The Key To Longevity in Entrepreneurship

    If you are an entrepreneur and your business can not function for even a day without you, get ready to bare the consequences. 

If you want a business to outlive you, it has to be able to live without you. - Ibukun Awosika

When King Solomon talked about the ants in (Proverbs 6:6-8) who accomplish much despite not having a ruler I often wondered how.

Was it that everyone just knew what to do?

Did they communicate with each other beforehand?

Were they trained that way since birth?

This was my curiosity till the Lord showed me a fascinating revelation.

Prov.6.6 - Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Prov.6.7 - Which, having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

(Prov.6.8 - Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.)

These Ants had their way of communicating with each other but that was not what made them viable.

You see, the ants walk with systems. They have been wired by God to follow the same system wherever they find themselves.

The same way we have a reproductive system designed by God is the same way ants have a system of sustenance. They constantly get the results they want because they stick to a system.

You notice that when you break a line of ants, they seem to be as lost sheep but then, they eventually figure out how to go back to their disrupted system and then productivity continues.

Ants know not to break the system. Even their ant hill is a system. And if you look closely at all they do, and how they build, you will notice a common ground. Unity!

It takes Unity for a system to work.

An ant knows not to store food in another location when two ants have picked a location. No matter how high their hill may go, they know that there must be a passage to and from the food storage.

They have a supply chain system. Everyone knows to follow a straight line to the location of a feast by just following what others are doing. If the line is broken, they might miss the location or disrupt distribution. 

Most importantly, everyone has and knows their office. There are different types of ants in a colony, and each one knows what it was made for.

There can only be unity in diversity when there is a clear identity. 

A system will fail when individual units have no structure.

A system is a structure or collection of different functional parts that work together in unity to achieve a common goal. When each unit knows its responsibility in a system, productivity will be inevitable.

There won't be a need for supervision when there is a cycle of reoccurring uninterrupted events.

This explanation shouldn't be a hassle for those in the medical or IT field and even in business.

This is why the world is constantly shifting to automation. Automation runs on systems to produce the same consistent result. There are no issues with computers because it has been programmed with the next line of action.

We can do the same thing with our lives and our businesses to be more productive.

Create systems that yield profitable results.

Now in building a system, there are four things to take into consideration;

A common Goal

A system is useless without a goal. That is what we call wasted effort. All the work, time and planning to what end? What are we aiming to achieve by proper planning and the management of all these resources? 

A system cannot be built without a result in mind because the goal is what shapes the system. We manipulate time to fit the goal. The structure is meant to produce the goal. The resources involved are meant to produce the goal. We consider available resources to ensure the goal is met. Without the goal, there is no system.

Variables, units or departments in a system can only function in that system when they all have a common goal. If they cannot perform a task that will directly or indirectly aid the achievement of the goal, they should not have a place in the system.

Time

Time is a crucial factor in building a successful system. 

Ecclesiastes 3.1 - To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Every purpose has a time that works best for its productivity. The ants understood this principle and used it to their advantage.

Proverbs 6.8 They labour hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. (NLT)

The Ants know that  gathering in the summer will guarantee their survival during winter because food would be scarce during winter and the weather can be dangerous for their survival. For this reason, they made use of the time that works best with the goal of their system.

Jesus also knew this principle and it was indispensable to the fulfillment of His ministry. God works with time.

John 9.4 - I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work.

There is always a more conducive time for whatever you want to do and you can know this based on certain factors: Urgency, Priority, and Productivity.

Urgency - Does the task require immediate or early attention? Morning and not night? Now and not later?

Priority- Is it of utmost importance? Does it influence the productivity of other key factors? Is it worthy to be placed at the top of the ladder?

Productivity - What time will you get the best result out of a task or person? In terms of result or profit, what time is best?

The above factors will help you allocate the right time to each unit in your system.

Resources

This answers the questions: What Elements are responsible for the build and success of a system? These are the human or material resources. They could be people, events, money, food, a timer, a calendar, files, etc.

What do I need to make sure a system works? Who and what is involved in the functionality of the structure of a system?

Luke.14.28 - For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

Luke.14.29 - Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

The structure or size of your system not only reflects the end goal but also depends on the resources at play. The resources determine the structure.

You must consider all the actors or factors at play in order to position them in the right place, at the right time and for the right task to get the desired end goal.

Structure

This refers to the skeleton of the system. This is where we consider the workflow of a system.

Who does what? What and who comes first? Where do we fix the elements in play for maximum productivity? What pattern or flow of responsibility will work best for the type of result we seek?

What is the process or pattern of events?

Your ability to answer these questions has opened more doors to success than you think and the most effective way to build a workable system is by prioritizing the functions of resources and their workable time frames.

