3 Key Things Pastors Need to Succeed in Business

Do you get overwhelmed trying to figure out all the things you need to be successful in business? What if you could just boil it down to the top 3 keys to succeed in business

Well, the good news is that you can! And we’ll talk about that in this episode of the More Than a Pastor show. Let’s get started!

Hello my friend! Welcome to the More Than a Pastor Show. I’m your host, Rich Avery. This is where we help pastors leverage your ministry know-how into sustainable income outside of the church, through a business or side hustle that’s right for you. So you can serve God and provide for your family, no matter what.

Whether you’re a pastor who’s always dreamed about entrepreneurship, but isn’t sure if God could call you to be a pastor and an entrepreneur, you’re at the point where you need to find a way to create more income, or you want to build long-term financial security for your family, you’re in the right place!

Links for Today's Show

• 48 Days Eagles Peak Week: Click Here for Free Trial Access
• Join our private Facebook community: https://www.morethanapastor.com/facebook
• Free PDF: How to Know if Starting a Business is Right for You
• Read My Last Post: How You Can Stop Settling for Less...And Settle for More 

If you’re reading this during the month of September, 2022, you may have heard me share that I have a couple of goals with the More Than a Pastor Show podcast this month, and a couple of ways that you can help me achieve those goals.

1. I want to publish a new episode each day, starting on Labor Day, Sept 5, so I can get in the habit of creating content every day, double the number of episodes I have and go over the 50 episode mark, and build momentum for my show.
2. I want to grow my More Than a Pastor Community on Facebook from 30 to 100 members. I want this to be a place where pastors like us who are launching and growing our businesses can support and encourage each other, share ideas, get feedback, and more.

Here are a couple of ways you can help me achieve my goals:

1. Subscribe to the show if you haven’t already
2. Share the show with someone else who needs to know about
3. Join the More Than a Pastor Community on Facebook, and introduce yourself, share a comment, or ask a question. You can join for free at www.morethanapastor.com/facebook. And during this month of September, 2022, I’m giving away three copies of Vincent Pugliese’s book, The Wealth of Connection, to three members of our Facebook Community who engage in some way in the group. It’s a small way I can say thanks for being a part of the community.

 
Three Things Pastors Need for Success in Business

In college did you ever have a reading assignment, and instead of reading the entire book you were supposed to read, you read the Cliff’s Notes or Spark Notes study guide for the book?

These guides were great because they gave you a complete overview of the book and helped you clearly understand the key concepts in a short amount of time.

They were created for the purpose of aiding students in studying the book, and were not meant to be a replacement for reading the book itself. Ummhmmm yeah…But maybe you and I both know that sometimes the only version we read thoroughly was the Cliff’s or Sparks Notes version and not the actual book itself.

Or have you heard about or ever read a Readers Digest Condensed book? Over the course of 50 years, The Readers Digest published condensed versions of more than 1,000 books. Books that people wanted to read, but just didn’t have the time for.

If you’ve never seen or read any Readers Digest condensed books, just visit your local thrift store, I’m sure they’ve got a bunch of them sitting around!

My Grandparents on my dad’s side were faithful readers of the Readers Digest, National Geographic, and other magazines. And I remember well that they had purchased many volumes of Readers Digest Condensed Books, which they regularly shared with me.

If you’re a Gen X’er like me, or older, do you remember when the Readers Digest actually published a condensed version of the Bible?

I remember it well. My grandparents had a copy - I wish I could have kept it. It was published in 1982, and was a condensed version of the Revised Standard Version - about 40% smaller than the regular version of the RSV. I guess we could call it the revised revised standard version.

When the Condensed Bible came out, some Christians and pastors were outraged that someone would dare to condense the scriptures, and think that any words, stories, or accounts were less important than others.

But the point of the Condensed Bible wasn’t really to make God’s word any less, but to make it more accessible to those who wanted to have a better grasp of the essence of it without having to read the entire thing.

When we don’t have the time or energy to dive into the whole of something, it’s helpful to find a condensed version. We get the essence of the content in a smaller, more potent, and often easier-to-understand form. And that’s why condensing or boiling things down is so powerful.

