What The Immortal Steve Jobs Could Teach Christian Business Owners

8/2/2019 What The Immortal Steve Jobs Could Teach Christian Business Owners

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What the Immortal Steve Jobs Could

Teach Christian

Business Owners

By The Preacher


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What Steve Jobs Could Christian Business Owners

www.christ-in-business.com The Preacher Page 2

Wellmaybe hes not immortal. I mean none of us are.

But his life has definitely left an indelible and lasting impression; Even today executivesare using his lifeas a blueprintfor business success.

He may have passed but his work is far from over.

His accomplishments are an example to allespecially to Christian Business Ownersand Entrepreneurs.

What exactly is an Entrepreneur?

But when I say entrepreneur I'm not JUST talking about a business owner...it's a bitlarger than that.

Why?

Because the wordentrepreneuris derived from an old French wordentreprendrewhich means undertake.So an entrepreneur is someone who undertakes someventure, enterprise, or idea and assumes responsibility for the outcome. So in reality, atrue entrepreneur is NOT solely in the business field.
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An entrepreneur can be

An author wanting to change the world A speaker wanting to make a difference A musician working to be famous

An artist striving to be known A leader wanting to take an organization from good to great An athlete yearning for greatness Or a college dropout wanting to become a business mogul

The main criterion is this: taking the path of most resistance and being responsiblefor the outcome.

Christpreneurship on the Rise

When Luke Burgis decided tostart a companywith all the profits going to charity peoplethought he was nuts! He couldnt find investors, supporters, was just coming throughbankruptcy, and did not havea penny in the bank. But he prayed, found clarity in thepeace of God, persevered, and grew ActivPrayer into a healthy organization with tonsof committed members and partners.

But Luke is not the only one whos been lead down this road of entreprene urship. Andfor now, it doesnt seem like hell be the last.

So the question: is THIS the next move of God?

Could very well be. Why?

The recent riseof Christ-preneurs

Entrepreneurs starting businesses because God told them to

The fact that Gen Y might be the most entrepreneurial generation EVER

Theres a new reality of business: a reality where shared values, mission, and agreater purpose reign

The fact that businesses are being use tofund ministryendeavors

The rise of faith based mission trips: where Christ-preneurs are sent intoimpoverished areas to teach business skills to other entrepreneurs

The Bible says,
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A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to hischildrens children, and the wealth of the sinner [finds its way eventually] into thehands of the righteous, for whom it was laid up.(Proverbs 13:22 AMP)

Could we be seeing a transfer of some sorts?

The Startup CEO

Were Apple. We don't wear suits. We dont even own suits.--Apple deputy

But just how cool was the late Steve Jobs? According to a Junior Achievement surveythemost admired entrepreneursamong teens are:

1. Steve Jobs

2. J.K. Rowling3. Oprah Winfrey4. Jay-Z5. Tony Hawk6. Mark Zuckerberg7. Russell Simmons8. Stella McCartney

Did you get that? Steve Jobs beat out Mark Zuckerberg, Jay-Z, and Russell Simmons inthe most admired departmentamong teens!!

Wow!
http://www.ja.org/files/surveys/2010-Teens&EntrepreneurshipPart2.pdfhttp://www.ja.org/files/surveys/2010-Teens&EntrepreneurshipPart2.pdfhttp://www.ja.org/files/surveys/2010-Teens&EntrepreneurshipPart2.pdfhttp://www.ja.org/files/surveys/2010-Teens&EntrepreneurshipPart2.pdf


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His accomplishments are pretty cool as well:

Hereinventedthe music, movie, and telecommunications industries He was namedCEO of the decade Under his leadership the company'sstock hitan all time of $300 A$100 investmentin Apple stock on 12/30/99 wouldve grown to $7,898 by early

2008

And etc.

And yet what makes Jobs so unique is not the technology or products...but the way heturned Apple into a startup culture; because ultimately its a culture that drives results.
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0911/gallery.steve_jobs_music.fortune/index.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0911/gallery.steve_jobs_music.fortune/index.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0911/gallery.steve_jobs_music.fortune/index.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/2009/11/04/technology/steve_jobs_ceo_decade.fortune/http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/04/technology/steve_jobs_ceo_decade.fortune/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/13/apple-stock-price-tops-30_n_760865.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/13/apple-stock-price-tops-30_n_760865.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/13/apple-stock-price-tops-30_n_760865.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/steve_jobs/2009/timeline.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/steve_jobs/2009/timeline.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/steve_jobs/2009/timeline.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/steve_jobs/2009/timeline.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/13/apple-stock-price-tops-30_n_760865.htmlhttp://money.cnn.com/2009/11/04/technology/steve_jobs_ceo_decade.fortune/http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/fortune/0911/gallery.steve_jobs_music.fortune/index.html


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So needless to say: theres a lot Christian business ownerscan learnnamely:


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1. Have a Purpose Beyond Making Money

Even if their core business is not in the social entrepreneurship space,Upstarts are frequently driven to infuse their companies with a greater

sense of purpose right at the startup stagebefore theyre profitable orhave achieved any notable scale.Donna Fenn,UPSTARTS!

