Setting Priorities & Boundaries in Business as a Couple w/ Bob & Linda Lotich (SeedTime Money)

Speaker A: There's going to be things that you're going to have to say no to. And it's okay to say no. And it doesn't mean you're saying no forever. Sometimes you're just saying no for a season.

Speaker B: Hey friends. Welcome to the Jolie Harris Show. Let's dive into today's episode. Have either of you ever found it difficult to kind of step away mentally and just turn your mind more to spirit? I know that's something I've struggled with. Right. Like not thinking about business and ideas 24 7. Like that's something I personally struggle with. So I'm curious, um, you know, know the experience that you both have had and how you deal with that to. To quiet your mind. I'm sure the sabbaticals help.

Speaker C: No, they do. Uh, but I will say this. I almost like clockwork because we've done so many of these. Uh, when we take a month off, I feel like it's about two weeks for be for me to like just purge my brain and get to a point where I feel like I'm fully decompressed. Um, and so it's really most times the second half of that one month sabbatical where I really feel like I'm ready to breathe in what the Lord has. Because I'm spending the first two weeks just decompressing, getting the ideas out of my mind, like trying to clear my thoughts. Uh, and because the world's such a frenzied place, it just takes a while to get that off of you. And that's been my experience, you know.

Speaker A: Yeah. And as far as like a regular rhythm of it, I mean for me it's. It is the business some, but it's more motherhood for me, if I'm being honest.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And I will have days where Bob's like, go rest, go, go have your Sabbath time, your sabbatical time, whatever. And it is really hard for me to stop thinking about the laundry that needs to go get done and the lunches that need to get packed and the Valentine's that need to get written out and sent, you know, uh, you know, all that stuff for the kids school and you know, whatever it is. And there is a scripture that says work to enter into God's rest. M. You have to work to get there.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: That's really good.

Speaker A: Because the enemy knows what it will happen when we get into that restful state, which is that we will get renewed. If you think about Jesus, he had a three year ministry that was full on, but he left to Go spend time with his father, right? So it was, it was like he. You didn't see him taking vacations, but it would be like, well, he. Jesus just left. All the disciples are like, where did he go? And they're like, I think he left to go be by himself or whatever. And it's really interesting because, um, if we, if he's our example, and you can tell that when I, this is my thought process on this, I bet if Jesus experienced everything that we did, that means he, he experienced the emotions. And some of our emotions are not great. And I would guess that when Jesus started feeling like overwhelmed, anxious, angry at other people, like annoyed, any of those things that are like, you know what, what happens in our own flesh. I have a hunch that he left to be with God so that when he came back, he was able to pour out instead of just do things on his own. That, I mean, that's my guess. And I'm like, that that would be a great rhythm for us is when we are starting to feel like, I cannot take this anymore to go spend time with God. That's not the time for a vacation. In our minds. We think it is because that's what everyone has told us. But it's actually the time that we need to go spend time with God and get filled up with his love and his presence so that we can pour out again.

Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I, I think a lot of our problems would be solved just by going to him and getting refreshed, hearing a word from Him. And I think a lot of our problems boil down to that is sometimes it's so easy to, to get busy and caught up in the day to day, in, in motherhood, in business, um, whatever our responsibilities are. But I know for me, God continues to drive it home. You know, it's about Him. Even the business, what you guys are doing, right? It's about pointing people to him at the end of the day. So. Yeah, that's awesome. Um, as far as balancing the business, the, the motherhood, the parenting and even your marriage, spending time together and, you know, maybe being active in your church and just all these things like how do you balance that?

Speaker A: Um, so my pastor said it really well. She said there is no balance, but she said there are priorities and boundaries.

Speaker B: Right?

Speaker A: So I thought that was a really interesting way to see it because, uh, you know, I, I think the world just talks about balance and it. But the thing is, is if we have our eyes on Jesus and we are being led by him, then the other things fall into the place that they need to. But also, what are our priorities? Our kids are our priority. That. That. I mean, that is a strong priority that we have. And then the boundaries are there not to push people out, but to make sure that the things that are the priorities are kept safe and sacred and number one in our lives.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: Don't you think?

Speaker C: I do. Yeah. And that's not easy.

Speaker A: No.

