Let's begin reading here in Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and what I'll do is I'm gonna spend the first introductory time in just verse 1 So we'll look at chapter 9 verse 1. I'll develop and Work on this particular verse and then we'll move through the the rest of the chapter. So Excuse me Ecclesiastes 9 verse 1 Solomon writes I considered all this in my heart so that I could declare it all That the righteous and the wise and their work are in the hand of God People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them Now Solomon has concluded something he had stated that life is beyond comprehension Notice verse 17 with me. He said I saw all the works of chapter 8 I saw the work of God that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the Sun for though a man Labors to discover it yet. He will not find it more ever though a wise man attempts to know it He will not be able to find it So he said life is Beyond comprehension There are many things that we can never expect to know now He's already pointed out in the chapter prior to this That life sometimes just doesn't seem fair He pointed out that some people receive rewards in life that should be reserved for other people for the righteous It seems that sometimes the righteous receive less out of life than they deserve So growing in wisdom helps us to remember that there will always be more to know Some of you are familiar with the serenity prayer. How many of you are just so I know the serenity It's very big in alcoholic synonymous. You just gave yourself away and so I Saw your face John. You didn't want to admit it, but I saw you The serenity prayer God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change The courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference And so in essence that's similar to what Solomon is saying There are some things that no matter how long you may live you'll never fully comprehend And so these are the things that he's beginning to consider That's why in verse 1 he says in chapter 9 I considered all this in my heart So that I could declare it all that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them I've realized that life just sometimes doesn't seem to be fair So wisdom ought to be pursued So these are the things he's saying that I gave my heart to dig through to explain to understand So by doing doing this I have concluded That the wisest thing that I can do is to just trust the Lord He says in verse 1 the righteous and the wiser and their works are in the hand of God Ultimately our lives are under the divine control and supervision of our God And though we may not understand why things happen In the end we can always trust God You see people know neither love nor hatred By anything they see that is before them he says So sometimes the good seem to suffer more than the righteous So don't use outward circumstances as a measuring rod To show us the depth of God's love You see ungodly ungodly people can have good kids Good jobs good marriages And we can struggle and that can provoke question about God's love for us Or it can cause us to wonder if God is displeased with us So outward circumstances don't necessarily reveal God's disposition towards us Some things that end up good can begin as things that started out bad And as Christians we can see that to be true I've shared with you recently that the Church in Galatia as we've been going through the book of Acts I've pointed this out but the Church in Galatia actually had an interesting beginning Paul first preached to the Galatians because of health issues He said in Galatians chapter 4 verse 13 as you know It was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you So things that appear bad or start out bad don't always end up bad Sometimes they can begin The end is wonderful You didn't know when you began through that cruel journey How it was going to end And sometimes you might want to get to the point of just giving up Saying God must be angry at me or I must be doing something wrong or I don't understand why things are like this Lord haven't I tried to please you and you can go through that and a lot of people do And yet God will use even those things that seem to be bad to produce something that is actually good He'll see you through to the end I was in a meeting, I was an assistant pastor in another fellowship Calvary Chapel The pastor looks at me and he says to me, you're not a pastor You're a counselor I'm going to remove your ordination I'm going to take your salary and cut it in half You can go back to school and finish your degree And then become a counselor for this church You're not a pastor And that's how this church began Because I said there's only one thing that I know I am And that's a pastor It's just not here So I gave my resignation Went home Cried in the arms of my wife Cried in the arms of my wife And here we are today That's what happened Just because something looks bad when it begins Doesn't mean it ends up bad Sometimes when our babies were born they're so ugly But they end up looking okay So God can use those things to strengthen us to refine us And James chapter one verses two through four Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of any kind Or many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith developed perseverance Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not liking anything So don't be so upset as you go through the trial because the trial refines you And ultimately you become stronger through it So something that starts out in a way that may look bad can very often end up in a great way Because God is behind it In verse two he goes on to say all things All things come alike to all One event happens to the righteous and the wicked to the good The clean the unclean To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice As is the good so is the sinner He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath One thing happens to everybody The righteous the wicked the good the clean the unclean the churchgoer the non churchgoer the one who takes oaths because he has a spiritual life and The non oath taker the one who doesn't fear God So this one thing what is he speaking about because this all things come alike and one event happens to the righteous and the wicked What would that one thing be while we know what that is he's referring to death Death is something that happens to all In Psalm 89 48 what man can live and not see death can he deliver his life from the power of the grave? So we he's saying we share a common destiny both saint and sinner will die and both saint and sinner are buried So of all people on the face of the earth looking from a christian lens We should have the greatest courage in facing death We recognize its inevitability And we're prepared because we know that it is the final enemy sometimes people have spoken of death as your friend The bible doesn't call death our friend The bible calls death our enemy In first grintians 1526 the last enemy that will be destroyed. He says is death well We're all aware that Will die But we can