How A Consultant Grew Multiple Companies By Listening More, Systemizing Wisely, And Letting God Lead

What if the path to a stronger business is less hustle and more silence? We sit down with consultant and multi-company founder Sandy Maul to unpack how she built several thriving organizations—serving banks, credit unions, and small businesses—while cutting her workweek and multiplying impact. Sandy shares the pivotal “two-by-four” moment when a job loss cleared the way for a calling, and how listening first reshaped everything from hiring to strategy.

You’ll hear why she ditched the traditional growth playbook and scaled with a nationwide contractor network, remote operations, and rigorous processes that make delegation almost unnecessary. We dig into the operating habits that keep her focused: turning off notifications, batching communication, selecting three priorities each morning, and using tools as tools. The result is a business that runs on clarity, not chaos, where the owner doesn’t have to be everywhere for progress to happen.

We also explore stewardship and money through a different lens. Instead of chasing arbitrary revenue goals, Sandy asks, what’s the purpose of each dollar? That question informs budgets, giving, and investment—and invites surprising provision. From humility checklists to leadership lessons found in Scripture, the conversation shows how timeless principles translate into modern performance: better decisions, cleaner systems, and sustainable growth without burnout.

If you’re craving peace, purpose, and practical steps to work less while achieving more, this story offers a blueprint you can start using today. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review with one change you’ll make this week—what will you remove to make room for what matters?

Say goodbye to overwhelm and self-doubt, and hello to confidence and success. Join the Faith Filled Coaching family today and step into the abundant future you've always envisioned.
Visit FaithFilledCoach.com to schedule your free 30-minute consultation. Let's make your business dreams a reality, together.

Transcript

Meet Sandy Maul And Her Mission

Tammy Hershberger 0:01

Welcome to the Light of Your Business Podcast, the show where we dive deep into the world of small businesses. I'm your Tammy Hershberger, and each episode will bring you inspiring stories, expert insights, and practical tips to help your small business thrive. Whether you're an entrepreneur just starting out or a seasoned business owner, this podcast is your go-to source for success in the small business world. Let's get started. Hi everyone, welcome back to Light Up Your Business Podcast. Today my special guest is Sandy Mall, and she leads Advanced Business Solutions, which is a consulting and service organization based in Paola, Kansas. Her company focuses on assisting financial institutions and small to mid-sized businesses with operational and strategic business solutions. Beyond her own firm, Ms. Maul works with executives nationally in an advisory capacity, particularly around strategic planning initiatives and executive management. She also has uh she's also the director of Landmark Bancorp. And in her role there, she contributes to governance oversight and participates in keyboard committees, including audits and nominee and governance, leveraging her industry experience. Based on her career focus, she has deep insights into small business challenges and solutions, especially in financial management, strategic growth planning, and organizational leadership. She's also the co-founder of PATH, a nonprofit serving Miami County communities in Kansas and supporting veterans across the U.S. Details of PATH include community service programs through specific initiatives that may require direct nonprofit documentation for deeper insight. Her philosophy around productivity and intentional leadership, I believe, will be a huge asset for everyone listening today. And for everyone that's on my podcast meeting you for the first time, how would you describe what you do and why you do it?

Sandy Moll 1:53

Well, my husband and I own a few companies, and why we do it is we're very passionate about a few things. One is serving others, and two is being good stewards of what God has given us, and that means taking some of the talents that we believe he's given us, and and we have found out that we were wrong on those a few times, um, and using them to serve others and also make sure we're being good stewards of the financial pieces he has given us. It's pretty easy. We just want to please God.

Tammy Hershberger 2:28

Yeah. And can you elaborate a little bit more on the serve others?

Sandy Moll 2:32

You know, we we have a consulting company, and one of our businesses is one, we have a real estate investment company, so we provide affordable quality housing for tenants, and we work with those tenants sometimes to rebuild credit, um, to just make sure that they're they're getting where they want to get. Um and then we also have a couple other companies that are more in the coaching line and or um helping others improve their finances.

Tammy Hershberger 3:03

And can you tell me? So those are in very different wheelhouses. How does that how do you manage all of that?

Serving Through Multiple Companies

Sandy Moll 3:10

Well, they are in very different wheelhouses. And my husband and I learned a few uh quite a quite a few years ago that we seem to operate best when we can move around to different wheelhouses with the intent of just serving. Um, and and some of our companies kind of do overlap and feed the other companies. And so ironically, some of them do overlap, but you would look at them and go, hmm, how do they overlap? Like the consulting company, we primarily serve banks and credit unions and small businesses, but periodically we have a financial service client that for some reason they can't help their client. Um, and they'll they'll call us and say, hey, we you know we can't make this loan because of this internal reason, but these are good people. Well, then we may roll them into our capital company and either help them figure out their finances, which is part of our coaching company, or we may may just make them the loan, which is part of our capital company. Um so in our real estate investment company kind of feeds sometimes into our capital company by helping and mentoring others get into that, get into the real estate investment world. Um, and sometimes that also means help coaching them on how to package a loan if they're gonna go request request one from a bank. So it sometimes also feeds into our bank and finance company, uh financial service consulting company. So they they are different, but they we always are looking at opportunities to how they can we can serve in a bigger way, and sometimes that does mean that they overlap. Does that make sense?

