Tal Talks: The Business Grows at the Speed of the Founder’s Willingness to Change

That statement is so spot on, and after reading this recently, I decided to share some of my story to help young faith-based business entrepreneurs grow!

Rather than learning the hard way, as I often have….

Nearly 20 years ago, I became a business owner without ever planning to become one. I truly believe God led me down that path and gave Casey and me the faith to start AquaTerra Outdoors from scratch. Like most young entrepreneurs, I had plenty of passion, vision, and determination…but not much experience. Early on, I didn’t have strong business mentors in my life, so I learned many lessons the hard way. Looking back, there were seasons when I was actually standing in the way of AquaTerra reaching its full potential.

I thought leadership meant having the answers, carrying every responsibility, and being involved in nearly every decision. How wrong I was….and what I eventually learned is that leadership requires enough humility and self-awareness to recognize when the business needs something different from you. Through prayer, experience, mistakes, books, faith-based mentorship, and a lot of personal growth, I began to better understand the gifts God had given me and the areas where He had gifted others far more than me.

I’m a landscape architect, designer, visionary, leader, and CEO. Those roles energize me and allow me to serve AquaTerra at my best.

However, I’m not a great project manager, COO, CFO, or financial administrator, etc. For too long, I tried to operate in some of those roles anyway. Once I became honest about that and began recruiting people who were stronger than me in those areas, everything started to change.

The goal was never to find people who thought exactly like me. It was to build a team of talented leaders who could challenge me, strengthen the business, and bring gifts to AquaTerra that I didn’t possess.

That wasn’t giving up control. It was becoming a better steward of what God had entrusted to us.

One of the most important lessons I now share with the faith-based entrepreneurs I have the privilege of mentoring is this:

Your business will eventually reach the ceiling of your own leadership. Breaking through that ceiling often requires you to change before the business can change.

That may mean listening more carefully, accepting accountability, updating your approach, developing new disciplines, or giving another leader the authority to do something better than you can. Building a business from the ground up is not easy! Being willing to change doesn’t mean abandoning your convictions. It means remaining grounded in your faith and values while having the humility to recognize when your methods need to evolve. God does not call us to be great at everything. He calls us to faithfully use the gifts He has given us, surround ourselves with people whose gifts complement our own, and steward those relationships and opportunities well.

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” — Proverbs 15:22 … Amen!

If you are building a business, seek wise counsel early. Find mentors who will encourage you, CHALLENGE you, pray with you, and tell you the truth. Then be humble enough to listen. Sometimes the greatest obstacle standing between a business and its next level isn’t the market, the strategy, or the team. Sometimes it is the founder’s willingness to grow.

Be willing to change. Your team, your business, and the people you are called to serve may be waiting on the other side of it.

The business grows at the speed of the founder’s willingness to change!