live with joy and not in fear That's because we have hope that goes beyond the grave Many years ago now it's been probably well it was in 2001. I believe So it's been 23 years or so going on 23 years I went to uh to florida To do a weekend I I went to miami on a wednesday And I was supposed to do the wednesday night and then thursday friday saturday Was going to be doing a retreat and sunday doing the sunday morning service for the church calvary miami and so on our way to florida I started feeling my body There was I knew that something was going to happen. I had lost my memory in the past And as I was on my way as I was flying My body was telling me I'm going to shut down So when we got to miami We went to um Our hotel got ready I went my to calvary miami that night It wasn't calvary miami. It was anyway. Well, we'll call it miami. I think it was Uh, I forget because I had lost my memory remember, but anyway Because there are two of them there and I'm I'm trying to remember the city kendall It was in kendall And so uh I like cuban coffee But a certain kind there's more than one kind, okay Okay, I might as well go through the story. I'll go a little further. I've been trying to abbreviate it. Anyway, we We've been to the duncan donuts there. We had what they ordered as cuban coffee But real cuban coffee isn't what they gave me at duncan donuts. I'll say it like that So I enjoyed that it's like a cappuccino. Well, I tell my wife honey, uh, get me a cuban coffee They were the answer we're at a church. That's it's a cuban church And so she brings the two cuban coffees And I downed them both now when I drink coffee that kind of coffee. I don't sip. I bang boom. It's gone You know, that's what I do Not realizing that these were like quadruple shots Yes, I saw god so, uh So Well, my blood pressure went through the roof And as I was teaching the study I I lost my memory in the pulpit I gave an invitation and remember doing that people came forward. I prayed with people Marie walks up to me She knows I lost my memory because I had gone through my notes and went back to the top and started again She knew that she'd seen that before she knew I lost my memory So she walks up to me and takes me by the hand. She's the only person I recognized And I said you need to take me out of here. I don't know where I am They took me into the back Paramedic was there did my blood pressure. It was over 200 and something. He said he's going to have a stroke They took me to the hospital in dade county I was there for three days And really bad the nurse came in Said something that was very upsetting to me about my health and this and that It was a very bad situation. But while I was there The pastor who had invited me to speak Uh, wasn't he wasn't around But a pastor who was from that area The miami church, uh, razz vasquez Came in to see me every day And took me on and took marie and me out, uh, uh little havana and We had a real good time. I don't remember much, but I know I had fun I tell you all of this to say that when razz And I said goodbye at the airport because he took took us to the airport I said you may not like this, but you've made a friend for life He was so kind and so loving and so good to me. Why am I telling you all of this?  I've heard and our love and our prayers are with you and the family And he wrote back and he said yeah This is how christians can be he said she beat us to heaven david See we do not grieve as those who have no hope One thing happens to us all But the one who has christ has hope Because we know that our future is in his hands and he can be trusted in all So we can we can actually not have the fear of it the way that the world does Uh, the lord has saved us out of that fear because we know where we end up we end up with him And and we have hope that's beyond a grave You see jesus has conquered the grave his resurrection provides hope and proof for us In psalm 49 15 god will redeem my soul from the power of the grave.  That's the key isn't it? so we can we can Be aware of the fact that Unless the rapture happens. We're going to eventually taste of death. That is the last enemy. It's been conquered by christ But we have hope beyond the grave. We have a hope that the world does not have He says in verse three.  They live as they please first Corinthians 15 32 He says if the dead do not rise let us eat and drink tomorrow.  They just parted themselves into oblivion That's how some people deal with the fact of death.  That's an interesting thing A living dog is better than a dead lion Others just look at death as an obstacle. They they accept the reality of death. They have faith in god So they cling to that saying well, well while where there is life, there's hope They have no hope really for eternity There's a man by the name of woody ellen He said i'm not afraid to die I just don't want to be there when it happens and that's kind of how people are sometimes Well, a living dog is better than a dead lion while alive the dog can still have An opportunity to improve its life as the point he's making And as great as a lion was in life when they die, there's no more opportunity and that's the point he's making He says in verse five the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing They have no more reward for the memory of them's forgotten also their love their hatred their envy have now perished Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun and so The living on earth see death approaching The living know that they will die the living on earth can see death approaching and can prepare for it There's an awareness according to romans 14 12 that each of us will give an account of himself to god So they can prepare for it, but he says in verse five. He says but the dead know nothing The living can't prepare but the dead know nothing Now that doesn't mean that their souls are annihilated. That doesn't mean that they go into some kind of deep sleep And those who have died are reserved ultimately for judgment Jesus gave a parable about this. It's called the rich man and Lazarus He spoke of this certain rich man who lived a life of complete of complete ease He wore expensive clothing ate the best of foods every day There was a man who was poor a beggar by the name of Lazarus who was laid at his gate and would beg for the Crumbs from this man's table Well, they both died Jesus said the rich man going to Hades Lazarus to Abraham's bosom And the rich man is in torment And as he's there in torment He he he begins to beg for Lazarus to cool his thirst to drop some water on his tongue for a Lazarus To cool his thirst with water and Abraham says no He said in life you had your good things and now it's Lazarus's turn So part of the story makes it clear that certain things will exist after death the rich man experiences torment and thirst and ang an agony and he also has memory And he realizes that he has living brothers that are going to perish and go to the same place he is So in death he no longer had any hope For a better future because it's all over. So the living still can have a hope for the future, but the dead Can earn nothing receive nothing? And even their memory is gone They can't add to their reputation They can't add to any reward Once they've died They're no longer walking on earth They're unaware of the events on earth And so the dead know nothing. There's nothing they can do once they've died.  