Tammy Hershberger 4:49

Yeah, that makes total sense. I mean, and it does kind of intertwine with each other by helping, you know, these different parts are all helping each other kind of supporting one company. How did you get started in all of this?

Sandy Moll 5:01

You know, we've we've done a few other things and we've sold a few companies, and we were big believers that my husband and I, especially as we've gotten older, we do a better job at this, of spending really spending time in silence and asking God, what do you want us to do? And when an opportunity comes to us, we may think it's one thing, but we'll take some time and take a step back and go, okay, Lord, is this really what you want us to do? And and we just wait on Him to show us. And we did that when the capital company started, and we just said, okay, we've got these people coming for the need. Is this what you want us to do? And the next day we got another inquiry. And we're like, okay, I guess that's a sign that yes, this is what you want us to do. So it's really just refining our ability to ask God and then wait on him and really listen and realize sometimes what we think we hear isn't probably what we really did hear. And then we have to take a step back and go, okay, Lord, we thought this is what you want, but can you give us some clarity? And he'll always provide if you ask and wait on him. His time frame is not always ours.

Tammy Hershberger 6:19

Yeah, I love that. Um okay, so tell me this. So looking back at all that, you have all these different companies, and I I run a few companies myself, but not as many as you're doing. So, how are you handling? I mean, you must have a bunch of really good people under you. Is that how you kind of manage it all? Because obviously you can't be full-time everywhere. So, can you kind of give my audience you know a scoop into what that looks like?

Systems, Automation, And Working Less

Sandy Moll 6:39

The I'll kind of take it in order. Sure. Um, the consulting company is where I that that we work with banks, credit unions, and small and medium businesses is probably where I spend the majority of my time. But we've spent a lot of time on putting really good um operating procedures in place. And now it's to the point where it totally can run without me. Um the real estate investment company, we we automated or put systems in place. Sometimes it's not using technology, sometimes it's just putting different procedures in place for our tenants. Um, but it I only spend maybe five hours a month at the most on that company. Um, the capital company, it's very automated too, not always with technology, sometimes it's just processes. And I spent probably spend maybe two hours a week on that one. So it's really taking a step back and putting the right processes and procedures in place. And to be honest, I was on a podcast a few months ago, and the the gentleman who was interviewing me said, Sandy, I heard from a friend of yours that you try to spend a lot of time in silence. And I said, if I could give any entrepreneur the best advice ever, and that's spend more time seeking God than anything else, because he really does the heavy lifting if you let him. But he he may wait and say, Hey, you're you're working yourself to the bone here when I could make this easier on you, but I need to wait and let you acknowledge that. And you know, I I work maybe 30 hours a week, probably closer to 20, and that covers all of our businesses. Um, and and I've intentionally focused more on spending that quiet time with with God and more time really just seeking what he wants me to do, and he has done all of the heavy lifting. Now, there are times that I I feel like I'm being refined, and he's I I feel like I'm being stretched a little bit, but now is actually a time. We're doing a fairly large initiative in one of the companies, then, and I'm really not sure what I'm supposed to be doing. And so, yeah, I blocked some time out tomorrow to just sit and go, okay, Lord, give me direction. Tell me what I'm supposed to do here. And as soon as I block that time out, I felt this peace in my heart, but I also felt this, well, this is what I need you to do. And I was like, Oh, he was just waiting for me to ask.

Tammy Hershberger 9:15

And isn't it interesting when you actually give that time to the Lord to listen and you know spend time with him, how he directs your path and then he makes that so much more fruitful than you just, you know, thinking you've got to do all these tasks that maybe are not as important. I love that. Yeah, yeah.

Faith First: Silence, Discernment, Direction

Sandy Moll 9:30

I I um had somebody ask, because I'm a big reader, and they asked, Well, what books do you read? You probably read all these time management and all these business books. I'm like, um, well, actually, I I read like slowing down to the speed of joy, and I read Rhythm of Life. I I do read, like right now, I'm reading a book on economics, and I'm reading another one on AI, and I'm reading The Snowball, which is a book about Warren Buffett. Um, but I I don't necessarily read some of the books people think I do, um, because my my wisdom is really coming through God. And if He brings the book to me, I mean, I'll even say, okay, Lord, is this the book I'm supposed to be reading right now? And sometimes I'll wait. And if it shows up someplace, I go, okay, yeah, this is the book I'm supposed to be reading. It truly is learning, and I've it's taken me many years to refine this. Really, truly is learning to taking that step where everything is a partnership with God.

