Debbie Johnson Entrepreneurial Journal

This week was a good reminder that we all have wants and needs no matter our circumstance.   We all have a responsibility to care for each other and be wise stewards of our money.   This week reminded me of a conversation I once had with Larry Miller, a well-known, wealthy business man in my community.   I was thanking him for the support he had given to the organization and his comment to me was that as he had been blessed financially he felt God expected him to be a good steward of that money.   Which to him meant that he use his money to care for others.   It was the first time I had seen that side of a wealthy individual.   This week’s readings showed me exactly what Miller was talking about.   It is possible to be wealthy and also be humble. Reading What’s a Business For and learning about the role virtue and integrity play in the economy you can see that being a wise steward of money goes beyond taking care of others throu...

This week was a good reminder as to what is really important in life.   The focus on how family should be my top priority allowed me to find ways to improve.   With all but one of my children grown and moved out I focus a lot of my time on my job, with no thought of my husband.   After all he is a grown man and my job is not to raise him and see to his needs, right?   Except I should be concerned for him and his needs.   Too often his is left home while I am gone for three days without a thought or care of how he is doing.   Including him on some of my trips is easy to do and will let him know he is on my mind and that I do care. Another topic this week was money.   When we struggled financially in the past I always felt if we could just earn more money all would be well.   Our  income has improved substantially but all is not well.   It seems our spending has increased, we have different family struggles than we di...

This week reading about the differences between an entrepreneur and an administer, promoter and a trustee type of manager I found myself thinking of specific bosses I have had as I went along.   Thinking about one of the individuals I have worked for there is one I can think of who fits perfectly in the entrepreneur/promoter category.   This individual always looked for ways to improve and be innovative.   He listened to employees recognizing abilities they may have that he may lack.   He embraced and appreciated what everyone of his employees brought to the team. Thinking of another individual who I worked for who seemed to fit in the administrator/trustee category, he was threatened by his employees who excelled in areas he lacked.   His inability to recognize and appreciate the talents of his employees created an environment that lacked confidence, beginning with him and eventually out to his employees.   Those who were strong enoug...