I could feel the seeds of change being planted in our hearts. My husband was unhappy in his job. He felt that the way his management position required him to treat people was not in line with his values. I had just begun the course ‘Starting and Growing My Business’, through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was very excited about this opportunity and was at that time making business cards for the ‘startup’ challenge.
We knew if we put our trust in the Lord, we could not go wrong so we prayed sincerely that evening for guidance.
Being unsettled and ready for change, my husband was thinking of buying a national gardening services franchise. Gardening came naturally to both of us. With 28 years of experience growing up in Samoa, we thought this could be our chance to start along a new path but the cost of buying the franchise was huge. The set-up costs continued monthly payments, cost of each referral and the very expensive training requirements were a lot to consider. My husband was just about to buy his air ticket to Melbourne to start his training when we decided to stop and pray about it. Was this the right path for us? I had already received seven requests from my customers to do their gardens. Was there a better way to find self-reliance than an expensive franchise? We knew if we put our trust in the Lord, we could not go wrong so we prayed sincerely that evening for guidance. The very next morning we woke up, looked at each other and said, “No franchise!”
Instead, we were prompted to start our own gardening business together. The miracles and blessings have been abundant. In just six weeks we settled all our start-up costs. This gave us a peace of mind that the monthly payments of the franchise would not have allowed.
I continued the business course using the skills and understanding I’d gained to help my husband make our business successful.
Simply being good members of the Church has brought us professional success. Because we believe in being honest and fair and having integrity, we enjoy a lot of repeat business and get referrals that would have cost us extra had we bought the franchise.
As we have seen the Lord's hand in our success, we have felt the desire to give back. We plan to start giving regular free services for those in need knowing that because we have been given much we too must give. The Lord’s way is perfect. He gives us commandments, like having integrity, which makes us prosperous so that we can serve others.
I encourage all members to use the self-reliance courses offered by the Church. They will help you see what you are capable of and show you the way to achieve success. It is clear to me that Heavenly Father is willing to give us everything we need if we will have faith enough to follow His promptings. I have seen miracles as I’ve applied the things I’ve learnt in this course. It is hard work for my husband and me, but we are happy knowing that we are exactly where the Lord wants us to be.