Tammy Hershberger 10:34

And so tell me this. As far as leadership, I have to believe that that all is stemming from your faith as well. But can you tell me kind of like what has shaped you to lead the way you do today with all these different companies and these different people?

Sandy Moll 10:48

Um giving my entire life to God.

Tammy Hershberger 10:51

Yeah.

Sandy Moll 10:51

It's it's pretty simple. It's like, you know, if it if it's in line with what I believe Jesus would have led with, then it fits. And I'm I'm far from perfect. I I was in a meeting last week, and I walked by that meeting and thought I was not what I think God wanted me to be during that meeting. Um and and it it's I spend a lot of time really praying on it and thinking about it and thinking why. And there was a few times that I went, yep, my ego jumped in and you know, ego stands for edging got out. And it was very apparent that I was I was not where I needed to be at that time.

Tammy Hershberger 11:32

I like that. I've never I've never heard that abbreviation of ego. That's actually really good.

Sandy Moll 11:37

Yeah. I I you know, humility is is something I try to work on all the time. And I even have I even have these little cheat sheets on the home screen of my phone that I read every day. It's your daily humility checklist that I put together. And one of the one of the things is identifying, you know, when your ego steps in and why it does. And that's a hard one, I think, for all of us. Um, or maybe it's not, maybe it's just me, but you know, it's noticing when your ego shows up and why. Why does it show up then? And the older I've gotten and the more I practice that, the more I can identify it pretty quickly, and I try to correct it in the moment, but it's still hard.

Tammy Hershberger 12:28

And tell me, um kind of going down that same path as far as leadership, and you know, obviously you've learned a lot. What do you think is the biggest lesson that you've learned in leadership since you've, you know, started all these ventures?

Sandy Moll 12:42

To speak less and listen more and really put yourself in the other people's shoes. Um, that's one. It's probably not the biggest. The biggest probably is to take it all to God. And it's funny because it's the that's the biggest. And through that, I've learned a lot of lessons. Like, you know, the old adage that God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason. Yeah. Yeah. You need to listen more and not speak so much. Um, and really, really think about the people part and put your mo, your focus more on the serving of the people, wherever and however that is, and less on the making of money. Um, because God does provide the heavy lifting and he'll make sure that those green thank you notes come in. He he gives you everything you need. And sometimes we think we need more money than we do. Or I'm a big believer, sometimes entrepreneurs do this all the time. They say, Well, I want to hit this number. Well, why? What are you gonna do with that number? Well, what do you mean why am I doing with that number? I said, Well, everything needs to have a place. So let's talk about what that number means.

Leadership, Ego Checks, And Humility

Tammy Hershberger 13:58

Okay, let's talk about numbers for a second. That's a perfect lead into my next question. So, yeah, because I mean we set these goals and we have these numbers, and in business, you think it's just numbers, numbers, numbers. But now, can we talk about like you had gone through a pretty large financial loss, right? Could you kind of give us a little synopsis of that and how you manage to make it through that professionally and personally?

Sandy Moll 14:18

Yeah, it it's it's a long, it's not a long story, but it's a you know, sometimes I believe I believe in the adage that God will whisper to you, and then if you don't listen to the whipper whispers, he'll give you a roar. If you don't listen to his roar, then he does hit you with a two by four. And my husband and I were both in jobs that we we were just there because it was good money. We weren't passionate about it, we didn't feel like we were aligned with what we were supposed to do, but and we knew we probably didn't want to be there, but we had kids at home, we had bills to pay, we'd we'd made this great life. It it wasn't so focused on what it should have been. And the comp the company sold. My husband and I knew that we wouldn't be kept. We were there 30 days and both lost our job on the same day, along with a big chunk of our retirement. Oh wow. And I remember we came home, and luckily we had already kind of started, we owned some rental properties at the time. We'd already kind of started that. So we had some income coming in. And I remember our kids were a little worried. And I remember we, Dave and I were not worried at all. It's like, you know, God had God God closed this door because he has something bigger and better for us. And we don't know what that looks like, but we're not worried because we trust him. And we I remember we looked at each other and went, you know what? This we we didn't listen to his whisper, we didn't listen to his roar, and this is a two by four. And we just basically at that point said, All right, Lord, we don't know what the future is gonna hold, but we know you're partnering with us on it. So we're just gonna be patient. And the next day we started getting calls, and one of our companies was built from that. And that was 20 years ago. And it's it it what we learned was to pay attention to the whispers because you never want to get to the two by four section. Um, and if you get to the roar, then you really need to slow down because that two by four is next. And it's only because God loves us that He does that. So I think the biggest thing that we learned was slow down and listen. And how we got through it was truly by our faith.

Tammy Hershberger 16:51

And I would say at that point, because I I mean I know people that go through things, I've been through things, and it's like for me, I didn't lose my faith during those times because I had such a strong foundation, and I have to assume you as well had that strong foundation, which is why it didn't really shake you.

