Learn

We are part of the “Lord’s storehouse”

Time:Set the timer to 60 minutes for the Learn section.

Practice:Make groups of three people each. Move your chairs and turn to face each other.

1. One of you should tell the others about an accomplishment. You could say: “I was given the ‘best service’ award at work,” or “I served a mission” (or in another Church calling), or “I am a mother.”

2. Now, as fast as they can, the other two should tell you what skills and abilities were needed to achieve that accomplishment. They should take one minute. If you said, “I served a mission,” the others could quickly say, “Then you are courageous, a good student, a hard worker, a leader, a social worker, a goal-setter, good with people, a teacher, a good planner, and able to do hard things.”

3. Repeat this for each person.

Discuss:What did you feel as others talked about your talents and skills?

Read:All the skills and abilities we each have are part of the Lord’s storehouse.

Discuss:Read the scripture on the right. Can our group work together and “seek the interest” of the other group members?

“And all this for the benefit of the church of the living God, that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the Lord’s storehouse … every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God.”

Doctrine and Covenants 82:18–19

Practice:Let’s do our first action as a group. Let’s take five minutes and decide what our group will be called.

Write group name below:

What will we do in this group?

Read:We will work together as a group to help each other start and grow our businesses. We also have a larger goal—to become self-reliant so we can better serve others. When we can take care of ourselves, we can then help other people better.

Watch the success story “Samuel: Computer Repair.” (If you don’t have access to the video, just continue reading below.)

Practice:Over the next 12 weeks you will answer the following business questions. Together, read the business questions that will be answered in this self-reliance group.

WEEK	HOW TO START MY BUSINESS	WEEK	HOW TO GROW MY BUSINESS
1	How do I start or improve my business?	7	How will I grow my business?
2	What do people want to buy?	8	How much can I afford to invest to grow my business?
3	How do I buy my product and set the sales price?	9	How do I know if I should use a loan to grow my business?
4	How do I know if my business is making a profit?	10	How will I attract more customers and close sales?
5	How do I separate my business and family money?	11	How will I increase my profits?
6	How is my business progressing?	12	How do I continue to improve my business?

Read:Each week, we will make commitments, act, attend our meetings on time, and report to the group. As we work with the group, we will succeed together! Here are the question and action for this week.

Read:QUESTION OF THE WEEK—Where should I focus my efforts to start or grow my business?

ACTION OF THE WEEK—Use the Business Success Map daily to learn where to focus my efforts to start and grow my business.

The rest of this meeting will help us answer this question and take this action.

How can I manage my finances wisely?

Read:Being self-reliant includes spending less than we earn and having money in savings. Savings can help us meet unexpected expenses or help us provide for ourselves and our families when our income is lower than we expect. As a part of this group, we commit to saving every week, even a coin or two.

Discuss:In some areas, it is a good idea to save money in a bank. In other areas, it is not a good idea, such as when a country has high inflation or when banks are unstable. Are conditions good for saving in a bank in your area? Which banks offer the best rates for savings?

Read:Another part of being self-reliant is being free from personal debt. Personal loans are used to spend more than we are able to pay. Prophets have counseled us to avoid personal debt, and as we become more self-reliant we will reduce and eliminate personal debt. However, business debt may be wise in some cases. As part of this group, we will learn how to know when a loan can help us grow our business.

Medical emergencies often cause major financial costs. Insurance and government healthcare programs can often help protect against these costs. Signing up for insurance or a government healthcare program can be an important part of our path to self-reliance.

Discuss:Some types of insurance (such as health insurance and life insurance) are more easily available and more helpful than other types of insurance. Some insurance providers are good and some are dishonest. What are the best insurance options in your area?

How will I become a successful business owner?

Practice:The Business Success Map lists the things that successful business owners do. Get with a partner. Turn to the Business Success Map on the last page of this workbook.

Take turns reading how successful business owners find answers to the question “What do people want to buy?“

Discuss:How can the Business Success Map help you become a successful business owner?

Read:

In this workbook, when we see this symbol, we know that this principle is on the Business Success Map.

The Business Success Map is not just for our meetings. We use it regularly during the week. Whenever we face a problem or opportunity, we look to our Business Success Map to see what a successful business owner would do.

How will I improve my business?

Read:Successful business owners can clearly describe their business. This helps them focus on what makes money and what does not. It also helps them get help from others, such as from other business owners or from lenders. Successful business owners track the progress of their business.

This week, get a blank notebook for your business. You will use this notebook to write your thoughts and ideas for your business and to keep records of your business transactions. We will use our business notebooks in our meetings and during the week.

In this workbook, when we see this symbol, it reminds us to write in our business notebook.

How do I observe a business and think about business success?

Read:As part of this week’s action commitment, we will learn to use the Business Success Map to observe a business and see if it is following principles for success.

Practice:Make groups of three. Move your chairs to face each other. Using the Business Success Map, follow these instructions:

1. Identify a local business you all know something about. Then one person asks a question from the map. For example, “At the furniture store, does the owner seem to know what people want to buy?” Or, “Does he seem to know how to sell?”

2. The others take a minute or two to answer the question based on their knowledge of the business and the principles from the map. For example, “Yes, the owner knows what people value.” Or, “No, the owner does not know how to close a sale very well.”

3. Repeat this three to four times.

4. Now, talk about your own business. Do you do the things successful business owners do?

Practice:With a partner, turn to pages 13–14. Read and discuss how you will observe businesses this week.

Why does the Lord want us to be self-reliant?

Discuss:Why does the Lord want us to be self-reliant?

Read:Read the quote on the right.

“To consecrate is to set apart or dedicate something as sacred, devoted to holy purposes.”

D. Todd Christofferson, “Reflections on a Consecrated Life,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 16

Discuss:How can our efforts to start or grow a business serve a “holy purpose,” as Elder Christofferson said?

Read:The Lord has the power to help us become self-reliant. He has said, “Behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles” (2 Nephi 27:23). As we dedicate, or consecrate, our efforts in our businesses to the holy purpose of becoming self-reliant, the Lord will guide us through inspiration. As we show our faith by listening for and obeying promptings, the Lord will do His miracles and make more out of our efforts than we could ever do on our own.