Reflections - 2019

So I started a business in 2019. I did the thing.

This past March I left my nice, secure full-time ministry position at an amazing church to follow this crazy calling God placed in my heart to start an independent church media ministry. Since then, a lot has happened. I have learned new things, met new people, made new friends, and driven SO MANY MILES. I have also had doubts, hit walls, and made mistakes. I have grown in so many ways throughout this year, and through it all God has been present. As 2019 comes to a close, I invite you to read about a few of the things I have learned this year.

Living in Faith

Quitting a full-time job in order to start a business takes faith. By the time March rolled around, the most I had made in a single month through contract work was about $1,000. If that was the norm for Parable Media, I knew my business venture wouldn’t last very long. But God was whispering in my ear and I couldn’t just ignore it. In March, I went through with it. I took a deep breath and stepped out in faith. While everything went amazingly well, I quickly realized that the need for faith didn’t end with that first step. For me, faith has been needed every month as I looked forward and realized I had no idea how much money I would make the next month. Faith has been needed in those more difficult months, when I had to dip into my personal savings because I couldn’t give myself a full paycheck. Faith has been needed when I knew I needed to turn down work I needed simply because it wasn’t the right client. 

These past few months I have lived the life of “our daily bread” in a very real way and have needed faith through every step of it. But God has been present through all of it, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Defining Purpose

I have learned the importance of defining your purpose. I have also learned the importance of being flexible enough with that purpose to know when it needs to be adjusted. When I started Parable Media, I defined my purpose very loosely as creating professional digital media content primarily for churches, but also for anyone else who needed it. A few specific events have helped me to readjust that purpose.

In the early summer, I was in conversation with a law office about designing their website. We met in person once and had several conversations over the phone. Through it all, I had a very strong, nagging feeling of discomfort. I knew this was not a job I needed to pursue, even though it was early on and I really needed the money, as well as the opportunity for networking and building my portfolio. Despite that, I went with my gut—mainly because I have found that God generally speaks to me through strong gut feelings. I contacted the potential client and very apologetically turned down the job. Just like that, my purpose for Parable Media became churches, ministers, and non-profits instead of anybody who needed digital media services.

Later in the summer, I began working with a non-profit who was trying to establish themselves in the area. Initially everything went great, and it looked like a great opportunity. Despite that, I had a feeling in the back of my head that this wasn’t my place either—my real purpose could get thrown off course. The opportunity seemed too good to pass up though, so I pursued it anyway. However, after a few projects, things began to fall apart. I believe God allowed for that opportunity to dissolve in order to help me reorient my purpose again. Parable Media became more focused on Churches and ministers. 

While Parable Media’s ‘target market’ continued to shrink, the services provided grew in those first few months. I would basically do anything related to digital media—from videos to graphics to consulting. That began to change based on three things: the first thing came from a conversation with a friend. I asked her for business advice (as she had successfully started her own photography and branding business). Her first piece of advice was to define my specialty. For me, I know that to be videography. So, I restructured my website with videography at the center. The second thing that changed my approach to ‘services offered’ was a recent consulting job. Without going into a lot of details, what began as a somewhat simple job became more and more complex as the needs grew and things that almost never go wrong went wrong. The third thing that helped me define Parable Media’s services was the amount of web development I was asked to do. Most churches I have worked with for video have also asked for web design, so I have grown into that role. Now, Parable Media primarily offers custom video and web design with secondary services of graphic design and photography. I still do a little consulting, but I try to mostly avoid that.

Bad Business Decisions

Over this past year, I have made some good business decisions, but I have also made some really bad ones. I would make those same bad business decisions all over again if given the opportunity. Honestly, I believe that sometimes following God’s call requires doing some things the world may call ‘crazy’ or ‘stupid’. One such decision is wrapped up in the entire purpose of Parable Media. I started Parable Media to provide affordable professional digital media content for churches and ministers (especially for small churches). My target market is basically a group that doesn’t think they have the money for the services I provide. My goal with Parable Media is also not centered around money. Honestly, I could care less about how much I make each month, as long as it is enough to live off of. I have recently (in the past couple weeks) decided to do away with contracts. I want Parable Media to build community, and community is built off trust. Contracts are a security blanket assuming that things go wrong, which is in direct opposition to trust. Despite those decisions, Parable Media has grown faster than I could have imagined.

The Importance of Balance

One thing I was warned about over and over again when starting a business was that it would consume all of my time. I heard horror stories of 70+ hour weeks, especially in the first few years when trying to get the business off of the ground. I knew I didn’t want to live that life, so I made a few intentional decisions for a healthy work/life balance. Even though I work mostly from home, I decided to get up, get dressed in work clothes, and wear shoes every work day. I did this as a way to continually remind myself that I was still getting up and going to work, as well as to separate my ‘work time’ from the other times I was at home. I also have been pretty strict in starting my workday at the same time each morning and ending each day by 5 PM. I also make sure to only work 5 days a week, and to give myself holidays. In short, I have made very intentional decisions to treat my work with Parable Media as if I were an employee for any other normal business. 

The Help and Support of Friends and Family

One constant throughout this past year has been the help and support of friends and family. They have been there for me with advice and encouragement whenever I have asked for it (and sometimes when I haven’t). They have helped spread word of Parable Media to churches and ministers who could use the services provided. I would not have gotten to this point without each and every one of them. 

And so, as 2019 comes to a close, I say thank you to everyone who has played a part in Parable Media’s story this past year, whether you are a client, partner, or friend. 

Here’s to another great year in 2020!