Common Cents # 34 - Little Things

 

Little Things

In Shawn Kinkade’s blog a few weeks ago he said that “How we do anything is how we do everything.” In other words, our operating mode is consistent through all aspects of our lives. One example he gave is the person who is consistently behind on their personal bills or can’t keep track of their bank balance. If that person starts their own business, their chance of success is limited if they are not able or willing to track their company’s financial health.  If they are not going to immediately change their way of doing things, it would be nearly impossible to retain competent employees and keep the business accounts in order. Small things must be in order before we move on to larger endeavors.

In Luke 16: 10 NIV, Jesus said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

Children learn by being given small chores or a small allowance to gradually increase their experience with responsibility. By the time they reach adulthood they should be capable of handling adult responsibilities. But we can do the same thing with our own disciplines when we realize that we are not handling situations in a way that translate to greater responsibilities that we are preparing to come our way.

As a young person I intentionally bought modest cars because I wanted to test my responsibility and maintenance skills. I learned about car polish and buying tires and all of the other things I needed to know not only to be a responsible car owner but to get to school on time. I worked up to more expensive or sophisticated cars, not just because I could afford them, but because I believed I was ready to be the owner of this kind of car and I was fairly confidant in my ability to make good maintenance decisions for the vehicle.

In our personal finances we can do the same thing. We can buy a few stocks or put a small amount of money in a mutual fund just to see what result is achieved. We would not put all of our savings in the stock market if we have never made those kind of investments before. We start small and build on what works.

If you are longing to start your own business, develop a realistic business plan and seek the best counsel from as many experts as you can find in that field.  Consider the value of starting small to confirm the business plan’s merit. Businesses grown from scratch have a much better chance of being successful in the long-term than those that are started with a bunch of somebody else’s money.  Avoid debt.  Avoid debt. Avoid debt.

I started in the photography business in 1973 with a basic darkroom, a Canon F-1, and $600. I started making money the first month and within a few years it was a very successful business. I never borrowed money for the business. Even though I did not know the verse from Luke at the time, it turned out I was faithful with a little and was given more.

It appears that Shawn Kinkade is right, “How we do anything is how we do everything.”