Qualifications of an Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is defined as “the creative
ability of individuals to seek profits by taking risks and combining resources
to produce innovative products.”[1]
Resources are the basic categories of inputs organized by entrepreneurship to
produce goods and services. It may also be defined as “the art of turning an
idea into a business” or as “the process by which individuals pursue
opportunities without regard to resources they currently control.”[2]
According to Barringer and Ireland, the characteristics of successful
entrepreneurs include passion for the business, product/customer focus,
tenacity despite failure, and execution intelligence.[3]
Entrepreneurs are passionate in their business, have a creative mind and
leadership, persevere although they may fail, and have confidence in what they
are doing.
Jeff Rose suggests 10 Bible verses for
entrepreneurs:[4]
1. “Lazy hands make for
poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” (Proverbs 10:4, NIV)
2. “Do not toil to acquire
wealth; be discerning enough to desist.” (Proverbs 23:4, ESV)
3. “Sluggards do not plow in
season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.” (Proverbs 20:4)
4. “Whatever you do, work
heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will
receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
(Colossians 3:23-24, ESV)
5. “In vain you rise early
and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for he(=God) grants sleep to those
he loves.” (Psalm 127:2, NIV)
6. “So whatever you wish
that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the
Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, ESV)
7. “The beginning of wisdom
is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.” (Proverbs 4:7, ESV)
8. “In all toil there is
profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23, ESV)
9. “For what does it profit
a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36, ESV)
10. “The plans of the
diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes on to
poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5, ESV)
Entrepreneurs should be
diligent; be wise or discerning; have a willingness to work; work heartily for
God not for men; trust God who grants (good) sleep; get wisdom and insight; act
instead of mere talk; work not for this world but for the kingdom of God. The plans
of the diligent entrepreneurs will lead to abundance.
Entrepreneurs in the Bible
Entrepreneurs in the Bible are those who were
successful in their businesses (for God) which were monetary or nonmonetary,
making a good use of their time, money, wisdom and knowledge, and faith in God.
Who are they? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Solomon (while he was
young), Jesus Christ, the faithful servants in Jesus’ parables of talents and
minas, Paul, etc.
1. Abraham
The first person in the Bible who became
wealthy was probably Abraham. The Bible does not describe in detail how Abraham
became rich, but it is easy to guess. First of all, God promised him three
things – land, nations, and blessings. The primary strength of Abraham is faith.
Abraham was willing to take a risk, having faith in God. When Abraham was
called by God, by faith he obeyed God without knowing where he would be going
(Genesis 12:1-4; Hebrews 11:8). When Abraham was tested and told to offer his
beloved son Isaac as a burnt offering, by faith he obeyed God without knowing
what the outcome of his obedience would be (Genesis 22; Hebrews 11:17-19).
Abraham became the father of faith (Genesis 15:6). Paul’s two pillars of
Christianity are Genesis 15:6 and Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans (1:17; 4:3, 5, 9, 22) and
Galatians (3:6, 11).
Genesis 13:2 states: “Now
Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.” Abraham did not waste
his possessions but increased them by trusting the LORD. Abraham called on the
name of the LORD at Bethel (Genesis 13:4). He was not nearsighted (myopic) but
generous. When Abraham’s and Lot’s flocks and herds increase, there were
quarrels between Abraham’s herders and Lot’s herders. Then, Abraham suggested
Lot in Genesis 13:8-9: “8Let there be no strife between you and me,
and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; for we are kinsmen. 9Is
not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left
hand, then I will go to the right; or if you take the right hand, then I will
go to the left.” Abraham allowed Lot, his nephew, to choose land first before
him. So, Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar that was well
watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt (Genesis 13:10). However,
as we know well, the fate of the land (Sodom and Gomorrah) that Lot chose was
total destruction by God’s judgment.
What was the result of
Abraham’s generosity? God tells Abraham in Genesis 13:14-17, after Lot departed
from him: “14Lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you
are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15for all
the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever. 16I
will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if one can count
the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be counted. 17Arise,
walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.”
Abraham did not let God’s promises go away without being fulfilled. He held
God’s promises fast and kept them in mind. Abraham stayed near the great trees
of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD (Genesis 13:18) to
worship him.
2. Isaac
Isaac’s life was an imitation of Abraham. His
life imitated Abraham’s strengths and weaknesses. God’s blessing on Isaac was
probably due to his father’s faith. Like his father Abraham, Isaac was a coward
that he lied to Abimelech king of Philistines and his men that his wife Rebekah
was his sister as he was worried that the Philistines would otherwise kill him
to take Rebekah as she was very beautiful (Genesis 26:1-11). This was a copy of
Abraham’s lies about his wife Sarah in Genesis 12:10-20 and 20:1-18. Yet, like
his father, Isaac had strong faith in God and entrepreneurial spirit. Thus, God
blessed Isaac materially. Genesis 26:12-14 states: “12Isaac sowed in
that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, 13and
the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. 14He
had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great household, so that the
Philistines envied him.” God’s blessings on Isaac are very similar to his
blessings on Abraham. In that sense, we should live a good and faithful
Christian life so that God continuously blesses our children and children’s
children (Exodus 20:6).
