfully, employing people other than the sole owner. We at Metro Merge are excited to begin walking down a similar path. Click here to learn more about our vision for South Atlanta. Read the full article about Sunshine Gospel Ministries here: http://www.chicagogrid.com/features/small-business-incubator-coming-south-side-hoping-bring-200-jobs/ ********************For more than a decade I have had a deep desire to create environments that inspire, equip, and empower people to reach their God-given potential. A strong part of this vision was connected to teaching business and entrepreneurship in ways that empower people to maximize their financial potential. That's why I'm super excited to announce a new opportunity that I have to lead an emerging business incubator in South Atlanta called Metro Merge. Launched on MLK Day 2009, Metro Merge is apart of a collective of community development non-profit organizations under FCS Urban Ministries (Focused Community Strategies). FCS was founded by Bob Lupton in 1976 with the mission “to create healthy places in the city where families flourish and God’s shalom is present.” Metro Merge adds its part to this mission by serving as a catalyst to help opportunity and potential emerge in Historic South Atlanta through promoting sustainable enterprises and economic development solutions. Working in partnership with Kingdom Business University, we are developing a full service business incubator and business programming that emphasizes transformational leadership, financial literacy, technological literacy, and social community impact. Learn more at www.metromerge.org. Here is the official press release... WILL YOU INVEST WITH US?Fight Poverty. Grow Businesses. Create Jobs. Metro Merge is a division of FCS Urban Ministries, a non-profit with a 30+ year track record. We’re one of multiple initiatives that all work together with a wholistic emphasis. We rely on ongoing donations to sustain our not-for-profit mission. And we’re working to build a sustainable model to reduce our need for fundraising. Please consider co-investing with us as we join God’s restorative work in the city. Click here to learn more about donating to Metro Merge. I'm really looking forward to attending this Partners Worldwide conference tomorrow at LAUNCH, a community-based business incubator that's having a major impact on lives in the Chattanooga area through entrepreneurship and business training. Our team at Kingdom Business University is in the process of creating something similar at Metro Merge in South Atlanta. This will definitely be a time of great learning, networking, and fun as we strategize and collaborate on how to manifest our victory over this defeated foe.
It seems like lately I have been increasingly running across articles on the Internet where people are encouraging company employees to quit their jobs. This is intriguing to me considering the U.S. is still in the middle of a "soft" economic recovery with jobs still being very difficult to come by for so many Americans. Is this a bunch of hubris or is there something to what all these people are saying? The latest article I read, entitled Why You Should Quit Your Job Now, advocates that employees rethink their employment perspective by rejecting the notion that your current job is going to last a long time, while at the same time pursuing alternative streams of income. The author calls people who operate like this "entre-employees." People who are in denial about the real state of the modern workforce have an unhealthy W-2 dependency, i.e. they can't see themselves as anything other than an employee who gets a "guaranteed" check every 2 weeks. In essence they have "W-2 Dependency." Unfortunately for them, the typical 9 to 5 has been going the way of the dinosaurs for a long time, and I believe the pace is accelerating. Did you know that temporary employees make up 20% - 30% of the current workforce? And some experts believe that number could increase to as high as 60% within the next 10 years. Corporations are driven to maximize profits by increasing income and decreasing expenses. Guess what the biggest expense is for most corporations? People. So guess where they are constantly looking to reduce their obligations? Temporary employees are much less expensive than full-time employees (mainly because they don't have to pay for their benefits) and much easier to transition in and out of the company based on project-type work. (RELATED: RePurpose My Career: Success Skills for the Entrepreneurial Economy) Position for Your Transition It's not practical or wise for most people to just walk away from their jobs tomorrow. Instead, I encourage you to proactively prepare for your next career opportunity instead of hoping you won't be a corporate casualty. Here are three key aspects of creating an entrance plan into your next career venture:
In future articles I will offer more spiritual and practical advice on how you can continue to break away from W-2 dependency. Read the full article: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/why-quit-job-now-151346969.html What are your thoughts? Please leave your comments below... ******************* |
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