Ministry Incubators HomepageMinistry Incubators

An incubator program and consulting group for early-stage impact entrepreneurs.

  • Home
  • What
    • What Do We Do?
    • Coaching
    • Hatchathons
    • Customized Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Client Stories
  • Who
    • Our Team
    • Advisors
  • Why
    • Why Are We Doing This?
  • Contact Us
  • Resources
  • Blog

Some COVID-19 Resources for Entrepreneurs

April 17, 2020 by Ministry Incubators

As we wait for the dust to settle from COVID-19, here are some resources to help entrepreneurs to know what resources are available to help make it through the quarantine on their feet. We commend both of them to you! Our compliments to the Duke School of Business and to Westaway for the incredible info for this challenging season!

From Westaway:

The Entrepreneur’s COVID-19 Playbook: A Guide to Stimulus Money, Tax Breaks and Legal Tips to Survive and Thrive During the Pandemic

From Duke School of Business:

#COVID-19 Capital Relief
CASE at Duke’s comprehensive, searchable database including grants, loans, and other cash equivalents that can help entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and businesses anywhere in the world.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: COVID-19, entrepreneurship, missional entrepreneurs, Resources

Social Enterprise Resources

January 17, 2017 by Ministry Incubators

Even though it is mid-January, we feel like this is the first week we’re really wrapping our heads around the new year. We hope your year is kicking off well and that you’re tackling some of the resolutions and goals you set for yourself in 2017. One we hope you’re as committed to as we are is the process of continued learning – and we would love to help you in that area! Check out a few resources and articles we found this week for you in the social enterprise world.

How to reinvent leadership by empowering employees.

The stories of entrepreneurs and innovators and the movements they have built.

Ask more questions.

Have a great week!

The Ministry Incubators team

“Hungry for more? Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date on our latest blogs and Ministry Incubators news! Or, are you ready to take action? Think about attending a Hatchathon where you can start planning your own venture! Check out the next one happening March 29-31 at Princeton Theological Seminary.”FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Ministry, Resources, social enterprise

Packing for Spain: The Blessings of Plan B

December 29, 2016 by Ministry Incubators

By: Kenda Creasy Dean

spainSo here’s how Trey Wince, my pastor, started our church staff meeting today. Anything seem odd, he asked, about these words from Paul, directed to the church at Rome?

Now, with no further place for me in these regions, I desire—as I have for so many years—to come to you when I go to Spain. For I do hope to see you on my journey, and to be sent on by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a little while” (Romans 15:23-24, NRSV)

Just as I was wondering how I missed the Ancient Church Tour on our trip to Barcelona, Trey gave the answer: Paul never went to Spain. In other words, even Paul made plans that didn’t materialize.

It’s safe to say that I pack for Spain about once a week. I plan for Scenario A and actually deliver Scenario X, Y or Z with embarrassing regularity. Like a lot of people in ministry, I’ve had my share of vocational whiplash (God to Kenda: “Become a political speechwriter? Coach high school speech and theatre? I don’t think so….”). A lot of times, we look back on these redirects and their initial losses with gratitude, like an unplanned pregnancy that results in a cherished child.

But there are others who lose more than their deposits when life cancels their travel plans. My friend John, an uber-successful financial advisor, is now serving time for getting mixed up in a Ponzi scheme—not the trip he had planned. My mother-in-law’s long-awaited trip to Spain in retirement had to be scrapped after a series of strokes. My friend Josh never even got packed because he was diagnosed HIV+ at age twenty.

Life is full of redirects. We can chalk up some missed trips to God having a different compass for our lives; we never make sense of others, apart from the suffering that goes with being human.

But that doesn’t mean that the effort it takes to pack for Spain is wasted. In their book Getting to Plan B, John Mullins and Randy Komisar offer plenty of evidence that Plan A—even for the world’s boldest and most successful entrepreneurs—almost never works. It’s Plan B, C, D, E, or F (in the case of Max Levchin’s Paypal, it was Plan G) that finally takes hold.

Church leaders often miss Plan B simply because we think of fizzling on Plan A as failure, instead of as a necessary step on the road to innovation.

