The Business System That Never Fails Page 2

  After investing five years in helping people as a pastor, I became even more troubled. I taught people to read the Bible, I taught them how to fast and pray, but I noticed that most of these people were still struggling economically – they were still living in financial poverty. I was deeply troubled, so I cried to God and asked him; “Why are your people still struggling economically when they have read Your word and they pray regularly?” God, I know You are a wealthy God, and I know You want to bless Your children. What is missing? What are we doing wrong?”

  The answer I received from the Lord was shocking to me. The Lord said to me, “Economic prosperity requires more than just reading the Bible and praying. If you really want to help people to prosper economically, you must understand the economic principles of creating wealth.”

  The next thing He said threw me off completely. He said, “Go back to school and study business.” My immediate reaction was to say, “Get ye behind me Satan!” I did not believe that God was actually asking me to go to school and study business, because at that time, I thought all business people were corrupt. I was wrong!

  The more I prayed, the more I became convinced that God wanted me to go back to school and study business so I can help his people make wealth and establish his covenant.3 Making wealth requires practical wisdom in the implementation of proven and timeless principles.

  3Deuteronomy 8:18 KJV With a firm understanding of what God wanted me to do, I left my missionary post—at that time I was leading a Church in Nigeria. Through a series of events and the faithfulness of God, I went back to school and studied at The King’s College, New York. After earning a B.S. in Business Management, I started working as a management consultant, serving businesses of various sizes.

  To increase my ability to serve, I began to study more about business and I earned an MBA in Accounting from Keller Graduate School of Management, DeVry University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

  Armed with a strong spiritual background and fantastic business training, I became passionate about serving the business community. I believe that businesses will play a major role in the global effort to reduce poverty around the world.

  This book is loaded with proven spiritual and practical business principles that any business in any part of the world can implement and will help you establish The Business System That Never Fails. I invite you to join me as we empower people to overcome the stigma of poverty. The principles in this book will inspire you and empower you so you can empower others. However, before we proceed, let us destroy some misconceptions about God and business.

  Bridging the Gap Many people tend to think that spirituality and business are mutually exclusive. They think it is difficult to bridge the gap between the two. However, I absolutely know that the two can work together. I have been on both sides of the table. I have been a pastor, and I still minister today in a different capacity. My business training and experience as an entrepreneur have enabled me to see first-hand what is going on in the business world.

  Before God asked me to go back to school and study business, I used to think that spirituality and business could not go together—until God began to show me that He is an entrepreneur. After all, He created the whole world, as recorded in the book of Genesis, chapter 1 and 2.4

  Who is an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is someone who creates, someone who produces solutions for existing or anticipated problems, needs and wants. In the beginning, the world was in disorder. God created order out of disorder. He created animals, trees, fish, etc. God is the highest spiritual being that exists. Since He is a creator, an inventor, and an entrepreneur, then spirituality and business go hand in hand. As a matter of fact, when you read the Bible carefully, you will come across the stories of business people who were also very spiritual.

  4Genesis 1 and 2 NIV A typical example is the apostle Paul. This man was used by God to write about two thirds of the New Testament. At the same time, he was a business man. He was in the business of making tents.5 So when you look at the apostle Paul who operated a multi-national ministry as well as a tentmaking business, that tells you business and spirituality can operate hand-in-hand.

  Prophetic Business Instruction Let's look at an Old Testament example of how a prophet of God rescued a widow from poverty. In the book of 2 Kings, Chapter 4,6 we read a fascinating story of a woman whose God-fearing husband died, and left her and her children in debt.

  When her creditors came to take her two sons away as slaves, she cried to the prophet of God, Elisha. What did Elisha do? The Bible does not tell us that he prayed. Maybe he did, but what the Bible tells us is interesting. Elisha gave her some instructions after asking her some questions.

  First of all, Elisha asked her, “What do you have in

  5Acts 18:3 NIV

  62 Kings 4:1-7 NIV your house?” This widow had something in her house that she didn’t recognize as having market value.

  When Elisha learned that this widow had something valuable, he gave her a business instruction. “Go and borrow some vessels, pour that oil into the vessels, and then go sell the oil. Pay off your debt and live on the rest of the proceeds with your children.” Elisha gave the widow packaging and marketing instructions, and her financial problems were solved. God used the little oil she had and multiplied it to meet her needs. She acted and God backed her action with miraculous increase.

  I wonder what you have in your house. I wonder what would happen if you packaged it and took it to the market. Elisha was one of the greatest Old Testament prophets, one who inherited a double portion of the anointing (or spiritual power) of Elijah.7 If a spiritual prophet of his caliber could give such brilliant business counsel, then spirituality and business can go hand-in-hand.