So when we think about starting a business, as pastors, there are lots of things we may think we need to do or have before we get started, or in order to be successful in launching and growing a business.

But what if we boiled it all down to the top three most important things you need to launch and grow a successful business? The three key things that, if you have them and use them correctly, will almost assuredly guarantee your success?

That’s exactly what I’m going to share with you in today’s episode:

Three Key Things Pastors Need to Succeed in Business

These three keys did not originate with me. I received them from one of my mentors, Dan Miller, author of 48 Days to the Life and Work You Love.

I’ve been learning from Dan for nearly 20 years now. I discovered him through Dave Ramsey’s radio show. I first read his book 48 Days to the Work You Love when it wasn’t even a book - just a workbook in a 3-ring binder.

I’ve had the privilege of being with Dan several times over the years.
My wife and I went on a cruise with Dan and his wife Joanne and several other couples in 2019 before the whole world shut down due to COVID.

And I’ve been a member of Dan’s private Eagles community for over three years, and have been blessed by regular coaching by Dan and other leaders in the group, and connection with hundreds of other entrepreneurs working to create the life and work they love.

By the way, If you want to join me in the Eagles Community, this week (September 6-9, 2022) is Peak Week, and Dan is offering a sneak peek at the Eagles Membership, and free access to some of the best trainings like:

• The Importance Of Mindset
• Conquering Your Fears
• Building Your Business With 15 Hours a Week
• Finding Your Zone of Genius

Click here to get your free access to 48 Days Eagles Peak Week!

Anyway, somewhere along the line I heard Dan share these 3 keys to success in building and growing your own business, observed from decades of coaching others to greater levels of success in their life and work. And I have found them to be true in my life as well:

Dan says that anyone can build and grow a successful business if you have these three things…

1. The Right Mindset
2. The Right Idea
3. The Right Network

Now, let me break those down quickly…

1. The Right Mindset

Our mindset is a set of attitudes or beliefs that shape how we make sense of the world and ourselves, and how we interpret and respond to situations.

In general, there are two basic mindsets:

1. A fixed or scarcity mindset
2. A growth or abundance mindset

A fixed mindset essentially believes that what we’ve got is basically what we’re going to get. The way things are is the way things are going to be. Life happens to us, and there’s little we can do to change it. A fixed or scarcity mindset holds us back and keeps us from taking risks and taking steps to change our situation. Or, it tells us “I told you so” when we try to take a risk and fail. It fosters fear, doubt, and delay in our lives and keeps us feeling stuck, frustrated, and unfulfilled.

A growth mindset creates a compelling vision for a preferred future we believe is possible for us to attain. It helps us move past the fear, doubts, and self-limiting beliefs that hold us back and gives us the confidence we need to create the life, impact, and income we were made for. It sees momentary failure as just another stepping stone on the journey to success.

I believe most people by nature default to a fixed or scarcity mindset, and that God invites us to cultivate a growth mindset.

So what does this mean for those who are starting businesses?

We’ve got to believe it’s possible. That we have something of value that we can share with others: a message, or product or service that God has given us that we use to serve others and create a profit. That we have what it takes to succeed.

A fixed or scarcity mindset doesn’t think it’s possible for us to succeed. That we have anything of value that others need or would actually be willing to pay us for. It believes pastors should be content to struggle to get by on the income the church provides. And waits for others to give us permission to take a step forward.

Since you’re watching or listening to this episode, I believe you have or want to cultivate a growth mindset, and I believe that will be so important to help you move forward in launching and growing a profitable business.

2. The Right Idea

To get started in business, you really need just one great idea for a product to sell or a service you can provide.

But the problem that many of us have is that we have dozens of ideas, and we often can’t decide which one to pursue. So we stay stuck and unable to move forward. I’ve been there and definitely know what that’s like!

The trick is to identify the best idea that aligns with your goals and dreams, passions, skills, strengths, and experiences. Oh, and one where you have a reasonable chance of making money!

If you pursue an idea that is a passion but you can’t make money from it…you’ve got yourself a hobby.

Everyone has a million dollar idea that if we fully pursue it and see it through, could earn us a million dollars through our lifetime.