When Steve Jobs came back to Apple he came back to a mess: little to no marketshare, declining revenue, and almost on the verge of bankruptcy. He turned thecompany around simply by focusing on what the company had long overlooked: theircore purpose.

According to Nilofer Merchant, a former Apple employee, and founder of Rubicon:

He refocused the strategy to be about one thing. That meant he killed off even goodthings. I led server channel management at Apple when Jobs returned to the company

in 1997, and I was there when he made the decision to shut down big portions ofrevenue-generating businesses (including my division) because they didnt fit with his

vision for the company. Some people thought he was crazy. But he was beingextremely clear, and in doing so, he Murder Boardedeliminated many options to get

one cohesive strategyhis way to greatness.

According to Jobs:

Apple was in very serious trouble. Apple had to remember who Apple was becausetheyd forgotten who Apple was.

Great entrepreneurs start with a purpose that goes beyond making money.

Don't get me wrongthey make money but also set out to change the world in someway.

Whether its a Coca-Cola:

To refresh the world; to inspire moments of optimism and happiness; to create value

and make a difference.

Or the early Ford:

To democratize the automobile.

Or a Google:
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To organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and usefu l.

It's a known fact thatgreat companieslike Wal-Mart, Southwest Airlines, CharlesSchwab, and BMW are all purpose-driven. In fact, John Mackey, CEO of Whole FoodsMarket, recently stressed the importance of companies having acore purpose.

These entrepreneurs do more than make moneythey change the world!

The purpose embedded in Apple's DNA has always been to democratize technology.But when Apple was under the leadership of John Sculley (after Jobs was kicked out) itfocused more onmarketing than engineering; on pointing out past successes thanlooking for future opportunities.

It lost sight of its purpose.

According to Jobs,

Apple was in very serious trouble. Apple had to remember who Apple wasbecause theyd forgotten who Apple was.

That set the tone for a very expensive downward spiral. It needed it purpose drivenfounder to bring it back from bad to good to great.

Christian business owners paid attention.

We learned that the problems that destroyed some businesses werent a lack of

business, but lack of amoral compass. We learned that in the long run it DOES pay for

a company to have a purpose other than making money.

People of Purpose Change the World

Purpose is defined as:

The object toward which one strives or for which something exists.

Were all guided by iteveryone one of us. The Bible says, The noble hearted man

has noble purposes and by these he will be guided.(Isaiah 32:8 BBE)

Without purpose, were like children tossed [like ships] to and fro between chancegusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine. (Ephesians 4:14

AMP) In other words, when we have no true purpose for our lives, we go everywhere

and end up no where.

People of purpose dont play around. They dont have the time to. Paul said,
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In a race, everyone runs but only one person gets first p rize. So run your race to

winI run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win. Im not

just shadow boxing or playing around. Like an athlete I punish my body, treating

it roughly, training it to do what it should, not what it wants to. (1 Corinthians 9:

24; 26-27 TLB)

Our time should always be measured and used in light of our purpose. Life is too short

to use our time in things not in line with who we were called to be.

Another point, we called Steve Jobs a visionary (which he was) but that vision flowed

out of his purpose.

Huh??!!

Let me explain: A vision always comes from a companys purpose; but the purpose of

the vision is to fulfill the purpose of the company:

More than ever, we need Christian business owners who understand their purpose.

People who know who they are and who they are not.


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2. Good is never good enough

Jobs himself judges the world in binary terms. Products, in his view, areinsanely great or s*!t.The Trouble with Steve Jobs, Fortune

Right before Apple was set to release the iPhone in 2007 (their riskiest project to date),Steve Jobs came in one Monday morning and told his team:

I just dont love this. I cant convince myself to fall in love with. And this is the mostimportant product weve ever done.

Think about that for a second: millions of dollars have been spent, dozens of hours

logged, sacrifices made, and the boss comes in and says: I think we can do itbetterlets start over.

I dont know about youbut I could see me being a tad bit upset.

And yet that wasnt first time.

When Pixar (Jobs former company) was making Toy Story there was a point when theyrealized the story wasnt that good. So they shut down production for five months, whilethey perfected the story. The could have left it at good, but Jobs knew good wasnt goodenough.