  72 Kings 2 NIV Is God a businessman? Now, to be blunt, it is difficult for many people to grasp the possibility that God knows anything about business, even after illustrating that He created the world. If you grew up in a traditional church, or in a different religious background, or completely atheistic, you could be saying to yourself, “What does God know about business? He lives in a church!”

  Let me tell you why you can trust the wisdom of God to help you to build your business. The bestselling book of all times for more than 400 years is the Bible.8 The fact that it is a divine product that has sold consistently for more than 400 years is a clear indication that the Author of that book understands business.

  Also, take a look at the way that Jesus operated. He came and spent about 33 years on Earth. He invested time and effort in 12 trainees who were to carry on with the work of spreading the Gospel message. That is the principal of leverage in operation.

  He empowered the 12 disciples and gave them an amazing business instruction. He said, “Start spreading the Gospel in Jerusalem, then go to Judea, then go to Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the world.”9 The disciples followed that instruction, and more than 2000 years afterwards, the gospel has gone around the whole world and is still saving many more lives every day. It is the best selling product in the world. That should tell you that God knows business.

  8 Ryken, Leland. “How We Got The Best-Selling Book of All Time.” Wsj. N.P., 26 Aug. 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2013. .

  Obviously, the proof is in the pudding. If you analyze a business system that has been in existence for more than 2000 years and that business system is still working efficiently, it is a smart idea to learn the proven principles of such a system. God has a proven business system.

  In this book you will discover the core principles in God’s business system. God’s system is not just proven, it is predictable.

  A Predictable System The title of this book is “ The Business System That Never Fails.” You may be curious as to why I decided to call it a “business system” instead of a “business model.” I decided to call it a “system” because everything around you is operating in some kind of system.

  For example, your body operates
in systems, not models. You have the circulatory system, which enables blood to circulate around your body. You have the digestive system, which enables you to break down food and absorb nutrients into the blood stream. You have the respiratory system, which enables oxygen and carbon dioxide to go in and out of the body. These systems work in the same manner all the time – they are predictable systems.

  9Acts 1:7- 8 NIV In the respiratory system, if you breathe OUT carbon dioxide, you know that you will breathe IN oxygen, because that is how your respiratory system functions.

  There is no guess work with that system. “Hmm, maybe if I breathe OUT carbon dioxide, I might breathe in ammonia and die.” No! You are going to breathe IN oxygen because that is how the system has been functioning since the foundation of the world.

  One of the most beautiful and flourishing natural environments in the world is the Amazon rain forest. Natural forests operate in a system known as an ecosystem—everything in nature working together to flourish. So you see that when things operate in a Godly system, they flourish.

  The principles behind The Business System That Never Fails produce predictable results. These principles are timeless and proven. Wall Street is unpredictable. Main Street is unpredictable. The economic systems around the world are unpredictable because these systems have been contaminated with greed.

  The fluctuation of stocks and employment rates demonstrates the unstable and unpredictable nature of Wall Street, Main Street and the economy. The economic struggles in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America are clear demonstrations of the unstable and unpredictable economic systems. We need a foundation to stand upon that is predictable and stable. That is what people are looking for — PREDICTABILITY and STABILITY.

  You need stability, security and confidence to build your life and business upon. That is what the principles in The Business System That Never Fails will provide, and much more than that. When you build your life and business on these proven and timeless principles, you will eliminate fear, gain confidence, and experience peace and joy in any economic climate.

  Bold Claim Validated I make a bold statement when I say that this business system NEVER fails. You may be asking yourself, “Benson, can you tell me the basis of your claim? What is the guarantee that when I implement the principles behind this system in my life and business, I will never fail?”

  With so many unproven business systems and “self-appointed gurus” in the business world today, you have the right to be skeptical. I want to assure you that The Business System That Never Fails is a proven system, and it has been working without fail for more than 2000 years.

  The principles in The Business System That Never Fails did not originate from me. I am simply a messenger and an advocate of the system. The system has worked for me, it has worked for many wildly successful business legends (more on this under module 1), and it will work for you too.

  Who is the author of this system? The creator of the principles in The Business System That Never Fails is God Himself, as revealed in the Bible. This system is based on the timeless, proven principles of the God who created the universe. Since God does not fail, then His system will not fail. The basis of my assurance is on God’s successful track record. I can guarantee anybody, anywhere in the world, that this system works all the time without fail.

  What are the foundational pillars of “The Business System That Never Fails”? The foundation of The Business System That Never Fails can be summed up in one principle—the principle of LOVE. In other words The Business System That Never Fails is based on one commandment—the commandment of LOVE. It is based on the most powerful law on earth and in heaven—the law of LOVE.

