Profile: Jim Blankemeyer, Chairman of the Metokote Corporation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s no secret that starting your own company can be tough, sucking up all of your time, energy and attention and causing you to neglect other things, such as family and friends. That’s exactly what happened to Jim Blankemeyer, Chairman of the Metokote Corporation. Thankfully, he realized what was happening early on, and he took some dramatic steps to ensure his business didn’t succeed at the expense of his family.
Within two years of starting his metal coating business in a rented garage in Lima, Ohio using refurbished, second-hand equipment, Jim and his brothers were already winning contracts with some of the biggest corporations in the country, including 3M and Ford. But the pressures of maintaining their growth curve were taking a heavy toll on Jim’s family life, and he realized it was time to make a change. “I said, ‘You know, I’m the problem, and I know I’ve got to fix something.’”
As a result, Jim and his wife decided to host a Bible study in their home. Several weeks later, Jim made a decision. “I told my wife, ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to ask God to forgive me and come into my life.'” But Jim didn’t stop there. Not only did he offer God his life, he also gave God his marriage and his business. In fact, if God wanted Jim to sell the company and become a missionary, Jim was ready to go, and so was his wife.
Despite Jim’s dramatic change of heart, nothing extraordinary happened right away. However, people - especially his family - began to notice little changes. Personally, over the next two weeks, Jim came to realize he had been living his life in rebellion against God, acting as if God didn’t exist and doing things on his own terms. Although Jim had experienced a reasonable amount of success despite this negative attitude, he knew God was calling him to something more. It wasn’t long before some significant changes began to occur.
“I think in terms of our business, I began to relax,” Jim says. “It wasn’t me trying to be successful anymore. It was me going to God and saying, ‘God, use the resources that you’ve placed in my life for your honor and your glory.’ And I think it was in relaxing that I became better at my job.”
Oddly enough, the minute Jim turned control of his company over to God, Metokote began to experience phenomenal growth. Through a combination of innovation, a reputation for excellence and integrity, and solid customer service, over the next few years Metokote grew into an international company with 30 facilities in five countries and over 3,000 employees.
As proof of his changed heart, Jim has not used his company’s success to accumulate a lot of personal wealth. Instead, he has formed a charitable foundation that supports a variety of ministries.
“In Matthew 6:33, God tells us to seek first his kingdom and then all these other things will be given to us as well," Jim says. “And I believe that principle really has been the basic reason why we’re successful.”
Would you like to experience success on God’s terms? Let Jesus show you how. If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
God cares about your success
Abraham Ekedum
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Success in the Ownership of Professional Sports Teams
Profile on: Wayne Huizenga, Jr. - owner of the professional football team Miami Dolphins and professional baseball team Florida Marlins
“I realized I’d been given these incredible gifts—airplanes, boats, and money—and the ability to do most anything I wanted in life. But I was using it all for me. It was all being used selfishly. In no way did I use any of it to glorify God.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Few people can say that the primary turning point of their life took place dozens of feet underwater while cruising aboard a nuclear-powered submarine. But then, few people have lived a life as extraordinary as Wayne Huizenga, Jr.
Sadly, perhaps the only part of Wayne’s life that could be considered normal is the fact that he comes from a broken home. Wayne’s parents divorced when he was only five, and he and his brother went to live with their mother in Chicago. As a young boy, Wayne longed to spend time with his father, Wayne, Sr., but his father lived in Florida, and he was so busy building up his business concerns that he had little time for his sons. The few times Wayne did get to spend with his father were special, and Wayne, Sr.’s lifestyle—which included jets, yachts, and fancy cars—definitely made an impact. Wayne, Jr. was convinced that one day he would join his father in business.
Wayne got his chance when his father bought into what was then a fledgling company called Blockbuster Video. Starting at the bottom as a store clerk, Wayne worked his way up to the point where he was involved in special projects with his father and the rest of the executive team. Eventually, Blockbuster went on to become the largest video retailer in the world, and Wayne’s father sold it to Viacom as he moved on to pursue other business opportunities.
After his stint at Blockbuster, Wayne continued to work in his father’s businesses, eventually becoming vice president of Huizenga Holdings. But while Wayne had a great head for making money, he also had other things on his mind…
Wayne had purchased Blockbuster’s stock while the company was still very young. Over the years, the stock’s value had risen astronomically, making Wayne a very wealthy man. He and his wife Fonda lived a life that most people only dream of. They traveled all over the world, bringing friends on all sorts of lavish vacations. But in the midst of it all, when the noise of the party died down, Wayne had to admit that something was still missing from his life. “I was happy in my life,” says Wayne, “and I had everything that the world considers you should have: jet planes, yachts, a big house, and a wonderful family. But I never really felt fulfilled.”
Oddly enough, Wayne’s journey toward finding fulfillment began during a voyage from South Carolina to Florida on board a nuclear submarine. During the trip, he spent a lot of time with the boat’s captain, Brad Fleetwood-McDonald. This encounter had a profound impact on Wayne. “He had patience that was just unbelievable,” says Wayne. “And he had incredible wisdom. He didn’t seem to be searching like I was. I saw a calm and a peace in him that I had not seen in anybody else.”
Wayne maintained a relationship with Captain McDonald, who constantly referred Wayne to the Bible when it came to dealing with issues in his life. Eventually, Captain McDonald’s influence led Wayne and Fonda to start attending church. That’s where Wayne learned about how he could have a personal relationship with God. And that’s when his life took a completely different turn. “I realized I’d been given these incredible gifts—airplanes, boats, and money—and the ability to do most anything I wanted in life. But I was using it all for me. It was all being used selfishly. In no way did I use any of it to glorify God.”
