How to Recession-proof your Business and position for Recovery (Part VII)

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Bode Ososami

More Disciplines to master.

The businesses that keep growing have had to imbibe new ways of working. Perhaps the most important is their attitude to numbers. Numbers must be well managed i.e. the financial positions are reviewed every fortnight/monthly with up-to-date cash flow statements, income/expenditure analysis and analysis of debtors/creditors etc. You must have a good financials person to support you. In Part I, I introduced a 3-stage model for growing in Recession. Adapting your systems for growth (stage 3) involves leveraging the areas discussed in this post effectively. See diagram below.

Keep an eye on cash flow

Many have learnt to be their own accountants, just by taking an interest in their numbers. Understand how cash comes in and goes High Growth out and why. The growing companies project their positions over at least a 6 month – 1 year period and regularly monitor their performance against these projections…even as they update their projections. If your business offers credit, then there must be a working credit control process that manages and guides this activity – strictly.

Banking and investments management must also be professional and based on well set policies that protect your liquidity and flexibility. Clean up your credit and if possible minimise your lending. Lending will in future tend to be more expensive as banks upgrade their due diligence. Select your bank only after a well balanced and regularly updated analysis of their balance sheet – watching out for changes in their risk assets and proportion of un-performing assets compared to peers. These are often openly available information. Attend a course on basic accounting for non-accountants if you really mean to bullet-proof your business and know the vital signs for your business.

Invest in Marketing

Learn how to remain visible to your target market. You need to raise your brand awareness. Most people are quiet at this time and so you can gain recognition for much less expenditure. Use this opportunity to gain the mind of your potential clients. Also invest in sales training for your team. Relearn the values, needs and product features of competitors’ offerings. Explore new channels like the web which enables many to improve their return on marketing investments by cutting off the middleman. High Growth businesses have a talented sales force that remain motivated trained, up-to-date and equipped to go and sell.

Use Technology – don’t allow technology to use you

Today there is a vast array of technology and software marketed at businesses. Businesses that keep growing invest in Technology with a clearly defined purpose i.e. to:

Lower costs and increase competitiveness
Drive innovation that translates to new value
Improve customer satisfaction
Enable smooth connections with suppliers, customers, staff and partners
Provide key management information to facilitate decision making.

Technology does not have to be expensive. Get help to explore various options and be cost effective. Do not invest in Technology to impress your market. No one really cares about your technology. What matters is what the technology delivers.

Conclusion

Someone said “Recession may after all be the mother of invention…” In the 1930s depression, it was innovation that created the new star businesses despite the crash. Consumers are not averse to buying – instead they are looking for new answers and not the previous propositions we are set to offer. Pray that God will reveal these new answers to you.

A global survey recently conducted showed that Entrepreneurs still see much potential in today’s economy and are planning for growth. Most still see growth as their top priority item. Finally, remain positive and excited about the future as you see all the opportunities waiting for the entrepreneur.

But of course remember, the spiritual will always drive the physical…the unseen produces the seen. Read WEALTH OUT OF ASHES to appreciate some of the spiritual dimensions that are shaping the creation of wealth.

Haggai 2 [8] The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

Deut 8[17] And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. [18] But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

When the Recovery comes, this time do not forget the source. It was never you. Remember God. The wealth is to establish His Kingdom.

For the full article on How to Recession-proof your Business, please click – DOWNLOAD ARTICLE.

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Have a blessed day. Amen.

Bode Ososami

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How to Recession-proof your Business and position for Recovery (Part VI)

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Bode Ososami

Managing your talent for Business Growth.

What do growing businesses do when others are releasing staff in panic? I had introduced earlier a model for how to grow in the Recession in three major steps. The first step is to Refresh your vision, the next is to have a Strategy and Innovation and the final step is adapting your systems to grow in Recession. This section begins to look at an important aspect of adapting your systems i.e. how to manage your people.