Sandy Moll 17:05

Right. Yeah, the foundation was there, but we weren't walking in the foundation of trusting that, you know, if if we would have been truly walking what I think he wanted us to walk, we would have both left our jobs two years earlier. And I think when we didn't, and and he had something so much better for us, then it was the point of we thought we were walking our faith, but we we really weren't.

Tammy Hershberger 17:39

Yeah, that's a hard revelation to hit when you like even myself, I stayed in a business too long and it just got worse and worse with my my business partner. But and I think back and I'm like, man, it would have been so much cleaner if I had kind of left when I started to feel the nudge instead of thinking I can fix it myself, you know, instead of letting God take care of it.

The Two-by-Four: Job Loss To Calling

Sandy Moll 17:56

So you were getting the whispers, and you you probably you probably at least left when you got the roar, and you probably didn't at least wait for the two by four.

Tammy Hershberger 18:04

Oh no, I just a big fat two by four upside my head. Uh it was way ugly. Yeah. And because I'm stubborn. So if anyone is listening, don't get that far. You don't have to. Yeah.

Sandy Moll 18:15

So tell me about when you got into your next company.

Tammy Hershberger 18:20

Was that kind of the purpose that you feel like you or your chat like the where God wanted you to be? Is that kind of what I'm understanding as the next thing was that business you started?

Sandy Moll 18:29

Well, I think it was the catalyst um for a lot of other things. Um, and I think it was God showing me that I had gifts to serve. And and I do think that different seasons of your life and when you get refined in different ways, God changes what he how he wants to use you or to partner with you. And I I think it was because even the first few years of the business, I still, I mean, I listened to everybody. I listened to every business owner that I thought had what I wanted. I listened to, I mean, I I was listening to everybody because I thought God wants me to seek wise counsel. God wants me to seek wise counsel. We had already started other businesses and we're doing okay. And so a few years into the business, Dave looks at me, he goes, You hate what you're doing. And I said, I hate how I'm doing it. I don't hate what I'm doing. And he goes, Well, why are you doing it that way? And I said, Well, because that's what everybody tells me I should. And as soon as those words came out of my mouth, I went, Oh my gosh, I am seeking wise counsel, but I'm not seeking the wisest counsel on the high, on the how. And that's God. So I remember sitting for two days and just saying, Lord, this is what feels right. And we completely changed our business model. And we had people think we were nuts. I had many people say you're never gonna last. And but I Started feeling I started feeling peace and I started having fun. And that was almost 20 years ago, and we're a multi-million dollar company now.

Tammy Hershberger 20:08

That's fantastic. Can you can you elaborate a little bit more on what that meant or what that looked like to change that from what because you were saying you hated the way you were doing it because that's what everybody else was telling you to do? So what did you have to kind of shift to make it more what you you know what was for you?

Sandy Moll 20:22

Well, and I'm gonna keep it simple for my benefit, not for the listeners, but for my benefit. But you know, one of the things that everybody says is, oh, you need this big elaborate business plan. And so I wrote a business plan. Even though I wasn't gonna borrow any money to do it because the business didn't really need capital, it was a service business. So I wrote this business plan and I was looking at employees and I was you know trying to figure out how to keep everybody busy, but that's not what felt good. What felt good was burning the business plan and using independent contractors totally for the business. And so we we switched, and we to this day, 20 years later, I've given some ownership in that company to six other people because they helped me grow it. And we still use hundreds of independent contractors all over the U.S. We still to this day do not have employees.

Tammy Hershberger 21:18

So you really simplified it basically and made it that's that's I love that.

Burning The Plan: Contractors Over Employees

Sandy Moll 21:23

Yeah. We Dave and I owned a small company and we had employees in that company. And it it I was always feeling like I wasn't serving them fully, even though they seemed to be happy and they were getting paid decent. I always felt like I need to keep them busy or I need to do this or I need to do that. When the reality was, when I sat down and talked to some of them, they just wanted to live life on their terms. And so it's like that's really all we want to do is we all want to serve each other and we want to feel valued. And so we we completely changed. And yeah, still to this day, and I had people for many years say, Well, you can't operate a business. I mean, I had I had a somebody come up and say, Well, you can't do that, you can't business job because you don't have enough employees. I said, Well, how do you know that? And he goes, Well, I you don't even have a website. And I said, So you have to have a website to be able to make money if you're not a if you're not. He goes, Well, how many employees do you have? And I said, Well, you're right about one thing. We have no employees, but I can pull from almost 400 people to do this job. And he looked at me and goes, Well, how do you do that? And so I explained it to him. He goes, Oh, that's brilliant. Now, I will say, COVID, COVID brought a lot of people into my world because COVID, a lot of people over the years have started using more independent contractors, and more people are starting to do what they call gig work. And so I I was getting cont, and we've been a remote operated company since day one. So we all work from our homes or we're at our clients, which gig work or independent contractors and 100% remote 20 years ago was unheard of. Yeah, absolutely. And so, you know, I I laugh because now our business model is not unusual, but 20 years ago it was. And I I I have to chuckle sometimes when I'm having my conversations with God. It's like, Dad, you always know what's down the road. And I'm sorry I I wasn't I wasn't running fast enough to catch up with you, but you know, he put me in a place that allowed me to to be a little bit of the head of the curve on some things. And I'm very thankful every day for that. And I get the I get blessed to work with some amazing people. Um and it's life is just good, but it took me really listening to God. I still to this day seek wise counsel, but I never use that counsel without checking in with God.

