Online Reporter
Dr Grace Musandirire
Building Generational Wealth
There is a powerful story in the Bible about a widow who found herself facing a serious financial crisis. She had debts, and the future looked uncertain. She went to the prophet Elisha seeking help.
Instead of asking her what she needed, Elisha asked her a very different question:
“What do you have in your house?”
She replied that she had nothing, except a little oil.
The prophet told her to go and borrow empty containers from her neighbours, go inside her house, shut the door and begin pouring the oil into the containers. She obeyed.
The little oil she had became the beginning of something much bigger.
The scripture says:
“Elisha replied, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’ ‘Your servant has nothing there at all,’ she said, ‘except a little oil.’” – 2 Kings 4:2 (NIV)
There is a lesson here that goes far beyond the biblical story.
Sometimes we spend so much time looking at what we do not have that we fail to recognise what we already have.
We say, “I don’t have enough money.”
“I don’t have a big shop.”
“I don’t have enough capital.”
“I don’t have enough customers.”
“I don’t have time.”
But perhaps the question we should be asking ourselves is:
What do I already have?
You may have a salary.
You may have a skill.
You may have a small amount of savings.
You may have a kitchen where you can bake.
You may have a phone that can help you market products.
You may have knowledge that someone else is willing to pay for.
You may have a small garden, a sewing machine, a vehicle, a piece of land or even a network of people who trust you.
Your “little oil” may already be in your hands.
This is why everyone should begin thinking about creating multiple streams of income.
And I want to emphasise one word: begin.
Do not wait until you have enough money.
Do not wait until you have the perfect business plan.
Do not wait until everything is in place.
Start small.
A person earning a salary can start by using a skill after work. Someone who knows how to bake can begin with a few orders. Someone who is good at cooking can start selling meals to a handful of customers. Someone who understands accounting, marketing, hairdressing, farming, photography, tutoring or another skill can begin offering that service on a small scale.
The objective is not to become a millionaire overnight.
The objective is to create your first additional income stream.
Once it starts producing money, learn to reinvest.
Your first profit may be small. Do not despise it.
Use part of it to buy more stock. Improve your equipment. Reach more customers. Learn new skills. Strengthen your systems.
That small beginning can grow.
The widow did not have many jars of oil sitting in her house. She had a little oil.
But she used what she had.
That is the message I want to leave with every salaried worker, entrepreneur, young person and parent reading this:
Stop waiting for what you do not have and start working with what you already have.
Your salary can be your first income stream, but it does not have to be your only one.
Your business can be your foundation, but it does not have to remain your only source of revenue.
Your skill can become an income stream.
Your hobby can become a business.
Your knowledge can become a service.
Your small business can become an asset.
Your little beginning can become something much bigger.
The greatest danger is not starting small.
The greatest danger is never starting at all.
If all you have today is a little, start with the little.
If you have one customer, serve that customer well.
If you have one product, sell that product.
If you have one skill, develop it.
If you have a small amount of money, use it wisely.
If you have an idea, test it.
Do not underestimate what can happen when a small beginning is handled with discipline, consistency, prayer and wisdom.
The woman in the Bible was not asked, “How much do you have?”
She was asked, “What do you have in your house?”
Perhaps that is the question we should all be asking ourselves today.
What do I already have that can become the beginning of another income stream?
Your answer may be the beginning of your journey from income to wealth, and eventually from wealth to legacy.
Start with what you have. Start small. But start.
Dr Grace Musandirire
Multi-Award Winner | Business Philanthropist | Generational Wealth Advocate
Founder, Graceland Waters Resort | Founder, Grabster Fisheries | Founder, Mukaba Holdings | Founder, Graceland Environment Centre
Contact: +263 772 391 339
