Let the Spirit Lead: Meet Mike Weisbeck
Anyone who has launched a startup knows the unpredictable and frustrating nature of getting a business off the ground. The twists and turns and ups and downs can steal your peace and drain your patience … unless you surrender it all to the Lord.
Mike Weisbeck, SENT member and co-founder of Amaris Consulting, hopped on the blog to share how entrusting his startup to the guidance of the Holy Spirit has made all the difference.
Take a read:
The Weisbeck family
What inspired Amaris Consulting?
Amaris Consulting is really the brain child of my partner, Caleb Daniels, something he has been developing over the last 3-5 years. Upon understanding the vision, I partnered with him to use my operational strengths to execute the vision and help build the company.
My business partner and I saw an unfilled need in the Dakotas for Merger & Acquisition advising services. This need was evident through our own experiences of running businesses, acquiring businesses, and advising business clients.
What is the mission of Amaris Consulting? What is the biggest challenge you faced in co-founding it?
Amaris Consulting helps clients understand the market value of their business, prepare their business for sale, and then actually transact on their business. This is a pressing issue not only for our current times, as a large wave of Baby Boomers transition out of their businesses, but also in the Dakotas, where we are the FIRST M&A firm.
We are working daily to overcome the “educational” challenge of what M&A advisors and firms actually do. Since we are the first M&A firm in the Dakotas, we are having to do a lot of educating of business owners as well as COIs (Centers of Influence: i.e. CPAs, Financial Advisors, Insurance Agents, Bankers) to help them understand the immense value we provide to clients, the local economy, and in the overall Exit Planning stage of a business owner.
Where have you seen your faith grow as a result of your business? Where have you seen your business grow as a result of your faith?
The M&A space is very “feel and flow” day to day. It has greatly increased my reliance upon the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me. I have to constantly be checking in with Him to see where he is calling me next … which clients, which leads, which projects is He inspiring me to work on? It requires a lot of patience and surrendering of control because you cannot accomplish things by “pushing harder” or trying to force the next steps. It has a process, but it is not always sequential, and is rarely tied to a strict timeline. It has definitely increased my faith in the Lord!
I feel like this whole startup, Amaris Consulting, has required faith. Both my partner and I stepped away from successful paths, letting go of good opportunities to allow God to bless us with this great opportunity. The business has definitely grown over the last 9 months through this faith, throwing ourselves into this business and trusting that God will lead, guide, and bless us. We have gone from the business supporting one of us and a staff member full time, to almost supporting both of us full time.
How have you benefited from the SENT community?
The last two years of SENT have been a great blessing to me personally and professionally. It was my wife who unhesitantly said YES to me entering another year of the SENT Fellowship Cohort. She cited the numerous decisions I had made in the last 12 months and how my SENT strategy sessions had provided key advice and insights EACH time!
I am not only grateful for the role SENT and my cohort members have played in key decisions, but also for the way they constantly challenge my perspective.
What’s your biggest lesson from this journey so far?
My biggest lesson from this Amaris Consulting journey and most of my professional life, is to be OPEN to the movements of the Holy Spirit and to say yes to the random opportunities God places in front of you.
My journey has taken multiple “twists and turns” (including Amaris Consulting) because I never refuse to meet with new people or hear what people have to say. Worst case, I have given 30 - 60 minutes of my time and tell them I am not interested. But many times (discernment needed of course) - my perspective has been challenged/stretched, I have found a new business opportunity, or met a new strategic partner. Be open to the Holy Spirit!
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Did you enjoy reading Mike’s story? Learn more about the SENT community by checking out our membership, following us on social, or reading more posts like this one.
Thank you, Mike, for being on the blog!