Tammy Hershberger 24:08

Yeah, I think that's I mean, that's super amazing. I really like that because it's like, I mean, there's so many books out there you can read. And I actually was talking to someone recently about leadership, and there's so many leadership books, and they were telling, they were reminding me like if you, I mean, obviously whatever, but it's like you get in the Bible, there's so much stuff in there about being a good leader, being a good, you know, family member, good husband, good wife, whatever, and how to run your business and be a good steward of money. And it's all really in there if you just get into it. Yeah, and so we were talking about um leadership and getting into the Bible and how everything's in there. So I mean, really, that's what you're saying here is that if you just get into the Bible and get into what God's telling you, you can avoid all this other stuff.

Sandy Moll 24:51

A hundred percent. You know what? I would have saved thousands, I don't think millions, but thousands of dollars buying on on book purchases if I would have just listened and just went back and just really worn my Bible pages out. Yeah. And also, and also went to the library. You know, that's something I switch into is going to the library now. It's like, okay, being a good student, I love books and I love the feel of books. Um, and I I like, I mean, I I just love to read. And there is, you're right, leadership books. There, there's people that have made millions on leadership books, and I think that's great. But the best leadership book is the Bible. And I I have a my it kind of drives my husband a little bit nuts, I think, because I I now use the Bible app, and I love it because you can change the versions of Bible you're reading. Yes. So so I'll I'll read a scripture and then I'll change the version, and then I'll change the version again. Because I mean the Bible is really just interpreted. So it was interpreted by man. And and then I'll just kind of sit and say, okay, Lord, I I I need some make sure I'm clear on what you're meaning here. And we'll have a guy may I'll have a conversation about it. And it's it is you're use your spot on. It is the best leadership book ever.

Tammy Hershberger 26:19

Um, can you tell me this? So, because I myself, you know, I got kind of trapped in the hustle culture, and I know you've talked about this on some other uh podcast stuff you've done, but I guess for me, because I was in a service business, I've owned different businesses. I have a shed company, I also had a window cleaning business, which is the one I ended up leaving. But in that group that I was in, it's a lot of men, and they it's all hustle, push harder, go faster, you know, and it's such an opposite of what you're talking about. And I know the the truth is in what you're saying because that burned me out big time trying to just keep up with all that. So, can you talk to me about that more as far as you know, you're you're putting in these minimal hours for as many companies as you're running? Do you have any other tips for people besides what you've already said about how we can kind of attack your business without having to just put more hours in?

Bible As The Best Leadership Playbook

Sandy Moll 27:04

I think the first step truly is spending time in silence with God. That's step one. And the first time I I I was coaching a young lady and she goes, Sandy, but how do I do that? What do I ask? I said, It's okay if you just sit there and say, Lord, I don't even know how to do this, but I just want to spend more time with you and just get in the habit. It may be three minutes the first day, five minutes the second day. You know, I can do it for 60 minutes easy now, and I could probably do it all day if I could. Um, I think that is step one. And then you don't worry about, you know, I I'm a to-do list person, so yes, I have a to-do list, but every morning it's like, Lord, what if what's the three things you want me to focus on today? And what is so funny to me, it's kind of become a little bit of a game to me, is I'll look at my to-do list, and I'd say 95 plus percent of the time, either all three or two of those three things are on my to-do list. And so it's like, all right, he's he's now bubbling these to the top, and that's what I need to work on. And if you really listen and do what he's directing you to do, the ref just falls into place. It's I don't know how it does, I just know it does. But I will tell you, if you're constantly worried about money, then the first thing I would pray on is, Lord, I turn all my finances over to you. And you have to really start getting in the habit of because I think most business people they are worried about money. I mean, that's unfortunately that's what drives most of us. And until you realize you're in a partnership with him, and all that money and everything is really his, he'll give you everything you need. I doubt there's very many people that listen to your podcast that have gone for months without food. And the reality is we get what we need. Sometimes we don't get what we want, but that's okay because it's probably best we always don't we don't always get what we want. Like I really wanted a hot fudge Sunday today. But but I realized, you know what, that's a short-term want, and it's not what's best for my body at this time. And I had a little bit of a conversation with God about that, and in minutes I didn't want the hot fudge Sunday anymore. So I think it truly the the biggest piece is very simple. It's turning it over to God and spending time with him, but it's I shouldn't say it's well, it is a simple concept, but it is not easy because the human human part of us will come in and the fear comes in. And then you have to turn the fear over to him. I I remember going through a period where I was I was worried about a lot of things, and I just kept turning everything over to him and saying, I don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I'm turning it over to you. And I went for a walk one day. And you know, you just it it's it's not easy, but it's simple.