Since death is inevitable Instead of brooding over it Enjoy your life Now he's already said that he said it in chapter eight In uh verse 15 when he had said I I commended enjoyment because a man has nothing better under the sun Than to eat drink and be merry for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life Which god gives him under the sun He's already said you need to enjoy life. He's already pointed to that in chapter two In verse 24 he had said there's nothing better for a man Than that he should eat and drink that his soul should enjoy Good in his labor this I saw was from the hand of god now He's not encouraging us to go out and look for unusual experiences and all of that What he's saying is enjoy the simple pleasure of life Enjoy the eating the meals enjoy the dressing the applying of oil which speaks of uh Festive occasions enjoying yourself with your friends Life is to be lived at peace with god And when you are living in peace with god You have peace within And when you see life as a gift from god stress can be eliminated In philippians 4 6 2 7 be anxious for nothing But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving Let your request be made known to god And the peace of god which surpasses all understanding Will guard your hearts and minds through christ jesus Being content with what you have being content with the lord There's a great deal of peace in that But striving to attain striving to to to get something always always trying to get something Well my pastor used to say if you strive to attain you strive to maintain It'll just have a life of strain And so when you live at peace and being content with what the lord gives to you and That's just a very good place to be he says in verse 7 god has already accepted your works Now when he's when he had pointed this out in verse 1 when he said the righteous and the wise and the works are in the hands of god Well to them he's saying escape the clutter of life Enjoy the simple pleasure Somebody said much of our activity is an anesthetic to dead in the pain of an empty life And that's true. I've known quite a number of people have been busy busy busy So busy always that they never enjoyed the things they have I went to europe in 1975 for the first time. I spent three months there I backpacked We went through a number of number of cities. We had your rail passes and brit rail passes and And we went we flew into germany and then went off into belgium and went off into holland and went across the london Came back went into various other places and so um when we were in in uh in holland my friend who Uh, he had a one of those those tourist books that you could buy at the stores, you know You know visiting europe on a dime or whatever that kind of thing And he had mapped off everything he wanted to see in europe All the museums and everything and believe it or not some of you might not but And I was a hippie For me going to europe Drink some tea I don't want to get up and march around we we were walking nine hours a day You know and he had to see this means that museum and And so I lost the I lost the book that he had worked so much. I lost it He got so mad at me That we were in madrid And he left me there And he went off to austria and left me in madrid I had the best time when he left I really did I laid in bed You know, I got up when I wanted You know, I ran into him in munich germany after Seven to ten days of pleasure. I ran into him and he learned his lesson And I tell you I I I I really understand what he's saying. Why don't you just slow down a bit and enjoy life? Why don't you just enjoy it? Why do you have to work so hard to gain so much stuff that you're going to fight to keep? And it gets old with the using it perishes with the using before you know it You have to get something else to replace that and you forget that when you first bought that thing, whatever it may be You were so happy the first week and after a while you got tired of it. Then you began looking for the new model Just enjoy what you have. You know what if more of us would do something like that just say, you know, I'm happy with what I have Your life would be much more peace But if we're always straining to to attain something always working to get that and then when we finally have it in our greasy little hands It just doesn't satisfy it really doesn't But is he saying well, we need to simplify our lives In matthew 6 jesus said it like this versus 31 through 33 Therefore, don't worry saying what shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? The Gentiles strive after all these things Your heavenly father knows that you need them Seek first the kingdom of god and its righteousness and and all these things will be added to you He says in verse seven and eight. He says god has already accepted your works So as believers because we have faith In the lord christ and we're right with god god has accepted us He accepts the works that we perform on his behalf works that are that are prompted by the holy spirit So instead of living a stressed out life, enjoy the lord Serve him and be aware that he knows what you're doing and also that he'll reward you In Hebrews 6 verse 10 god is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love Which you've shown toward his name In that you have ministered to the saints and do minister god doesn't forget So realize that he's going to reward you Now he goes on in verse 9 and says live joyfully With the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life Which he has given you under the sun all your days of vanity For that is your portion in life and in the labor which you perform under the sun Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life. Hmm Solomon has said people should enjoy life in the simple pleasures They should eat drink with joy and merry heart.  