A lot of businesses fail because of a lack of structure. 

- No structure of command or leadership. Who answers to who? Who makes the final decision? Who sets the standard?

- No chain of communication. Where does the information come from and where should it be going? How do we receive certain information? Is the mode of communication effective? Does our communication pattern foster an uninterrupted flow of communication? 

- No defined and well-communicated workflow. Who does what? For what? For who? To what end?

All these, to mention a few, are not the characteristics of an organization that is ready for success. There can only be unity when each player has a clear identity and position.. 

Your system structure is what determines if your system will stand the test of time or not. 

Imagine putting a task to be completed on the night of a particular day before the task to be completed in the morning of that same day. Of course the night job depends on the output of the early or morning task but now all the roads are blocked. This is what we call a traffic jam. No one is working because no one can get their resources.

Imagine if your feet came before your hand. Chaos!

God is such a master builder. From our senses to our brain, the heart pumps blood for the rest of the body, the mouth declares the matters of the unseen heart and mind. Amazing!

This is what we call unity in diversity. A perfect structure indeed.

1 Corinthians 12.14 - For the body is not one member, but many.

We experience problems and disorganization when we try to do everything ourselves or when we assign multiple disorganized tasks to one unit. Let every unit handle its specialty. Don't fit them into one box.

Availability 

What happens if one member of your system can't make it to the dance? Will the show go on?

It is very important to make use of readily or stable variables or units when building a system.

Only make use of what is always available. 

E.g. You have a contractual unit in your organization that only comes up once a year, but then you add them as a key factor in the day-to-day running of the organization. Of course, they would not be available to fulfill their task, making the whole system suffer for it. Their department is crucial to the fulfillment of a central goal but they can not function on a system with recurring variables.

Also, why would you make room for a unit in your system that you clearly have no resources to maintain?

Is your whole business based on a software you cannot constantly afford?

Imagine a company that has only one accountant, but he works part-time and management has no intention of implementing automated software or getting back up. The accounting department clearly lacks structure and other departments will suffer for it.

Another example. You are a departmental manager and your company has a timing system of fixing general meetings within the hours of 9 to 10 in the morning. You know but then you ignore the company policy and fix a compulsory departmental meeting to be held by 9 am every Wednesday. 

I'm most certain that there would probably be a general meeting on one of those Wednesdays that overrides yours. Your department might end up with no meetings in a month.

Why not later in the day? Pick another available schedule and make contingency plans in case of any rearrangement in the future.

Your system should be designed in such a way that there are no issues such as the above, and if, for any reason, something comes up in your schedule or procedures, there should be a contingency plan in the system to tackle that issue.

    Systems are meant to:

• Increase productivity.
• Achieve uniformity
• Reduce stress and chaos 
• Manage expansion.

You might call your business a small business now, but if you don't have the right systems in place before an increase, it can be a terrible disaster.

• You have no system when you cannot step away from your business for a day.
• You have no system when your team cannot work without your supervision.
• You have no system if your business constantly runs into issues.
• You have no system if your business cannot weather a storm or economic drop without draining yourself or your bank account.

Build systems!

• Does your team have a clear identity?

Are they well inclined with the vision of the company?

Can they represent the brand with perfection at all times and in all they do?

Are you the only carrier of the vision?

• Is your business well equipped?

Are you receiving instructions from God to prepare for the future?

Are you the only one in your company that can hear God? If yes, did you communicate His ideas to them, or did you only give instructions when needed?

Remember, your system can never be successful without unity. I am talking about:

Unity of ideas, Unity of a Common Goal, Effective communication, Effective collaboration, Undying support, Definite proactivity among members, and Unity in passion and vision.

    Now God has a system of the kingdom for believers and we all have our roles to play in preparation for the second coming of Christ. Our faithfulness in our unit produces a reward.

The issue now is that we have "Christian Entrepreneurs" who want the results God promised in His Word but refuse to follow his pattern or respond to his purpose for them. You have been wired to function in a certain unit in God's system, but you have strayed for the love of money. We hear such people say things like, " Only do what will give you money," but they still come back to give God glory, knowing fully well that there is no divine reward outside purpose.

Do you know your true identity in God's system? Do you follow His timing for your life, or are you always in a hurry? Have you sat down to inquire about your expected end? 

Before you think of building systems for your business, be sure that you are working in line with God's system and that you are not a stumbling block to the productivity of others. 

There are destinies that are dependent on the fulfillment of your purpose. Only when you play your part can they play theirs. Don't be selfish because of money. There is nothing wrong with making money but not at the detriment of your purpose in the kingdom.

Proverbs 6.6 - Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Today, God is calling on you to be wise and do the right thing like the Ants do. They know to follow the system if they want the reward.

Be wise!