Sean Benesh's Blog, page 4

Launching a Startup with a One Page Business Plan

It is common that when it comes to topics we’re unfamiliar with or places we’ve yet to explore that they are shrouded in mystery. Why? Because we don’t know. We’re not familiar. As a result, we conjure up ideas and pictures of what we are to anticipate. Seemingly, more often than not, we’re way off and completely wrong.

I see this all of the time with the idea of startups. Before we embark on the path journeying towards creating a business or non-profit from scratch, we imagine all sorts of fanta...

How Long Does It Take To Get a Startup Off the Ground?

My role as a startup business coach for ministry leaders is simple. I help people get their startup ideas off the ground. I’m like a midwife or an OB/GYN doctor, where I am there for the pregnancy and then delivery. In this case, to help you bring your startup idea and dream into the world.

That’s it.

I know it’s odd, but it also makes sense. The OB/GYN doctor then hands things off to the pediatrician as they return to delivering more babies. I don’t help businesses scale up and grow. I help you l...

Why Your Theology Matters in Church Planting and Startups

What you and I believe matters. A lot. This semester I’m teaching a World Religions undergrad class. More than simply trekking through the world’s main religions (e.g., Islam, Buddhism, etc.), we also explore what we believe … and why. Any time we study other religions and their cultures, we are confronted with our beliefs, culture, and worldview. By studying other religions, we inadvertently clarify what it is we believe. The same applies to a theology of church planting and startups.

Earlier th...

Launching Startups for Ministry Preservation and Flourishing Communities

Since I live in a world called Intrepid, which is all about ministry and launching startups for the flourishing of communities, I’m in many conversations with people seeking to live in the middle of this very tension. As I sit across from each person, whether on Zoom or in person, there’s a noticeable excitement that I rarely see in ministry. Why is that?

So often in ministry, especially in church planting, most of what I hear are conversations about … well, church planting. Much of the talk is a...

For Many International Workers, Startups Are the Only Way to Gain Entry into a Country ... So Why Not Start Something You're Passionate About?

Some time ago, I spent time with a group of international workers (missionaries). Many of them lived in countries where the only way to gain visas was to either work as professionals or start businesses. I’d share meals and have conversations with these ministry leaders throughout each day. Since startups are of interest to me, I’d always figure out how to steer the discussions at some point in that direction. Here’s what I learned … it appears that there are two different categories of internat...

We Keep Overlooking One of the Most Important Parts of Bivocational Ministry

Whether I’m taking formal surveys or informally polling friends, I keep hearing that if given a choice, almost no one would pursue bivocational ministry. We keep hearing rumors about how “back in the day,” bivocational ministry was considered second class. I find that sentiment is still true today and is alive and well. In other words, despite the hype and talk about going #bivo (or #covo), very few are genuinely interested.

However, I continue waving my arms and shouting, “But there’s something ...

Giving Away a Free Book to Help You Understand Your Community

The 21st century marks a significant transition for humanity. For the first time in human history more people are living in cities than in rural areas. This ranges from today's global megacities to small cities and everything in between. How do we make sense of the urban environment? How can we better understand the city? The Urban Cartographer's Toolkit is just that ... a book full of tools as well as a framework to help you begin making sense of the city around you. But it’s not simply a tool ...

How You Can Fail-Proof Your Church Plant

Anecdotal evidence suggests that most church planters fail. While the numbers vary from city to city, I suggest our numbers in Portland have an over 90% failure rate. Since this is the reality that most church planters will face, I wonder what would happen if this question was asked during assessment and training, “Knowing your new church plant will not be financially able to sustain you in 5 years, what will you do?”

Someone, please ask that question to church planters this month. Just one perso...

A Startup Dream is Just That (a Dream) Unless You Have a Plan

None of us are short on dreams and aspirations. Unfortunately, that’s where these ideas dwell … in our dreams and moments of aspiration. Every idea starts as a dream, a “what if?” Most often, that’s where it begins and ends. To be fair, not every dream or aspiration should be pursued. I’ve had some wild ones myself. But when it comes to turning those dreams into a reality, that’s where it meets the cold hard truth … you not only need a plan but grit, determination, and discipline to bring that i...

Why You Don't Need a Business Degree to Launch a Startup

Over the past several years, I’ve coached countless leaders to launch new businesses and non-profits. I do so through Intrepid and a for-profit coaching business I have. Interestingly, those who come into startups from a ministry background have a profound advantage over everyone else, even those with business degrees. How so?

So much of starting a new business or non-profit is vision-casting, raising funds, building and mobilizing teams, clarifying your mission, creating goals and objectives (an...