I’m sure we’ve all heard it said that it’s more simple than it has ever been to start a business, build a following, or sell a product. Although, simple does not mean easy. The gift of social media has leveled the playing field for entrepreneurs and business owners. You no longer need a stacked bank account to launch your dream, you just need to choose a platform and get to WORK.
But what is work? Do we even know anymore? When I’m consulting business owners and we talk through the reverse engineering and action steps required to get to their end goal, more recently I’ve been hearing these questions…
Can I delegate/outsource it
Can I skip it
Can I fake it
Let’s talk about it:

1. Can I delegate/outsource it? Of course you can but it doesn’t mean you should. As leaders we have to understand the ins and outs of our business, all of them. We also have to understand the importance of each part and the best way to do that is to do the work ourselves. One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in my own businesses is delegating too soon. It’s hard to hand something off we don’t fully understand it ourselves, and then it’s even harder to take it back when it’s not going so well. Yes, you can and should delegate but you delegate when it’s the wise thing to do, not when it’s the easy thing to do.

Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor. Proverbs 12:24

2. Can I skip it? Have you ever tried getting to the second floor of a building by skipping the stairs or elevator and trying to just jump from the first floor to the second? Yeah, it doesn’t work. Are there fluke companies that have experienced overnight success? Sure! But the majority of them aren’t around for very long. As a believer your best strategy for success is obedience and obedience doesn’t allow for short cuts! The sweet thing about this life that we get to chase Jesus in is that He rarely let’s it be too easy because when it’s easy we depend less on Him. So getting to the next level by skipping the hard work may get you fickle browsers but it will never bring you loyal customers.

Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense. Proverbs 12:11

3. Can I fake it? This might be the most used strategy to help the motivated leader avoid hard work in our current time. And I know it’s the most dangerous. In my opinion faking it is the most basic form of dishonesty. We pretend to be an expert, we pretend to be inventors, we take credit for what was never ours, we plagiarize, copy, and steal, and we give a false impression that we’re much more successful than we actually are… and we call it marketing.  Let’s face it though, it’s easier to pretend then to put the work in. If your brand doesn’t match you then you just might be a fake. Be very very careful about disguising your lies as marketing. It’s absolutely imperative to put your best foot forward when sharing whatever it is God has called you to, but it very well better be YOUR foot.

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23