Discovered in the process

Moving Day

Today is moving day. I’m leaving my home in Hereford and moving to Cardiff as part of the team responsible for establishing a new church plant, Freedom Church Cardiff. I just know this thing is going to be massive, but I don’t think any of us really have any idea what God has in store for us here in Cardiff. One thing is for sure, I could not feel more excited or privileged to be part of it!

I left my job a few months ago in preparation for the move to Cardiff, and I am still out of work. I’m already about a million miles outside of my comfort zone, so why stop there? I figured now would be the perfect opportunity to start a business as well.

Does it look like I know what I’m doing? I haven’t got a clue! It’s high risk, and I have no idea how this will work out, but I’m doing it, and this is where I will record the things I discover in the process.

Ready? Here’s how to plant a church and start a business at the same time, with no previous experience. 

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Waiting for the perfect idea

It would be fair to say that one of the major reasons I have never succeeded in business is because I never started. Whenever I mull over a business idea I always reach the point of thinking, “nah, it’s too small/ that’ll never succeed/ that’ll never make me rich” and that is usually when I pull the plug.

Recently however I have noticed a shift in my thinking. I mean, so what? It might not be the perfect idea, it might not be the next ipod or Amazon but who knows what it might lead to? Your idea may seem insignificant now, but you will never know what it might become until you let it live. Who knows what doors will open or what connections you will make by putting your idea into action.

Stop waiting for the perfect idea, start with the ideas that you’ve got and see them become a stepping stone to bigger things. One thing is certain, I would always choose a small idea and a massive vision than a big idea and no vision!  

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church planting entrepreneur Business start-up Charlie Blake Ideas

Tenner Tycoon

Have you heard about Tenner Tycoon yet? It’s a new project running through the month of March designed to get enterprising school kids excited about business. Tenner Tycoon will lend out £10 for one month, and encourages the kids involved to make as much profit as they can through creative thinking and quick trading. Outstanding idea.

But it got me thinking, how much do I really back myself for business? How much do I believe in my own ideas and ability? Are they worth a Tenner? Are they worth a hundred pounds? Are they worth a thousand pounds? Where is the limit of my self-belief in terms of the amount of money I am willing to invest in seeing if my ideas work? 

How much would you back yourself for? You can buy a .co.uk domain name for £2.74, is your idea worth that?

http://www.tenner-tycoon.org

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Sometimes I think about giving up

It has been a tough few days. The slow development of my business plans and a lack of measurable results has left me feeling de-motivated and demoralised. I have felt like giving up.

The fun has gone out of my work and reality has started to grip. None of my business ideas are bringing in any money yet and it feels like I am miles away from bringing anything saleable to market. I’ve lost focus and have become disillusioned. I have felt stressed and under pressure. I am convinced that I’m not being productive enough and I’m incredibly frustrated that things are moving so slowly. It feels like I’m further from achieving my goals than I was when I started out. Am I living in a dream world? Is it time to stop fantasising about being an entrepreneur and just get a job?

Then I watched a film of Jim Collins speaking at the 2010 Willow Creek International Leadership Summit. His presentation was entitled “Never, ever give up.” During his speech Jim quotes Admiral Stockdale, “Never confuse faith with facts. You need unwavering faith that you can, and will prevail in the end – never give up – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts today.” Thank you Admiral, that’s just what I needed to hear.

I need to acknowledge some brutal facts today - because my current situation is far from ideal - but that doesn’t mean it’s time to give up. It’s time to analyse and adjust – not throw in the towel! 

Never give up. Never. 

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Princes Trust, Exploring Enterprise - Part 1

When I first moved to Cardiff I took a 4 day Exploring Enterprise course run by the Princes Trust. If I’m honest, didn’t get a lot from it. The course content lacked imagination and they were describing stale business models, and prescribing outdated approaches to marketing and sales. There was little creativity or passion, there was no analysis of shinning business successes, and there was no encouragement to create something different and daring. It just felt like a missed opportunity.

No disrespect to the Princes Trust – they are genuinely trying to help entrepreneurs get started. But perhaps it’s time they pressed refresh on the content, and made the format a bit more engaging and dynamic.

What would you do to inspire and coach a room full of budding entrepreneurs? If the Princes Trust phone me tomorrow, this is what I will suggest:

Day one
Morning: Introductions followed by a highly motivational, locker room style team-talk. This would include lots of phrases like “you are the bravest business pioneers in the world” and “nothing can stop you from creating the most sensational business the world has ever seen” that sort of thing…
Afternoon: How to build the most dynamic and memorable brand in your industry. 

Day Two
Morning: An introduction to finance, accounting and bookkeeping.
Afternoon: Brilliant business case studies: Apple.
Then, a session on goal setting.

Day Three
Morning: An introduction to tax and legal business statuses.
Afternoon: A presentation from an experienced business leader.
Then, a session on vision, values and ethics.

Day four
Morning: Marketing, personal networking skills, and utilising the web.
Afternoon: Sales and customer service – how to delight your customers. 
Then to finish, champagne on the terrace. 

Would you sign up for that? I’d go just for the free champagne.

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Why am I doing this to myself?

I would estimate that something like 80% of my waking hours are spent outside of my comfort zone. I’m constantly putting myself into arenas that I know nothing about, and the more I learn the more I realise there is to learn. I am getting beyond my own awkwardness and talking to strangers about church. I’m around people a lot of the time, when I know that time alone is what recharges me. I’m starting a business in an industry I know very little about and I have no idea if it will work. I’ve left my home, friends and family and moved to a new city to plant a church. I’m out on a limb. I’m taking a risk with my life and future. 

It’s stretching. It’s hard. It’s painful. 

Why am I doing this to myself?
I couldn’t live with the regret if I didn’t.

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Church Planting Business Entrepreneur Charlie Blake

Princes Trust, Exploring Enterprise – Part 2. The decision to bootstrap

One thing I really wanted to get from the Exploring Enterprise course was help establishing the feasibility of my business idea, and by the end of the week, my idea had changed completely. Not because there was anything wrong with my original idea, but because it required loads of cash to get it off the ground and keep it flying. As the week went on and I talked to other people about their ideas I realised that nearly all of them had businesses that could be bootstrapped.*

The ideas that got me interested had 3 common traits: They could be started from home; they could be started small, but had potential to grow big; they needed minimal investment to get started. My idea was the opposite: I needed staff, decent premises and expensive equipment right from the outset and required between £15-£20k initial investment - and if the business wasn’t a huge success from day one I would be in big trouble. The potential rewards were there, but the price tag was out of reach.

So I went home and started leafing through some of my old notebooks looking for ideas. I was looking for something that I could start from home for less than £1000, but still had the potential to grow into something big. I think I’ve found just that.

*Bootstrapping refers to businesses that use little or no outside investment to get started. Bootstrappers beg, borrow and blag in order to get their business off the ground. They pull themselves up by their bootstraps. 

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