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What To Do First to Make a Profit

The PF Women Team at our Annual Team Retreat  ~ 2018 Today on Seth Godin's blog, he said: It's tempting to decide to make a profit first, then invest in training, people, facilities, promotion, customer service and most of all, doing important work. In general, though, it goes the other way. Yes, it does. If you are waiting to make a profit before you do these things, in my experience you're  not going to make a profit. So many organizations, ministries and churches are struggling with financial issues. I know your pain. As anyone who follows our story knows, our ministry was in a ton of debt four years ago when I came on as director.  Since that time, we've gotten out of debt and turned a profit every year.  God has done amazing things through out team, for which we give Him the glory! I find that what Seth is saying here is absolutely true, with one disclaimer. For Christian leaders, spiritual disciplines must always be first. Before we started inve
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On the lot


Today after work, Larry and I went car shopping. Yes, this was my first day on a car lot again. It was interesting. I test drove a few cars, and managed not to cry. :-) I did sit in a few to test drive them and then immediately got out and said, "it's just not right, I know this isn't going to work..." and didn't bother.

I drove two Mustang GT's and a Tiburon and looked at a bunch of other cars - Mazda's, Toyotas, Nissan's, etc. We still have a lot more to look at. I keep coming back to Mustangs just because I enjoy them so much. It won't ever be the same, however I know I could enjoy one again even if I wasn't madly in love with it. It will sort of be a fling as opposed to a soul mate. :-)

We're going to look until something feels right, so we'll just keep going. I keep wondering if anything's ever going to feel right but perhaps if we just keep going, at some point we'll get a feeling, although Larry really "feels" nothing, except for when he is financially negotiating. Everyone who knows anything about my husband knows that he does get very passionate over any type of financial negotiations. He won't pay a penny more for anything than he has to. He's ruthless like that, and truthfully it's one of his strong points. He wants me to pick out a car and then he'll take me home and come back and negotiate it because truly I get embarrassed by how passionately he will haggle for the price he wants. He's ruthless. He'll stay there for eight hours if he has to (and he has) to talk them down to exactly where he wants them. One time a guy sold him a car for $100 under what the dealer paid for it. I think he just wanted to get him out of there! Aside from a financial issue, Larry just asks me how I feel. I really don't "feel" good about any particular car - I'm sort of indifferent, but about certain features, I am pretty resolute. I think I've driven a few salesmen crazy or at least given them a lot to laugh about.

'Do you like this car, mam?"

No. It's white. I don't like white cars."

"How about this one?"

"No, no power seats ..."

"Well this one has the power seats, how about it?"

"No, it's blue...sorry."

"Well, mam, exactly what colors DO you like?"

"Just four colors...silver, red, black or yellow...unless there's a pink car you have around back that I don't know about..."

[driving on 75] "how does it feel, mam?"

""too loud"

"Do you like this one?"

"no, the spoiler looks weird. I don't like how the back is shaped."

By now I'm realizing car dealers don't know what to do when somebody is on the lot who really doesn't necessarily want a car... rather than "mam" they probably wanted to call me Goldilocks.

"okay, so this isn't the car for you. What about this one over here?"

"No, I don't like the CD player."

"Is that ALL you don't like about this car, mam?"

"Yep, that's all, but it's enough."

Some car dealers had a difficult night tonight but my husband's just glad I was...on the lot.

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