According to John Sculley, Jobs set a very high standard even in the early days:

An engineer would bring Steve in and show him the latest software code thathed written. Jobs would look at it throw it back at him and say: Its just not goodenough. And he was constantly forcing people to raise their expectations of whatthey could do. So people were producing work they never thought they werecapable of. Largely because Steve would shift between highly charismatic andmotivating and getting them excited to feel like they are part of somethinginsanely great. And on the other hand he would be almost merciless in terms ofrejecting their work until he felt it had reached the level of perfection that was

good enough to go intoin this case the Macintosh.

No one who goes the extra mile is ever satisfied with good. They know that good is theenemy of great. Theyre constantly pushing the envelope, raising the bar, setting thestandard, and etc. Theyre always willing to go where no man (or woman) had gonebefore. And they pay attention to details.


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Gordon Ramses (the chef on TV whos always screaming at people) expressed hisphilosophy of detail:

It doesnt matter how amazing the steak is, if its served on a cold plate, its crap.If its served with a dull knife its crap. If the gravy isnt piping hot, its crap. If

youre eating in an uncomfortable chair, its crap. If its served by an ugly waiterwho just came in from a smoke break, its crap. Because I care about the steak Ihave to care about everything around it.

Jesus was also stickler for details. He never cut corners, and whatever He did He didwith excellence. In fact in prayer, He told God: I glorified You on earth by completingdown to the last detail what You assigned Me to doI spelled out Your character indetail to the men and women You gave Me.(John 17:4,6 MSG)

Whatever youre building be concerned (if not more) about the little things, because themajority of people arent. That attention to detail mindset will push you light years ahead

of those other people.


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3. Customers Are NOT Always Right

He always looked at things from the perspective of what was the usersexperience going to be? But unlike a lot of people in product marketing in

those days, who would go out and do consumer testing, asking people,What did they want? Steve didnt believe in that. He said, How can I

possibly ask somebody what a graphics-based computer ought to be whenthey have no idea what a graphic based computer is? No one has everseen one before. He believed that showing someone a calculator, for

example, would not give them any indication as to where the computer wasgoing to go because it was just too big a leap.John Sculley on Steve Jobs

Apple rarely didmarket research. They scoffed at the notion of target markets. They

hired no outside consultants to see what customers want.

Why?

Because Jobs understood a simple truth about people: people don t know what theyneed and they thinkthey know what they want.

He subscribed to the philosophy of Henry Ford

If Id have asked my customers what they wanted, they would have told me A fasterhorse.

In his words:

Theres a certain amount of homework involved, true, but mostly its just picking up onthings you can see on the periphery. Sometimes when youre almost asleep, you realizesomething you wouldnt otherwise have noted. I subscribe to a half-dozen Internet news

services, and I get about 300 e-mails a day, many from people I dont know, hawkingcrazy ideas.And Ive always paid close attention to the whispers around me.

Great entrepreneurs are like prophets: they see things others dont see, listen to thatstill small voice or the whispers, and pounce on the opportunities immediately!

Jared Isaacman saw what others didnt see when he created United Bank Card.He saw the banking industry was so interested in putting credit cards in peopleswallets that they neglected the actual moving of money. So he built a platformwhere salespeople could track deals and merchants would get same dayapproval. He made it faster and easier. Since that hes won national acclaim andbuilt a very viable business.

Caterine Fake saw something when one of her engineers brought her theprototype of a photo-sharing tool. Her company, Ludicorp, was originally working
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on multiplayer game but shelved the game for this new project they calledFlickr. The site and tool became so popular that Yahoo! acquired both Flickrand Ludicorp.

While Aaron Patzer had been working 80 hours a week at a small startup, herealized he neglected his finances. So he turned to Microsoft Money and

Quicken. He saw them as tedious and boring and wondered if there was abetter way. So he quit his job, lived off his savings to work, to work on a site helater called Mint.com. He found investors and the site became immenselysuccessful. So successful that Intuit acquired it for $170 million.

And etc.

The landscape is open for seers and prophets. Are you listening?


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4. Know When to Pick Fights

If you think a competitor sucks, say so. When you do that, youll find thatothers who agree with you will rally to your side. Being the anti-______ is a

great way to differentiate yourself and attract followers.Jason Fried andDavid Hansson,REWORK

It was 1984 and Apple was getting ready to introduce the Macintosh. So they worked ona $900,000 commercial, directed by Ridley Scott, taking a direct shot at IBMthelargest PC manufacturer at the time.

The ad was a hit! Sculley estimates that the ad generated$45,000,000of free publicity.

