Seems like almost everything we set out to do requires money, right? Starting a new church, for example, is supposed to be all about reaching people. But I know from personal experience that it takes money to advertise it, secure a facility to house it, put a rug on the floor and put some chairs on that rug. In church planting, like any other entrepreneurial enterprise, you have to be good at stretching every dollar. In fact, the success of any venture often hinges on whether or not you can be an Artful Scrounger!
Scrounger – def: “a cleverly resourceful person who finds and procures items for a specific purpose.”
More than just a good eye for a bargain, a good scrounger has a gift of finding amazing deals on anything. Like a big game hunter, I love nothing better than stalking and bringing home a trophy bargain that I can brag about to everyone. I almost never pay retail for anything. Auction-surfing and garage-saling can certainly be good practice. But there’s no limits here. In fact the bigger the deal the bigger the deals! I’ve purchased $180,000 properties for $60,000 and swung a full mortgage on it with no money down. I once paid $38,000 for a $54,000 house. I signed a ten year lease on 12,000 sq ft of office space for a new church launch, just for the cost of utilities and taxes – rent free! And I could go on. Really, I could.
My point is that if money (or, more precisely, lack of it ) is an obstacle to your dream, then you simply have to find a way around that obstacle. There are a variety of techniques that I use:
1. Just ask. In the vast majority of cases you can get a better deal just by asking for one.
2. Know your adversary. Understand what’s driving their sales decisions – what are their margins, month-end quotas, sales objectives? Sometimes because of personal issues people want to get rid of something so bad they will almost pay you to take it!
3. Know the market. The interest rates will drop quickly when you stand up and tell the loan officer that you can get three points less right across the street.
4. Look for anomalies – last one left, returned, opened box, odd colour, freight damage, etc.. Anything out of the ordinary is just begging to be discounted.
5. Buy second-hand. Reduce, recycle, reuse. And spend a fraction of new cost.
6. Trade. Offer to barter something you already have for something you want.
7. Timing. Whether it means snapping up a fast bargain or waiting out an undecided seller, timing can be critical. Be patient and use it to your advantage.
I haven’t even talked about creative fund-raising, venture capital, vendor-financing, crowd-sourcing, and so on. There is no shortage of money in the world – it’s just all in the wrong hands! If this kind of thing just isn’t your forte, then make sure you have an Artful Scrounger on your team. The bottom line? Never let the size of your bank account dictate the size of your dream!
