vladimirgrebenar Every entrepreneurial and business venture is always a new adventure. Trying to create something new under the assumption that new products and services will be sought after by the market, ensures only the first prerequisite for survival on an adventurous journey – income. The first obsession for an entrepreneur starting a business is whether the market will be looking for products and services created by a new venture.
After satisfying the first prerequisite, income, the entrepreneur has a second obsession: is the sales revenue profitable? Profits that are unprofitable lead the company to extinction and sales must generate some kind of profit in order for the business venture and the job creation to survive. All entrepreneurs always have the same obsessions. This is common to all who start any business venture.
The biggest problem for an entrepreneur is that he cannot have an absolute impact on the market as he has in his company, more or less. The market is a mechanism beyond the influence of the entrepreneur to which everyone must adapt. The adaptability of entrepreneurs to market circumstances is a particularly important characteristic of entrepreneurs which those entrepreneurs who expect their employees to adapt must possess.
Successful entrepreneurs are the best example to workers only when they themselves are an example in what they expect from their people. Entrepreneurs and directors who expect their employees to change and learn new knowledge and do nothing in the field themselves are not a good example and the best employees will not follow them – they will simply move along. More than other people, entrepreneurs experience the uncertainties that tomorrow, the week, the month, the year brings, more than those who work with them, and these uncertainties carry pressures and fears.
It is a real art to deal with these pressures and fears. The psychology of entrepreneurial behavior is a special area of psychology’s research interest.
The intensity of the fear of uncertainty is a limit to entrepreneurial creativity and the ability to take calculated risks for new and more challenging business ventures.
Uncertainties and associated pressures are entrepreneurial everyday. So at least teaches the psychology of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship as a scientific discipline.
What does Jesus say about entrepreneurship and uncertainty? There seems to be no talk in the New Testament of business ventures and advice for business success.
In the Old Testament and the books of the Old Testament, sayings relating to work, trade and human labor can be found in many places of wisdom literature.
The texts of the New Testament practically do not contain any meaningful advice that would be easy to read and learn. The New Testament seems to focus exclusively on matters of salvation and doing the will of the Father. Is it possible that Jesus overlooked this important issue of human activity or did we miss something as readers and believers? Isn’t the gospel message more meaningful on deeper levels of consideration, though?
”And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.” (Luke 5:1-7).
This event is interesting to consider in relation to entrepreneurship because it provides a key answer to anyone who feels called to an entrepreneurial career and feels fears and pressures from uncertainty. Peter was an entrepreneur. He was a fisherman and he earned his income from that fishing business needed for, many would say today the phrase, “living.”
Whether anyone else was in the company of Peter as a partner or they each fished for themselves, and whether Peter was the employer of some of the fishing boats, we do not know, but we know that Peter was a fisherman or entrepreneur. What happened that night? Peter and his entrepreneurial team fished all night and caught nothing. The experienced fishermen knew where to cast their nets, but in vain. That night was not effective and efficient for Peter and company because they did not create anything new. Their venture ended in failure for them.
Their nets were left empty. In other words, Peter knew there was no income that morning from that fishing venture. Empty nets and empty containers forced the fishermen to return from the open sea from a failed business adventure and clean up the ship’s floor behind them, which was empty and untidy. As an entrepreneur, Peter probably “earned” only expenses from this failure, because he had to pay per diems to the workers who fished with him.
At the place where Peter used to moor the boat, Jesus preached to a large crowd. Peter would not have returned to shore if by any chance the catch was expected for him for two reasons. First, he would continue to fish, and second, he would not be able to bring the catch ashore with so many people listening to Jesus.
Thus, the ship was empty. So, due to a complete business failure, it was easy and simple to bring the boat closer along the shore where so many people came to at that time of day and hear what one man was saying to the crowd. Peter and company were attracted by curiosity and approached Jesus out of curiosity, as did many who approach the Church out of curiosity today when it comes to miracles and extraordinary events.
This seems to have been a good decision for Peter and company, for Moses also approached God out of curiosity in the burning bush and received his mission. Peter approached Him, and Jesus asked him to let Him into the boat. Jesus entered the boat that Peter thought was empty due to his business failure, and Peter would not have entered it if Peter had had business “success” that night. Peter’s business failure brought him to Jesus.
Peter waited patiently and without complaint for Jesus to use his boat for the good of others and their salvation, and all the while he listened to Jesus speak. In these circumstances, Peter made his company available to Jesus. He listened to Jesus and was certainly impressed by Jesus’ speech. When he hoped least, Jesus suddenly invited Peter to an extraordinary business venture that had just ended ingloriously, on a day when fishermen were not fishing.
Jesus decided to raise a failed business venture. To Peter, it all seemed like a very unreasonable business decision. Peter listened to his mind, but also to his heart. Peter’s mind and heart were in contradiction, and Peter was confused before the Lord. Peter said to the Lord, “We fished all night and caught nothing…” As if Peter said to Jesus, “But I am an expert in this field and I know that there is no market here. There is no success here according to all entrepreneurial and managerial assessments and my deep experience.” However, Peter is a man of faith and continued, “But if you say so, I will cast my nets.”
Peter’s decision at Jesus’ calling was a decision of faith, not reason, and he cast his nets and caught so many fish that the nets were torn. In other words, just because he obeyed, he achieved an unprecedented business result that day. It was an entrepreneurial miracle for Peter and company. In this business case, Jesus proved the law that applies to the entrepreneur: “There is no one in this world who would leave everything for the kingdom of heaven and who would not receive a hundredfold already in this world.”
Today’s entrepreneurial society is marked by the disappearances of many successful businesses. There are many reasons for it, but scientific research has shown (cf. Peter Senge’s bestseller: The Fifth Discipline) that the fundamental cause is neglect for personal and professional development at work from superiors, as well as hypocritical avoidance of conflict situations between directors who are good with everything as long as they protect each other’s backs.
Entrepreneurs and directors are first called to be an example in personal and professional development to show the way to others. Directors who think that they are born smart and that their knowledge is sufficient for all future entrepreneurial adventures communicate to employees that this is a desirable norm of behavior in the organization. Self-sufficiency has crippled many, and the world’s best athletes come out of the game on stretchers often after harmless starts.
A sense of responsibility for employees implies a constant intrinsic desire to influence people by a positive example. Peter did not say to Jesus at His calling: “Now, my boys will throw nets at my behest, so You, Jesus, have fun with them, and I am going my own way and I do not take responsibility for this unreasonable adventure of Yours.” He actually said: “I will throw nets at Your word.”
How many companies today that have difficult and unsolvable problems would recover if the owners and directors let Jesus into entrepreneurial management and learn to listen to His word, and then throw the nets where God wants?[1]
[1] The article was published with minor changes in: Veritas. Glasnik sv. Antuna Padovanskog. Croatian Province of St. Jerome of the Franciscan Conventuals. Zagreb. Sveti Duh 31. No. 3. March 2019. P. 22.