Great startups use the strategy of picking fights time and time again:

Jezebel picked a fight when they called theDaily Show sexist.
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Posterous picked afight with Tumblrtelling Tumblr users they need to graduateto Posterous (ooooooooooh!!!!)

Apple took a huge shot at IBM with their 1984 ad 50 Cent took swings when he was just starting out: he wrote a song about

robbing other rappers

Now to be honest, fighting the Goliaths of the world doesnt always work. With theprevious four examples:

Jezebels post got over 211,00 page views, 1,000 comments, and asharp retortfrom the ladies of the Daily Show

For all its talk Posterous stillgot spankedin usage and growth The Macintosh didnt live up to the hype and IBM still dominated the PC market

for some time The rappers got mad, fired back (the most famous being Jay-Z), and according to

50 it was thebest thingthat happened

Jesus Picked Many Fights

Jesus picked many a fight in His day. His fights were always with the ruling religiousand political powers that were. While starting up and gathering momentum Hed saythings like:

But I warn you unless you obey God better than the teachers of religious lawand the Pharisees do, you cant enter the Kingdom of Heaven at all!(Matthew5:20 NLT)

And now about prayer. When you pray, dont be like the hypocrites who love topray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can seethem. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get.(Matthew 6:5 NLT)

Now Jesus turned to address His disciples, along with the crowd that hadgathered with them. The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachersin Gods Law. You wont go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But becareful aboutfollowing them. They talk a good line, but they dont live it. Theydont take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. Its all spit-and-polishveneer.(Matthew 23: 1-3 MSG)

So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked Him, Whydont yourdisciples follow our age-old customs? For they eat without first performing thehand-washing ceremony. Jesus replied, You hypocrites!(Mark 7: 5-6 NLT)

You dont say things like that! To the establishment! Stuff like that gets you in troublewith them; puts you on the out and out.

But it gains you a great following.
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But be warned

Theres a disclaimer when starting fights though: make sure you can back it up.

With the first Macintosh industry experts called it a toy. And for all its talk Posterous isvery limitedin regards to Tumblr.

Its great to pick fights but make sure you can back it up; or you may end up gettingpunched in the mouth!
http://mashable.com/2009/06/29/posterous-vs-tumblrhttp://mashable.com/2009/06/29/posterous-vs-tumblrhttp://mashable.com/2009/06/29/posterous-vs-tumblr


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5. Failure is a Stepping Stone to Success

There are no secrets to success. Its the result of preparation, hard work,and learning from failure.Colin Powell

In light of Jobs successes its so easy to over look his failures:

The Lisa NeXT Motorola ROKR The first Macintosh

That being said: failure is an inevitable part of success. Theres no way around it.

No matter how great the entrepreneurtheyve had failures. In fact, what makes themgreat is that theyve failed MORE times than everyone else!

Failure made thembetter entrepreneurs.

Heres a list of some of the great failures the world has ever seen:
http://michaelgholmes.com/2010/09/01/why-failure-will-make-you-a-better-entrepreneur/http://michaelgholmes.com/2010/09/01/why-failure-will-make-you-a-better-entrepreneur/http://michaelgholmes.com/2010/09/01/why-failure-will-make-you-a-better-entrepreneur/http://michaelgholmes.com/2010/09/01/why-failure-will-make-you-a-better-entrepreneur/


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Michael Arlingtonhad four business failuresbefore he succeeded withTechCrunch

R. H. Macyfailed seven timesbefore his NY store caught on Michael Jordanfailed more than he succeeded: lost over 3000 games, missed

over 9000 shots at goal, and 26 times he missed the winning shot

Robert Kiyosakifailed in his first businessand ended up flat broke and beinghounded by creditors Matt Wilson and Jared OToole made the mistake ofdeviating from their mission

atUnder30Ceo.comand had to take on an enormous rebranding campaign; theyhad to relearn their audience, and regain credibility.

Henry Ford filed forbankruptcy with his first company Detroit AutomobileCompany

Lady GaGa had doors slammed in her face, DJs who didnt want to play herrecords, music execs who thought she was nuts, and was signed to Def JamRecordsbut then was dropped after 3 monthsbeforeshe sold more than15million albums, 51 million singles worldwide and became one of Forbes most

powerful celebrities

And so on.

The lesson is simple: fail, learn from it, get up, and try again. Just like Jobs did.