This is a very important scripture to me Simply to live with my wife whom god has given to me And and I do my best to do that. I really do Here's the thing I I feel that The simple pleasures in life are the things that have tied me together and this I'll speak as a married man in all and perhaps Perhaps it's important to say right now What is the most fun That that I could have And and this can sound weird. I didn't prepare this. I wanted to just speak from my heart to you So forgive me if it doesn't make much sense and I'll do my best to make it Make no sense at all in just a moment I've had a chance in in the lord. I've been around for a while. I've been a christian for a long time I've had a chance to travel and to see a lot of sights that that That many people wish they could see I just have never realized I didn't realize What a what a gift that was to me You and I mentioned a moment ago that I traveled for almost three months Through europe, but I've traveled to a lot of countries I've been to india. I've been to china I've been to thailand I've been to south america I've been literally around the world I've seen a lot of cities I've seen a lot of places The city of lights paris barcelona madrid london Edinburgh glasgo. I've seen a lot of places Had opportunities to to taste a lot of foreign food some I wouldn't feed to my dog I really wouldn't And then I've had some amazing dishes that I thought this is just fantastic So why am I telling you that I'm telling you because All of those things that I've had the chance of enjoying and that were great I'll give you one example. We were in rome. My wife marina. I were in rome and for for two or three days In the morning we'd get up and And the guy in in the restaurant the cafe would give us bring coffee And for it was the best coffee we'd ever had it was I was amazed it was I said, this is good coffee So I said to the fella the last day were there. I said listen This is great coffee Could you tell me the brand? Because I I was going to go buy a pound of it to bring home Of course he comes back and I'm saying this is good And I said he goes sir and I go. Yes. He goes the brand. I said, yeah He it's a it's a called a maxwell house maxwell house I had to go to rome to discover maxwell house See so we've had a lot of experiences But the most and I can say that before god and you The greatest pleasure I have is having a cup of coffee with my wife in the morning at home Because because that's the stuff that matters We share a lot of memories. We've been together a long time We've done a lot of ministry. We've gone a lot of places We've been to israel 29 30 times together. We've been to egypt. We've been to jordan We we've been around places a lot of places But i'm always most comfortable when i'm enjoying the wife of my youth That's what solemn is saying You don't have to travel Distances you want to go to venice go to venice california.  He did understand marriage But he foresoot god's pattern at a certain point in his life and he disobeyed god's rules concerning marriage He had many wives It seems that in his later years though that he embraced what he had once rejected remember I've already shared this with you But in the old testament there was what are called the rules for kings And in the old testament book of deuteronomy in chapter 17 verse 17 Speaking of the duties of and rules of the king That the king must not take many wives Or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. He did both He had according to first kings 11 300 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines And his wives turned away his heart So enjoy The wife of your youth Joy her Love her invest in her and the simple joys that you have the simple memories that you have one of the And i'll say this quickly. I don't remember the movie. I never saw the whole movie I just happened to be doing a channel surfing thing one day I don't remember the name of the movie john might remember because he remembers the story when I finish it but there is a scene in it and I I came upon the end and there's an old man and this his wife an older man and his Wife and a mexican couple and I think we're in in la somewhere very small very small kitchen and uh, it really moved me because um I know that the movie was about some real tough times that he had had as a father with some sons that were problems to him I knew the the gist of that but at the end of the movie i'm looking at him and i'm seeing my father because he looked like my dad and His wife asks him would you like some coffee? That was my mom every morning mom would pour coffee for me every morning She would make him his his coffee and uh I'm all of a sudden i'm there in the movie first thing and that's my that's my grandmother or because it looked like my grandmother says That's my grandmother's house. That's my mom. That's my dad And I know he's gone through a lot of garbage and he looks at her after she gives him coffee and sits down and she he says We've had a good life mama And she says yes, ma'am. We've had a good life And I know they had a hard life and I cried That was my mom and that was my dad That was my grandmother and my grandfather And that will be me Well, I look and I do I'll turn to my wife and we shake our heads together We've had a good life God has been good to us. Why because we've kept him in the center And that's how you have a good life and that's how you enjoy the simple things. That's a fact So you love him you serve him And and and he works in your life every day And we serve him with everything within us that includes everything the work that we do the school that we attend the marriage that we have Life in general is for him In verse 11 he says I returned and saw under the sun That the race is not for the swift the battle to the strong nor bread to the wise nor riches to men of understanding nor favored to men of skill But time and chance happened to them all A man also does not know his time like fish taken in a cruel net like birds caught in a snare So the sons of men are snared in an evil time when it falls suddenly upon them So the race is not to the swift So he's thinking of of of death and and his he realizes life can be unpredictable Something that since death is unavoidable just concentrate on living At least when we die we'll be able to look back and say look at all I've achieved But that's not true because you can't guarantee what ultimately happens in life Life itself can sometimes be very unpredictable So he's pointing that out the fastest runners and greatest warriors don't always win Upsets happen Athletes may lose based on poor judging injury during a contest stumbling while running Or not preparing for the race a warrior can lose by not training properly an illness a lack of concentration Under estimating their enemy All of this can be an upset He says nor bread verse 11 to the wise riches the men of understanding Even the wise wise's people can go hungry and they can experience it in poverty Those of understanding the word understanding speaks of skills Can lose their jobs due to downsizing they can be injured Sometimes they're overlooked because of favoritism So Solomon says time and chance happens to them all Sometimes things don't go according to our plans Things can happen that we have no control over And our plans are undermined When he says time and chance he's not speaking about what we call luck. He's speaking of unforeseen circumstances We trust God to help us. We make decisions. We rely on him In Jeremiah 10 23. Oh lord, I know the way of man's not in himself It's not in man who walks to direct his own steps. I know that we have to to follow you I know that you have have ordained a path for us to walk We trust in you with all of our heart. We're not going to lean on our own understanding and in all our ways will acknowledge you You will direct our paths So he says you can't know what the future is so you trust the lord who does He says in verse 12, man does not know his time like a fish taken in a cruel net No