Revenue First. Alignment Always. Work as Worship.

This week at Startup Church, we dove into what actually moves founders forward—spiritually and financially. Most unicorns are pitch-bro smoke shows. Some aren’t. The difference? Revenue-first traction and alignment with God.

1) What “Revenue First” Looks Like (Pre‑Revenue and Post‑Revenue)

Pre‑Revenue: the sell it, then build it phase 

• Pain > cleverness. Pick a painful, obvious problem. (If you need to explain the pain, it’s not obvious.)

• Charge from Day 1. Even a small, paid pilot beats a thousand “maybes.”

• Build the sellable earliest version. Ditch perfection. Ship the part customers will actually pay for.

• Channels with intent. Product Hunt, niche communities, partner lists, warm intros.

• Simple pipeline, daily discipline. 10 conversations/day. One offer. One price. Close the loop.

• Tight feedback cycles. Demo → invoice → deliver → learn → iterate.

• Cut the non-paying features. Keep the things customers buy. Kill the rest.

Post‑Revenue: the scale what pays phase 

• Double down where dollars come from. Segment customers by payback and retention; feed the winners.

• Price for value, not feelings. Move up to tiers, usage, or outcomes. Review pricing quarterly.

• Expand revenue. Add “good friction” (add‑ons, seats, usage), not bloat.

• Relentless execution. Integrations, docs, onboarding, speed. Ship what customers ask you to ship—because they’re paying.

• Measure what matters. Sales cycle, win rate, retention, net revenue retention, cash conversion.

• Brand as a multiplier. Rebrands and messaging updates are for clarity, not cosmetics.

• Run lean. Profitability is a moat. Cash discipline buys optionality.

Case in point: Lovable.dev didn’t confuse hype with progress. They solved a clear pain, hit GTM with precision, and executed relentlessly—turning an open-source side project into real revenue and investor demand. That’s what a unicorn actually looks like.

Bottom line: Revenue is the only horn that matters. When you lead with revenue, investors chase you.

We’re planting oak trees. 

2) God’s Question to Solomon (and to You)

“Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.” (1 Kings 3)

If the Lord asked you that today, how would you answer?

Here’s my list right now:

• Alignment with God’s will. Not ahead. Not behind. In step.

• Wisdom to execute. Do the right thing, the right way, at the right time.

• Flourishing relationships. With God, my wife, family, team, friends.

• Financial provision for the assignment. Resources for everything He’s asked of me (and the full desires of my heart).

• Finish strong with CanaGlobal. The next decades—building a disciple‑making community for founders—may be the most fruitful.

Reflection: What would you ask for? Take five minutes today and write it down. Pray it. Align to it.

3) Work as Worship. Rest as Holy.

God created work. God created rest. Both are sacred.

• Work ≠ punishment. It’s worship (Col. 3:23).

• Sabbath ≠ weakness. It’s strategy. Jesus reframed rest as reflection, gratitude, foresight, hindsight, oversight, insight—a full 360.

• Operate in 4D. When you honor both work and rest, you don’t just grind in 3D—you build in 4D, with supernatural clarity and peace.

Call to action: Run your race like the prize belongs to you. Because it does.

Join Us Live

Startup Church meets Thursdays at 10:00 AM MST—free and online. Bring your questions, your team, your faith, and your next move.

RSVP: https://www.canaglobal.org/startup-events

-Gerald

P.S. If this served you, forward it to a founder who needs revenue-first clarity and spiritual alignment. Let’s plant oak trees, not chase unicorns.