The Franchise

In early January, Mike started to think about micro franchises.  One thing we were certain of was Mike possessed a small business mind but actually taking that leap and running your own business was another story all together.  We liked the idea and appeal of a franchise because essentially one is buying a "business in a box."  However, we soon discovered that buying a business in a box has a high price tag, very high.  Mike investigated several franchises but one in particular kept capturing his attention.  On January 11, Mike reached out to this franchise and so began our six week long journey into researching, investigating, consulting and scrutinizing this unique opportunity.  For the purposes of my blog, I'll call the franchise Stepping Stone.  Mike and I were immediately thrown into what would be a very interesting but time consuming process.  We knew that if we were to pull the trigger on buying a franchise we would need to know everything and I mean everything about it.  When I first learned of the costs associated with the franchise my first instinct told me there was no way Mike and I could justify spending that kind of money.  Yes, we had the money but it would require us to use a large chuck of our retirement money.  We soon learned that buying a business is expensive and in reality the cost of Stepping Stone franchise was actually a very reasonable cost.  We were told that given the costs, Stepping Stone was a lot of bang for our buck so we put my fears about cost aside and plunged into learning as much as we could.  January in IL is cold and the days can be long.  I would work my days away at my own job and Mike set up camp at our kitchen table.  When we committed to exploring the opportunity with Stepping Stone we agreed that was where Mike's primary focus needed to be.  If a job opportunity came up, it would have to be presented to Mike through a friend or family member.  Anyone who has ever job hunted knows the amount of time it takes to research jobs, complete a robust resume, apply for jobs and the list goes on and on.  Every time Mike would apply for a job it would usually take 1 1/2 hours and that was time Mike needed to focus on Stepping Stone.  During the weeks that followed more rejection letters from other potential employers were received.  It was becoming evidently clear that Mike needed to focus his efforts else where.  However, a lingering question nagged at us and that was, what if we spent the next several weeks on researching Stepping Stone (and it turned into six weeks) and we didn't end up going through with purchasing it?  It was a risk we had to take and God had given Mike the gift of time.  Mike had time from an emotional and financial stand point to put all his energy into Stepping Stone. 
During this process Mike and I tried our hardest to remain faithful to God's plan for our life.  There were many times I felt He had put us in an impossible situation.  There were many times I was on my knees crying out to Him.  What in the world did He want us to do?  I promised I would trust Him but man was it hard during those long and cold days and weeks of January and February.  On Feb. 1, my dear friend, Mary (yep, it's Mary again) sent me the following:

The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day?" Numbers 22:30

After the bible verse (and I grabbed my bible and read the entire passage) there was a written passage that said, "There are times when pushing harder, trying to manipulate the circumstance, or pressing those around you is not the response to have to the roadblock.  God may be trying to have you reconsider your ways.  God may be doing one of four things when you are faced with an obstacle: 1. He's blocking it to protect you. 2. His timing to complete this stage is not the same as yours, and He may need you to go through a process of character refinement. 3. He may want other players to get in place, and the circumstances are not yet ready for them to enter. 4. He may be using the process to develop patience in you.  Relying on the Holy Spirit to know which one applies to your situation is the key to moving in God's timing."