matter how detailed my plan may be There are things that come unexpectedly like a net that captures a fish a snare that catches a bird And sometimes the events occur beyond our control And we're caught by them Life is out of control our control So I submit to the will of the lord In verse 13 this wisdom I have seen under the sun seemed great to me There was a little city with few men in it and a great king came against it Be seized it built a great snare built great snares around it Now there was found found in it a poor wise man and And he by his wisdom delivered the city yet no one remembered that same poor man I said wisdom is better than strength Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom despises words are not heard Words of the wise spoken quietly should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools Wisdom is better than weapons of war One sinner destroys much good So he begins to use an illustration here and closes He's showing something that's unusual and very common at the same time It shows how the battles don't always go to the strong. So he gives the story There's a powerful king. He says he comes against a small sparsely populated city And the mighty king lays siege to the city Using his military strength Though heavily outman the city is delivered by the council of a poor man Now because of this the man should have been held in honor remembered But he wasn't given proper honor As a matter of fact he was forgotten So he's pointing out that human honor and fame don't last Honor gained from man Doesn't last so if you're going to seek to be honored by anyone Desire to be honored by God In Philippians 2 3 let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit But in loneliness of mind That each let each esteem others better than themselves sometimes we do things even in ministry to be seen by man And jesus spoke about that.  They they push themselves. They're up in the front Their name is known Even in ministry this can happen where pastors desire to be known so desperately they do almost anything to be known But the problem is They got the reward by the attention they receive from the people who speak to them He says in verse 16 wisdom is better than strength Wise men are often ignored because they don't draw attention to themselves So in verse 17 wisdom is to be preferred over the shouting of a fool What's that mean while loud and obnoxious people often get attention and the glory they don't deserve So we should look to those with a quiet wisdom And respect them Wisdom he says in verse 18 is better than weapons of war Using wisdom can produce great good It may lead to victory and peace Listening to one who is driven by sinful foolishness Under minds what is good? So be careful Be careful whom you allow to give you counsel There are a lot of Christians that I see on social media Who perceive themselves to be great bible teachers and counselors? And so many times I've read some of the counsel Or some of the biblical Study or teaching or comment that they make and I say Nope, that's not what that scripture says You know James told us to be very careful not to desire to become a teacher because we receive stricter judgment The things that you say will be held and weighed by the Lord. So you just don't open your mouth like your You know Moses on Mount Sinai declaring the wisdom of God to man When you when you share in his name you're very careful to be Correct to the best of your ability And sometimes a loud person gets more attention And is listened to More than the quiet one who's musing or thinking through what's being said So a long time ago, let me give you a basic thing. We'll close A long time ago. I made a decision To be like my father and one thing that he did My father was a quiet man And he never just spoke He would not give advice unless asked and I learned from him because Whenever he spoke people would respect him and listen My dad was wise enough to listen to the conversation that was going on around him To weigh through the things that are being said And then ultimately come up with a solution that would be good for all involved. That was my dad And I became like that myself I will listen And I'll think and others will be speaking and I'll think And then I'll ultimately be the last one if at all to speak because I've had a chance to hear everybody else I can put all of these things together And then I can say well, this is probably the best scene. These are the things we're dealing with So be careful Be careful who you allow to give you counsel Make sure that the believers If you're going to receive the counsel may they be knowledgeable with scripture If they're going to be your counselor may they may they be mature in the walk. May they be respectable in their life And if they're going to be your counselor May they be willing to tell you the truth even if it bothers you to hear it Faithful are the kisses of a friend When someone loves you enough to tell you the truth, that's a real friend If they tell you that in love There are some who like to tell you things because it hurts you That's not a friend But there are others that hurts them before they even tell you Because they see it That's a friend Because they'll tell you the truth And in this world where everybody's willing to lie to you It's valuable to have a god Fearing god loving friend Who'll tell you it's true We really need that today In psalm 1 it says it like this blessed is the man who doesn't walk in the council of the wicked Or set foot on the path of sinners Or sit in the seat of mockers His delight is in the law of the lord And on his law He meditates day and night. He does not walk in the council Of the wicked He meditates on the law and that's what gives him wisdom and that's why he's blessed Keep that in mind


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Hi everybody, how is the energy? It's the last session of the day. Well done.  So my name is Natasha. I'm a Operator, I'm a brand builder. I'm a storyteller at heart I'm also a fitness fanatic former jazz singer and for the last six years I've been part of the team at seed camp European seed fund investors in a couple of the founders you may well have heard from today So the likes of Julian at we Fox and Nick at Revolut and lots of other incredible businesses and Today I'm here to talk to you about the magical dark arts of branding and The title kind of sums it up What the fuck is a brand? Literally like what is it and I just gave you as I came in like a few little cues about some of my brand Elements, if you like that I like certain things But they don't tell the whole story and they're things that have evolved over time Because your brand and your business evolves over time So how do we take all of the different elements that contribute to what it is to be a brand and Carefully and with intention think about those To make something that can really go the distance and have some serious longevity now There's a reason that you no doubt recognize the symbol of this company and That this little cheeky mascot maybe makes you feel a bit