Speaker C: Any of this. It isn't easy. And we've had, uh, I mean, a good amount of struggle, I would say, over the last five years of finding that. And I feel like we're continuing to grow in that. Um, but it is a lot, you know, because we were coming now out of the little kid season, but the past five years have been just a lot of babies and little kids and stuff.

Speaker A: And, um.

Speaker C: And that's a tough season when you're running a business and you're working a lot of hours and, yes, you're trying to be involved in church and you're trying to have a marriage and stay married and, you know, spend time with your kids and, like, it's just hard. Anybody who's been there knows that. Um.

Speaker A: Yeah. And you just have to say no to things.

Speaker C: Yeah, it's saying no to a lot.

Speaker A: I. I tried to volunteer at my church, and every time I did, it was like something came up. So I took. I just stopped. I was like, this just is not working out.

Speaker C: Like, for this season.

Speaker A: Yeah, for this season. And then I've gone back into it, and then I came back out, and then I went back into it. You know what I mean? So. Yeah. Ah, I think you have to just, you know, read the room. Like, what's going on in this season of life if you have a newborn? I mean, I don't think it's your season to be volunteering all day at church. I just think that, you know, your. Your baby should be your pr. That's my personal belief. Um, but go where the Lord is leading you. So, you know, for us, that didn't work out. And I know for other people, they're like, I love being in church with my babies. Like, it's fine for them, but, um, yeah, I think you just have to realize what is going on in your life.

Speaker B: Hey, really quick, we're about to get right back into the episode. If you are struggling with financial anxiety, I have something for you. It's a free devotional to help you overcome money worry. Check it out@joliej harris.com moneydevo that's joliej harris.com MoneyDivo and I'll also leave that link for you in the description. All right, let's get back into the episode.

Speaker A: And there, there's going to be things that you're going to have to say no to. And it's okay to say no. And it doesn't mean you're saying no forever. Sometimes you're just saying no for a season until you get to the next thing and then you can say yes again.

Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I think that's a great concept because Ecclesiastes talks about that. Right. Like, there's a season for everything. God has made everything beautiful in its time. And I think hopefully that gives people freedom to think through, like, okay, maybe not right now, maybe in the future. Right. And it's okay to say no. So I think there's hopefully. I hope that empowers listeners. If you're out there listening, you're going through that. Um, I know I've struggled with the whole balance thing and then the parental guilt of, you know, kind of making time for your family and then the business and all the things. It's a lot. But I think like you said, just being spirit led, letting God lead your schedule, uh, that that's going to be huge because he'll show you what to prioritize in, in the right season. Yeah, yeah. Would you say that? Um, I know for me, one of the things I've struggled with is actually making a schedule. So how do you guys do your schedule? Like, do you have like a family calendar? Do you use like, um, online tools? Do you have someone help you manage that?

Speaker C: Yeah, so we do very different things. She prefers paper, I prefer digital. Um, in general, we use Google Calendar. Like that's my go to kind of tool. Uh, one thing I will say, I. So I live my life off of a to do list. Um, and there's a whole lot there. But in terms of the calendar and scheduling, one thing that I've done that's helped me personally, um, which has benefited you a little bit and kind of whatever, but is getting into the time boxing thing and essentially, um, applying the principles of budgeting your money to the calendar. And so instead of having a to do list, while I do have a to do list, basically each day I go in that to do list. Everything that's most important goes and fills a 30 hour minute spot on my calendar.

Speaker A: 30 hour minute.

Speaker C: 30 minutes or an hour spot on my calendar. So when you look at my Google Calendar, um, it's no longer blank. It's like every little spot is filled and that has been incredibly helpful for me to stay on task and to not overstep and doing things that I should. Um, um, and to help prioritize the things that are important to me. Uh, uh, so that's been really a really great, um, rhythm that's been super helpful. I don't know. What would you add?