From that point on, Wayne was determined that things were going to be different. He stopped drinking and partying, and he resumed his business activities with a new sense of purpose. People were amazed at the changes in Wayne, but no one was more affected than Fonda, Wayne’s wife. “My immediate response was, have you lost your mind?” She says. Fonda liked the changes, but she still found it a little frightening, because Wayne’s transformation was so radical. However, after seeing Wayne’s faith weather a number of tests, including the deaths of his mother and grandfather, she eventually committed her life to God as well. “From that point, it felt like we were in a canoe, and now we were finally paddling together,” Fonda says.
Today, Wayne brings God into everything he does, including his business dealings. He doesn’t just look at deals as a way to make money; he also sees them as opportunities to help others. “To me, success is being able to use what we’ve been given to change other people’s lives. I have this great desire to share what I have with other people. To me, that’s success.”
Would you like to use your business opportunities to help others? Have you ever considered asking Jesus how you could do this? If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person you want me to be.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
GOD cares about your success
Abraham Ekedum
“I realized I’d been given these incredible gifts—airplanes, boats, and money—and the ability to do most anything I wanted in life. But I was using it all for me. It was all being used selfishly. In no way did I use any of it to glorify God.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Few people can say that the primary turning point of their life took place dozens of feet underwater while cruising aboard a nuclear-powered submarine. But then, few people have lived a life as extraordinary as Wayne Huizenga, Jr.
Sadly, perhaps the only part of Wayne’s life that could be considered normal is the fact that he comes from a broken home. Wayne’s parents divorced when he was only five, and he and his brother went to live with their mother in Chicago. As a young boy, Wayne longed to spend time with his father, Wayne, Sr., but his father lived in Florida, and he was so busy building up his business concerns that he had little time for his sons. The few times Wayne did get to spend with his father were special, and Wayne, Sr.’s lifestyle—which included jets, yachts, and fancy cars—definitely made an impact. Wayne, Jr. was convinced that one day he would join his father in business.
Wayne got his chance when his father bought into what was then a fledgling company called Blockbuster Video. Starting at the bottom as a store clerk, Wayne worked his way up to the point where he was involved in special projects with his father and the rest of the executive team. Eventually, Blockbuster went on to become the largest video retailer in the world, and Wayne’s father sold it to Viacom as he moved on to pursue other business opportunities.
After his stint at Blockbuster, Wayne continued to work in his father’s businesses, eventually becoming vice president of Huizenga Holdings. But while Wayne had a great head for making money, he also had other things on his mind…
Wayne had purchased Blockbuster’s stock while the company was still very young. Over the years, the stock’s value had risen astronomically, making Wayne a very wealthy man. He and his wife Fonda lived a life that most people only dream of. They traveled all over the world, bringing friends on all sorts of lavish vacations. But in the midst of it all, when the noise of the party died down, Wayne had to admit that something was still missing from his life. “I was happy in my life,” says Wayne, “and I had everything that the world considers you should have: jet planes, yachts, a big house, and a wonderful family. But I never really felt fulfilled.”
Oddly enough, Wayne’s journey toward finding fulfillment began during a voyage from South Carolina to Florida on board a nuclear submarine. During the trip, he spent a lot of time with the boat’s captain, Brad Fleetwood-McDonald. This encounter had a profound impact on Wayne. “He had patience that was just unbelievable,” says Wayne. “And he had incredible wisdom. He didn’t seem to be searching like I was. I saw a calm and a peace in him that I had not seen in anybody else.”
Wayne maintained a relationship with Captain McDonald, who constantly referred Wayne to the Bible when it came to dealing with issues in his life. Eventually, Captain McDonald’s influence led Wayne and Fonda to start attending church. That’s where Wayne learned about how he could have a personal relationship with God. And that’s when his life took a completely different turn. “I realized I’d been given these incredible gifts—airplanes, boats, and money—and the ability to do most anything I wanted in life. But I was using it all for me. It was all being used selfishly. In no way did I use any of it to glorify God.”
From that point on, Wayne was determined that things were going to be different. He stopped drinking and partying, and he resumed his business activities with a new sense of purpose. People were amazed at the changes in Wayne, but no one was more affected than Fonda, Wayne’s wife. “My immediate response was, have you lost your mind?” She says. Fonda liked the changes, but she still found it a little frightening, because Wayne’s transformation was so radical. However, after seeing Wayne’s faith weather a number of tests, including the deaths of his mother and grandfather, she eventually committed her life to God as well. “From that point, it felt like we were in a canoe, and now we were finally paddling together,” Fonda says.
Today, Wayne brings God into everything he does, including his business dealings. He doesn’t just look at deals as a way to make money; he also sees them as opportunities to help others. “To me, success is being able to use what we’ve been given to change other people’s lives. I have this great desire to share what I have with other people. To me, that’s success.”
Would you like to use your business opportunities to help others? Have you ever considered asking Jesus how you could do this? If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person you want me to be.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
GOD cares about your success
Abraham Ekedum
Saturday, September 13, 2008
A Life or Death Decision
Profile: Kerry Bradley, COO, Luxottica Retail (includes Lenscrafters, Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, Sears and more)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you were crossing your college campus on a beautiful, sunny day and saw a young student staring off into space as he whiled away the afternoon on a park bench, probably the last thing you’d assume he was thinking about was suicide. Girls, maybe. Or possibly exams or his future. But taking his own life? Not likely. Well, if the young man that you saw was Kerry Bradley and the year was 1976, you’d have been wrong.
