Be An EntrepreneurExemple

Sean and his stepdad were raking leaves together when Sean asked, “Can I get paid for this?”

His stepdad looked surprised. “You want me to pay you for raking leaves?”

“I want to buy a world cup soccer jersey, but mom won’t give me the money.”

“I see. Well, no one pays me to rake the leaves around here. But I’m glad you’re interested in working for money. I wonder if there’s something you can do that meets a need for someone else.”

“What do you mean ‘meets a need?’”

“People will only pay you money if you have something they need. Like if they can’t rake leaves themselves. When I was your age I used to get two dollars a house for raking my neighbor’s leaves.”

“Two dollars?! That’d take me forever to save up for a jersey! There’s got to be something else I can do for money, something that people would pay me more for.”

“I see you’ve got the entrepreneurial spirit. You’ll need to think up a product or service that meets someone’s need more than raking leaves does.”

“Hmm,” Sean thought. “At my soccer games parents look cold. They need something to warm them up. Maybe I could sell them hot cocoa!”

Entrepreneurs are people who make it their job to start a new business. Entrepreneurs may come up with new ideas for products or services, or bring products or services to new places. The inventor of a phone app is an entrepreneur. So is someone who owns a food truck. 

People are good at creating new things and spreading into new areas because that’s how God designed people. God himself is creative. After all, he created everything. And God made people in his image. That means you’re creative too. You can’t create the universe out of nothing, like God did. But you can create something new out of the materials God put in front of you.

Try this: Brainstorm entrepreneurial ideas by focusing on needs first. Think of people you see most often. What do they need that they’re not getting? Would it be worth it to them to pay you to meet that need?

Prayer: God, thank you for making me creative. Help me see the needs of the people around me. Amen.

More: A deeper exploration on how the needs around you fit into your calling.