Try a Different Strategy, but Dont Give Up

Most great ideas are variations of good ideas. Someone has a good idea, tries it, itdoesnt work, makes an adjustment, tries it, it doesnt work, makes another adjustment,tries it, and it becomes a resounding success. It was the same idea just tweaked andimproved. One change of a variable can modify the whole equation.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20101001/the-way-i-work-michael-arrington-techcrunch.htmlhttp://www.inc.com/magazine/20101001/the-way-i-work-michael-arrington-techcrunch.htmlhttp://www.inc.com/magazine/20101001/the-way-i-work-michael-arrington-techcrunch.htmlhttp://techcrunch.com/http://techcrunch.com/http://www.nyc-architecture.com/MID/MID074.htmhttp://www.nyc-architecture.com/MID/MID074.htmhttp://www.nyc-architecture.com/MID/MID074.htmhttp://under30ceo.com/how-michael-jordan-and-thomas-edison-failed-their-way-forward/http://under30ceo.com/how-michael-jordan-and-thomas-edison-failed-their-way-forward/http://under30ceo.com/how-michael-jordan-and-thomas-edison-failed-their-way-forward/http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2008/december/198516.htmlhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2008/december/198516.htmlhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2008/december/198516.htmlhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/youngentrepreneurscolumnistscottgerber/article207582.htmlhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/youngentrepreneurscolumnistscottgerber/article207582.htmlhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/youngentrepreneurscolumnistscottgerber/article207582.htmlhttp://under30ceo.com/http://under30ceo.com/http://under30ceo.com/http://articles.cnn.com/2008-11-19/living/mf.successful.people.survived.bankruptcy_1_bankruptcy-henry-ford-debts/2?_s=PM:LIVINGhttp://articles.cnn.com/2008-11-19/living/mf.successful.people.survived.bankruptcy_1_bankruptcy-henry-ford-debts/2?_s=PM:LIVINGhttp://mog.com/blog_post/content/1224/1597017http://mog.com/blog_post/content/1224/1597017http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/08/12/lady-gaga-los-angeles/http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/08/12/lady-gaga-los-angeles/http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/08/12/lady-gaga-los-angeles/http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/22/oprah-winfrey-lady-gaga-twilight-business-entertainment-celeb-100-10-intro_2.htmlhttp://www.forbes.com/2010/06/22/oprah-winfrey-lady-gaga-twilight-business-entertainment-celeb-100-10-intro_2.htmlhttp://www.forbes.com/2010/06/22/oprah-winfrey-lady-gaga-twilight-business-entertainment-celeb-100-10-intro_2.htmlhttp://www.forbes.com/2010/06/22/oprah-winfrey-lady-gaga-twilight-business-entertainment-celeb-100-10-intro_2.htmlhttp://www.forbes.com/2010/06/22/oprah-winfrey-lady-gaga-twilight-business-entertainment-celeb-100-10-intro_2.htmlhttp://www.forbes.com/2010/06/22/oprah-winfrey-lady-gaga-twilight-business-entertainment-celeb-100-10-intro_2.htmlhttp://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/08/12/lady-gaga-los-angeles/http://mog.com/blog_post/content/1224/1597017http://articles.cnn.com/2008-11-19/living/mf.successful.people.survived.bankruptcy_1_bankruptcy-henry-ford-debts/2?_s=PM:LIVINGhttp://under30ceo.com/http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/youngentrepreneurscolumnistscottgerber/article207582.htmlhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2008/december/198516.htmlhttp://under30ceo.com/how-michael-jordan-and-thomas-edison-failed-their-way-forward/http://www.nyc-architecture.com/MID/MID074.htmhttp://techcrunch.com/http://www.inc.com/magazine/20101001/the-way-i-work-michael-arrington-techcrunch.html


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Thats why mistakes arent bad; failure is crucial to success. Mistakes teach us whatdoesnt work so that we can make adjustments. Mistakes arent bad not learning frommistakes is bad. But the benefits of mistakes and failures will only be realized with

persistence. Tom Watson Sr., past president of IBM, once said, If you want to increaseyour success rate, double your failure rate.

Jesus taught His disciples the value of trying different strategies. The first time, is whenHe called them to be His disciples. He was on the shore of Lake Gennesaret teaching acrowd. He saw two boats and got into the one that was Simon PetersSimon waswashing the fish nets, an indication He was done for the day. Jesus got into the boatthat belonged to Simon and asked him to row it out a little way from the shore.

Then Jesus sat down in the boat to teach the crowd. When Jesus had finishedspeaking, he told Simon, Row the boat out into the deep water and let your nets

downto catch some fish. Master, Simon answered, we have worked hard allnight long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the netsdown. They did it and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart.Then they signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them.The men came, and together they filled the two boats so full that they both beganto sink.(Luke 5:3-7 CEV)

Now keep in mind Simon was an experienced fishermanhe did this for a living. So, itdbe understandable if he became a bit angry that this Preacher was telling him how todo his job. But he did what Jesus said and caught more than he could handle!

