LET’S TALK ABOUT NUMBERS

If you are a purpose driven entrepreneur, it is going to be vital that you are lead by what the Holy Spirit is telling you to do NOT your NUMBERS (YouTube subscribers, Instagram followers, email list, etc.). If the Holy Spirit is navigating your life, business, and creative experiences, then your numbers can NOT be your measure of success. Too often, we worry about how many followers we have, and we forget WHY God has called us to do something. We get so discouraged because we don’t get the views or likes we desire so we feel unaccomplished and ashamed. Did you know that God will have you create a whole program or process for ONE person?

This reminds me of an experience I had a few years back. One weekend I decided to take a quick trip to my college town to hang out, relax, and visit with some old friends. On the final day of my trip I ran into one of my favorite #SistersInChrist. Our casual conversation quickly got deep so I grabbed her hand and begin to pray for her. Sometime after that experience, I realized that I was sent on an assignment from God. I thought that trip was just for me (which could have been very true), but God sent me 9 hours away from home to encourage someone else. Each of us are just that important to Him!

PURPOSE-DRIVEN

I have some YouTube videos that do not have as many views as some other ones. To be honest, sometimes those lower viewed videos are the ones that prompt people to send me direct messages because they hit so close to home. In the entrepreneur world, there are people who think that a product must has MASS APPEAL in order for it be a viable, and I tend to disagree. If God has told you to create something in the marketplace that’s all that matters. Now with that being said, we still have to use wisdom, because we don’t want to throw hundreds or thousands of dollars into something that may not return that investment. God cares about us being financially stable. He wants us to be prosperous in all areas of our lives including our finances. However, this financial freedom should not come at the expense of purpose and obedience.

HOW PURPOSE LED TO PROVISION IN MY LIFE

In the summer of 2018, a lady contacted me from this booking agency in California. She wanted to book me and my husband for a commercial. After we realized it wasn’t a scam, we took a Skype interview with her. After the interview was over, I asked her how she found us? She said that she was searching on YouTube and she came across our videos.

At that time, my husband and I’s vlog channel had around 5k subscribers. Now the reason I am bringing this up is that there are hundreds and thousands of interracial couples with bigger platforms than us and about a dozen other couples were interviewed for the opportunity. However, I kept showing up on YouTube. I consistently put up videos out of obedience to God and this lady found us as a result. They flew us and our parents out to do this commercial which lead to some much-needed healing. Not only did this bring healing to our family but we all got paid for the project.

GOD’S PROVISION

I would love to say that the moment God told me to focus on Youtube I caught the vision and never looked back. NOPE. It took me 2 whole years to really submit to that plan. I was too focused on trying to grow my business. I didn’t want to waste the energy that it took to record and edit a video. I preferred putting that energy into my products and services.

Even when I did start to obey it took me some time to build up the discipline and stamina to stay consistent (something I am still working on). If I didn’t listen to God and wasn’t consistent, I would have missed this opportunity. If I focused on the numbers, I would have quit because our channel did not have a large audience. If I worried about how time-consuming it is, and how my time could be better spent, I would have missed this. Thus, God will send you opportunities if you are obedient. God cares less about how many followers you have. He cares about obedience. If you seek him first, everything else will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).

In the past, I made plenty of mistakes about focusing on the wrong things.  For instance, I would wonder why my Instagram is not growing. I would get out of “grace” mode and get into “hustle” mode.  God said his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). With that being said, hustling means I am not choosing to take on his burden.  Every time I get so focused on the numbers and money, I start stressing!  Nowadays, I can feel it in my body when I am operating out of God’s grace and when I am hustling because the results aren’t coming fast enough. 

STOP FOCUSING ON THE NUMBERS

Start focusing on obedience to God. God cares about the money because it equips you and helps you to live a more abundant life. If you haven’t started the blog, YouTube channel, or business because you are afraid of how many people will support or watch your stuff, then it is time to stop that mentality. If the God of the universe told you to do something, all he requires is your obedience. The money, happiness, healing, and joy will follow that obedience to God. It won’t follow the numbers. It is ALWAYS in your obedience to God. Your growth is in your obedience to God.

ALWAYS REMEMBER

If you are looking build your intimacy with Christ so you can hear clearly the instructions He is giving you, I encourage you to check out Maven’s Manual for Spiritual Fitness. This is a manual I created to help women build relationships with God out of love NOT guilt or obligation so they (we) can live more fulfilling lives. Lastly, if God called you to make a product and only 10 people buy it, then you are a success. You are a success in doing what God created you to do.