Tammy Hershberger 30:14

And can we dig into the stewardship for the money side? Because I that is one of the biggest things I talk to uh most people about and it's financials, you know. Obviously, whether you're starting out, you don't have money, you're growing, it takes money, you know, all that stuff. And so can you tell me for anyone listening, for you even, or however you want to go with that, stewarding money for your business, how is that different than you just doing what you want with it?

Escaping Hustle Culture With Focus

Sandy Moll 30:35

Well, because I believe you get things that you need when you identify what it's for. So we as a culture sometimes will go buy things we really don't have the need or we we don't know what for. You know, maybe we go out and buy a new pair of shoes and we really didn't have anything to wear that goes with these shoes. But they were cute shoes. So we bought them. But now they're sitting in your closet because you don't have anything they go with. I think it's real important to sit down and identify if you get a million dollars or if your revenue hits, maybe your revenue hits 50,000 this year, and that's a big thing for you, that's okay. But why is that important to what is the intent of that? Are you going to make a big donation? Are you going to serve others? Do you want to invest it so that you have more in retirement and be a steward? I I think one of the things we all do poorly, at least I'm speaking for myself, is we don't identify the purpose for our money. And several times in the Bible you can interpret that God always wants us to see the purpose. Sometimes we don't, but why would money be any different? So if you if you're just going after money for money's sake, I I think you're probably chasing the wrong thing. But if you say, all right, I want our revenue to hit 2 million this year, or our net income to hit 1 million this year, why? What what's the purpose? Well, if our net income hits this, that means I can do this, this, and this. And then you have to check and say, all right, is what I'm intending to do with that money in line with what God wants me to do? You know, my husband and I made a a pretty substantial donation to a charity that we we give to, and we they needed some extra funds at the end of the year. And it was a big, it was a big chunk for us. I mean, a very big chunk. And it my first gut was, oh crap, we just we just we didn't allocate that, we don't have it, and we did a lot of praying on Lord. We we have money set aside, we always allocate so much for giving, but this this is out of the ordinary. And it was out of the ordinary. But within a couple of days, all of a sudden money started coming in that we're like, okay, God, we we had money that we had allocated for things. You brought this need to us, then you also brought the provision to us. He will provide what he knows you need or what he he wants you to do. But if you don't have a plan, I mean, it talks about planning a lot in the Bible, it talks about provision a lot in the Bible. I mean, he provided manna for the Israelites when they were complaining they were hungry. You know, he will provide the provision and he and he wants to be a partner with you in the plan. So I think one of the biggest things is people go down and they say, All right, I'm gonna do all this financial planning. Well, what's what's your purpose for God in that financial plan? And it could be like, you know what, I want to make sure I can retire when I'm 65, and this is how I want to live, and I want to take my husband on a world trip, but I'm gonna make sure I invest the money wisely. The parable of the talents is a great example. You know, it could be that simple, but put a purpose to your financial plan and pray on it. It's again, it's a simple concept, but not always easy.

Tammy Hershberger 34:38

Well, and I feel like that's kind of where like I talk to business owners, and surprisingly, a lot of them don't even have a budget, which is sad. And but it's like they get this basket full of money and then there's a hole at the bottom and it just drains out and they can't figure out what's going on. And I found even myself when I years and years ago, when I partnered my business with the Lord, and he just he always surprises me, man. It's like I I always kind of we set these goals for giving for the business every year, and we try to exceed them, and every year it happens, and it's because God is so faithful with his word is true. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, the but the first part is you have to start reading his word. That's true. Yeah, renew your mind. So tell me this. So as a business owner yourself, what do you think keeps most business owners stuck in that survival mode, whether it's financial or just stress or like I don't know, whatever's keeping them there? Do you have any like tips on how to help get them out of that? I mean, obviously you've gave tons of good nuggets about the Lord already, but I think I think in today's world, there's so much noise.