Jesus didnt tell him to overhaul what he was doing He just told him to change onethingrow the boat out into deep water. In other words, Keep doing what youredoing, dont quit, just change this. That slight change made the difference betweenempty nets and a full catch. But what if Simon quit? What if he said, Master we haveworked all night long and have not caught a thing; theres nothing out here. Im givingup. Look at what he wouldve missed!!

Another time Jesus helped with their strategy was when He was raised from the dead.He appeared to the disciples while they were fishing in the Sea of Galilee:

Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is

how it happened. Several of the disciples were thereSimon Peter, Thomas(nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, andtwo other disciples. Simon Peter said, Im going fishing. Well come, too, theyall said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. At dawnJesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldnt see who He was. Hecalled out, Fellows, have you caught any fish? No, they replied. Then He said,Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and youll get some! So


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they did, and they couldnt haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.(John 21:1-6 NLT)

Same thing happenedJesus told them to change one little thing but what a differencethat little thing made!

What to Learn from Failure

A few things we as startups can learn from failure:

1. Admit you FailedNo sense in lying about it or passing the buck, if you failedyou failed. Its not final but you have to grips with it to move forward. Findsomeone you can admit your failure to; in other words: Confess your faults oneto another.(James 5:16 KJV)

2. Listen to Failures LessonTheres always something to be learned fromfailure and the lesson is there if youre willing to look for it. There was somethingthat wasnt done right that led to the failure. Make it right and do it again. If wetruly listen we can one day we can say to failure: The suffering you sent wasgood for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your principles.(Psalm 119:71NLT)

3. Get up and try it againThe only way to benefit from failure is throughpersistence. God never said you wouldnt have adversity or failuresHe did sayto keep moving forward: So dont get tired of doing what is good. Dont getdiscouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriatetime.(Galatians 6:9 NLT)


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6. Success Comes Through Focus Not Diversity

One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never directour focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way

through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.Tony Robbins

Paul said,

We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the spherewhich God appointed us a sphere which especially includes you. For we are notoverextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you)notboasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other mens labors, buthavinghope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in oursphere, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast inanother mans sphere of accomplishment.(2 Corinthians 10:13-16 NKJV)

The word sphere comes from the Greek word kanon which means a boundary orplace of activity. When we understand our purpose we understand the place of activitywhere God has appointed us. In addition to that we also understand where our sphereends and another persons begins. We find our greatest fruitfulness, accomplishment,and influence in our spherein those things that relate to our purpose.

When Nike CEO Mark Parker took charge of the company he called up Steve Jobs for alittle advice. Jobs gave him simple yet powerful advice: stay in your sphere. Accordingto Parker, Jobs said,

Nike makes some of the best products in the world. Products that you lust after.But you also make a lot of crap. Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on thegood stuff.

Deep.

But its no wonder, that strategy helped Apple drastically. In a 2008 interview withFortune magazine Jobs gave the reason for this focus,

Apple is a $30 billion company, yet we've got less than 30 major products. Idon't know if that's ever been done before. Certainly the great consumerelectronics companies of the past had thousands of products. We tend to focus

much more. People think focus means saying yes to the thing youve got to focuson. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred othergood ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.

He should know. When he took over as interim CEO the company,according to him,had a zillion and one products. He immediately set out to reduce that numberdrastically. Now to be fair, the previous CEO, saw this and cut the number from 350 to50. Jobs finished it up by cutting itto 10.
http://www.allaboutstevejobs.com/bio/long/08.htmlhttp://www.allaboutstevejobs.com/bio/long/08.htmlhttp://www.allaboutstevejobs.com/bio/long/08.htmlhttp://www.salon.com/technology/books/2000/10/11/jobs_excerpt/index2.htmlhttp://www.salon.com/technology/books/2000/10/11/jobs_excerpt/index2.htmlhttp://www.salon.com/technology/books/2000/10/11/jobs_excerpt/index2.htmlhttp://www.salon.com/technology/books/2000/10/11/jobs_excerpt/index2.htmlhttp://www.allaboutstevejobs.com/bio/long/08.html


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Great entrepreneurs focus on things that matter (or that bring the most return).

For instance, while most fund managers spread their bets among dozens if nothundreds of stocks, Warren Buffet (arguably the worlds greatest investor) has beenknown to allocatetens of billionsto only a handful of stocks. More surprising is that his

top 10 account for 90 percent of his portfolio!

How has this strategy worked for him?

Well if you invested$1000 in 1956in the DOW/S&P by the end of 2007 you wouldhave made $139,131

Butif you invested that same $1000 in his company at the same time you would havemade $30,649,493

Wow!

