Thoughts on Starting a Small Business!

   It has been a while, but HI! I am back to writing about things other than Joel. Definitely a main focus of the lessons we have learned this past year have centered largely around our experiences with him and moving to the States to find him medical help. But as we are phasing out of that intense stage, our focuses are starting to shift to other things.

   One of the things that has had my focus recently has been the new Mary Kay business I just started! Now, before you have any misconceptions about what I am about to say, I just want to state that I am not about to promote my business through this blog post! In actual reality, my intention was more along the lines of sharing a lesson I am learning through this process.

   I had a small salon back in Honduras for a time. However, I wasn't too serious about building up a strong clientele. I was in a stage of life where we very much loved our flexibility and traveled regularly, and we didn't really have a big need for the extra income, so I didn't do a lot of promoting. I had my little clientele which was built up and spread through word of mouth alone, and I enjoyed keeping it small and doing it on the side!

   This time around, however, I am serious about promoting this business and building up a clientele! I have no shadow of doubt that God alone is our provider, but I feel something poking and prodding me within and reminding me that we must be faithful in the little and persevere with determination. I know that as we wait and trust that He will provide, we must work and prepare for the future with His guidance, and the future (in human eyes) doesn't look too bright financially right now for us. My husband has not obligated me to help, but after a whirlwind year of moving to a new country and new language for him and his work situation and financial burdens looking very different from before, I desire to support him and, in a small way, help him work towards his goal of owning some small businesses that would allow us more flexibility to be involved in ministry and live using the business-oriented gifting God has given him. He is doing a great job with what he has, and I couldn't be more proud of how he is doing his work with such a joyful attitude and trusting daily in the Lord!

   Why is it, though, that at moments like these I feel like people are running away from me when I tell them I have started a business? By far the hardest part of this has been encountering that many people are not excited like I am about this opportunity and are very far from encouraging. I don't know what I really expected, but I am quickly coming face to face with the reality that this business will fail if I don't determine to persevere and push through the discouragement of rejection and even, at times, rudeness on people's part.  Finding the people who are truly interested in the service I have to offer will be a lot of hard work. When I post and share things about my business, I am realizing quickly that many people are not looking at me as a valued person with a life story any more. They see me as someone they are not interested in, another sales person who they don't have time to listen to. It is hard to be in that spot for me, yet I feel it is really good! It is good for me to be in this humbling spot of starting something which is only a dream at this point because it hasn't succeeded yet. I am reminded that it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of me, it doesn't matter if people don't care about why I am doing this or remember that a person, a family, a situation lie beneath the surface of this endeavor. All that matters is that the Lord delights in me and delights in the work that I am doing to honor Him first of all and my family. My theme verse has been Zechariah 4:10: "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand." I have been challenged to look at others differently as I have felt the humiliation of feeling that many do not care about something I am putting my whole heart into. How many times have I not cared about the hearts of others? How hard is it to give a word of encouragement? Help in some small way? Lord, change me and give me your perspective!