Stewarding Money With Clear Purpose

Sandy Moll 35:40

And I think the noise restricts people. Um it's kind of like we're all in Times Square, New Year's Eve, and there's just noise all around us. And I don't know how anybody can take proactive, positive, peaceful action in that noise. So again, I go back to quiet time with God and spending more time with the quiet time with God and less time with the noise. You know, I I have this rule. I don't have my ringer on my cell phone, I don't have my notifications on for anything on my cell phone. And that's because my cell phone is a tool. And it it needs to be as a tool, it needs to work how it supports me and how I'm serving God. So, yes, my phone is face up on my desk when I'm working. It light, you know, it lights up if somebody calls me, I look. If I'm not in a meeting, I'll look. If it's my family members, I'll answer it. If it's not a family member, I don't answer it. And and we do have a communication with the family that if they only call me during times they know I'm working, if it's an emergency, one of our daughters actually works for us. So, you know, sometimes she'll call and it's work-related, but she usually sends me an email or something first. Um, I check my text two or three times a day at the most. And I only check my emails two or three times a day at the most. I use the tools as tools, which gets rid of the clutter and the noise. And ironically, somebody made the comment: your inbox is clean every night. Yes, my inbox and my email is clean every night, but I'm not in my email 24-7. And again, God, God is taking care of getting rid of the noise because he knows that's what I need, and I'm allowing him to do it. I'm not controlling it. So I think one of the best things is just getting away from the noise. And if you get away from the noise, you'll find you're in a much more peaceful place. And we all make decisions better when we're at peace.

Tammy Hershberger 38:06

Yeah, it sounds like um distractions and busyness is what's is destroying most of our, well, it's destroying our peace, it's destroying our mental ability to get things done that are productive. Because I talk to people and they're like, oh, we're just so busy, and I'm like, well, what are you exactly doing? And there's a lot of things that are busy work that are not really moving the needle for their business. And I like that you're bringing that out because that's I mean, well, one, when you don't have any quiet time, you can't even hear your own thoughts, let alone God talking to you. But yeah, yeah.

Sandy Moll 38:34

And the reality is we all get stuck in that busyness. And and that's when I started several years ago. You know, yeah, if something comes up and I think, man, I should do that. I put it on my to-do list. But I but I really don't do it until I talk to God. And if we if we focus more on what he wants us to focus on, the busyness is gone. Because he directs you and he directs your steps to what is going to move the needle that he wants to move with you. And I will tell you, that's very that's that's not easy again. It's very hard. And a lot of people I talk to say, well, but I have all these things I have to do. I said, Well, why do you have to do them? Just turn them all over to God and say, God, there's this huge 200 to-do list, and I don't even know where to start. So I'm giving it to you, and I'm gonna sit here for five or ten minutes, and I know you're gonna tell me what to do. And yeah, the it's it's a hard thing when you first start, but it doesn't take long till it becomes very easy, very peaceful, and you will you will start being able to work a lot fewer hours. I'm I'm living proof of that. My needle moves every day, and every day I work fewer hours. And it's because God is doing the heavy lifting.

Tammy Hershberger 39:57

And I would imagine you have a team of people. Help you as well for as the company, you know, some of my company people are really small, some are growing. The delegation probably is a huge part for you as well, like delegating the stuff that you don't really need to be doing.

Sandy Moll 40:10

I've gotten to the point where I don't even have to do that. Oh, really? You know, yeah. Advanced business solutions, we've got processes in place where everybody knows what they're supposed to be doing. I mean, it there's not really a lot of delegation. The other companies, it it's it, we've gotten to the point where it kind of runs on their own. Um, matter of fact, one of my coaching, because I still I actually still do a little bit of coaching, and one of the clients emailed me and said, I need help delegating. I said, why? And he goes, What do you mean, why? I need to get stuff off my plate. I said, So first ask God if it needs to go off your plate, and if so, how? And so the reality is it wasn't something needed to come off his plate, it was a process they needed to implement, so it never made it to his plate.

Tammy Hershberger 41:01

That's a good point.

Sandy Moll 41:02

Because a lot of times, a lot of times business owners have stuff on their plate where if they had a process in place, it it really would never make it to their plate.

Cutting Noise: Tools, Boundaries, Peace

Tammy Hershberger 41:15

So tell me this. So um, what's a small step that people today can take that will help to kind of get that clarity and the freedom they need to have the life that you're living? Because it sounds pretty amazing to me.

Sandy Moll 41:27

I I I go back to sitting in silence with God. Yeah. That is the number one thing. And if that's all anybody gets out of this, and if it's the only thing they try, their life will be changed in marvelous ways.

Tammy Hershberger 41:44

And my last question for you is I mean, I kind of already know your answer, I think, but how would you define success in this crazy world we live in?

Sandy Moll 41:53

And and I think that's a great question. I actually think that's a question we all need to ask ourselves. Because as I've gotten older, success looks different to me than it did 20 or 30 years ago. It looks different to me than it did two years ago. You know, success to me today is living in peace, which has been something that is a catapult for success for many years for me. But it's spending time with my family and being able to listen to them. And it's being able to serve God in the way I I know He wants me to serve, and it's spending more time with God. You know, if you'd have asked me that question 20 years ago, it would have been a much different answer. Wouldn't have been bad. It's just different. And I think that's a question we all have to ask ourselves really every day. I mean, it it is a question in the morning. I say, God, what is what do you want me to do today? And what does success look like for me today? And how does it look like how do you want me to make it look today? It's a question you can't stop asking yourself, in my opinion. But it's different for everybody. Um, you know, I I I have a blessed life, an amazing life. Will I ever be a billionaire? No, because money is not that important to me, which I find amazing. When I started focusing so much less on money, it started multiplying in my hands. And that's because God realized I was taking care of what he was giving me, monetarily, physically, people-wise, everything I was focusing on serving him and being a good steward of what he has partnered with me to do. But success, that's an excellent question that I think everybody needs to ask themselves at least once a year, if not more often. And you need the best time to answer that is when you spend some time in silence, away from all the noise.

