How We are Preparing for Growth this Year

Welcome to your new season! In this post we give you some of the really practical tips on how we are going about hearing God and developing strategy for growth this year. We have found that when we have a plan that we are both on the same page with, that it is WAY more likely to turn out well. The plan supports us, we don't support the plan (that means we can change it if we need to). So here's some of the tips:

Listen to the podcast here: Heaveninbusiness.com/podcasts/authentic-conversations-with-andy-janine-mason/episodes/2148411118

1. Start (and never stop) in prayer.... listening to God daily/constantly

Not only is this recommended it is truly the secret of a life well lived. Of myself I can do nothing. WIth Him there is nothing I cannot do. God blesses the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom (see Matthew 5:7). Prayer (conversation with God), keeps you in the right perspective and posture to have God work on your behalf. It also keeps you from the common self-sabotaging pathways of greed, pride and fear.

2. Review what you see God doing, what you hear Him saying and what you remember He did.

Set out a chart with three colums titled "See", "Hear" and "Remember." Take some time to pause and ponder last year and this year. What do you see God doing around you? What scriptures or words or songs or phrases do you hear Him say over this season? And what are the key stories or testimonies or breakthroughs or things He did on your behalf last year that you need to remember.

Now stand back from what you have written down. Are there any themes? What does the overall picture of God with you and God leading you, tell you about what this next season will involve? 

Great resource: The Good Fight: Prophetic Processing Workbook by Dan McCollam

3. Review your finances

As a business we use quickbooks and have just finished up the profit and loss report for last year. Go over your own business and/or personal finances. How was your giving compared to the year before? Were there any revenue or expense anomalies that you need to pay attention to? What was the core driver of your business and how can you protect that and stimulate growth for the coming year?

4. Dive into the data - Review results

In addition to the finances, what actually happened last year? What was the fruit of your work? What does God say about the fruit of your labor? What does the data say... or not say?

We took a look at all our metrics at end compared to the start of the year, based on each of our three objectives: Call the crowd (marketing/outreach/mass influence), connect, train activate disciples (membership, events and advisory clients) and identify and activate catalysts.

What happened to our social media influence and why? What happened to the podcast (audio and youtube) and why? What happened to our contact list, customer list, client list and catalyst list and why? What are the themes? Where do we need to adjust or pay attention? 

5. What did you learn

What will you stop doing, start doing and keep doing as a result of what you learned last year? 

For us, what did we learn from the events, from the locations we traveled, from the people we partnered with? What did we learn in our partnership with one another? What did God teach us... through pain or prospering?

6. Get away to a quiet place, connect and plan

This afternoon we are heading about 1.5hrs away to a farm cottage air bnb that we have rented for three nights. We will spend the time reviewing, listening, connecting and strategizing for the year. We will tell you more about that later.

7. Go for a walk... 

Remember in all of this that God has more invested in you that you do. He made you. He made the universe! He fashioned with a purpose and good works for you to walk in. He created the world and called it 'good'! So take a breath and go for a walk and remember the one who holds the universe holds your future and is IN your future. Stay close to Him and you will get there also!

BONUS:

Best tool - Remarkable digital notebook has saved me hours

Best book - The Prosperous coach by Rich Litvin and Relactional Leadership by Ford Taylor

Best advice - get a coach/advisor and community

NEXT STEPS:

1. Join the Heaven in Business community to grow with God, grow in business and grow in kingdom influence. Try it out for seven days free: HeaveninBusiness.com/free-trial

2. Participate in the annual conference with more than 150 other faith-centered business leaders. The theme through all the speakers will be how to partner with the Holy Spirit in our workplace: hearing His voice, getting free from fear, making decisions, experiencing the miraculous. Find out more and sign up HeaveninBusiness.com/conference-Atlanta