End of the Rope
As a freshman taking English and philosophy at Auburn University, Kerry was nearing the end of his rope. For months, he had been inundated by professors and authors who made a case for a godless world. They described the human race - and all life, for that matter - as an accident; something that had evolved from a nameless, faceless creature which had slithered and clawed its way out of the primordial ooze 100 million years ago. And if life was an accident, they argued, then it was also without meaning. Thus, the only thing worth doing was making the most of what little time you had. Eat, drink and be merry.
Such teachings had forced Kerry out onto a ledge as far as his religious beliefs were concerned. Kerry had been raised in the church where he had become a Christian at age 10. He had been taught that God created everything, including him. Not only that, Kerry was told - and believed - that God had also created a world beyond this one in which we could go to live with him forever after we die. It was God’s involvement in the world that gave life meaning; that gave all of us a future after death if we chose to follow Him.
But now Kerry was wondering if those beliefs were really true or if he had been merely a naïve child blindly accepting the faith of his parents. “What if my professors are right?” He wondered. “What if there is no God? What if everything I’ve ever been taught or ever believed about God is either a hoax or a naïve dream?” If they were right, Kerry reasoned, then he was a fool, and he should just end his life right there. Better to put himself out of his misery straight away than have to endure a painful life that ultimately led nowhere.
Voice of Reason
As he brooded on these issues, Kerry moved from merely contemplating suicide to actually planning it. What would be the best way to kill himself that day, he wondered….
Fortunately, through the confusion Kerry heard what he describes as “a voice of reason” whisper to his soul. “Don’t do anything rash,” it said. “This is a decision you can’t undo. Sleep on it. If you still want to do it tomorrow, then do it.”
Kerry decided to follow this advice. But he did more than just sleep on it. He began to think things through, reviewing the claims of Jesus and the things he had been taught in church and measuring them against what he was being taught in college. Over time, Kerry regained confidence in the validity of his faith, realizing that the claims of Christ made far more sense than the virtually unproven theory of evolution. Life - his life - did have meaning after all. That soft whisper bought Kerry the time he needed to rediscover the childlike faith that had drawn him to God in the first place. What a relief.
Today, Kerry, who is now Chief Operating Officer at LensCrafters/Sunglass Hut International, says the decision to keep on living has made all the difference in the world. “It’s not just that I’m still alive but that I’m living for a purpose, with fulfillment, with joy and with power because I’m sold out to Jesus. That same voice I heard at age ten came through and steered me to safety. And I have heard that same voice every day since.”
Have you reached a crisis of belief in your life? Jesus can help you resolve it in the same way he helped Kerry. If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Amen.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
God cares about you
Abraham Ekedum
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you were crossing your college campus on a beautiful, sunny day and saw a young student staring off into space as he whiled away the afternoon on a park bench, probably the last thing you’d assume he was thinking about was suicide. Girls, maybe. Or possibly exams or his future. But taking his own life? Not likely. Well, if the young man that you saw was Kerry Bradley and the year was 1976, you’d have been wrong.
End of the Rope
As a freshman taking English and philosophy at Auburn University, Kerry was nearing the end of his rope. For months, he had been inundated by professors and authors who made a case for a godless world. They described the human race - and all life, for that matter - as an accident; something that had evolved from a nameless, faceless creature which had slithered and clawed its way out of the primordial ooze 100 million years ago. And if life was an accident, they argued, then it was also without meaning. Thus, the only thing worth doing was making the most of what little time you had. Eat, drink and be merry.
Such teachings had forced Kerry out onto a ledge as far as his religious beliefs were concerned. Kerry had been raised in the church where he had become a Christian at age 10. He had been taught that God created everything, including him. Not only that, Kerry was told - and believed - that God had also created a world beyond this one in which we could go to live with him forever after we die. It was God’s involvement in the world that gave life meaning; that gave all of us a future after death if we chose to follow Him.
But now Kerry was wondering if those beliefs were really true or if he had been merely a naïve child blindly accepting the faith of his parents. “What if my professors are right?” He wondered. “What if there is no God? What if everything I’ve ever been taught or ever believed about God is either a hoax or a naïve dream?” If they were right, Kerry reasoned, then he was a fool, and he should just end his life right there. Better to put himself out of his misery straight away than have to endure a painful life that ultimately led nowhere.
Voice of Reason
As he brooded on these issues, Kerry moved from merely contemplating suicide to actually planning it. What would be the best way to kill himself that day, he wondered….
Fortunately, through the confusion Kerry heard what he describes as “a voice of reason” whisper to his soul. “Don’t do anything rash,” it said. “This is a decision you can’t undo. Sleep on it. If you still want to do it tomorrow, then do it.”
Kerry decided to follow this advice. But he did more than just sleep on it. He began to think things through, reviewing the claims of Jesus and the things he had been taught in church and measuring them against what he was being taught in college. Over time, Kerry regained confidence in the validity of his faith, realizing that the claims of Christ made far more sense than the virtually unproven theory of evolution. Life - his life - did have meaning after all. That soft whisper bought Kerry the time he needed to rediscover the childlike faith that had drawn him to God in the first place. What a relief.
Today, Kerry, who is now Chief Operating Officer at LensCrafters/Sunglass Hut International, says the decision to keep on living has made all the difference in the world. “It’s not just that I’m still alive but that I’m living for a purpose, with fulfillment, with joy and with power because I’m sold out to Jesus. That same voice I heard at age ten came through and steered me to safety. And I have heard that same voice every day since.”
Have you reached a crisis of belief in your life? Jesus can help you resolve it in the same way he helped Kerry. If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Amen.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
God cares about you
Abraham Ekedum
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Success in the Construction Industry
Profile on: Don Voth, President of Metrocan Construction Ltd.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ask any successful entrepreneur to name the qualities that led to their achievements, and the word “perseverance” will probably appear at or near the top of their list. Few people know this better than Don Voth, President of Metrocan Construction Ltd. of Vancouver, BC. Ten years after purchasing his father’s construction company back in the mid-1970s, Don and his brother Ken’s hard work had turned the $2 million annual volume business into an entity with annual volumes of over 100 times that much.