warm and fuzzy and that for some reason Even though if we're quite honest the technical spec of this product is not the superior one You still really want it because you covered it. You really desire it or Why you can take something and build an iconic shape around it, but you can have two things that are are really pretty much Exactly the same Some people might argue that one tastes better But there's a reason you really want this one and not that one as this video Which is magically gonna appear on the screen is hopefully gonna show you all if there's some volume, please for the video It's a really funny video, which maybe I can be the comedian and narrate through if we don't get sound Okay, so essentially what's happening here is this guy is going to the fridge and he's asked his friend for a coca-cola and His friend gives him a Pepsi and he's like I'll screw this I don't want a Pepsi. I asked you for a coke and his friend says well It's the same thing. In fact Pepsi probably tastes better But he doesn't want the Pepsi he feels like he really wants the coca-cola and the words he uses are the Pepsi is second rate and he does not want to be seen to be with the product that is second rate So you might think you have something that's exactly the same in a market I'm gonna send you all this video by the way afterwards because it is actually very good But the idea of being second rate or second best Nobody wants to be that brand and let me tell you nobody wants to have customers who feel like they're part of something second rate Why would you ever advocate for something that is second best? If they can Pepsi it's second rate. It's a good brand. Coke is better because it's coke. There'll be no more discussions You're going far beyond saving at least a lot drinking Pepsi like a flock Well, I mean you got a little bit of it But essentially that at least I'm not drinking Pepsi like wow you'd be that willing to reject the one thing just because you Don't want to be seen with it. Like you'd admit you don't even like the taste of it now when it comes to brands as well, we maybe have the Let's say Marmite. You might love it or hate it I think this this character possibly invokes some of those quite extreme feelings And also with a brand you'll have language and tone That means you can do things like take to Twitter to very clearly and succinctly map out your new policy for your employees because your brand is a brand that cares about Giving people the flexibility to live and work from anywhere and your brand is about that you say that to people So you need to live it and breathe it internally And also a brand Has a massive impact when it comes to doing some of the hardest things you'll ever have to do Such as layoffs now. Let's not be blind to the situation We're in in the world right now where this is happening everywhere But there is a way to do it that is in keeping with a brand and with a human tone and message That means that even journalists can look at it and say, okay layoffs suck But you know if you're gonna do it, this is how to do it and there can still Amazingly be positive brand sentiment for this company in spite of them having to do a really difficult thing and Then the counter here is here you have two layoff emails leaked emails from Two very large tech companies now you look at them and they say very much the same thing And in fact one of them when you actually delve into it is offering a slightly more generous severance package than the other however Because of the brand sentiment around the one being striped and the other being matter You can take the stripe one because of the reputation and what they've put into the world over years You feel more positively about this one than you do the other and you'll look at little nuances and Details like being more human in the tone and it will make you feel more positive now why do I give you all of this information because Really the kind of lesson number one is that your brand is absolutely everything and yes It may have elements of there's the color and the logo and the identity But your brand is what you put out into the world and it touches absolutely every part of your organization And so we have to be intentional about it at the beginning Now I know what I've shown you is lots of very large and very well established brands And you're gonna say Natasha. That's fine. But we're just starting like tell me what to do now So I'm here also I hope to give you some comfort that every single one of these brands has had to start somewhere and so Let's wind it all the way back to the beginning and think about well, how do we start and At the start you really don't need to over complicate or overthink things you need to build a Minimal minimum viable brand that will get you through to the next milestone of the business Because you're a startup and everything is about growth and getting to the next stage and your brand is going to be evolving with you along that So, how do we start? Simply with looking at the four Ps of what it is to build your minimum viable brand your purpose So I is you exist your positioning Where it is you sit in the market Your profile of the customer you want to go after your ICP so who really wants this and Your personality how are you expressing yourselves and how does that come to life both? verbally and visually and So if we take these four things, it's like okay great these four things But then how do you start thinking about how to tackle these different areas? So We've got to ask ourselves a load of questions So for our purpose well, why is it that we exist? Why is that important? Why do you devote your energies to this like there are many easier things to do than start a company? Yeah, so you've made a choice to do something that's really hard and there's got to be a reason for it How much are you actually committing that to paper and telling that story to people? Why should others want to tell their friends and colleagues about it? You know, they don't want to tell people about that second-rate Pepsi and Why would investors want to invest in you? What's that story and and why would any employee want to work with you? And then how we positioned like what is it? We actually do make or provide and how can we be really clear about what that is in the here and now and one of the biggest concerns and I was actually having this conversation just earlier with a startup founder is It's how you take people on that journey from what is often a quite big and lofty Purpose and vision about the world to the reality of being a very tiny company That's doing a very limited thing in the here and now and the reality is your position will evolve over time And that's okay. You're moving it towards this North star big vision, but but the position does not stay static So what are the benefits of what it is you're doing in the here and now and what makes you special? What don't you do because as well one of the biggest mistakes you can make in the early stages is Trying to be everything to everybody you can't it's impossible so being very clear about