Entrepreneurial Family Intro

It has struck me as increasingly odd, the more I connect with individuals in the realms of church, education and business how intentional folks are with planning and structuring their organizations, but how little these same individuals give thought to the running of their families. Although family is arguably the greatest priority and the most important aspect in their lifetime, little foresight is given. Action is largely reactionary making unpreparedness a way of life.

Families with a mission statement, long-term vision, short-term goals, “staff” meetings, training and equipping days, retreats etc. appear few and far between. We all know businesses don’t succeed without these things, why do we assume family will be any different?

I love the heart of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial enterprises. There is an emphasis for planning, organization, and getting details right for success, but at the end of the day, it is always just as much an unknown adventure full of risk, potential for failure, and potential for success. I admire their refusal to settle for okay and the risk to branch out and bring something new into the world. In all honesty, most of life is entrepreneurial. No one has any guarantee for “success.” However, there are some who risk more than others letting the fear of failure not deter from finding potential.

How would families improve if we gave a similar attention to its running and operating like a business? How would families fair if we thought of the development of a family as an entrepreneurial business? What would it look like to be an entrepreneurial family?

I want to give your family an entrepreneurial badge.

It is a license to risk, try new things, fail sometimes, plan, and discover success by becoming the best “you” your family can be.

In doing so, I believe a healthier, happier, more together family will result.

Entrepreneurial families define “success” for their individual family. This is the mission, purpose, and defining culture. Businesses are often easier to be intentional about because they have a bottom line: impact the community and…make money. To a degree, this might be true of a family as well. However, the element of success is much less tangible and concrete when it comes to family. “Success” needs to come from within the family, not from an outward source. It is the life breath and driving force.

Entrepreneurial families also have plans, a framework, an intentional structure to help them reach the defined “success.” This plan will be multi-faceted, and ever-shifting just like those of a business.

Finally, the entrepreneurial family has work to do. If they have defined why their family is, and how they are going to exist, than they must translate this to actual existence. The entrepreneurial family enjoys, creates, and gives away, and they do it together.

The entrepreneurial family is the best kind of team:

You are not hired; you are born into it.

You do not need a resume; each individual creates their unique job.

Your skills don’t make you belong; you belong first and bring skills later.

From connection comes cooperation. From fruitful relationship comes powerful, impactful living. The entrepreneurial family does not use family time to break from life. This family makes life family time. The entrepreneurial family is an organization, a unit, a team, a “we.” And “we” know who we are, why we are, and how we are going to do what we do.

It’s why “we” are the best.