“He doesn’t know what ‘no’ means,” says Don’s wife Elma. “He’s tenacious, absolutely tenacious. When someone says something can’t be done, that’s when he starts getting busy.”
Like any virtue, however, perseverance can also become a vice if it isn’t tempered with an awareness of the wider context in which one is working or the feelings of the people involved. Unfortunately, Don can also speak authoritatively about the consequences of failing to pay proper heed to such matters.
Don’s affinity for hard work comes naturally. As a teenager, he went to work in his father’s construction business, where he quickly learned that being the boss’s son did not guarantee an easy ride to the top.
“We started out with a really basic implement called ‘the shovel,’” Don jokes. “My dad always paid me half of what he paid everyone else… Half of my wages would go back to the home, and the rest I could keep.”
Despite these conditions, Don continued to work for his father throughout high school. After earning a degree in business administration and trying his hand at running a small company, he and Ken bought the business from their dad and set about expanding it.
By the early 1980s, Don and Ken were experiencing spectacular growth, overseeing the construction of up to fifteen high-rise buildings at any given time. Their annual sales volume was approximately $250 million in today’s dollars, and they were literally consumed by the business. That’s about the time reality hit—and hard—in the form of twenty percent interest rates. The brothers had been so wrapped up in the day-to-day running of their business that they hadn’t planned for the downside of a surge in inflation and interest rates. Suddenly, everything they had worked for was in jeopardy.
This sudden reversal in fortunes prompted Don to do some soul-searching.
“After all this busyness and building, what have I really achieved?” Don wondered. “Am I really at peace with myself, my family, and my Maker? I didn’t feel at peace, because if you’re at peace with these things, you have to be satisfied.”
Don also reflected on the role his Christian faith had played—or not played—in this crisis. It wasn’t that he had set aside his faith to do business. He just hadn’t allowed God to guide his decision-making, and that had cost him dearly.
When the dust finally settled, Don and Ken were still in business, but their company was just a shadow of its former self. Left with only twenty percent of their former holdings, the brothers decided that their new company, Metrocan, would be more streamlined than before. That meant working on fewer projects at one time. It also meant paying more attention to people- their families as well as their employees - and allowing God to assume a greater role in their decision-making.
“Ultimately, we concluded that accumulating wealth for ourselves isn’t really going to matter fifty years from now. But if we can impact people, what we are doing today will matter to this generation, the next generation, and the generation after that,” says Don.
To the brothers’ surprise, rather than see their profit margins go down as a result of their new scaled-back, people-centered approach, their profit margins actually went up! Overseeing fewer projects also allowed Don more time to focus on family. This included diversifying and starting two new companies - Merom Farm Ltd. and Proformance Racing - that allowed his children and other relatives to get involved in the business.
Today, Don is as persistent as ever. He still spends an enormous amount of time at work, but his reasons for doing so are far different than before. The bottom line is important, but it is merely a means to an end. Success is more about spending time with family, both at work and at play; helping his employees improve their lot in life, and, most of all, using his company to help others learn about God.
“I think our good Lord really has a plan in mind for each of us,” Don says, “and he’ll swing the doors open for us if we’re tuned in to him.”
Have you ever felt like your virtues have begun working against you rather than for you? Perhaps it’s time you asked Jesus to help you take stock of your life before a crisis hits. If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person you want me to be.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
You are a success
Abraham Ekedum
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ask any successful entrepreneur to name the qualities that led to their achievements, and the word “perseverance” will probably appear at or near the top of their list. Few people know this better than Don Voth, President of Metrocan Construction Ltd. of Vancouver, BC. Ten years after purchasing his father’s construction company back in the mid-1970s, Don and his brother Ken’s hard work had turned the $2 million annual volume business into an entity with annual volumes of over 100 times that much.
“He doesn’t know what ‘no’ means,” says Don’s wife Elma. “He’s tenacious, absolutely tenacious. When someone says something can’t be done, that’s when he starts getting busy.”
Like any virtue, however, perseverance can also become a vice if it isn’t tempered with an awareness of the wider context in which one is working or the feelings of the people involved. Unfortunately, Don can also speak authoritatively about the consequences of failing to pay proper heed to such matters.
Don’s affinity for hard work comes naturally. As a teenager, he went to work in his father’s construction business, where he quickly learned that being the boss’s son did not guarantee an easy ride to the top.
“We started out with a really basic implement called ‘the shovel,’” Don jokes. “My dad always paid me half of what he paid everyone else… Half of my wages would go back to the home, and the rest I could keep.”
Despite these conditions, Don continued to work for his father throughout high school. After earning a degree in business administration and trying his hand at running a small company, he and Ken bought the business from their dad and set about expanding it.
By the early 1980s, Don and Ken were experiencing spectacular growth, overseeing the construction of up to fifteen high-rise buildings at any given time. Their annual sales volume was approximately $250 million in today’s dollars, and they were literally consumed by the business. That’s about the time reality hit—and hard—in the form of twenty percent interest rates. The brothers had been so wrapped up in the day-to-day running of their business that they hadn’t planned for the downside of a surge in inflation and interest rates. Suddenly, everything they had worked for was in jeopardy.
This sudden reversal in fortunes prompted Don to do some soul-searching.
“After all this busyness and building, what have I really achieved?” Don wondered. “Am I really at peace with myself, my family, and my Maker? I didn’t feel at peace, because if you’re at peace with these things, you have to be satisfied.”