Have you found your idea yet?

Thomas Edison said “Ideas are waiting to be discovered.”

If you’re not sure what idea you should pursue, make a list of 20-30 things you’re good at, love to do, can talk about for hours, and could teach others how to do. Next, circle the ones you’re passionate about and could see yourself doing long-term. Lastly, draw a box around the circled ones that you think others would pay you to do.

If you’re still not sure, consider these words from Nobel prize winning scientist Albert Szent-Gyorgi, who incidentally discovered Vitamin C, who said “Discovery lies in seeing what everyone sees, but thinking what no one else has thought.”

So, with that, don’t think you have to have an original idea, or that you can’t do something because someone else has already thought of it or is doing it.

Think of ways you can do it differently. No one else has your thoughts about the subject, or your unique experiences that can be brought to bear on the idea.

And chances are good that no one else is taking action on the idea anyway, or at least in the way you’d do it yourself.

Few people take real and sustained action on their ideas, to see them through from start to profit, causing one observer to say: “The capacity to do something with an idea is what distinguishes a leader from others.”

Everyone’s got an idea. Few make it personal. Fewer make it happen.

What will you do with your idea? What’s one step you can take this week to make it a reality?

3. The Right Network

Entrepreneurship, like ministry, can be a lonely journey. But it doesn’t have to be that way for you!

Many businesses fail when owners feel like no one understands the unique struggles or challenges they face, and they don’t have anyone they trust who can guide them through the next best steps to take.

Having the right mentor, and surrounding yourself with the right community, makes all the difference!

It’s been said that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. So surround yourself with people you can count on to support you and cheer you on. People who understand you, are a few steps ahead of you, and are willing to help you succeed.

Don’t let anyone steal your dream. And don’t try to go it alone. So...

• Form a team
• Start a mastermind
• Join a community
• Find a guide
• Get a pathway

I’m a member of several communities: 48 Days Eagles, Platform Launchers, Market Your Message, EntrePastors. These offer encouragement, support, and accountability and even step by step guidance.

There’s power in community, in building something together, in supporting and encouraging one another. In having someone else tell you you’re not crazy for wanting to create more for your family.

I’m forming a More Than a Pastor community on Facebook, where pastors can get support and encouragement, get tips, share ideas, get feedback, and move forward. Support and encourage each other on this journey to creating sustainable income outside of the church. I’d love for you to be a part of it. Why don’t you go to morethanapastor.com/facebook and join today?

I hope these tips serve you well as you begin to launch your new business and create more income for your family.

I truly believe it’s possible for you to leverage your ministry skills into extra income, so you can serve God and provide for your family, no matter what!

You just need to create the right mindset, find the right idea, and connect with the right community to support you along the way.

So before we wrap up, let me ask you…

1. Do you have a big dream for your life or goal that you want to pursue, but you feel stuck and unsure about what your next steps should be?
2. Do you need help in clarifying your business idea, developing your platform, and marketing yourself?
3. Do you wish you had someone you could talk to who is in your corner? Someone who has been there, and will listen, understand, and believe in you?

If you answered “YES” to any of these questions, then we should talk!

Because I’ve made it my mission to help other pastors and leaders just like you to clarify your dreams, identify and overcome the limiting beliefs that are holding you back, and create the best pathway to the life, impact, and income you were made for.

Here’s what other people I’ve worked with have had to say about me…

“Rich, you are such a great listener!
I feel heard…and understood.”

“Rich helped me see opportunities that
I had never thought of before.”

“Rich, for the first time I have clarity about
what I really want, and how to get there.”

I’d love to be able to help you too! So why don’t we set up a free 30-minute phone conversation? Book your call now at www.morethanapastor.com/talktorich.

There’s no sales pitch. Just my gift to help you find clarity and map out the best path for you at this time.

I look forward to getting to know you, and working with you.

Before we go, If you’ve listened to the show or read my blog for a while, you know I’m always sharing reasons why I believe pastors should launch their own business or side hustle.

But are there any reasons why a pastor should NOT start a business? What if you’re doing it for the wrong reasons? We’ll talk about that next time…I hope you’ll join me!