Happy Sunday! This is the Christian Entrepreneur, the weekly newsletter that helps Christian entrepreneurs like you separate yourself from the rest of the wannabee entrepreneurs just like The Spice Girls. I wanna, I wanna, I wanna... to a Zigazig ahhh

So here's the story from A to Z if you want to get with me, you better listen carefully to what we got for you in this week's email:

• How to make better business decisions

• What to do when your not sure what to do

• How to do things without anxiety

• How to think about money

• 1 Proverb Pic and much more!

3 Growth concepts

Concept #1

My Takeaway: Decision fatigue is the idea that after making many decisions, your ability to make more and more decisions over the course of a day becomes worse. When we make that one big decision, it becomes leverage so that we do not have to make those many smaller decisions. Personally, some of these bigger decisions have been:

• No weeknight events. Any invitation or event is an automatic no. This ensures that I'm not up late and I can go to the gym and make sure I am progressing toward my goals.

• No breakfast, Protein shake for lunch, whatever for dinner. This gives me the freedom not to waste my energy calorie counting and thinking about my next meal.

• If I like a shirt, get it in multiple colors. That way I can just pull it out of my closet throw it on and be out the door in a few minutes.

• Wait to hire the right person. In the past I've been in a rush to fill the role with anyone. I always wind up having to do more work because the person is not a great fit. 80% done by me is better than 50% done by somebody else + the energy that it takes to manage them.

Here is the rule. If one big decision can prevent a waterfall of endless decisions, then make the one big decicion.

Concept #2

My Takeaway: Let your yes be yes, your no's be no, and your maybes be no. It is those "maybes" that are sneaky. It is those "maybes" that take up all of the time and make the mess. When you say yes, or no, it is kind to other people. When you leave things open, it takes up mental space. It is good practice to close the loop whenever you can close the loop. When your default for maybe is no, you can always change your mind. But it is 10x more difficult to go back on your word. Most people begrudgingly move forward because of their fear of saying no. When you eliminate the "maybes", then begin to focus, which then compounds into productivity.

Concept #3

My Takeaway: If I hear somebody say, "Jeff Bezos says", "Steve Jobs says" or "Elon says", then I already know that this person doesn't understand what it means to build something at different stages. Did you know the original iPhone didn't have an app store? It was not perfect. But it was good enough for version 1.

A lot of times, we mimic the behaviors of successful people when they actually had different behaviors to get them there. For example, people say that wealthy people have multiple streams of income. That is true. But they typically got wealthy because of one major stream of income, like building a company. Only after that they diversified into multiple different income streams. So once you are Elon wealthy, go ahead and diversify.

But for now, it's time to focus. The lesson is that different stages require different behaviors and actions. Startups require boots-on-the-ground grit and sales. Early-stage companies need a process to deliver a good product. Fast-growing companies need management.

2 Personal frameworks

1. Urgency does not mean anxiety

Typically urgency comes with anxiety. Urgency typically produces anxiety because we believe that we might miss out on an opportunity. But Christians have the advantage here. Because God is sovereign and in control, we can move with urgency and yet without anxiety. His sovereignty and care for me allow me to move forward with speed and excitement to fulfill the work he has put in front of me rather than me hanging my identity and self-worth on hitting a home run on this particular at bat.

2. Money flows to whoever is providing value. 

As a business owner, and in life, I hear people say that they need to get paid more. People just don't get paid more because they ask. They need to provide more value to get paid more. What value are you providing to the world? Yes, we should not ascribe our personal value to what we are paid, but what you are paid is an indication of the value you are providing in the world. If you own a business, you can't just ask to be paid more - you must earn it by providing value to the market. It's the same for employees!

A famous rabbi was asked about why Jewish people are typically wealthy. He said he believes that the amount of money you have shows how much you have served others. The more you serve, the more value you provide, the more money flows to you. When you frame it that way, asking for more money without creating more value is stealing. You are asking for more without providing more. When you focus on creating value for people, money becomes the byproduct.

1 Proverb Pic

My Takeaway: This proverb is about fireproofing your plans with others' feedback. When we don't know what we don't know, that which we don't know - hurts us. Our limited experiences and perspectives can only account for a portion of the future obstacles you might face. When you are looking to fireproof your plans, bring them to others so that they can rip them apart. Let them ask you the tough questions, and share with them the most vulnerable parts of you and your business. When their counsel illuminates obstacles that you didn't see, you can prepare for them. You will be stronger for it. You can't account for everything, but the more you seek counsel, the higher the probability that you are prepared for what may come.

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Entrepnueship is creating as God creates—something out of nothing. Thanks for being a part of my journey and this community!

❤️ Erick Vargas

P.S. I want to hear from you. Reply and share with me what you are building.