You Are Not Ready for AI. Build a Business First

by A Mac August 31, 2025

For Christian businesses and entrepreneurs

A lot of people will be shocked to hear this from me. We own technology companies, including AI and other high end tech. Yet every week I meet Christian founders who want AI while skipping the basics. These are not trends. They have been practiced for centuries and they are aligned with Scripture. They are the foundation of business. No one, in any product, service, or industry, can get real results without them. Master these before you spend one more dollar on AI or any other flashy flavor of the month or year.

AI does not erase these fundamentals. It exposes them. If they are weak, AI multiplies waste, errors, and burn. If they are strong, AI serves your mission and extends your reach. Many people playing in AI right now do not have a business. They have a tool, a script, or a workflow. That is not a company and it is not a ministry.

1) Market and customer clarity under calling

What it is: a precise definition of who God has called you to serve, what outcome they want, the pains that block them, and the triggers that make them buy now. It is Proverbs 27:23 in practice. Know the state of your flock.

How to use it right now:

Write a one page ideal customer profile that includes firmographics, roles, budgets, buying triggers, disqualifiers, and the specific ways your work loves your neighbor.
Create three customer avatars with goals, pains, objections, success criteria, and any faith informed values that shape how they choose.
Draft three jobs to be done statements and pair each with a Kingdom outcome statement. Example: “Help small churches launch online giving” paired with “Increase weekly participation and generosity without pressure.”
Write a single positioning line that names who it is for, the problem you solve, the measurable result, and the redemptive impact.

Why this matters: clarity honors the people you serve. When you can state the top three paid problems, the five most common objections, and the exact buying triggers, everything else gets easier. Messaging sharpens. Targeting tightens. Sales cycles shorten. Waste disappears.

2) A differentiated offer and honest pricing that customers understand in one read

What it is: a packaged solution with a clear promise, scope, timeline, and price that maps to value delivered. It is Matthew 5:37 in business. Let your yes be yes.

How to use it right now:

Pick one core offer, one upsell, and one downsell. For each, list deliverables, timeline, outcomes, and what is not included.
Set price tiers that reflect value, not hype. Consider a risk reversal that fits your ethics, such as milestone based refunds or month to month starts.
Build one proof asset per offer. Use short case studies with before and after metrics and real names where permitted.
Publish a single offer page that states promise, proof, price, and next step in plain language. No gimmicks.

Why this matters: confused buyers do not buy. A crisp, truthful offer removes friction, anchors value, and protects margin without endless custom work. It builds trust, which is a testimony.

3) A repeatable distribution and sales system marked by truth and respect

What it is: a consistent way to create pipeline, qualify, run discovery, propose, negotiate, and close with clear stages and targets. It is Colossians 4:5-6 in motion. Walk in wisdom and let your speech be gracious.

How to use it right now:

Choose one dominant channel to own. Examples include outbound to a tight list, partner referrals through ministries and associations, or a focused content engine that teaches rather than teases.
Define your funnel stages with exit criteria. Lead, qualified, discovery, proposal, committed, closed.
Build a short sales playbook. Discovery questions, demo outline, proposal template, and a mutual action plan that clarifies responsibilities on both sides.
Set a weekly operating cadence. Pipeline review, forecast review, deal strategy, and lost deal post mortems that look for truth, not excuses.

Why this matters: a single reliable channel that feeds a defined process creates predictability. Predictability funds growth, hiring, and generosity. It also shows exactly where to improve without thrashing.

4) Reliable delivery and retention as service unto the Lord

What it is: the ability to deliver exactly what you sold, on time, with measured quality, and to renew or expand without heroics. It is Colossians 3:23. Work heartily, as for the Lord.

How to use it right now:

Map the delivery journey from kickoff to handoff to support. Add checklists and quality gates.
Define time to first value for each offer and put it on the kickoff plan so customers see early wins.
Create an onboarding template that sets expectations, success metrics, communication rhythms, and executive check ins.
Add a simple customer health score with green, yellow, red and playbooks for each state. Pray for wisdom. Act with urgency.

Why this matters: repeat business and referrals make customer acquisition cheaper over time. You protect margin, reduce churn, and free leaders from firefighting. A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches.

5) Financial discipline and unit economics as stewardship

What it is: command of cash, margin, and payback so you can scale with control. It is Luke 14:28 and Proverbs 21:5. Count the cost. Plan with diligence.

How to use it right now:

Build a 12 month model with revenue, cost of goods, gross margin, operating expenses, and cash flow.
Calculate unit economics per offer. Average deal size, gross margin per deal, customer acquisition cost, payback period, and lifetime value.
Set pricing guardrails and discount approval rules. Use prepayment or milestone billing. Avoid terms that create cash strain you cannot carry.
Run a rolling 13 week cash forecast and a monthly close with budget versus actuals. Decide in advance how generosity, benevolence, and missions giving fit your plan.

Why this matters: growth without unit economics is gambling with what God entrusted to you. When your numbers are clear, you can decide what to fund, when to hire, and how fast to expand without risking the whole business or your witness.

In Closing

Only when these five are working and bulletproof should you consider AI. At that point AI helps because you have clean offers, clean processes, and clean data to amplify in service of your calling. Without this foundation, AI just makes the chaos faster.

Do this next

Pick one product or service and run it through all five fundamentals. Fix any gap before moving on.
Cut or pause offers that miss margin or delivery standards. Focus on the strongest unit economics and the clearest service to people.
Strengthen the dominant channel before adding a second one. Choose the channel that best matches your audience and your testimony.
Write and hold a four week operating cadence. Pipeline review, delivery review, finance review, and customer health review. Open and close each meeting in prayer for wisdom and integrity.