Don also reflected on the role his Christian faith had played—or not played—in this crisis. It wasn’t that he had set aside his faith to do business. He just hadn’t allowed God to guide his decision-making, and that had cost him dearly.
When the dust finally settled, Don and Ken were still in business, but their company was just a shadow of its former self. Left with only twenty percent of their former holdings, the brothers decided that their new company, Metrocan, would be more streamlined than before. That meant working on fewer projects at one time. It also meant paying more attention to people- their families as well as their employees - and allowing God to assume a greater role in their decision-making.
“Ultimately, we concluded that accumulating wealth for ourselves isn’t really going to matter fifty years from now. But if we can impact people, what we are doing today will matter to this generation, the next generation, and the generation after that,” says Don.
To the brothers’ surprise, rather than see their profit margins go down as a result of their new scaled-back, people-centered approach, their profit margins actually went up! Overseeing fewer projects also allowed Don more time to focus on family. This included diversifying and starting two new companies - Merom Farm Ltd. and Proformance Racing - that allowed his children and other relatives to get involved in the business.
Today, Don is as persistent as ever. He still spends an enormous amount of time at work, but his reasons for doing so are far different than before. The bottom line is important, but it is merely a means to an end. Success is more about spending time with family, both at work and at play; helping his employees improve their lot in life, and, most of all, using his company to help others learn about God.
“I think our good Lord really has a plan in mind for each of us,” Don says, “and he’ll swing the doors open for us if we’re tuned in to him.”
Have you ever felt like your virtues have begun working against you rather than for you? Perhaps it’s time you asked Jesus to help you take stock of your life before a crisis hits. If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person you want me to be.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
You are a success
Abraham Ekedum
Saturday, September 6, 2008
What Does Success Look Like for You?
Profile on: John Roise, owner of Lindsay Windows
~~~~~~~~~~
If you asked most entrepreneurs for five reasons why they got into business, making money would probably be close to number one. If so, that makes John Roise, owner of Lindsay Windows, something of an anomaly. When the former banker decided to enter the window business several years ago, he had four main goals in mind and none of them included the word “money.”
“The first thing I wanted to do was share my faith,” says John. “Second, I wanted to be able to hire people who needed a second, third or fourth chance; people like ex-prisoners and drug addicts. Third, I wanted to speak out on social issues. And finally, I wanted to be able to take short-term mission trips.”
In fact, John’s original goal was to build a business to the point where he had to spend only one day per week at work and the rest of his time in Christian ministry. However, as every entrepreneur knows, rarely do the demands of even a small business afford such luxuries, especially when you’re just starting out. It wasn’t that John felt money was unimportant. He realized the only way to reach his other goals was to make his company profitable. Echoing in his head were the words of famed evangelist Dwight L. Moody:
“Make as much as you can, save as much as you can, so you can give as much as you can.”
John set out to do just that.
Here's The Story
Why was John so concerned about giving rather than gaining? Back in college, John made a decision that changed his life: He had become a Christian. Having grown up in a Christian home, John thought he had all the bases covered when it came to God. He went to church, he was baptized, he was nice to his parents and he lived a decent life. But when he met his future wife Susan, she showed him that just going through the motions of faith was not enough. If he really wanted to call himself a Christian, he had to become “born again.”
“And I said, ‘What do you mean, born again? How I can be born again?’” says John. “And she pointed out some Scripture to me and I said ‘Wow, I’d never seen that before.’ No one had ever challenged me like that.”
Although his pride prevented him from letting Susan convert him on the spot, the seed was planted. A short time later while John was in his room watching television, he finally accepted the fact that:
he wasn’t as good a person as he thought he was and
the only solution was to ask Jesus for forgiveness.
John did exactly that, and his new, personal relationship with Jesus began.
“No bells went off, and no whistles rang. But I knew there was a difference,” John says.
For one thing, John realized it wasn’t enough to live life just for himself. To be a true follower of Christ, he had to devote his life to serving others.
A Sign From God
John’s faith grew over the next several years as he graduated from college and found work in the banking industry. An entrepreneur at heart, John also ran a few other businesses on the side, including real estate development and an oyster shell chicken feed company. While John always seemed to do well, he still hadn’t found the company that would allow him to fulfill his dreams.
Oddly enough, John’s golden opportunity came in the form of a business he knew nothing about: window manufacturing. He wasn’t even interested in purchasing the company at first. Not only did he lack experience, buying the company would require him to borrow several million dollars and leave his comfortable, six-figure job in the banking industry.
John decided to put the decision before God. Seeing as it was unlikely that any bank would loan him so much money, John decided to let that be the determining factor. If he managed to secure the financing, he would take it as a sign that God wanted him to take this leap of faith. If not, then he would forfeit the deal and keep looking for another business opportunity.
Rather than seek a loan from his own bank and risk the embarrassment of being turned down, John decided to approach another bank three hours away. He fully expected his application to be rejected, but,
“Within 24 hours, I had a commitment to do the whole deal,” says John.
Still not convinced that this was the way to go, John decided to try his luck at yet another bank.
Once again, his loan application was approved almost instantly. John finally accepted the fact that God might be telling him to go for it.
Fulfilling his Goals
Building the company was far from easy. Desperation was a common feeling during that first year, John says. But as he learned the business, he was able to turn Lindsay Windows into a highly successful manufacturer of custom windows.
More importantly, John’s financial success meant he could finally fulfill the four goals he had stated at the outset. Today, Lindsay Windows regularly employs ex-prisoners, the mentally challenged,and individuals with chemical dependency problems.