Invest in yourself

As a leader you will need a lot of re-education and learn new tricks. You are too key in the equation to be ignorant. Invest therefore in knowledge, skills, seminars, exhibitions and market awareness and explore how others have made it. If you can afford a good online training course to “sharpen your saw” do so. Invest in a high quality internet line and spend 1 hr at least a day online equipping yourself (knowledge is amazingly cheap on the web) on the issues relevant to your business.

Find exceptional talent

This is not the time to bring in your cousin looking for a job. On the labour market will be very exceptional talent available for median compensation pay. Find out the skill gaps in new areas to be ahead in the innovation required to grow. Indeed there is unemployment, but the people you need (who can make the difference) are rare to find – this is the time to search and find them. For example you will need great financial engineers, digital information experts, market makers…always bring in people who are smarter than you and who can challenge you and not just loyal “fools”. What you need are ideas and help. Be humble to seek and enjoy help from others. Learn to celebrate and motivate others to help you.

Reengage with your team

The growing business will be reengaging with his people and creating a sense community instead of fear of job loss. You can demand more loyalty and sacrifice at this time. The growing businesses classify their people into performance categories and will offer voluntary release to the lowest tier of performers while they reconnect with their stars. Bonding and a sense of shared destiny is important so that all are aligned to help the business survive and grow.

Rewarding your people

The high performing businesses use variable pay mechanisms i.e. a portion of compensation is fixed and others dependent on corporate/personal performance. To adjust for recession, the best strategy is to reduce the fixed pay across board and increase the variable performance pay. This way, high performers retain or increase their salary while in a very bad period all will feel the brunt of reduced pay in a way that is perceived as fair. Be sure compensation mechanisms are fair and targets are as quantitative as possible.

When things begin to get really bad

There could be very low periods when releasing staff is inevitable. Begin by offering voluntary unpaid vacations, flexible work (at home) at say half pay…use the opportunity to tighten your disciplinary systems. If you must disengage, then do not encourage an extended process. Do it fast as it could hurt morale. Always remember that as you let a valued staff go – it may be almost impossible to find, recruit and retain such talent when recovery returns.

The final post in the series will look at other functional systems. For the full article you can click – DOWNLOAD ARTICLE.

More on God’s perspective on wealth can be found in my recently published book Wealth out of Ashes

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Have a blessed day. Amen.

Bode Ososami

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How to Recession-proof your Business and position for Recovery (Part V)

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Bode Ososami

High Growth Businesses have Flexible Business Structures.

Building highly flexible structures is one of the ways businesses can be successful in periods of dramatic downturn as well as being better positioned for recovery.

A few of the ways in which flexible business structures can be built include the following:

Outsource non core areas of the business as much as possible
Avoid commitments to long term costs/major items exploring other alternatives
Use more of rental, lease structures and other more flexible approaches for assets instead of outright purchase.

The key is to have a nimble structure and not weighed down with assets that suddenly become unproductive. The successful business have learnt to employ more of flexible contractual terms that do not tie them into rigid long-term positions. This maximises their abilities to move in and out of different cost structures for different markets and positioning.

Outsourcing is becoming a favourite approach, but must be well managed to ensure quality of customer service is not sacrificed for lowering costs and flexibility. In addition, areas where competitive advantage can be built and of core business expertise are typically not outsourced. Almost everything else can be outsourced. The outsourcing service provider is able to deliver improved costs and quality of service as a result of a larger scale of operation and economies of scale as well as the fact that the outsourced service is the core business of the provider, thus encouraging more investment in service quality and better value. Flexibility is also built through flatter, team based organisation structures with wider spans of control made manageable by information systems and much fewer management levels. Employees are compensated more through variable pay structures more by performance and skills rather than by level.

The high growth businesses have learnt how to build structures that allow them to reengineer their cost mix as required at short notice. Build options rather than fixed positions. The goal is to aim to make every single possible cost variable. High growth businesses are not in the real estate business to impress the market. They do not need to own assets to get the value they need recognising that ownership tends to confer inflexibility and fixed capacity that could be costly in a downturn or when a sudden change in the market requires less capacity. In the old era, the maxim was to buy, own and show off your building and computers as evidence of strength. The new world will be more dynamic implying that nimbleness to shift seamlessly and adjust cost structures will be valued more than a showroom display of assets that drain scarce capital.