3. Jacob
Jacob wanted to obtain Esau’s birthright, his
twin brother, and thus received Isaac’s blessing as the father’s blessing was
regarded as God’s blessing. Jacob persuaded Esau to sell his birthright to him
when he was very hungry at the price of red stew (Genesis 25:29-34). As a
result, Esau also lost the first-born’s blessing to Jacob. Jacob was deceitful
and greedy before he knew God. Jacob ran away from Esau when Esau realized that
what would be the result of selling his birthright. He lost not only his
birthright but also his father’s blessing – He found out that he lost
everything.
While Jacob was running away
from Esau, he was very confused. He probably sought God desperately at this
moment of danger. God appeared to Jacob in his dream while he was sleeping at
Luz on his way to Haran. God tells Jacob in Genesis 28:13-15: “13I
am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on
which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; 14and your
descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to
the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your
descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves. 15Behold,
I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this
land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to
you.” Next morning Jacob took the stone he placed under his head and set it up
as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He calls the place Bethel (house of
God). And he made a vow in Genesis 28:20-22: “20If God will be with
me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and
clothing to wear, 21so that I come again to my father’s house in
peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22and this stone, which I have
set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that thou givest me I
will give the tenth to thee.” His faith in God was yet conditional.
Jacob worked diligently and
wisely in his uncle Laban’s house for 20 years, getting his two daughters (Leah
and Rachel) as wives and their two maid servants (Zilpah and Bilhah) from whom
he got 11 sons before Jacob and his family departed Laban’s house. Jacob was
patient at Laban’s house, waiting for his return to home. Jacob accumulated
large wealth (Genesis 32:1-12). On his way back to home, Jacob was still afraid
of facing Esau, knowing his anger. Jacob let all the people cross the ford of
the Jabbok. He was left alone, and a man (God’s angel) wrestled with him until
daybreak (Genesis 32:25). Jacob was adherent. Jacob was holding him fast,
saying in Genesis 32:26, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” So,
Jacob gained a new blessed name, “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל), which means “wrestle with God” (Genesis 32:28).
4. Joseph
Joseph had dreams (Genesis 37:5-11). His brothers
called him “a dreamer” (Genesis 37:19). However, Joseph did not regard his
dreams lightly. His dreams to him seemed to be his visions. His brothers tried
to test him and his dreams by killing him: “Then we’ll see what comes of his
dreams” (Genesis 37:20, NIV). And they decided to kill him. But then, they sold
Joseph to the Midianite merchants (the Ishmaelites) for twenty shekels of
silver (Genesis 37:28, the type of Judas Iscariot’s selling Jesus for the
thirty pieces of silver, Matthew 27:3). Joseph never gave up his dreams or
visions even in the midst of sufferings and imprisonment.
Joseph finally became the
prime minister of Egypt, when he interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and made them
prepare for the seven-year famine (Genesis 40-41). Proverbs 29:18 states:
“Where there is no vision (or dream), the people perish; but he that keepeth
the law, happy is he” (KJV).
5. David
David was a man of prayers. He always
believed God’s being with him and his protection even at the moment when he was
walking through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4). As a boy, he
could defeat Goliath with a sling and with a stone (1 Samuel 17:50). David’s
victory over Goliath was due to his strong faith in God (1 Samuel 17:45-47). David
was very successful as a king although he committed the critical trespasses of
adultery (Bathsheba) and murder of an innocent one (Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband)
(2 Samuel 11). It was because David was immediate in repentance and always
wanted to pray to God, realizing his sins and trespasses, and be restored in
his relationship with God.
Yet David failed again when
he became old and wanted to number his soldiers (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21).
When David ordered Joab to number the people, Joab’s report was that there were
eight hundred thousand valiant men in Israel (among ten tribes) and five
hundred thousand in Judah (among the tribes of Judah and Benjamin) (2 Samuel
24:9). So, David’s army was one million and three hundred thousand strong men.
However, God did not like this numbering at all. Why? When we trust God and lean on him, we
can be successful even in the midst of difficult situations. However, if we
depend upon our human ability and strengths, we will fail in our
entrepreneurial life.
In spite of David’s numerous
sins and trespasses, God still loved David more than anybody else. God always
wanted to take an example of David when he commands other people. God in 1
Kings 3:14 tells Solomon, “And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes
and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your
days.” God in 1 Kings 11:38 tells Jeroboam, the first king of the northern
kingdom, Israel: “And if you will hearken to all that I command you, and will
walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my
commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you, and will build you a
sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.” Again, David
was a man of prayers and he did not hesitate in repenting before God when he
realized his sins and trespasses.