  “Love never fails...” - 1 Corinthians 13:8 NIV Love, in this context, is agape love - the God kind of love. (Agape is the Greek word for selfless love, as used in the original Biblical texts).

  Now, LOVE does not sound like a business term, does it? You didn't expect that answer, I'm sure. So how does love fit into your business system?

  Any good business professional will understand that you can’t perform business transactions without involving emotions. It is a known fact in marketing that customers use emotions in deciding to purchase a product or service, and they use logic to justify their purchase.

  “People don't buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.” – Zig Ziglar If you do not involve the customer’s emotions, you will not be able to persuade him or her to do business with you. That is why a lot of people use psychology in the persuasion process.

  If you read any book about emotions, a good author will tell you that the most powerful emotion on the face of the earth is love. One of the books that has been highly acclaimed and has contributed to the success of many business professionals is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. In his book, Hill points out that LOVE is the most powerful emotion.10

  So love is fully involved in business. I know people hardly talk about love in the context of business. That is why The Business System That Never Fails is revolutionary and transformational, because it is an eye-opener. It is bringing business professionals to a new level of understanding about the power of love. Love, as a prime emotion, is very powerful. When you allow it to govern the way you operate your business, you will succeed all the time.

  Love and Business Talking about love may be new for you in the arena of business, and I am sure that you have a number of questions. Obviously, for most people reading or listening to this book, love sounds like a 'fluffy' word. It sounds light and airy. It doesn’t sound like it would fit into the business plan or system of a hard-nosed salesperson, or that it will work in a business world full of cutthroat competition.

  We need to bridge the gap: the gap between the view of love being a fluffy, soft emotion, and the possibility of love being injected into a sterile, spread sheet-based, black-and-white business environment. How do we bridge the gap between the two?

  10 Hill, Napoleon. "Faith." Think and Grow Rich. Electronic Facsimile Edition ed. Meriden: Ralston Society, 2000. 52. Print.

  The easiest way to bridge the gap is to look at the very basic purpose of every business which is to provide solutions in the form of products or services to customers who have problems, needs and wants. Every successful business must persuasively communicate the value of its solution to the customers before a sale can take place.

  Before the numbers in your spread sheet become a reality in your bank account, there has to be a successful sales transaction. Since love is the most powerful emotion, using love in the persuasion process will result in many more successful transactions, being a win-win situation for your business as well as for the customer.

  I know that some businesses specialize in using the emotion of FEAR to persuade the customer to purchase. Personally, I would rather love my customers instead of trying to manipulate them with fear. Businesses that use fear to manipulate customers will suffer scarcity in the long-run because love will always overpower fear. Those who use love will tend to supersede those who use fear as a motivator.

  “Businesses that use fear to scare

  customers will suffer scarcity.”

  “ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in

  love.” – 1 John 4:18 NIV You need to communicate the value of your products or services to your customers. The most effective way to do so with assurance is using love, as expressed in your service to your customers. The customers must feel at some level that you care, and that you want them to get positive results.

  When you do NOT love your customers, showing genuine care and concern for them, you fail to make sales goals, and the numbers on your spread sheet will not be translated into numbers in your bank account. You should focus on loving people in order to succeed.

  People Are Important You can project all the numbers you want, but if people are not involved, those numbers will never become a reality. That is why no business ex
ists in a vacuum. You can’t just project numbers without people being involved and expect those numbers to become a reality. It does not work. There is no business in the world that operates without people.

  At some basic level, even over the internet,

  business involves the transfer of money from one person to another. It is not a computer that is giving you money; it is a person who is putting the money into the transaction in exchange for a product or service. That is the human element of EVERY business transaction—but most people in business take this one vital element for granted.

  Every business transaction involves a relationship. Again, there is no business in the world that exists without people. I want to use the word “relationship” much more because we are going to be touching on relationships later on.

  No business will survive without good relationships. We have invested some time talking about love because it is very important. It is the core principle in The Business System That Never Fails. Now, let's dig into the meat and bones of this revolutionary business system—one that never fails, no matter where it is properly implemented.

  Change Starts Inside In every building, there is a foundation, and the foundation is the part of the building that is not readily seen. The foundation is invisible. However, the foundation is what carries the weight of the building.

  If the foundation (which is invisible) is destroyed, the building will crumble. So if you are considering getting into business or you are already running a business, and you want to grow it to the next level, you have to start growing from the inside—from your own personal foundation. You have to start building with a foundation which is invisible, and love is the sure foundation to build upon. Change always starts inside before it can manifest outside for others to see.