Speaker A: Uh, I. I am not great at. At scheduling, really. Well, um, um, so with. With that, there are things that we just have a rhythm of that has really helped me where it's like every Thursday at 1 o', clock, we record a live podcast. It's. It has to happen because we're doing it live. So that means there's an opportunity for people to show up and they will be depending on us to be there. So, uh, you know, a little bit of accountability there is really helpful, but, you know, it's also dependent on what's going on with the kids. You know what I mean? And I think that's why in my head, I'm not as great at doing that is because we homeschool our children and there's a. There's got to be an ebb and a flow with what's going on with them. Um, is one kid's sick, which happens a lot when there's, you know, multiple of them. It's like you. You kind of just have to go with. With what's going on and then work things in as you can. I mean, that's. That's kind of been how I've done it. Right.

Speaker B: Yeah, I relate to you. I think that's why I get stuck with the schedule thing, because it's like, my husband is like you, but I'm very, like, tactical. It's easy for him to just get everything out on paper and then. Yeah, well, what if this comes up with the kids or what if that happens? And then, yeah, I'm gonna have to change the whole thing and it just feels stressful.

Speaker C: Well, yeah. And you guys have it so much harder. Um, or, I mean, assuming you have a similar family dynamic to us. But like, yeah, Linda's the one who has so many more wrenches thrown in what she's doing. So it's just a much harder thing to. To do that with, you know?

Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's. It's okay. We just gotta show ourselves a little grace. Right?

Speaker A: Exactly.

Speaker B: Yeah. Um, I would love to hear, and I know that you all have talked about this a lot in your book and on your podcast, but for our listeners who might be new, can you share some of the ways that you've had to trust God with your business and how that stretched your faith.

Speaker A: Yeah, um, I mean, starting off at the very beginning when he was making a hundred dollars a month, I mean that was a pretty big test. But see the, the part of that that we haven't shared already is that previous to that, Bob had been working on the, the blog for about a year, I guess. And at that point he felt he had, he had actually brought the revenue up to, what was it, 800amonth? A thousand dollars a month?

Speaker C: This is a good point. We're sharing.

Speaker A: So he had brought it up to that point. And just before his last, you know, week or a couple weeks at his job, we were praying. We were, uh, walking around outside and we were praying and he says to me, we've been making this, you know, a thousand dollars a month. We've gotten it up to that point. And I just noticed that there is something that is, I mean, what would you call it? Unethical?

Speaker C: No, it wasn't unethical as much as it was just something that God was asking us not to do on our website. Um, and, and it wasn't, it wasn't unethical as much as it was just playing the long game and using wisdom rather than being short sighted. That's what it was. So, and anyway, so this is a really good point. I'll finish.

Speaker A: Okay, go ahead.

Speaker C: Yeah, details I missed. But, but anyway, so, yeah, so if this was May of 2008 and because like she said, I, we had gotten the revenue up to whatever, about $1,000 a month. And the way that we were doing that, um, was basically by selling text ads on our website. And so we had different web, like other companies would want to advertise, uh, on our website and put a link on our website. And anyway, in all that Google, um, came out and said, hey, we don't want you to do that. Now Google doesn't own the Internet, but you know, uh, so they can say whatever they want, but, so there's nothing wrong with doing that, but they didn't want you to do that. And so in all that and praying about that, I felt like the Lord was saying like, I want you to take all those text ads off. And I'm like, that means that this last month before I go into doing this full time, I'm only going to make $100. So literally cut our revenue by 90%.

Speaker A: And he had mentors telling him, no, no, no, this is the way to do it. Well, yeah, you know, and so it was that we're Christian mentors. Like, it wasn't, it wasn't anything that was like, horrible. Like, you're not going to jail. You're not, you know, nothing like that. But it was something that the Lord highlighted to him and said, I want you to take these off. And Bob's like, are you kidding?

Speaker C: So it's just really scary because it's like we. We drop our revenue by 90% the month before I become full time in it. And, uh, this is a really big faith test. It's like. Yeah. And I already felt crazy enough that I was going after this thing, but then that was like the, the God. You know, if you're writing a movie script, it's like, that's the, like the final thing where it's like, oh, he's doomed. There's no way.

Speaker B: No.

Speaker C: But then that's what's so beautiful about these stories that God writes. And God's like, nope, it's not done yet. Wait till you see what I'm gonna do. And. And that's what he did. And it was amazing.

