Very few people ask themselves this question, especially people starting a business for the first time, and sadly they might only ask the question if they fail. The stats are high for failures of startups and I hope to give help that would give you a greater chance of not being one of the casualties if you are considering starting a business or have already.
Some of the reasons might include:
- To set oneself up for retirement.
- To have a certain lifestyle.
- To fire your boss
- To prove something to yourself, your parents, or life partners/family
- To cash in on a great idea or opportunity
- To create a legacy for your family when you move on
- To be financially independent
- To make a lot of money and live at the sea
My own reason for being in business is to make the maximum profit possible in whatever business it is, so that I can be a conduit of financial blessing to many people firstly by providing employment and secondly by providing practical help and donations to certain registered Charity Organisations, like the Starfish Foundation. My own view is that it is crucial for a business to be tithing, or donating a minimum of 10% of profits to a beneficiary from Day 1 of the business. Today I received the thank you letter from the Starfish Foundation for 100% of Profits of Beautiful Bracelets in the first 6 weeks:
Starfish brings life, hope and opportunity to children left orphaned or vulnerable in South Africa. On their info sheet, they state:
South Africa is experiencing the largest HIV and AIDS epidemic in the world, with a 10.6 % national HIV prevalence rate. Approximately 22% of the country‟s 18.6 million children are affected by HIV, with over 2 million children left orphaned, with the number of children with neither a mother nor father having more than doubled since 2002. 60.5% of children are living in poverty, where the monthly per capita income is less than R522, with 28.8% and 16.3% of children living far from any health facility or primary school, respectively.
(The South African Child Gauge 2010/2011).
Beautiful Bracelets will be continuing to donate a minimum of 10% probably to a similar non-profit linked to my church, being Acts of Love as well as continuing with donations to the Starfish Foundation since their cause is close to my heart.. At the moment this ministry is involved with a Shoebox Project, where 1000's of orphaned children in the Midrand area will be receiving a gift at the Annual Christmas Party arranged by the Acts of Love Charity. There are many different projects they are involved with throughout the year, bringing practical help to the hungry and hurting in the area.