Church leaders often miss Plan B simply because we think of fizzling on Plan A as failure, instead of as a necessary step on the road to innovation. Most of us—keenly aware of our limited resources of time, trust, and money–never try again. To put that into perspective, look at this study of first-time retail enterprises (the most common form of a start-up) in Texas between 1990-2011. One in four closed after a year; half closed after two years. 71% of these first-time entrepreneurs didn’t bother to try again. But the 29% who did try again were more likely to succeed the second, third, even the tenth time around: “Their success rate increased with their number of past failures” (see Bloomberg Business article here).

Here’s the catch: you can’t get to Plan B unless you go through Plan A. Plan A is how you prepare for the journey: you learn things you need to learn, you meet people you need to know, you stumble across models you need to implement and improve. These discoveries make Plan B possible. That’s why entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley brag about their failures. That’s why the mantra of innovation is “fail fast and often.” Your first idea is almost never your big idea—but it’s usually the biggest idea you can muster until after you’ve tested it. So try it out, learn from it, pivot and move on as soon as possible. Without Plan A, we would never even think of Plan B. Without packing for Spain, Paul might not have made it to Rome, either.

What about you? Have your travel plans changed?

For thought or discussion:

  • Have you packed for Spain—and wound up somewhere else?
  • Is your church a Plan A or a Plan B congregation? Is your congregation’s mission the one you originally set out to address—or did you become a different kind of congregation because Plan A didn’t go according to plan?
  • Have you or your congregation failed at a Plan A? What did you learn? What’s stopping you from trying again?

Hungry for more? Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date on our latest blogs and Ministry Incubators news!FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Church, Ministry, Resources

Book Recommendation: A More Beautiful Question

December 6, 2016 by Ministry Incubators

screenshot-2016-12-05-at-1-27-37-pm

Whether this time of year gives you more free time or less, taking time to read new books is an incredible tool for creativity and innovation. As books continue to come out around sparking creative change within teams and communities, we are always on the lookout for great resources to share with you.

One we recently stumbled upon that is highly worth the read is the book A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger. This book is a helpful tool in exploring the science of asking questions and is presented in a very digestible format. It takes stories and examples from everyday life to help us see the power of asking good questions and how this can ignite incredible change and innovation.

This book is a great resource for leaders of all types, and individuals looking to approach problems in a new light. It shows us how we are all born with innate curiosity, but as we age we start to ask fewer questions. Taking life at face value offers less opportunities to explore new things or attack challenges in creative ways, so the momentum of this book is a great tool for reframing the narrative.

Reading this book is a great way to reengage your sense of wonder, creativity and questioning for how the world works and how you see problems and opportunities. Even after a few pages, you’ll find yourself asking more questions and wanting to implement these questions into your everyday life and work. If not for you, it makes a great stocking stuffer this holiday season!

The power of questioning is strong enough to spark movements and change the world. How could your more beautiful questions impact your church, neighborhood, or the globe?

Hungry for more? Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date on our latest blogs and Ministry Incubators news!

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Church, Ministry, Resources

Weekly Round-up – November 11

November 11, 2016 by Ministry Incubators

blog-post-november-11While we’re not claiming that social enterprise has been on the forefront of anyone’s minds this week, we’d like to share with you some recent articles and advice on continuing to gain exposure to the social impact sphere. Taking a little time each week to read about something new that intrigues you or boosts your knowledge of a sector of interest is a great practice for everyone to adopt. With that in mind, here are 3 of our favorite social impact and leadership articles from the week!

1. In a world of constant connection and extended workdays, we believe in the power of productive work, even with limited hours. This quick read by Inc is a great tool for refreshing your morning routine and getting the most out of the time you have dedicated to working!

2. Sometimes the resources on entrepreneurship can be overwhelming. How much should you read about it before you jump in and try it for yourself? This article helps you figure out the right balance in launching a new venture.

3. Business models can be confusing, especially within the social impact space. What type fits your idea? These 10 models come with brief tutorials on what they mean and why you’d chose one over another.

Hungry for more? Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date on our latest blogs and Ministry Incubators news!FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Ministry, Resources, social enterprise, Weekly Round-up

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »
image/svg+xml
HOME
ABOUT
OFFERINGS
OUR TEAM
CONTACT
BLOG

Copyright © 2021· Ministry Incubators | Site By Smart Church Project