For the last 7 years, I’ve been a small business owner, operating a sole proprietorship known as Adam Will Abstracting and Research. I’ve done everything from title searches for real estate, to mineral searches and leases for energy companies, to right-of-way acquisitions, to genealogy, to doing public record searches for a former railroad company.
It’s been fun. It’s been enlightening. But it’s been touch and go. And it’s time for something different. See, I wear a lot of different hats:
- Husband
- Father
- Pastor
- Student
- School Board Member
- Insurance Agent
- Business Owner
And for right now, each of those are necessary hats. But I’m not ashamed to say it has been getting too much to handle. I was ready to hang up the researching, but a mentor gave me some wisdom. He said I had built up a network of clients and a reputation as a problem solver, and that we need more people like me. Scary thought, isn’t it?
But as I had been doing some marketing for both my church, my business, and the insurance agency I work at, several people had been asking me for help and advice. So I was faced with a choice: Do I quit and save my sanity or do I embrace an opportunity?
If you know me, I try to balance, so naturally I looked for a way to combine those choices. I plan to both embrace opportunity and retain some sanity. But that would mean a MAJOR change to my business model. I knew I couldn’t do everything, so I decided to focus on what I do well.
So that’s where Next Step Consulting & Research comes in. With a new model and new ideas comes new branding. Next Step is so much more than property research. Of course we’re still going to serve our clients with property searches and title information. But that’s just one of the services we provide.
We really want to help you, your organization, your church, or your small business take the next step towards success.
For some people, that means helping them on the next step of tracing their family tree. For others, that means assisting in a search of public records. But businesses and non-profits in our area have needs of a whole host of services to help them reach the next level. Take social media for example. Most of us understand that social media is a big deal. But most organizations don’t know how to best utilize it. While some companies have a person who is wholly devoted to social media and marketing, for lots of churches and small businesses, it falls through the cracks or simply doesn’t get done.
I believe that the Ohio Valley has HUGE POTENTIAL, economically, socially, and spiritually. And I want to help us reach that potential.
“But Adam, isn’t this going to take you further away from your calling as a Pastor?” Fair question. My answer is no. Make no mistake about it, I believe that small business can help accomplish the Great Commission. Jesus said to “go and make disciples” and what better way to interact with people than in the marketplace? And what better way to help finance the work of the Kingdom than through a small business?
See, the beauty of this new enterprise is that while I may have my name associated with this company, it’s bigger than me. It will be a network of creatives, technicians, marketers, and advisers working together in this gig economy. I’ll be able to bring different stake holders together to see projects happen. I’ll be able to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs, and learn from folks with much more wisdom than I have.
So here’s a few things:
- If you’re a creative, tech person, or have a knack for telling stories, get with me and let’s see what we can do together.
- If you’re a small business owner, whether it’s selling cars, a mom and pop shop, or selling t-shirts you make in your spare time, let’s talk! I can promise you that together we can accomplish more than we could on our own.
- If you don’t fit into either of the above, would you take some time to pray for this venture? At least pray that some of that sanity comes back….
Let’s take the Next Step together!
Adam Will 