“I’ve seen some people that have just walked away from drugs, gotten off alcohol and become good, productive individuals. Some people fall back and that’s to be expected.... But I have seen quite a few success stories.”
As for John’s own success, his definition is rather simple:
“I measure success according to what I’ve done compared to what I’m capable of doing. You could have millions of dollars, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is what you’ve done on this earth with the opportunities you’ve been given.”
So, does John consider himself a success on those terms?
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to wait and see if I hear those famous words from the Lord when I get to heaven, ‘Well done my good and faithful servant.’”
How do you measure success? Why not ask Jesus what success looks like for you? If you do not know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
You are a success
Abraham Ekedum
~~~~~~~~~~
If you asked most entrepreneurs for five reasons why they got into business, making money would probably be close to number one. If so, that makes John Roise, owner of Lindsay Windows, something of an anomaly. When the former banker decided to enter the window business several years ago, he had four main goals in mind and none of them included the word “money.”
“The first thing I wanted to do was share my faith,” says John. “Second, I wanted to be able to hire people who needed a second, third or fourth chance; people like ex-prisoners and drug addicts. Third, I wanted to speak out on social issues. And finally, I wanted to be able to take short-term mission trips.”
In fact, John’s original goal was to build a business to the point where he had to spend only one day per week at work and the rest of his time in Christian ministry. However, as every entrepreneur knows, rarely do the demands of even a small business afford such luxuries, especially when you’re just starting out. It wasn’t that John felt money was unimportant. He realized the only way to reach his other goals was to make his company profitable. Echoing in his head were the words of famed evangelist Dwight L. Moody:
“Make as much as you can, save as much as you can, so you can give as much as you can.”
John set out to do just that.
Here's The Story
Why was John so concerned about giving rather than gaining? Back in college, John made a decision that changed his life: He had become a Christian. Having grown up in a Christian home, John thought he had all the bases covered when it came to God. He went to church, he was baptized, he was nice to his parents and he lived a decent life. But when he met his future wife Susan, she showed him that just going through the motions of faith was not enough. If he really wanted to call himself a Christian, he had to become “born again.”
“And I said, ‘What do you mean, born again? How I can be born again?’” says John. “And she pointed out some Scripture to me and I said ‘Wow, I’d never seen that before.’ No one had ever challenged me like that.”
Although his pride prevented him from letting Susan convert him on the spot, the seed was planted. A short time later while John was in his room watching television, he finally accepted the fact that:
he wasn’t as good a person as he thought he was and
the only solution was to ask Jesus for forgiveness.
John did exactly that, and his new, personal relationship with Jesus began.
“No bells went off, and no whistles rang. But I knew there was a difference,” John says.
For one thing, John realized it wasn’t enough to live life just for himself. To be a true follower of Christ, he had to devote his life to serving others.
A Sign From God
John’s faith grew over the next several years as he graduated from college and found work in the banking industry. An entrepreneur at heart, John also ran a few other businesses on the side, including real estate development and an oyster shell chicken feed company. While John always seemed to do well, he still hadn’t found the company that would allow him to fulfill his dreams.
Oddly enough, John’s golden opportunity came in the form of a business he knew nothing about: window manufacturing. He wasn’t even interested in purchasing the company at first. Not only did he lack experience, buying the company would require him to borrow several million dollars and leave his comfortable, six-figure job in the banking industry.
John decided to put the decision before God. Seeing as it was unlikely that any bank would loan him so much money, John decided to let that be the determining factor. If he managed to secure the financing, he would take it as a sign that God wanted him to take this leap of faith. If not, then he would forfeit the deal and keep looking for another business opportunity.
Rather than seek a loan from his own bank and risk the embarrassment of being turned down, John decided to approach another bank three hours away. He fully expected his application to be rejected, but,
“Within 24 hours, I had a commitment to do the whole deal,” says John.
Still not convinced that this was the way to go, John decided to try his luck at yet another bank.
Once again, his loan application was approved almost instantly. John finally accepted the fact that God might be telling him to go for it.
Fulfilling his Goals
Building the company was far from easy. Desperation was a common feeling during that first year, John says. But as he learned the business, he was able to turn Lindsay Windows into a highly successful manufacturer of custom windows.
More importantly, John’s financial success meant he could finally fulfill the four goals he had stated at the outset. Today, Lindsay Windows regularly employs ex-prisoners, the mentally challenged,and individuals with chemical dependency problems.
“I’ve seen some people that have just walked away from drugs, gotten off alcohol and become good, productive individuals. Some people fall back and that’s to be expected.... But I have seen quite a few success stories.”
As for John’s own success, his definition is rather simple:
“I measure success according to what I’ve done compared to what I’m capable of doing. You could have millions of dollars, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is what you’ve done on this earth with the opportunities you’ve been given.”
So, does John consider himself a success on those terms?
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to wait and see if I hear those famous words from the Lord when I get to heaven, ‘Well done my good and faithful servant.’”
How do you measure success? Why not ask Jesus what success looks like for you? If you do not know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
You are a success
Abraham Ekedum
Why Do You Want to be Successful?
Profile on: Peter Chung, President and CEO of the Eminata Group, a multi-million dollar education-based company.
View the VIDEO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Few preachers’ kids can say that the best advice they ever received from their father was to become a businessman rather than a missionary. But that is certainly true for Peter Chung, President and CEO of the Eminata Group, a multi-million dollar education-based company headquartered inVancouver , British Columbia .
For most of his early life, Peter rebelled against Christianity, angry that his father’s low-paying job as pastor of a small Korean church in Los Angeles meant that his mother had to work long hours to support the family. “I was bitter towards my father, because I felt that he should provide bread for the family, not my mother,” says Peter.