what it is you do and don't do what would happen if you went away and What it's like to work here the who so who really wants this who's that? Disproportionately influential customer who are we competing with and like actually who do we want you to associate us with? And then how do we do it? How do we communicate? How do we bring it to life? How do we stand out from the crowd and how do we want people to feel when they interface with us and our product now? This is all great Lots of theory and stuff on a slide I thought what I'd do is I'd actually try and bring it to life a little bit to show you how it works for Us at seed camp and to show you if you like the back end and how that informs the front end that you might see So if we take our purpose, it's that we exist to Identify and support exceptional founders solving using technology to solve some of the biggest problems of tomorrow Oppositioning is all around the idea of Europe seed and being a network powered fund Our ideal customer has a strong founder market fit They're a great storyteller They compel other people to go on the journey with them because that's obviously integral to hiring a team raising your next rounds And they have massive ambition because if you're getting into the game of venture then obviously you need to be able to communicate that big ambition that people are going to see that massive pathway and then How does this translate into our personality and our values because your personality as a brand should really spin out From the values that are true to you and if they don't you'll fall down now for us They're quite simple. We have sort of three core buckets around being community-led Entrepreneurially-minded and teamwork-centric and there are different things that fall out of that So if we take all of this as the back end What does this then look like as the front end? So We describe ourselves as Europe seed fund We invest early and world-class founders attacking large global markets and solving real problems using technology Now to me this passes the ron seal test It does what it says on the tin If you took our back end of our purpose and why we exist and our positioning of what we're trying to do This feels like a genuine and real reflection of that and Then if you think about some of the activity that we put out because your your values are not things to be stuck on a Wall and like yay guys. We did our brand values It's like no what actually does it look like when you take those sort of things and start bringing them to life as Activity because your values need to drive your behaviors and so for us if we're talking about things like being network powered We talk about the seed camp nation and having this nation of a thousand founders Mentors amazing experts and people who've been there in the trenches at the first stages of the all important steps of building companies And so then a activity for us might look like something like this which we just launched the other week which is see camp firsts which is Using the knowledge and the hard-won knowledge gained from people from within the seed camp nation to take you through the various stages of company building Also when we break down our values and we talk about things like transparency and openness It leads us to do things like this which is share our fundraising deck and If we believe in those sort of things the founders have to do that then it's only right we do similar But we don't always get it right because on your journey to building your brand and trying to be authentic and stay really true To who you are you will fuck up along the way and that's okay And there are just like really small minor ones of how we've done that So if we talk about being very human and open and friendly and found a first and then you come on our website We're all like this and like really stiff and with our arms folded. It's like.  How does anybody else? So I thought I would just take you on a little bit of a journey About how some of the brands that are no doubt brands that we all know and love have evolved over time if anything just as a reminder that you will evolve over time and Do not drive yourselves crazy sweating the small stuff in the beginning because it will and it should change so Our baby our blank canvas everything to play for it's like oh Cup launch it's so exciting, but so scary and look here are three brands that in the very early days And I'm sure we we know them all This is what they looked like We had transfer wise what was Mondo and what was the Facebook and now like what we should say to lots of people But no one wants to hear about their baby. It don't always look that pretty Okay, but it will grow out of that awkward phase and so when we look at this in that very early stage You've got really good examples of two very different schools of thought you've got transfer wise again Doing that run seal test does what it says on the tin. It's peer-to-peer currency exchange Bang you as the end user know what you're gonna get from that the vision and what they were selling as a dream to investors was much Bigger, but as the customer you don't need or want to know that right now You just want to know what it can do for you in the here and now You also maybe Went the opposite and it was like okay.  So from the early days to that blank canvas and what is the world gonna become we then maybe have a few more tests that get thrown our way and And maybe these include things like Having to change your name because you didn't invest in doing the proper IP checks at the beginning and he thought oh Yeah, it'll be fine and nobody will notice and then it catches up on you And so there are ways of how you can approach something like this And if you are a brand that has a value around customer centricity Then you can think about how you can take a negative or a potentially negative Such as an IP like conflict and turn it into something positive and that's a great reflection of your brand So what was Mondo that we all now know of as Monzo? They decided to use their customers as part of that name change now You could argue that it wasn't exactly the most innovative name change in the world from a D to a Z But it doesn't matter People loved it because they were involved in the journey and it made you feel positively about them And when they say we're all about our customers Well, you look at things they were doing from the earliest days and you can't contradict it and then as well you often You know able to acknowledge that you're limited by what it is you can do in the here and now and in 2005 Zuckerberg said like I think Facebook is an online directory for colleges That doesn't have to be more and at that point there didn't have to be more There was a huge market and brand opportunity and land grab to be had To go in at that early stage and start saying we're going to be doing this that and the other people wouldn't understand Whereas to build a brand and a feeling that's so resonated have such a clear idea about who your Ideal customer was and it being the university's student and having it