Butdont get me wrongdiversity has its benefits too--especially when youre juststarting out.

But after a while, you should see where the most returns are coming from; when you dofocus your efforts there.
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/070729/6buffett_3.htmhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/070729/6buffett_3.htmhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/070729/6buffett_3.htmhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/personalfinance/personal_investing_buffett/timeline/amazing_record.htmhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/personalfinance/personal_investing_buffett/timeline/amazing_record.htmhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/personalfinance/personal_investing_buffett/timeline/amazing_record.htmhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/personalfinance/personal_investing_buffett/timeline/amazing_record.htmhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/070729/6buffett_3.htm


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7. Take Advantage of Bad Times

A man must make his opportunity, as oft as find it.Francis Bacon

Earlier in the decade the music industry was in shambles. Due to piracy (i.e. Napster)revenues were almost non-existent. They tried legal action, but that didnt work. Theywere teetering on the brink of destruction and were desperate for a solution.

In comes Steve Jobs.

His answer: sell music for $0.99 on iTunes.

What could they say? It was that or go out of business. They accepted.

Fast forward a couple years: iTunes is selling a million songs a month and the execs

are saying they got the wrongend of the stick.

Why? They felt that he shouldve jacked up the prices; he made more money becausehe sold his own products (i.e. iPod) as well; and he had a monopoly on it

Whether or not you believe he got the better end of it (like I do) the fact is Jobs saw anindustry in trouble and took advantage. Sweet!

Its a known fact that great companies are often started duringeconomicallychallengingtimes.

Some examples are:

General Electric IBM General Motors Disney Tollhouse Cookies Burger King Penguin Publishing Microsoft FedEx CNN Apple (in 1975 and was resurrected in 2001right after the dot com bust)

And this downturn is no different.

The best time to establish a brand, gain market share, or go on the aggressive is whentimes are bad.
http://news.cnet.com/Music-moguls-trumped-by-Steve-Jobs/2100-1027_3-5671705.htmlhttp://news.cnet.com/Music-moguls-trumped-by-Steve-Jobs/2100-1027_3-5671705.htmlhttp://news.cnet.com/Music-moguls-trumped-by-Steve-Jobs/2100-1027_3-5671705.htmlhttp://smallbusiness.aol.com/2010/05/10/top-companies-started-during-a-recession/http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2010/05/10/top-companies-started-during-a-recession/http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2010/05/10/top-companies-started-during-a-recession/http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2010/05/10/top-companies-started-during-a-recession/http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2010/05/10/top-companies-started-during-a-recession/http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2010/05/10/top-companies-started-during-a-recession/http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2010/05/10/top-companies-started-during-a-recession/http://news.cnet.com/Music-moguls-trumped-by-Steve-Jobs/2100-1027_3-5671705.html


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Its the best time to stand out.

In fact during these scarce times companies trim the fat on their budgetsespeciallytheir marketing budgets.

Not a wise move.

Why? Because so many are doing the EXACT same thing. But dips in the marketprovide great opportunities for the leader(s) who can see them:

Robert Kiyosaki oncetold a group of business leadersthat those businesses thatadvertise and market the most during tough times will be make it through; theircompetitors may not.

Use the trough times just the way Jobs did.
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When Times are BadGo on the Offensive

Its the strategy Warren Buffet has used for decades: Be greedy when others arecautious, and be cautious when others are greedy. The best time to take over enemy

territory is WHEN theyre on the defensivePhilip Anshutz should know.

When he was 27 a rig supervisor called to tell Anschutz that there had been a bigblowout at an exploratory well he was drilling near Gillette, Wyo. Anschutz chartered asmall plane to Gillette and persuaded a farmer living near the landing strip to rent him apickup for the day. By the time he arrived at the site, it was ankle-deep in crude oil andthe air was thick with natural gas.

He got the well capped. Then he did something few people would have the wits to do ina crisis: He bought up oil leases on the cheap all around the region, before word got outthat a big field had been discovered. He didnt have the money to pay for the leases, so

he bought them on 30 days credit, figuring banks would soon lend him whatever heneeded.

Later that morning he flew home to Denver and flipped on the TV. The big story: acolossal oil field fire in Gillette, Wyo. Anschutz quickly returned to the site, where all hecould see was flames.

He was convinced he was ruined.


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Red Adair, the famed oil-fire fighter, was reluctant to help. He had never heard ofAnschutz and couldnt find anyone to vouch for his creditworthiness. Kid, I checked youout, and you dont check out, Adair told him. Anschutz pleaded with Adair, saying,Youve gotta believe me. Adair relented but warned him: If you dont pay me, dontever have another oil field fire.