The next post will examine how growing businesses manage people. For the full article you can click – DOWNLOAD ARTICLE.

More on God’s perspective on wealth can be found in my recently published book Wealth out of Ashes

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Have a blessed day. Amen.

Bode Ososami

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How to Recession-proof your Business and position for Recovery (Part IV)

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Bode Ososami

Reviewing Market Strategy and Innovation.

Now let us looks at the issues of Strategy and innovation. Businesses that thrive in Recession know how to find new competitive advantage especially from the changing dynamics that scare others away.

Strategy They are not afraid of change instead they embrace it and look again at customers, suppliers, competitors, entry barriers, potential partners and product offerings for fresh opportunities. They ask the question “what has changed” that can be to my “advantage”. For example a bigger business may have deliberately shed some of its customers…or a collapsed inefficient competitor release some top marketing people able to generate quick leads on the labour market and weaken the supplier’s power who are now burdened with inventories and capacity they did not plan for. Bad news for someone could be an opportunity for the other.

Product prices may need review where customers now have cheaper alternatives. Supplier base may need to be expanded so you are not over reliant on one supplier. The same could be the case with your customers.

A reassessment of competitors could also present an opportunity for an acquisition if there is a synergy gain that is attractive given the costs. A weakened supplier power due perhaps to unutilised capacity could mean the opportunity to renegotiate lower supplier costs by seeking discounts and better payment terms.

This is the time for a customer and supplier survey no matter how informal. Use this as an opportunity to reconnect with your customer needs and values which may have changed and to understand how you can maximise your supplier relationships. Remember it is far more costly to cultivate a new customer than hold to an existing customer. Do not permit customer service levels to drop even if you have to bear higher costs that may be tougher to pass on immediately. These conversations with customers and suppliers will secure business relationships through the crisis periods that hit all businesses.

Innovation

The key to winning when others fail is innovation. High Growth businesses are structured with the flexibility to innovate successfully. They have inbuilt tolerance of constructive and well managed experimentation and sometimes failure. Innovation is the driving force that creates value at best price for the customer. Do not give away value as you innovate i.e. do not be cheap. Do continually trim fat to ensure costs are right but not at the expense of innovation. Be sure you have boundaries around your innovation…you want the few right ones and not every idea. After all you are a business and not a college laboratory.

The next post will examine Flexibility – another attribute of growing businesses. For the full article you can click – DOWNLOAD ARTICLE.

More on God’s perspective on wealth can be found in my recently published book Wealth out of Ashes

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Have a blessed day. Amen.

Bode Ososami

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How to Recession-proof your Business and position for Recovery (Part III)

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Bode Ososami

High Growth Businesses are Focused.

In the parable of the talents, we see the lesson in proving yourself first in an area and mastering that space before seeking expansion. Focus could mean starting small and building good systems and working culture before seeking an expansion that throws you in all directions. Most people are deluded to think a large business is necessarily a good business. A large business, on the contrary, could be a monster without a core area of competency and the necessary support structures to manage the business.

Successful businesses keep an eye on the core area of focus. They are focused in their offerings and customers. They classify their customers and can target loyalty programs for their top tier customer group. Focus also means they will exit or turn down attractive deals because of lack of fit.

Focus Focus can be initially costly and slow to deliver growth but soon special expertise valued by the market is built. Skills come with experience and research and innovation soon create the edge that the customer will pay for. Costs can fall dramatically much later as the experience curve delivers new economies that create even more enhanced competitiveness.

What do you do if you find yourself in an area that is no more generating revenue or has lost its attractiveness? Simple – Exit. Focus does not mean to keep backing a loser. Rather it encourages persistence over a long enough time to build reputation, brand and special expertise to enable innovation in an attractive sector of the market. Your focus could be in terms of your product offerings and it could be also driven by your customer segmentation.