After leaving home, Peter enrolled in mathematics and computer science at UCLA. However, it wasn’t long before religion made its way into his curriculum as well. “My brother’s roommate was a very faithful Christian,” says Peter. “This guy turned on the light at six in the morning, read the Bible, prayed, then went to school.” As a preacher’s son, Peter thought he knew a lot about Christianity but after attending a few Bible studies with his brother’s roommate he realized how little he really knew about God.
Peter’s knowledge of God moved from the academic to the intensely personal after he survived a car accident that should have been fatal. This really spoke to Peter, to the point that he finally decided to become a Christian. Peter was so enthusiastic about his newfound faith that he wanted to become a missionary. But his father encouraged him to consider a career in business instead. Ever since Peter had arrived in Los Angeles at age fourteen, he had displayed a remarkable aptitude for making money. Whether it was going door-to-door drumming up odd jobs or starting his own Tae Kwon Do studio during high school, it was obvious that Peter had a knack for recognizing business opportunities and making the most of them. Peter’s father recognized this gift and persuaded Peter to pursue it.
After working at a couple of respectable and yet ultimately unsatisfying jobs, Peter evaluated his talents and realized that if he wanted to go into business for himself, the best place to start would be teaching computer programming, a field that was drawing a lot of interest at the time. Seeking to test the market, he rented a single classroom and started advertising. Ten students responded and Peter’s fledgling business was up and running.
Three months later, Peter’s student body doubled. Meanwhile, the company he was working for during the day was going through some tough times, so he asked his boss to lay him off. With his safety net gone, Peter threw himself into his teaching enterprise, increasing it from one classroom to four and hiring a couple of teachers. Soon he had expanded the school to several locations as well.
Building on his initial success Peter expanded and diversified his business even further, opening more schools, getting into importing and exporting, real estate development, and other enterprises. At his peak, Peter was operating fourteen separate businesses and he wasn’t above sampling the fruits of his labors. “I used to go to work in a limo, fly to Washington on a private jet, things like that,” says Peter.
But as with every rapid rise to the top, there is a price to be paid. In Peter’s case, it was paid by Peter’s wife Stephanie and their five kids. “I didn’t know how much money he had,” says Stephanie, whom Peter had married years earlier during a visit to South Korea . “I wanted us to spend time together as a family.” Pride had also become an issue for Peter; “We were running into some political pressure from public institutions because our budget was getting very, very big.” Thinking he could take on the government alone, Peter launched into a battle that wound up devastating his business. When it was all over, his asset base had dwindled down to five percent of what it used to be.
This defeat led to a lot of soul-searching on Peter’s part. For the next three years he traveled, read the Bible, reflected on his life, and got reacquainted with his family. Near the end of this time, Peter made a fateful trip to Vancouver, Canada . While there he read a headline about the high unemployment rate in BC and immediately recognized an opportunity. He began a small private school that worked in conjunction with the government to train people for employment. Bringing his wealth of experience to the enterprise, it wasn’t long before Peter had built a business with revenues of $50 million per year.
Although Peter is riding high again, this time around, things are different. For one thing, he has made his family a priority. But perhaps more importantly, he has a much better sense of what true success—and true happiness—really are. “The advice I give to young people is this: If you want to be successful, first of all you have to figure out why you want to be successful… You have to search your soul and discover why you want to go in that direction. You can’t just be doing it for the sake of money, because money does not bring you happiness. You’ve got to understand what happiness is first, and that can only be found in God.”
Why do you want to be successful? Let Jesus show you what true success is. If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person you want me to be.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
You are success
Abraham Ekedum
View the VIDEO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Few preachers’ kids can say that the best advice they ever received from their father was to become a businessman rather than a missionary. But that is certainly true for Peter Chung, President and CEO of the Eminata Group, a multi-million dollar education-based company headquartered inVancouver , British Columbia .
For most of his early life, Peter rebelled against Christianity, angry that his father’s low-paying job as pastor of a small Korean church in Los Angeles meant that his mother had to work long hours to support the family. “I was bitter towards my father, because I felt that he should provide bread for the family, not my mother,” says Peter.
After leaving home, Peter enrolled in mathematics and computer science at UCLA. However, it wasn’t long before religion made its way into his curriculum as well. “My brother’s roommate was a very faithful Christian,” says Peter. “This guy turned on the light at six in the morning, read the Bible, prayed, then went to school.” As a preacher’s son, Peter thought he knew a lot about Christianity but after attending a few Bible studies with his brother’s roommate he realized how little he really knew about God.
Peter’s knowledge of God moved from the academic to the intensely personal after he survived a car accident that should have been fatal. This really spoke to Peter, to the point that he finally decided to become a Christian. Peter was so enthusiastic about his newfound faith that he wanted to become a missionary. But his father encouraged him to consider a career in business instead. Ever since Peter had arrived in Los Angeles at age fourteen, he had displayed a remarkable aptitude for making money. Whether it was going door-to-door drumming up odd jobs or starting his own Tae Kwon Do studio during high school, it was obvious that Peter had a knack for recognizing business opportunities and making the most of them. Peter’s father recognized this gift and persuaded Peter to pursue it.
After working at a couple of respectable and yet ultimately unsatisfying jobs, Peter evaluated his talents and realized that if he wanted to go into business for himself, the best place to start would be teaching computer programming, a field that was drawing a lot of interest at the time. Seeking to test the market, he rented a single classroom and started advertising. Ten students responded and Peter’s fledgling business was up and running.
Three months later, Peter’s student body doubled. Meanwhile, the company he was working for during the day was going through some tough times, so he asked his boss to lay him off. With his safety net gone, Peter threw himself into his teaching enterprise, increasing it from one classroom to four and hiring a couple of teachers. Soon he had expanded the school to several locations as well.