Meanwhile, Anschutz had somehow learned that Universal Studios was doing a movieabout Adair. He quickly negotiated a deal with Universal to film the crews fighting his firefor a fee of $100,000enough to keep him afloat until the banks lent him money to payfor the leases he had bought on credit.

Anschutz wound up making millions.

The Bible says,

Letthe thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honestliving with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.(Ephesians 4:28 AMP)

There something about an industrious spirit that makes God smile.

I mean someone who will fight, scratch, claw, kick, persist, and encourage themselvesin the face of seemingly impossible odds. Dont get me wrong there are times when allwe can do is stand still and look to Him for help. But then there are those other times Heopens doors as we move forward: Then the Lord said to Moses, Quit praying and getthe people moving! Forward, march!(Exodus 14:15 TLB)

In fact, when Jesus spoke about the resourcefulness of a manager He said:

"Now here's a surprise: The master praisedthe crooked manager! And why?Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in thisregard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles,surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way-but for what isright-using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrateyour attention on the bare essentials, so youll live, really live, and notcomplacently just get by on good behavior.(Luke 16:8-9 MSG)


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9. Make Money

Jobs proved with the original Mac and the NeXT machine that he's abrilliant product guy. But neither product made enough money to keep the

business side at bay. His failure to think about the bottom line -- about profitmargins -- cost him both Apple and NeXT. I always imagined Jobs coming

out of those wrenching experiences with an epiphany something likeScarlet O'Hara's in Gone with the Wind: I'll never be hungry again, Scarletshouts into an orange sky amid the ruins of her beloved Tara. No, nor any

of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll neverbe hungry again!Steve Jobs as Scarlet OHara, Fortune

Sometime ago shareholders were angry at Jobs. Apple was sitting on a pile of cash and

didnt want to share it outin dividends. Jobs wanted to hold on to money for acquisitions

and as a safe cash cushion.

Accordingto him,

We know if we need to acquire something -- a piece of the puzzle to make something

big and bold -- we can write a check for it and not borrow a lot of money and put our

whole company at risk. The cash in the bank gives us tremendous security and

flexibility.

Just how much cash has Apple stored up over the years?

Yeahsame thing I said.
http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-were-hoarding-cash-for-big-bold-moves-2010-2http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-were-hoarding-cash-for-big-bold-moves-2010-2http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-were-hoarding-cash-for-big-bold-moves-2010-2http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-25/apple-chief-jobs-prefers-holding-cash-to-dividends-update1-.htmlhttp://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-25/apple-chief-jobs-prefers-holding-cash-to-dividends-update1-.htmlhttp://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-25/apple-chief-jobs-prefers-holding-cash-to-dividends-update1-.htmlhttp://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-were-hoarding-cash-for-big-bold-moves-2010-2


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This is a far cry from when Jobs was burning through venture capital at Apple in the

80s and at NeXT. I think we can safely say he learned the value of making money .

I know this seems obvious but at the end of the day: cash flow is king!

Most business get founded with dreamsbut they are funded with moneyand a highclick through rate, heavy traffic, impressions, great buzz, and good marketing mean

NOTHING if a profit isnt made.


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Conclusion

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one

persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress

depends on the unreasonable man.George Bernard Shaw

Christian business owners have to be pretty unreasonable in this world. Some dont see

the marriage of Christ and business as a realityeven though there are many

billionaireswho love the Lord. Some of us have obeyedbut some of us became pretty

unreasonable. We decided to heck with that!!

Some of us saw aging industries, needs not being met, niches not being filled and

pounced. While others saw chaos we saw opportunity. The more reasonable ones

thought we were nuts!! Thats not the way you do it, they said. But we didnt care. We

did it anyway. We made technology cheaper, we bootstrapped, we built businesses

from our home, on our jobs, and at school. We gave up everything and went after our

dreams with everything we had. Yeahwe failed at timesbut we got back up.

We changed the worldand ARE changing the world.

And now the reasonable ones dont look so reasonable.

Steve Jobs did the exact same thing.

He saw things others couldnt see and therefore did things others couldnt do. He didnt

take the world that was given to him and frame it. No, he painted a new one with his

own canvas and tools.
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In that survey (look to the beginning chapter) where Jobs was the most admired among

teens, the most admired quality wasnt wealth, prestige, success in multiple fields (that

was 2nd)it wasnt any of that. The most admired quality among teens was: They made

a difference in peoples lives.

Isnt that what we reallywantto make a difference in peoples lives? To feel like ourown lives mattered in someway?

I think so.

Because at the end of the day, its what we do for people that counts.

Now get out there and do something!

Documents

What The Immortal Steve Jobs Could Teach Christian Business Owners