Dr. John Cole: Business Strategy
Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education
These posts summarize the forums that our Living Education-Charlotte students attend each week.
Dr. John Cole attends the local Charlotte congregation, and as a licensed Property and Casualty Agent, has accumulated many years of experience in business strategy. In a recent forum message addressed to the students of Living Education-Charlotte, he shared several important tips and lessons for developing a solid business strategy for your own life.
SWOT Analysis
Dr. Cole encouraged the students to utilize the tool of a SWOT analysis when making important career decisions. SWOT stands for: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Making a list of what falls under these categories can help inform those important decisions. Whether you’re applying for a company or planning to be an entrepreneur, as you construct a strategy for your life and career, doing a SWOT analysis is an important tool.
Know What the Company is All About
What if you’re applying for a position at a company? Dr. Cole encouraged the students to research and understand what the company is all about beforehand, and to determine if working for that company would align with your values, as well as your long-term goals and overall business strategy.
This principle also applies to entrepreneurs starting their own business. If you’re going to create a company and market yourself, you should have a clear business plan and solid idea not only of what your company does, but what it’s all about. This will help your company’s success in the long term, as well as how it’s perceived by others.
Reputation
In learning to navigate the world of careers and entrepreneurship, it’s important to keep your reputation in mind. Employers and interviewers check up on applicants to see if they should hire the person. Dr. Cole reminded the students to guard their reputations—when ethical challenges or other situations arise that bring your character into question, you can have a clean conscience and even welcome the scrutiny that proves your character is solid.
Envision Success and Pray for Guidance
Dr. Cole told the students to assess whether they would want to climb the corporate ladders they might come into contact with. Make sure to embody trustworthiness and confidentiality, and to have an employable character. Take the time to envision the success of your business strategy, and put in the hard work to achieve it. And in any undertaking, always involve God in the process. We should always remember to pray for guidance as we pursue any endeavor and develop a strategy for our life.
David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.
