The Preferring Pages
	Articles

 

 

1. Starting Your Own Neighborhood Business, by Stephen Higginbotham

2. Christian Entrepreneurial Internship and Training Programs

3. Not Chicken When it Comes to Business, by Andrea Longbottom

4. The Reformation of Christian Entrepreneurship, by Doug Phillips

5. Theories that Neutralize Christians, by Doug Phillips

6. The Future-Oriented Vision of the Christian Family, by R.J. Rushdoony

 

http://www.hslda.org/courtreport/V23N4/V23N406.asp

 

1. Starting Your Own Neighborhood Business

How to Start a Neighborhood Business

by Stephen M. Higginbotham

 

Step 1 Decide.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-7

The first step in starting a business is to decide what kind of business you are going to start. There are many kinds of businesses you can create. Some are simple, some are complex, but not all are right for you. Choose something with which you have a talent; something you already have had some practice doing. You need to pray about which business you should start and ask God to help you decide. Then try accomplishing some the kinds of work that look exciting to you.

After that, you need to decide what to charge for your work. There are several things to take into consideration when deciding prices. First you need to study about the kind of work. Is it labor intensive? Or is it easy work? Generally you should charge more for labor intensive work, because it is harder. It is like more work. Next you need to decide whether to charge by the hour or by the job. Some jobs are better charged by the hour, some by the job. Jobs like mowing lawns and pet sitting are better if paid by the job. When deciding the amount for a job, you need to anticipate three things. First, the size of the job; the larger the job the higher the price. Second, the labor involved; the more labor involved the higher the price. Third, the price of others; if you have a cheaper price with still good quality service you will get more business because you are saving them money. Whereas jobs like cleaning or jobs when you don't know how long it will take, or how much work it is, are better paid by the hour. six dollars per hour is a good price for most work.

Here is an idea list of businesses to help you decide: Babysitting, music lessons, house cleaning, baking, sewing, window washing, painting, automobile or boat washing and/or detailing, ironing, typing, selling home-grown produce.

Not every possibility is listed here, but the list is to give you ideas. If you have another idea go ahead and use it.

Step 2 Practice.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Ecclesiastes 9:10

The second step in starting any business is to know what you are doing and to be capable of doing it well. The reason for doing this is that if you do not know what you are doing then nobody will want to use your service. Now the first step in knowing what to do is to have someone teach you or to read about it. It is usually easier to learn by having someone show you how to do it and then try it yourself. The next step is to practice what you have learned until you are able to accomplish a job well done. While learning, have your teacher study what you have done and look for mistakes then try to correct them. Because remember you might have customers who are very particular so you need to be able to accomplish the task fairly well. Once you have mastered the art, you are ready to start the next step.

Step 3 Advertise.

Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. Proverbs 13:11

The third step in starting a business is letting people know you are available and what kind of business you are operating. There are multiple ways you can accomplish this. One of the best forms of advertising is fliers. There are different kinds of fliers you can use; some are easier to make than others. One of the best ways to create fliers is to use a publishing program like Microsoft Publisher ®. These are easy to use with their templates and make the process much faster. The information you should put in your flier is: your phone number, address, name(s), what kind of work you are doing, and how much you charge. If applicable, mention that you live in the neighborhood. You want to make it look nice so put some clip art on it. You will also want to save a copy of your flier for future reference, in case you ever distribute fliers again.

Now you are ready to distribute them. There are several ways you can accomplish this. First you can take them door to door, or you can deliver them in people's newspaper boxes. Before doing this however, you need to check the regulations for your area. Some places don't allow you to put them in the mailbox flags. In some places, you must have a permit. Once you have checked the laws, you are ready to distribute them. If you put them on the mailbox or in the newspaper box, you might want to use tape to keep them from blowing away.

Step 4 Start.

For who hath despised the day of small things? Zechariah 4:10

The fourth step in starting a business is to start working. Make sure any equipment you need to use, if any, is in working order. For example, you should tune up a mower before starting to mow.

Next you need to start receiving business. Most likely your customers will call you and ask if you can work for them. In your conversation you need to arrange a day and time when you can work. Then when that time comes, you need to diligently work for them. The more punctual you are, the more business you will receive. People don't like it when workers arrive late and it could cause many problems.

It is best to keep track of the jobs you have received. The information you should keep in your records are: the type of job, the customer's name, contact information, how much you charged them, when they paid, and the dates that you worked. You can use a computer with spreadsheets or some sort of special program. If you are using your computer like this, it is a good idea to back up your files either by printing them or by saving them to a CD or floppy disk. You could also use a spreadsheet pad. All of these are excellent options and usually work very well.

Step 5 Improve.

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men. Proverbs 22:29

Even though you have had practice at home before you started your business, you still will not do a perfect job at first. You will automatically improve in time, but there are things you can do to help yourself improve more quickly. One of the things you can do is simply trying to improve. If you make a mistake, just do your best to correct it and then try not to make that mistake in the future. If somebody points out your mistake and shows you how to correct it and improve it, don't get angry. They are just trying to be helpful.

You will not just improve the quality of the job but also the time involved. It will start taking less time to accomplish the same tasks that used to take longer for the exact same work. This will enable you more time available for more work and thus earn more money. When you are working quickly, it does not mean to just work as fast as you can. You must be diligent but not sloppy. What you are looking for in working quickly is to work as fast as you can while still preforming an acceptable job.

Step 6 Increase.

His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: Mathew 25:23

What we mean by increasing is to grow your business and to acquire more customers. If you give dependable work for people God will most likely bless you with more “talents,” just like in the parable. You might not need to increase your business because you might already be busy enough. Finally your business will increase itself if you are effective at the job, Because your customers will tell others about the wonderful job you are doing and recommend you to them. This is called word-of-mouth.

You can also distribute more fliers when you are in need of more business. Now remember distributing fliers is not a one time occurrence, but something you can repeat many times. If you do a poor job, your customers will be sure to tell others and they will not hire you. This is why you need to be careful and do an acceptable job so people will use your services.

Step 7 Thank.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4

The name of this step may seem a little strange to you but it is the most important step. What I mean by thank is to give thanks to the Lord for what He has done. Because if it wasn't for Him you, wouldn't even have a business. It is to Him you owe everything. May God bless your business.

 

 

2. Christian Entrepreneurial Internship or Training Programs:

-For Young Homeschooled Men

Franklin Springs Family Media (www.franklinsprings.com)
Generations (www.kevinswanson.com)
Samaritan Ministries (www.samaritanministries.org)
Vision Forum (www.visionforum.com/about/opportunities/internships/)

-For Individuals, Couples, or Families

Apple Family Farm (www.applefamilyfarm.com/FarmSchool.htm)