Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jeffrey Hightower, Pastor of Church Central Office, located in Charlotte, NC, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are church-specific CFOs and accountants that operate as churches' outsourced accounting departments. Our customers are all types of U.S. church congregations with an annual budget between $750,000 - $10,000,000.

Tell us about yourself

After working for about ten years in a wide variety of areas in business (Management, HR, accounting, quality assurance, etc.), I became an executive pastor for a church in central Mississippi. Executive pastors/directors are the COO of sorts for the church, tasked with leading the staff, operations, facilities, ministries, and finance.

During that season, I learned several things that got me started working on my business:

  • While churches are pretty unique in their needs, there are very few specialists who understand them and are dedicated to supporting those needs.
  • I felt my unique perspective and skillset would help me come alongside my fellow executive pastors and understand their goals, help build systems to align with those goals, and ultimately give them one less worry by managing their finances.

The executive pastor/director role is often comprehensive in scope and constantly under significant scrutiny while receiving very little support. This motivates me daily to ensure these men and women have a partner in their work they can trust and count on. I've been there. Their success depends on people they can lean on.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

There's no more significant accomplishment or honor we receive than one of our customers recommending us to one of their peers. It's a reminder that we're not only adding value to their organization every week but that we are indeed a partner that supports them achieve their mission.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing about business owners is adapting to change as the organization grows. Being a solopreneur is like being a golfer. You can have a coach and a caddy, but it's on you to sink the put when it all starts.

When the organization grows, you're usually playing doubles tennis. You rely on your partner just as much as yourself. When your team moves to five people, ten people, or beyond, your approach, systems, and contribution have to change.

For me, adapting systems and approaches is the fun part. It's hard to personally adapt, let others manage outcomes, and not be involved in every decision. I'm learning to focus on the one or two things where I add the most value. But it's a slow process.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Start. You may not have complete clarity on what the business looks like in the next few years, but most never even get started.
  2. Everyone is not your customer. Know your customers as well as you know yourself.
  3. If you want the best chance of joy in your career and success with the outcomes, you've got to care about those you work for and with. We're fortunate to have the absolute best people on our team, who make it a joy to do what we do each day. And it's no accident that each of them cares for the clients they work with weekly just as much as I do. The day we start putting our profitability ahead of our people, it's time to close the doors.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.churchcentraloffice.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchcentraloffice/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-s-hightower-cfo-7727721/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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