The Six Stages of a Startup

Entrepreneurship isn’t a straight path. There are many seasons and stages you must go through in order to live a faithful life. It’s important to understand which stage you’re in since that awareness helps you face difficulties with strength and grace.

In this Bible reading plan, we guide you through the six stages of a startup and provide uplifting scripture verses to aid you on your way. Others have walked this path before. And they’ve shared their wisdom in this series of short devotionals.

Day 1: Starting Out – Taking the Leap

Starting a business is scary. You’re leaving behind the security of a stable job. You’re taking on responsibilities most people never have to face, responsibilities like bringing a product to market and making sure employees are accounted for. If you’re a faith driven entrepreneur, your faith is going to be tested as you ask God to guide you into the unknown.

God doesn’t promise success. But He does promise that he will be with us and that He will continue to love us. Even if you’ve been building a business for a decade, this devotional will help you move past the fear of entrepreneurship.

Bible reading from Genesis.

Day 2: Seeking Help

Entrepreneurs are often tempted to bear the weight of all responsibility. They want to make sure everything goes by them before a decision is made. They don’t trust other people to handle what is effectively the sum of their hopes and dreams. Some of this stems from the natural growth of a business. Many entrepreneurs start with themselves and maybe a few employees. In this stage, it makes sense that you’d bear responsibility for most tasks. But as a business grows, that approach doesn’t work.

Today, learn how you can seek help on your journey.

Bible reading from Exodus.

Day 3: Gathering Seed Money – Tool or Idol?

What are you raising capital for? Many entrepreneurs never ask themselves this question. Instead, funding is a given. Or it’s an ego trip. You want to raise the most money because you want to be seen as the best, most intelligent, most motivated entrepreneur.

The Bible says, “Seek first His kingdom…” Use this verse to guide your capital raising activities and use money as a tool, not an idol.

Bible reading from Matthew.

Day 4: Failing Forward

The Bible is full of characters who, from the outside, met failure after failure. Paul is one such example. He suffered and was rejected by his churches. If you read his letters, you might start to think, “Paul, you didn’t do a very good job preaching. Look at all the confusion going on in these congregations!”

And yet, Paul never gave up despite these apparent failings. He kept his eyes firm on God and God’s promises.

There’s much entrepreneurs can learn from Paul’s example. Silicon Valley has a phrase: “fail fast.” But that’s easier said than done. We’re not guaranteed success in this life. But we have a God that offers eternal treasure to his faithful followers.

Bible reading from 2 Corinthians.

Day 5: What Do We Do with Success?

Success is one of the six stages of a startup, but it’s not the final stage. We’d like to think that entrepreneurship looks like a beautiful staircase, each step leading gracefully to the next. But in many cases, success looks like a momentary high point on a jagged up and down road.

In times of success, we want to keep ourselves grounded. What truly matters? What does success look like in God’s eyes? We learn from Paul that knowing Jesus far surpasses any earthly glory or riches. In short, our salvation is God’s success.

Bible reading from Philippians.

Day 6: Staying Steady

Success rarely lasts in life. Even if your circumstances seem high, you don’t feel the same thrill you did at the beginning. Eventually, the high of selling your first company loses its strength. You raised your first round of funding… now it’s time to put that funding to work.

Staying steady doesn’t mean feeling no emotions. Rather, it means choosing to rely on God each and every day. No matter your circumstances, you can remain steady in the love of Jesus. What an inspiring thought for entrepreneurs!

Bible reading from Philippians.