Focus does not always mean high costs but must imply exceptional service and the ability to spoil the discerning customer. When experience in a customer segment creates economies that can enable you to be more cost effective – be cautious not to give away value that customers are prepared to pay for. Instead sell value that cannot be easily matched to your target customer tier. As you gain even more experience and capabilities use innovation to diversify to new attractive niches related to your core business. Growth is good when deserved by deep competence and past market success and experience but cancerous when driven only by opportunity.

Matthew 25 [28] Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. [29] For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. [30] And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The next post will discuss Market Strategy and Innovation. For the full article you can click – DOWNLOAD ARTICLE.

More on God’s perspective on wealth can be found in my recently published book Wealth out of Ashes

For related articles and free subscription to articles by the author please click icon below.

Have a blessed day. Amen.

Bode Ososami

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How to Recession-proof your Business and Position for Recovery (Part II)

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Bode Ososami

The Post–Recession World and High Growth Business opportunities.

In the previous post , I presented a model for building high growth business even in a recession and how to begin to position for recovery. I will now focus on the first stage – REFRESH VISION and begin to paint a picture of what the new business landscape may look like. These may appear as daunting challenges but they will inform perhaps some of the areas where innovation can target to yield the highest growth. The winners of tomorrow see these as the spots of opportunities that will drive their future growth.

Future Business Landscape – The New World

Unemployment remains high being a lagging indicator even as new specialised skills are scarce and in demand.
The more discerning, sophisticated, frugal consumer will have more options and power.
Costs and risks associated with financing, debt/cash management will need more proactive management in an unpredictable monetary landscape.
Shift of Growth from West (US/Europe) to the East (China) and new growth niches.
More Federal/State involvement, control and regulations drive up costs
Rising fuel costs, erratic weather patterns, rural/urban migration and the conversion of land to grow crops for bio fuels are all factors that continue to cause high food prices and shortages.
Rising local/global insecurity driven by social/ethnic tensions.

Where are some of the opportunities for high growth business? I suggest these will include the following initial list only for discussion purposes to inform your envisioning. There are of course more areas where innovation can target new needs and values. These areas are most likely to be more rewarded with high business growth because they are linked to the emerging landscape.

High Growth Potential Opportunities/niches

Food and Agriculture sectors – the entire food chain offers high growth opportunities
Computer/Information Technology industry and related areas
Employment bureau/Human capital engineering
Security Intelligence and corporate safety
Low/medium end affordable residential real estate
Niche Health and Medical services
Outsourcing services
Equipment Rentals/Leasing services
Education services/Re-skilling businesses/Knowledge sharing
Customer Market analysis /Data consulting service
E-business leveraging new channels i.e. webs/blogs/social media
Government Consulting/regulatory support/Public sector support services

Areas perhaps to be most cautious in a recession could be high-end real estate, entertainment, luxury industry e.g. jewellery, watch industry etc, high end retailing (designer clothing, gadgets etc.) high end automobiles, Interior decor etc. A new thrifty lifestyle is likely to emerge post-recession. The successful high growth business is well focused around a core area and may innovate into high growth sectors where there is already a linkage or some synergy exists to diversify. As you develop your long term vision and goals, do reflect the new realities. The next post will examine the meaning of Business Focus. For the full article on How to Recession-proof your Business you can click – DOWNLOAD ARTICLE.

More on God’s perspective on wealth can be found in my recently published book Wealth out of Ashes

For related articles and free subscription to articles by the author please click icon below.

Have a blessed day. Amen.

Bode Ososami

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How to Recession-proof your Business and Position for Recovery (Part I)

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Bode Ososami

I Kings 18: [43] And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. [44] And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot , and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.

ICorinthians 9 [26] I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

These scriptures help to transition to perhaps more down to earth concerns on how we can grow in a Recession from a business perspective and be positioned to be amongst the new winners. I had devoted more attention in previous posts and my book WEALTH OUT OF ASHES, to the spiritual issues, because it is indeed the spiritual that drives everything else lest we gather our gains in a basket with holes. This article is the first of seven posts focused primarily on important concepts that businesses growing in times of Recession have mastered.