Tammy Hershberger 43:51

Yeah, I love that. Especially with the new year clicking over like it has, it's a great time to reassess like what is my what's what is success to me? What is my values? What does this year look like? And how do I because I like that you take it out? So many business owners are like it's money focused, it's these goals of financial, and it's like, but there's like you said, impact, having time with your family. I mean, I watch some people that I know that are like they have great businesses, but their families are falling apart or they're falling apart. And it it makes me sad for them because I'm like, you're missing out on what God has for you when you just focus on the financial stuff.

Sandy Moll 44:23

Well, and if you're focusing on the financial stuff, I always take people back to okay, you're focusing on financial, but let's get down to why. What's the purpose of that money? And 90% of the time when you ask somebody, what you want to make $100,000 a year, what's the purpose? Well, I'm gonna pay my bills. Okay, let's look at what bills you have to pay. They haven't even looked at how much they truly need to make, and so it really goes back to if it's a financial piece of success, you have to dissect that a little bit and really get down to the purpose of every dollar. Because I bet most of us can live on a lot less than we think. And so, okay, the purpose for that excess. What's the purpose for the excess? Well, maybe you do want to go buy a pair of shoes that don't go with anything. Okay, talk to God about it. If he wants you to, he'll probably let you find a place they're on sale.

Tammy Hershberger 45:25

Yeah. Yeah, I like that. Um, is there anything else that you want to add before we wrap this up?

Success Reframed: Peace And Service

Sandy Moll 45:33

You know, I think you've asked some really great great questions. And I think, you know, my husband and I with six companies, four of the six are multi-million dollar companies. I think the biggest thing we learned is being grateful every day and spending time with our maker. And it doesn't need to be more complicated than that. Life doesn't need to be complicated. We as human beings have complicated it to make ourselves feel useful. And we're we're already very useful because we're children of God.

Tammy Hershberger 46:07

Yeah, I like that. Tell me, for people who are out there, and I don't know if you want to also promote your coaching if you're open to that. If not, that's okay. But do you want to tell everybody um how we get a hold of advanced business solutions and possibly the coaching if you're interested in sharing that?

Sandy Moll 46:23

Well, the uh every podcast, they always say, Well, what's your website that we can get to you? Well, yeah, you can go to Advanced Business Solutions, and it's actually WWABS, so abs, like your stomach. Okay. Has nothing to do with your stomach. abs-core.com, again like your stomach.com. Um, but the best way to get a hold of me, and I give out my cell phone all the time, okay, is to just text me or email me. My email is S M O L L, so it's small but with an O at abs-core.com. And my cell phone number is 913-731-6007. Again, 913-731-6007. I do have a few other emails through other businesses. Um, I had somebody text me one day and they said, Well, I'm just seeing if you really answer your text. I do. I answer them within 24 hours. Um, I do still do some coaching. I do limit the number of clients I take in our coaching because it is actually done outside of any of our businesses. I just do that because I enjoy it. Um and I do, I think I'm gonna have a slot open this year, or maybe two slots, um, because primarily because it's like I'm finding myself that it's like I have time. I have more time to be able to do that. So um, you know, if there's anybody, I am on LinkedIn. Um my grand, my nine-year-old granddaughter even called me. Well, I guess she told me we were on vacation. She goes, Grandma, I Googled you. Did you know you're all over Google? And I'm like, oh my gosh, that's not good.

Tammy Hershberger 47:57

Yeah.

Sandy Moll 47:58

Um, but I am on LinkedIn, I am on Facebook. Um, I I'm not real great at social media, um, but I do check them once a day. Um, so yeah, there's a lot of ways you can get a hold of me. I'm one of those believers. If God wants us together, he'll make sure we connect.

Tammy Hershberger 48:14

Yeah, for sure. Well, Sandy, I really appreciate your time here. I it's very valuable information. I love when I get to talk to other believers about the Lord and bringing them into your business because it will change your business. So thank you so very much for your time. Everyone who's listening, thank you for listening to this episode of Light of Your Business. Make sure to go on to um all these pages for Sandy. I'll post them all in the show notes. We make sure you like, subscribe, and share this episode, and we will see you guys on the next one. And remember, in the world of business, every success story begins with a passionate dream and ends with a strategic billion-dollar handshake. Stay ambitious, stay innovative, and keep making those deals that reshape tomorrow. Thank you all for tuning in, and until next time, remember Proverbs 3-3 says, Let love and faithfulness never leave you. Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. That way you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. And remember, if you like what you heard today, click the follow button so you never miss an episode.