Building on his initial success Peter expanded and diversified his business even further, opening more schools, getting into importing and exporting, real estate development, and other enterprises. At his peak, Peter was operating fourteen separate businesses and he wasn’t above sampling the fruits of his labors. “I used to go to work in a limo, fly to Washington on a private jet, things like that,” says Peter.
But as with every rapid rise to the top, there is a price to be paid. In Peter’s case, it was paid by Peter’s wife Stephanie and their five kids. “I didn’t know how much money he had,” says Stephanie, whom Peter had married years earlier during a visit to South Korea . “I wanted us to spend time together as a family.” Pride had also become an issue for Peter; “We were running into some political pressure from public institutions because our budget was getting very, very big.” Thinking he could take on the government alone, Peter launched into a battle that wound up devastating his business. When it was all over, his asset base had dwindled down to five percent of what it used to be.
This defeat led to a lot of soul-searching on Peter’s part. For the next three years he traveled, read the Bible, reflected on his life, and got reacquainted with his family. Near the end of this time, Peter made a fateful trip to Vancouver, Canada . While there he read a headline about the high unemployment rate in BC and immediately recognized an opportunity. He began a small private school that worked in conjunction with the government to train people for employment. Bringing his wealth of experience to the enterprise, it wasn’t long before Peter had built a business with revenues of $50 million per year.
Although Peter is riding high again, this time around, things are different. For one thing, he has made his family a priority. But perhaps more importantly, he has a much better sense of what true success—and true happiness—really are. “The advice I give to young people is this: If you want to be successful, first of all you have to figure out why you want to be successful… You have to search your soul and discover why you want to go in that direction. You can’t just be doing it for the sake of money, because money does not bring you happiness. You’ve got to understand what happiness is first, and that can only be found in God.”
Why do you want to be successful? Let Jesus show you what true success is. If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person you want me to be.
Is it the desire of your heart to make this prayer yours?
If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.
You are success
Abraham Ekedum
Finding Inspiration in Daily Life
In this go-go world, it is easy to develop a lack of enthusiasm for daily life. If you just look around you, however, you can find plenty of things to inspire you.
Finding Inspiration in Daily Life
Inspiration is a funny thing. Most people think of inspiring events as those that are monumental. While heroic acts are certainly inspiring, little acts of kindness or thoughtfulness can also act as the mechanism for your life. Indeed, simple things other than actions can also do the trick. You simply have to look about you to do find them.
Life is much like space in many ways. The planets represent those days when something exciting or inspirational occur. Unfortunately, many of us find there are a lot more days that seem just like empty space. We travel through the work week doing the same thing everyday. We get up and go through our morning ritual. We go to work and do what is needed. We go home, eat and watch television. We do it over and over and over until the process becomes an informal ritual. This leads to a loss of enthusiasm for life.
To find inspiration in your daily life, you must first take a step back. Grab a pen and pad. Write out what you do everyday of the week. Do you see a definitive pattern? If so, you have fallen into the trap. You are walking through life without really paying attention to what is going on around you. You must fight back!
The way to find inspiration in daily life is to look around you. Really focus. If you eat lunch in your office, go outside. Look at the people around you. What do you notice about them? When you get home from work, go out for a walk. Don’t walk with your head down and don’t think about work! Look around you. Most people live in a location for years, but have no clue about their neighborhood. Walk into stores. Look at the architecture. Watch people interact. Talk to them.
The more you take an active role in what is going on around you, the more inspiration you will find in life. It may be meeting the single mother who works two jobs. It may be meeting the immigrant who came to the country with no money but opened a little store around the corner and is putting his or her kids through college. If you look, you will find it.
Inspiration is all around us. If you take an active role in your life, you will find it.
About The Author
Bruno Baceli is with http://www.inspirationdaily.com - daily inspiration for your life with quotes updated each day.
You are success
Abraham Ekedum
Finding Inspiration in Daily Life
Inspiration is a funny thing. Most people think of inspiring events as those that are monumental. While heroic acts are certainly inspiring, little acts of kindness or thoughtfulness can also act as the mechanism for your life. Indeed, simple things other than actions can also do the trick. You simply have to look about you to do find them.
Life is much like space in many ways. The planets represent those days when something exciting or inspirational occur. Unfortunately, many of us find there are a lot more days that seem just like empty space. We travel through the work week doing the same thing everyday. We get up and go through our morning ritual. We go to work and do what is needed. We go home, eat and watch television. We do it over and over and over until the process becomes an informal ritual. This leads to a loss of enthusiasm for life.
To find inspiration in your daily life, you must first take a step back. Grab a pen and pad. Write out what you do everyday of the week. Do you see a definitive pattern? If so, you have fallen into the trap. You are walking through life without really paying attention to what is going on around you. You must fight back!
The way to find inspiration in daily life is to look around you. Really focus. If you eat lunch in your office, go outside. Look at the people around you. What do you notice about them? When you get home from work, go out for a walk. Don’t walk with your head down and don’t think about work! Look around you. Most people live in a location for years, but have no clue about their neighborhood. Walk into stores. Look at the architecture. Watch people interact. Talk to them.
The more you take an active role in what is going on around you, the more inspiration you will find in life. It may be meeting the single mother who works two jobs. It may be meeting the immigrant who came to the country with no money but opened a little store around the corner and is putting his or her kids through college. If you look, you will find it.
Inspiration is all around us. If you take an active role in your life, you will find it.
About The Author
Bruno Baceli is with http://www.inspirationdaily.com - daily inspiration for your life with quotes updated each day.
You are success
Abraham Ekedum
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