Immediately, the recession was prophetically announced as over, Elijah commands the servant to go and see and look again even as He prayed. Refreshing our vision is therefore the first activity because things are not as they used to be and there indeed may be some even permanent changes in the business landscape. After refreshing our vision, we must execute actions, but not in haphazard directions. We need Strategy and Innovation to propel and constrain our actions to produce growth. Growing businesses also adapt their functional systems to new realities. Let us examine each of these areas as depicted in the diagram summarised as follows:

Refreshing our vision implies the need to pause and relook several times to see the new emerging world and understand new High Growth areas of need and business opportunities to target innovation. We need to refocus our efforts on our core business and rebuild long-term orientation with a new mission and objectives as well as set and share new long/ medium range goals and milestones.

Habakkuk 2[2] And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. [3] For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Strategy and Innovation is achieved by comprehensively reassessing what has changed in our market, customers, suppliers, inputs, competitors, regulation and consider where we now have new advantages or can innovate to build advantage. Businesses grow when they master their market and competitive advantage and reposition to exploit these advantages to the fullest. High growth businesses also use flexible structures (instead of old hierarchies) to respond to a more dynamic business environment.

We need new approaches and disciplines. High growth businesses adapt their systems especially in the areas of how they manage people, and account and manage money. Businesses that grow despite the Recession invest in more marketing to remain visible when others are cutting down – as this conveys strength. They use technology more boldly to drive innovation and maintain their competitive edge. The next post will begin to provide more details. For the full article you can click – DOWNLOAD ARTICLE.

More on God’s perspective on wealth can be found in my recently published book Wealth out of Ashes .

Have a blessed day. Amen.

Bode Ososami

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Compensation and the Recession

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Bode Ososami

“A chief executive officer of a Standard & Poor’s 500 company was paid, on average, $10.4 million in total compensation in 2008, according to preliminary data from The Corporate Library.” Says 2009 Executive Pay watch.

The question has been asked what is fair to pay and reward a high performing executive in a bank or elsewhere? Recent interventions respond in outrage, as the recession hits hard, to cap compensation. We’ve also seen how expectations of future bonuses led many into debts and bankruptcy as values of assets fell. One also notes the exposure of greed and embarrassment of those who innocently received generous awards only to later discover that they could not have deserved these payments.

But God is not against compensation. Although a God of grace and not merit, He is a rewarder. Fairness and justice are major pillars in His throne room. He is also able to accurately weigh actions and establish true and exact causes and consequences. Unfortunately man cannot often establish the complete consequence of an action taken today nor know the real cause of a positive and negative performance. God, on the other hand, dwells in absolute, perfect and complete knowledge and reigns in all of time at the same time. At best it is fair to say our compensation models reward and punish only what we perceive and is enough a case to be conservative and cap our awards…for they are always at best faulty. We should, for the same reasons, equally be cautious in the severity of our punishments as we often will misjudge the issues.

But God is a rewarder of diligence and His awards seem not to be capped or subject to human limits. He also punishes the wicked justly - they do not escape. Remember, He spared nothing to reward Solomon.

Isaiah 3[10] Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him : for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. [11] Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him : for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

IKings 3[11] And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; [12] Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. [13] And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.

2Chronicles 1[15]The king(Solomon) made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones…

God does not approve the reward of the slothful and idle. It is perhaps more just in his sight to relieve the sick, save infants, the aged and those unable to work and afford basic necessities in the poorer nations than bail out wickedness or dole free handouts to the unemployed to sustain comforts.

2Thessalonians 3[10] For while we were yet with you, we gave you this rule and charge: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.

In addition, compensation that encourages more debt and lifestyle expenditures is a subtle trap. However, offering in a greater proportion more of deferred compensation in equity/or stake in the medium/long term future will perhaps tend to produce fairer and safer modes.

