Mission-Driven Family Business Coaching
- Heidi Indahl
- Jan 27
- 4 min read
When we moved to our farm, we had no idea how deeply the experience of living and working together as a family would transform the way we look at employment and its relationship to Christian family mission. Now we are excited to offer mission-driven family business coaching and workshops to help other families experience the same joy.
We have been extensively challenged and abundantly blessed by the opportunity to dig deep into a family-centric economy and rely continually less on traditional employment outside the home. This has freed us to live a more mission-centered life by feeding families with the high quality food that we love, welcoming other families to participate in the life and working of our farm, and providing educational resources and support through our professional knowledge, skills and experiences. We've done all of this in way that honestly says our marriage and family are under less strain than it was when we started and for that the credit (beyond Jesus himself, obviously) goes to our commitment to keeping the relational and spiritual health as important as other aspects of business.
In 2015, I (Heidi) completed my Master's Degree in Instructional Design, studying the Catholic teaching on parents as primary educators and developing several tools to support parents in taking ownership of this responsibility. One of those tools eventually became Mission: Family, A Journal to Help Catholic Families Discover Their Unique Vision, Mission, and Rule of Life. At the time the journal was published, we were in the process of reviewing it as a family and recommitting to a family mission that included our business as key component of our mission. Our stated values of simplicity, generosity, and joy come flow directly from that process of discernment.
At the time we moved to the farm, I was mostly speaking, writing, and developing family-centered resources. During COVID, however, there was a significant move into parish-based ministry as leadership teams wrestled with this question in a broader way. I was still doing family ministry, but through a different lens. Eventually it became clear that all of my work in vision and mission clarity was super important at the parish leadership level as well. I started devouring business books, adapted our Dreaming with God prayer approach to parishes, and even completed Working Genius certification training last year- all in order to help catechetical leaders combine healthy working relationships with clear vision/direction.
As we've been continuing to look at our own business, we've realized two things.
The struggles of parish leadership all hold doubly true for family businesses.
We have a lot of unique knowledge, tools, skills, and experiences to help others do this.
In a world that wants to make family matter less, we want to support and encourage those brave enough to say it matters more than ever. In a world that is increasingly unstable in both economic and social structure, we want to encourage families that it is still possible to put yourself out there and thrive.
We are excited to announce that we are now offering mission-driven family business coaching! This is not about business or financial or legal nuts and bolts. This is not a how-to of whatever industry your business is in (even if its the same as ours!). This is designed to help your family be mission-forward in a way that allows your business to be an act of transformational love itself in your life. Not just for you and your family, but for your community.
Heidi and Tim have a unique set of experiences to assess, ideate solutions, then cheer you through to make the changes necessary to help a family thrive and flourish while running a business. Coupled with their love for Christ, they were able to help our family- with our specific set of circumstances- get back on our journey to better glorify God. -Coaching Client
If you are ready to get serious about Christian family mission and you believe family business is a part of that, these personalized mission-themed coaching sesions are for you.
Mission: Family, Mission: Business Let us walk you through the prayerful discernment of your family's call to participate in the global mission of the Church. What does that look like for your business and relationships? How can clarified values help you prioritize and motivate during difficult seasons?
Productive Geniuses Learn the Working Genius model from a certified facilitator and discover how to use this productivity tool to improve working relationships, manage projects, and stay on task to find more joy and energy in your small business. On a team of two, every genius counts double!
You will walk away, not with just our knowledge and time, but we have tools developed to help you support and keep you on track. If you have need another tool, we will even help create it to fit your unique circumstances. Yes, you can combine the two or add additional coaching, but mimicking our experience in parishes, we find that strong well-functioning leadership and clear vision are the first step(s) to truly enjoyable and transformational efforts! You can run a successful, mission-driven family business without a business degree. We have done it and so can you!
Tim & Heidi helped my husband and I discover how to better work as a team to encourage growth in faith for ourselves and our young children. If the devil is after families in our society, what better way to gird your loins than to go through mission-driven family business coaching to discover the unique mission of your family in His kingdom and for His greater glory. -Annie Schmitz, Straight Up Outside Lake Crystal, Minnesota.
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