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Catalyst or Substrate?
If you can still remember the biochemistry lessons from school, you might recall the idea of a catalyst. In biochemistry, a catalyst is a substance that is able to speed up the reaction between other chemicals. At the same time, a catalyst is special. Unlike a substrate, a catalyst only helps to aid a chemical change. It isn’t consumed during the transformation being accomplished. Instead, the catalyst functions as an agent accelerating the rate of change.
Likewise, in life, it’s possible to point to notable people who have served as agents of change. Wherever they show up, for better or worse, the situation is transformed. However, it is much rarer to find people who regularly change their world without burning themselves out in the process. It requires a balanced effort to impact the world while not neglecting the personal relationships that make the alterations worth pursuing. Indeed, history seems to be littered with the records of embattled change agents whose legacies were consumed by the transformations they produced.
Based on our prior study, we know that the Proverbs 31 entrepreneur is a change agent in her time and community. What we haven’t evaluated is the long-term impact of her efforts on the legacy left to her family and neighbors. Does she manage to pass anything of value on to the next generation? Or is her legacy destroyed during the pursuit of her venture?
Baton Passing, Not Dropping
For the Proverbs 31 woman to have any kind of lasting family legacy, she would first need to teach her children how to preserve what has already been built. It seems reasonable that this purposeful entrepreneur might choose to start by illustrating for her children the qualities required to effectively manage multiple businesses.
By watching their mother’s daily schedule, the children of the Proverbs 31 woman would have learned the importance of putting consistent and focused effort into their ventures. Her regular use of designated times for home and business management (verses 15, 18, 27) would have shown them the need to delegate time to focus on the responsibilities in their own lives. Likely, their mother would have further explained the importance of this approach as they grew and inquired about her commitment to her schedule.
As her children progressed in age, their mother would have introduced them to the calculations needed to follow the profitability of a business. They would probably have worked by her side to evaluate the weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual returns of her ventures (verses 15 and 18). As she weighed the financial risks and rewards of expanding into new enterprises, the Proverbs 31 entrepreneur would have enlisted her children to help estimate the potential expenses and income of the proposed investment (verse 16).
As she observed their unique skills and interests, the Proverbs 31 mother would have encouraged her children to reflect on ways that their abilities might be used to design ventures of their own. At the same time, she would explain to her children that her own early business choices were shaped by her childhood skills and interests (verses 16, 19, 22, 24). As her children began to experiment with their own ventures, their mother would have pointed to the high quality of her own goods as a reminder of the need to deliver their best possible offerings to the customers who trusted them (verses 21 and 22).
As her heirs became more skillful entrepreneurs, the Proverbs 31 mother would have provided them with an example of how to healthfully balance life as an entrepreneur. As a caring mother, she would remind them of the need to take time for self-care. She would also have done her best to demonstrate that a skilled entrepreneur can lead the charge in both business management and enjoyment of leisure (verses 13, 17, 22, 25). Finally, as her children matured into seasoned entrepreneurs, she would have permitted them to take on more of the managerial responsibilities in her businesses. By doing this, she would begin to shift her attention to investing in the next generation of family and community members (verses 15, 20, 26) while simultaneously observing the quality of work produced by her would-be successors.
Wealth for Generations to Come
From the description of her relationship with her husband early in the passage, it would seem that the Proverbs 31 wife works in coordination with her spouse (verses 11and 12). Rather than pursuing separate plans as individuals, this couple seems to have decided to use their respective ventures to accomplish an overall plan for their family. The Proverbs 31 husband encourages his wife’s business ventures, and she manages their household and her ventures in such a way as to support his activities in the city (verse 23). By working as a team, their household’s stability is increased. This approach would also be more likely to allow faster wealth accumulation for their family.
At the same time, the Proverbs 31 woman is noted to be quite conscientious of the need to run her household like a business. She systematically reviews the financial standing of her household and businesses (verses 15, 18, 27). When it comes to acquisitions, she seems to prefer deferring purchases until she has saved the money needed and evaluated the selection to be worth the investment (verse 16). To safeguard against hard times, our entrepreneur uses savings to start new businesses and diversify her income streams (verses 16 and 21). When these strategies are viewed as a whole, it becomes apparent that the Proverbs 31 woman would have accumulated sufficient reserves to be able to pass an inheritance to the next generation.
At the same time, it also becomes clearer how the Proverbs 31 mother uses her choices and business to teach her children about entrepreneurship. By combining her example with her children’s work in the family ventures, this ancient entrepreneur would have taught her children how to manage a business while simultaneously emphasizing the importance of the lessons. Thus, by including her businesses in the education of her children, the Proverbs 31 entrepreneur creates a very robust succession plan.
Legacy in Evergreen
Before closing this chapter, it’s important to note that, when it comes to her community, there are indicators that the Proverbs 31 woman hopes to leave a multi-generational impact in this area as well. Rather than focusing solely on preserving an inheritance for her heirs, the actions of this ancient entrepreneur indicate that she hopes to be a lasting blessing to her staff members and neighbors.
From the early portions of her description, the Proverbs 31 businesswoman is depicted as making provision for the needs of her household staff and employees (verses 15, 21, 27). Furthermore, she thoughtfully arranges for the functions of her businesses to support other entrepreneurs in her area. She coordinates with local vendors to purchase their flax and wool for the weaving of her fabrics (verse 13). In later snapshots, she is shown buying land from a local property owner before contracting to supply regional merchants with the clothes and accessories that they sell abroad (verses 16 and 24). In this way, the Proverbs 31 woman illustrates for her neighbors that it’s possible to grow her business using systems that support the fortunes of others.
While still serving as a collaborative leader, this thoughtful businesswoman chooses to use her words and personal actions to further invest in the lives of those around her. She becomes a source of sound advice and encouragement in order to support the plans of others (verse 26). By respectfully engaging the less fortunate in her community, the Proverbs 31 woman illustrates for neighbors how to compassionately assist those in need (verse 20).
When her actions are considered in their entirety, it becomes clear that this is a woman who is seeking to use her opportunities to be an agent for positive change. Whether it’s by seeking a chance to be of benefit to her spouse or using her social status to influence others for the better (verses 11, 12, 20, 21, 31), the Proverbs 31 woman is invested in leaving the lives that she encounters better than she found them.
Not surprisingly, she accomplishes her goal. During her lifetime, she secures lasting wealth and respect for her family (verse 21-23, 25). She is also respected, praised, and emulated by her children and neighbors (verses 26, 28, 31). However, her influence doesn’t stop there. By leveraging her life and business to positively influence others, the Proverbs 31 woman succeeds in producing a legacy that has survived the millennia. This example, provided by a woman who is never named and commonly referred to only as a “virtuous wife”, continues to encourage spouses, parents, and entrepreneurs to this day.
Join us in the next chapter! We’ll study some of the modern-day applications to be extrapolated from the life of the Proverbs 31 woman!
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Thank you for reading! If you’d like access to this section’s author notes and assignments, click here to purchase ebook access.
Until the next chapter, good luck with the growing!
D’Loreyn