We can also be careful in seeing compensation in mainly monetary terms. Solomon had it all, but described it all as vanity, leaving behind a questionable legacy. Jesus Christ walked the earth apparently with modest means supported by the giving of others but inherited a glory that is unmatched.

The word of God does not begrudge our earthbound models of fairness as perhaps these are our best instruments. In the parable of the talents Jesus Christ does present the God that rewards the diligent. God is not against reward or riches.

Proverbs 10[4] He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

However, the Bible does warn us in many references that we do not necessarily help people by making them rich. On the contrary, we often hurt them when we give them more that they need.

I Timothy 6[9] But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

Indeed it is preferred to position our lives and all that we do to be always blessed - by learning more about and being obedient to God.

Proverbs 10[22]The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

Genesis 22[17] That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; [18] And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

More on God’s perspective on wealth can be found in my recently published book Wealth out of Ashes .

For related articles and free subscription to articles by the author please click icon below.

Have a blessed day and may you never lose your reward – Amen.

Bode Ososami

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Fight Recession with Forgiveness and Trust.

Posted on September 8, 2009 by Bode Ososami

We all need forgiveness and some sort of financial restoration or another.

Isaiah 3[6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

All our iniquity was laid on Jesus who taught us how to receive God’s forgiveness. Matthew 6[12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. … [14] For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: [15] But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

In Paul’s letter to Philemon, Paul appeals to Philemon to forgive Onesimus who used to be a rascal. Philemon v[18] If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; [19] I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it : albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.

Like Philemon was to Paul, we all owe Jesus Christ a favour and He pleads that we forgive. In times of recession, debts can indeed be crippling. Many groan in fear for inability to pay back. We can provoke divine forgiveness and restoration by generous acts of forgiveness. Why don’t you list all who owe you and prioritise by their inability to pay and then write off 50% in order of inability to pay. Forgive debts that are not financial as well e.g. promises made not fulfilled. Then pray to God for forgiveness in any way you may have offended Him.

Trusting God

A Christian friend who had read Wealth out of Ashes visited me looking somewhat agitated by what I had written concerning Debt. He is the Chief Executive of a chain of pharmaceutical outlets in the country expanding rapidly faced with a decision to go for more debt or not. He however decided against debt as God spoke to him through the book to trust and wait on Him but this was after scheduling a meeting with his regular financier. He told me God told him not to borrow but still to visit the financier to see why. On arriving at his place he saw gathered in the house of his financier (banker) some marabouts – praying holy men who make amulets for good luck, tell the future, and actively (mis)guide the lives of followers. The Spirit of God told him that the money he had been borrowing from that source (unknown to him) was linked to “strange” covenants. Since that incident of rejecting the offered loan, his business has continued to thrive even more and be increasingly strengthened with divine success. New doors have also opened.

Proverbs 22[7]…and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Isaiah 43[19] Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

2 Corinthians 6[14] Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? (AMP)

If you suspect strange covenants…as God helps you, break loose from them. Lord, give us grace to trust You more. By the power of your anointing, may the yoke of any strange covenant over our businesses be destroyed in Jesus name. (Isaiah 10.27) Amen.

Have a blessed day

Bode Ososami

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Intelligence in the Recession

Posted on August 29, 2009 by Bode Ososami

These are indeed the days of Elijah where, in famine, God finds His “poor widow of Zarephath” and repositions her for great wealth.

I Kings 17 [14] For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. [15] And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. [16] And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

Days of Recession can be days of plenty – and days of greater accountability requiring higher disciplines of stewardship. Remember, we have said in earlier posts that all worth – Net or Gross – is of God. The steward that increased the wealth of God in his hands was commended in the Bible for two basic competences. Working to increase net worth and giving an account of increase. He knew the exact sum of his gains.