6. Solomon
What were Solomon’s strengths that differentiated him from others? God
appeared to Solomon in his dream, telling him to ask for whatever he wants God
to give him (1 Kings 3:5). Then, Solomon asked God to give him “a discerning
heart (or wisdom) to govern God’s people and to distinguish between right and
wrong” (1 Kings 3:9). Then, God was very much pleased with Solomon. God in 1
Kings 3:12 tells Solomon: “12I will give you a wise and discerning
heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever
be. 13Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for – both wealth
and honor – so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.”
Solomon’s wisdom and wise judgment was praised by many people and his
reputation was widely known even to other countries. His country and people
were very prospering (1 Kings 4-10).
However, Solomon’s mind
departed God as he began to worship idols that were brought in with his
marriages with foreign women – Solomon had three hundred wives and seven
hundred concubines (1 Kings 11:3). When Solomon’s mind left God, God’s
blessings also departed from Solomon. Solomon’s kingdom was divided into two.
Only two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) were given to Solomon’s son Rehoboam (the
Kingdom of Judah, the southern kingdom) and the other ten tribes were given to
Jeroboam (the Kingdom of Israel, the northern kingdom). Human wealth and glory
are temporary. Even Solomon who was commended by God when he was asking for a
discerning heart failed when he turned away from God. Our success as a
Christian entrepreneur is guaranteed as long as we reside in God (John 15:6-7).
7. A Woman in Proverbs 31
Proverbs 31:1-31 describes a woman of noble
character. She is a trustful wife who brings good to her husband all the days
of her life (vv. 11-12). She is a very diligent, energetic, and hard worker
(vv. 13-17). She knows how to make her trading profitable (v. 18). She takes
care of the poor and needy people (v. 20) and her household, as well (v. 21).
She fears God and is praised by other people including her husband (vv. 28-31).
Proverbs 31 probably describes an ideal wife of noble character, but she is a
great fit for an entrepreneur if there such person exists.
8. Jesus
What was Jesus’ goal as an entrepreneur? What
was the purpose of his short life and three plus years of his public ministry? Jesus
provokingly taught and spread the kingdom of God. Even after he was risen,
Jesus continued to teach about the kingdom of God for forty more days before he
was taken up into heaven (Acts 1:1-11). Jesus’ disciples did not seem to
understand his teaching about the Kingdom of God. But Jesus never gave up his
teaching. His ministry seemed to end when he was crucified. However, as we all
know well, his ministry and teaching of the kingdom of God continued through
his disciples and disciples’ disciples until today.
9. Servants in Jesus’ Parable
The servants in Jesus’ parable of talents in
Matthew 25:14-30 (also, in Luke 19:11-27) were also entrepreneurs who worked
hard, running business to make profits. The Bible did not tell what kind of
business they were doing, but the first servant who received five talents was
successful in gaining profit – five more talents (around five million dollars’
profit) starting with the fund of five million dollars. The second servant who
received two talents was also successful in gaining profit – two more talents
(around two million dollars’ profit) starting with the fund of two million
dollars. The master did not direct them what kind of business they should do.
Those two servants who gained profits probably did not do the same business.
However, as they worked hard as a good and faithful entrepreneur, each of them
could gain profit (Matthew 25:21 & 23).
10. Paul
Who was Paul? He was an arrogant Pharisee who
thought Jesus blasphemed God while he was alive and now his disciples were
blaspheming God by claiming that Jesus is the Son of God. He was trying to
persecute his disciples. However, when he met Jesus who appeared to him in the
form of light on his way to Damascus to persecute more Christians, his life
turned upside down. His life changed from the one who persecuted to the one who
was persecuted.
Paul’s life seemed to be a
series of failures. His spreading the gospel among Jews was rejected and the
churches that he had founded still had a lot of problems other than the
churches in Macedonia. Paul spent more than half of his Christian life in
prisons in Jerusalem, Rome, Asia Minor, etc. Many believers probably complained
about their life to God and gave up their work for God if they were in Paul’s
situation. But Paul never gave up in prisons. Rather, he encouraged and
comforted other Christians who were about to let their Christian beliefs go. Paul
spent more than half of his Christian life in prisons in Jerusalem, Rome, Asia
Minor, etc. Many believers probably complained about their life to God and gave
up their work for God if they were in Paul’s situation. Paul in 2 Timothy 4:2
tells us: “Preach the word, be urgent in season
and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and
in teaching.” Paul had written about
half of the books (13 books) in the New Testament in the form of letters which
were circulated among people in the house churches in towns. How could it be
possible? His spirit of persistent and adventurous entrepreneurship made this
possible.
[1]
Irvin B. Tucker, Economics for Today (10th
ed.). Cengage Learning, 2019, 4.
[2]
B. R. Barringer and R. D.
Ireland, Entrepreneurship (3rd
ed.). Pearson, 2010, 6.
[3]
Ibid., 9-13.
[4]
Jeff Rose, “10 Bible Verses
Every Entrepreneur Needs to Read,” Good Financial Cents. (August 12,
2013). Retrieved from
https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/bible-verses-about-business-entrepreneurship.
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