Speaker A: Well, and it ended up that anyone with those text ads on their site got penalized later. So the way it played out, sparing us. Uh, yeah, the way it played out was we dropped, uh, in revenue before he had actually ended his job instead of several months later when we had felt like we had built up something and then it would have dropped then. So the Lord just, just saved us from that thing. But I'm telling you, what is the key thing here is the obedience.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: Like, Bob had the choice and he had other Christians, you know, like, uh, it wasn't about that. It was about God saying, I am asking you to stop doing this now. And it worked out in our benefit, and we saw the blessing of the Lord from it. And I, I think we're both convinced that when you obey God, things go better for you. I mean, it's all over the Bible. Right. But, like, that is the biggest lesson I think we learned from that was we're going to do things God's way and not do what we, uh, think we should do or what other people are telling us we should do. Yeah. Doesn't matter how spiritual they are.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Uh, we're gonna listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit and work it out that way. And that's what we have really. Like, that's what we've tried to do this this entire time, wouldn't you say?

Speaker C: Well, yeah. And every good thing, significant good thing that's happened in our business I would say, is that a direct result of obeying God? Almost always on something that's really scary.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: And that feels kind of crazy.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: You know, oh, that's so good. I know that's going to encourage so many people. Um, and I think that's a great testament to the fact that even getting advice from others who are Christian, that can be great. But, but sometimes God is going to tell you to do something that goes against the grain, even in your church, or you know, the things that other mentors and Christians are telling you. And that's, that can be tough.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: What, what has helped both of you to discern that?

Speaker C: Uh, yeah, so in that instance, um, there were Christian mentors, honestly, uh, who I'd looked up to so much, who were, I mean, to some extent telling me that was the only way to succeed. Like in pretty much saying, like, this is you're not going to succeed if you don't do this, which is really hard to hear. And then on top of that, like when we started the business earlier too, um, before that, I had another mentor who was just telling me this was a terrible idea, like, don't do it. And so literally I have people like, telling me who I look up to a lot and who are far more successful than I am, who. It's like in my natural mind, like I should listen to what they say. You know, again, this is what's, uh, a little bit tricky because you know, Proverbs says in the multitude of counselors or safety. But what's important to remember is that the voice of the Lord always overrides the counselor.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: And so, um, when you know that the Lord has spoken and, and, and I think in terms of hearing God's voice, there have been plenty of times where it's like, I don't really know. I kind of think this is where he's leading us. And then there have been times where it's like, yeah, I just, I just know that. I know that this is it. And those instances were both pretty much that, where it was like really scary. It feels like this is crazy. I mean, whatever. Peter stepping out of the boat, you see Jesus over there. You can hear his voice. He's calling you. This is insane. Peter had to be afraid, but he also knew that he knew Jesus was asking him to come. Mhm. And so again, we didn't have an audible voice, but we also both had this strong conviction that we knew God was talking to us. And so when you have that, uh, I found it a lot easier. I say Easier, but easier to ignore the counter voices to that.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: Um, yeah, yeah.

Speaker A: And a lot of times that the way you can tell, the way we've been able to tell is that we're like, well, our mentor says to do this. And so that's where we're leaning. But at the same time you're having this, like something just doesn't feel right. You know, I mean it's, it's just as simple as that of like, this just isn't. Something's not right here and I can't put my finger on it, but I think I'm going to not heed that advice. You know, the person can still stay as a mentor. It's not, you know, you have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It's just that in this instance, something's off. So I'm going to do it the way that I'm, I'm sensing that it needs to happen. Yeah.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's really good. And, and with that, I mean I'm, I'm guessing, you know, you, you both have had the blessing of having that, those Christian mentors in your life. But in business we also encounter a lot of people who don't align with our beliefs. And since, you know, your business is faith based and you are very open about what you believe. Huh. What pushback have you experienced in that if, if you have at all?