Matthew 25[20] And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

Today, if the question was asked of me, now i’m retired. What would Intelligence in the Recession I have wanted to do most differently in over 25yrs of my career? The answer clearly would have been to render better stewardship of that which had been entrusted in my care. I would have wished to have been better prepared not just in academic grounding but more in learning the disciplines and habits of managing the key assets of time, money, skill and opportunities on behalf of God, the Owner who rewards faithfulness. In difficult times I have been often been tempted to say like the wicked steward in Matthew 25[24] ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. [25] ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ [26] But his master answered him, You wicked and lazy and idle servant! Did you indeed know that I reap where I have not sowed and gather [grain] where I have not winnowed? [27] Then you should have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what was my own with interest. [28] So take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.

Sometimes I wonder if God would have judged me wicked not for adultery but for hiding away in indolence. A Preacher said recently at a meeting that it seems the disciplines God commanded are today commonly set aside by saints seeking and presented with instant remedies. Today, perhaps less than 10 % of adult Christian population know their worth talk less of managing increase. Possibly even less ever balanced the family books. It is even more strange the lack of correlation between education and what I have defined as “Lifestyle Intelligence”. Lifestyle Intelligence (for the purpose of this blog) is the exercise of understanding concerning how we live our lives concerning financial matters. The Bible is full of exact measurements of weights, volumes and distances..indeed it is a book about numbers. Christians should be equallycomfortable with numbers.

I am thankful that the sudden realisation of potential limitation in the recession has brought out from inside a new lifestyle of accountability and worth management…making me perhaps a much better steward today. First, what are the lessons I would have wanted to have mastered earlier with the tools made available to me.

1. Expenditures must be much less than earnings and a proportion (after tithes and taxes) of the excess must be hallowed and set apart to increase worth. Saving requires discipline that must be taught and imbibed early, while consumption comes naturally.

2. Doing nothing is sure to result in decay as assets depreciate and lifestyle consumption swallows worth. Therefore be diligent…apply all the talents God has given . Remember 2 Thessalonians[10] For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. So get busy. Moses started something at the age of 80 with nothing but a staff and an unstable assistant, Aaron…and God.

3. Early preparation and training on disciplines to produce an intelligent lifestyle sets the ground for wealth to grow. These disciplines do not emerge by accident or default.

I have introduced in this blog a new page Lifestyle Design where you find tools to begin afresh or just sharpen the saw. The first tool, Christian Lifestyle Intelligence Test is to help review financial habits for alignment with Kingdom culture. An abridged version is shown below.

To use the tool please reflect for a few minutes and answer all 25 questions using a scale of 1 to 5. Please ensure you double-click on the cell after the question to enter your response and scroll down to see total score after ALL questions must have been answered. Also see the impact of a different answer on your total score.

Key

1. No, almost never…not even remotely applicable.

2. Only very rarely…only minimally applicable.

3. Yes, sometimes, but not frequently…maybe somewhat applicable.

4. Yes, quite frequently…well, almost my exact situation.

5. Yes, happens all the time…most applicable…my situation exactly.

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Interpretation of Total Christian Lifestyle Intelligence Scores

60 -100 Good, prayerfully make adjustments to be closer to the 100 mark

40- 60 You have many areas to work on, though perhaps above the average

<40 Major adjustments required to approach the contented life

Please go to the Lifestyle Design menu item above for more detailed presentation of how to apply and further analyse your results and also download the full version of the Christian Lifestyle Design Tool.

The second tool is a simple income/expense budgeting/tracking and net worth tool you can use to manage your finances, understand your net worth and track and respond to how it changes. If you are in need of a tool to understand and apply budgeting and net worth concepts you can also download this easy to use Basic Family-personal Financial model (also featured on the Lifestyle Design menu item). I urge you to consider these tools and if useful commit to their use except of course you are amongst the few already savvy on financial matters. Then please pray for the rest of us.
I Cor 4: [2] Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Read more on Lifestyle and Debt in my new book Wealth out of Ashes, and also on how to chose your bank and investments. Also see previous posts for articles related to hope and victory in Christ in a recession. If new to spreadsheets please begin by referring to these Excel Tutorial links.

Have a blessed day

Bode Ososami

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