Speaker C: Yeah, we've definitely had, I would say some significant challenges over the years. Um, we've had organizations that we've partnered with or advertisers who have canceled, uh, us because we talked about God, because we're Christian. We've had um, uh, some big name magazines like, in fact like one of the biggest ones that I was so excited about and felt like this is amazing. Um, interviewed me on the phone and asked all these things. And um, and anyway, at the time we, we were Christian Pf and uh, and anyway and I basically the article, the magazine came out and they used everything I said in it but didn't mention me at all. And um, in hindsight or even at the moment, it's like I knew there's no way that they would type, you know, our URL in there or Bob Lodic from Christian pf. Like they just wouldn't have done that. Um, but it was just stuff like that has happened. So we've had instances like that. M. As far as, uh, generally we're speaking to a Christian audience most often. So it's not like we're having a lot of people arguing about biblical principles. Um, you know, in what we do that often. But, uh, there's definitely been, you know, persecution and challenges have come in one way or another.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: Yeah. Well, it's a testament that even if God tells you to do something, you stand for him, he's gonna fight for you. Right. And he's blessed you with this platform in spite of all that, in spite of the fact that it's counterculture. So I hope that encourages people out there listening that, you know, if God is leading you to put your faith at the forefront in your business, I know he has for me, then he's going to sustain you through that. He'll give you the grace and he'll bring the right people to align with and collaborate with where, you know, it's not going to be an issue. So. Yeah. So thank you both for what you do because it's definitely inspiring and blessing a lot of people. Um, um, Glory to God. Now, um, as we're wrapping up here, I would, I like to ask this question, but how do you conduct business in his image?

Speaker C: Yeah, um, one of the things that. I was just talking about this today. We were recording a podcast today. Uh, one of the things that gets me so fired up is, um, there's so many businesses that just are not putting their customers first and they're not taking care of them. They have policies that are just really obnoxious and you know, like, like for example, Linda bought this really nice pillow from this company. And um, I mean, whatever, like, there's a hundred different ways that you go. But anyway, she couldn't return it. And so you can't return it. You have to store credit. And it's just like there's so many like, arm twisty things where it's like you're, you're trying to play a game of Gotcha with the customer. And I just, that just feels not the way Jesus would run a business.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: And, um, so what we do, we attempt to do is, uh, treat our customers in a way that we would be like, wowed. Not just the way we'd want to be treated, but the way we'd be like, that's amazing. Like, that's surprising. And so we are constantly working to figure out how do we do that, how do we serve them better, how do we, um, help them get better results quicker? How, how do we just make this such an amazing win for them? And that feels like the right way to do business, even if it's not the most profitable thing. Like, I'll bet in the long term, like if you like, look at it from a long term perspective, it probably is because God's always playing the long game. And, uh, if you view it as building relationships, building trust, continuing to plant seeds and sow into people's lives, whether or not you're making the most revenue in the first sale or not, like, those are the types of things that, um, I think set us apart from so much of the world that is just, um, really short sighted and just focused on the here and now and. Yeah. So I don't know, there's a little bit of how I'm thinking about it that's been helping us.

Speaker B: Yeah. And you have a portion in your book where you talk about that, about creating. I forgot it's not fresh in my mind right now. But, um, I actually went through that when I created my copywriting course and I did the exercise. It was incredibly helpful.

Speaker C: Isn't it? Yeah, I know it is.

Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So anyone out there, you know, even if, whether you are looking for biblically based content to help you in your finances or you want to learn about their journey in business and be inspired, simple money, rich life, you need to get this book. It's gonna bless you. I know it's blessed me and my husband, so make sure you check it out. And, uh, Bob and Linda, where else can they find you? I know you guys have some great free resources on your website and podcasts and all the things, so please share.

Speaker C: Yeah, sure. Yeah. So our podcast is Seed Time Money. Um, and that's just where we share a lot of our personal strategies and tactics. Really everything that we've learned from being completely broke to reaching our biggest giving goal of giving away a million dollars by age 40. And so all the mindsets and tactics that we've used to get there, that's all that. But, um, as far as a free, something that I think might be helpful, like, um, we were talking about before, about prayer in those early years. We created a PDF with a whole bunch of prayer starters as well as Bible verses that we have stood on to pray, um, over your finances and really over your business finances or whatever. And so that's something that people might want to check out. And that's just@seedtime.com prayer. You can go get that there. It's a free opt in for anybody who wants it.

Speaker B: All right, well, thank you both so much again and may God bless you both for everything that you're doing. Make sure you check out, uh, their prayer guide and their podcast, which is awesome. I listen to it all the time. My husband loves it. And make sure you check out their amazing book and support them as well.

Speaker C: Thank you so much, Joe. Appreciate it.

Speaker A: Thank you.