grow like that made a lot of sense And he could also in those testing phases do things like this now Maybe you are in a macro climate when you're thinking about your positioning that enables you to do something very bold so at the time when transfer wise was Launching the banks were like public enemy number one. It was quite easy to want to hate on the banks We were coming off the back of the financial crisis Going into another one. So let's see what stuff we see coming out of this But like it made it that the setting in the context because context is everything was quite right to have a brand with a tone and a boldness that was going to push and test the limits of what's around and Go to extremes of saying we have nothing to hide and At that early stage you can do things like that. You're still relatively small You're a disruptor and you can be disruptive But only if it's true to the message of the brand and what it is you're putting out there as well as the context of What's happening in the macro environment and what it is that people want from you and want to hear from you Then the awkward teenage phase we Maybe get a little bit big for our boots and like yeah We're gonna move fast and we're gonna break things and yeah We're really cool like teenagers and this is what we're doing now and you can be with us or against us And maybe some people will love it But maybe others won't or maybe you get a little bit sweary and you know, you push that boldness You're not quite taking your clothes off anymore because after you're a baby or a toddler You probably aren't allowed to do that in public so much But you still are like pushing because it's integral to your DNA and what your brand is about you are pushing the limit of what others around you are doing because that is who you are and it's like back that moment when because You've felt it and you know you're speaking you're not selling what it is the product does You know that feeling because we all have feelings and it's back to that example with the coke and the Pepsi You feel emotions and 80 of our decisions where we like it or not are emotionally driven apologies to anybody here Who thinks they are very deeply rational? But we're all emotional people and so being able to communicate and have your brand talk to people in a way that actually really speaks the emotional thing Their feeling has way more possibility and power to convert than you might think But there comes a phase where we all have to start growing up We have to step out on our own a little bit more And we need to think of a little bit more seriously about our brand About what we're putting out in the world and the stories that we're telling at this point, right? Your product is evolving the business is evolving so You still for example can say we're beating the banks and we're going after the banks But again, we're really tapping into what our customer wants and feels about themselves and so If you're somebody using an innovative New tech company or who's open to using especially in heavily regulated markets like fintech If you're open to using new services and financial services There's got to be something about you that makes you like new things And and they cotton on to that and so on their website. They're telling you this is the clever new way to beat bank fees And by reading this or engaging in this it's like, oh, yeah, I'm clever Therefore and or I'm winning or I'm beating them and I'm doing something new I've got all that bragging rights of Of what I'm doing and and they've really understood me and how I think about myself And so they set that up first and then they give you all the additional proof points around Here's the money you save and here's how you can see it brought to life And here are all these other trust points of why you should back us because others do But they're not starting with the very like Here is the way we are doing this. It's not just that every single brand can say they're doing something bigger better faster But what's the emotional benefit that that's giving you? And also when you start to grow up a little bit you need to think about how your brand Even though you might have very iconic colors like there isn't really a brand I think that has owned a color in the last five years as strongly as monzo has owned this like hot coral Like if ever I have my nails that color people are like, oh, you've got monso nails I'm like, okay. That is some like serious brand penetration there But even the visual design will become limiting at some stage And so you need to refresh and think about well, why is it limiting us? What is it we're wanting to do or push into or what is it? We're wanting our brand to convey here and now That we need to change it up a little bit to bring that to life And then when we become a grown-up Responsibility and things really do become real and especially if you become a public company you Probably can't take your clothes off in public anymore or be swearing on ads And also you might realize at this point that the brand name that had got you so far And had done so well at passing that ron seal test We talked about Is actually now a limiting factor And you want to be seen as much more than just transferring money You'll do so much more of that And so you need to solve the brand name so that people realize that the Proposition has moved along with you So maybe you do a rebrand a very subtle rebrand but a rebrand And you make the messaging a lot simpler and cleaner and more grown up Because again, if you're going to go after a really big land grab you need people to trust you and then If you don't be intentional and think about the way you stay true to the brand what you've said you're going to do and the way you've positioned yourself It can all go downhill and you can suffer a bit of a midlife crisis as We may be seeing a little bit here right now And again, it's a another rebrand We all have I saw some like Faces some little smirks as I put this slide up But the thing here is that This isn't necessarily a bad rebrand It's a missed positioning for what the market understands and wants now And what they've made the entire brand promise about And I think a lot of the pushback is coming from that There is a journey back to the early point we said about how you take people with you and balance the Where it is you want to get to and what it is you do now And if you go too far down into something that's 10 years away that most people can't engage with or really comprehend right now You're going to lose people So To sum up Oh, my slide went away to sum up Really your brand is absolutely everything Please do be intentional about it But don't sweat the small stuff like It does not need to be that complicated in the beginning stages Hold yourselves as your like teams accountable Like check in with yourselves ask yourselves those questions and see like how aligned are we when we answer these questions Are we saying the same thing because if we're not saying the same thing How can customers possibly or investors possibly understand what it is we're doing? And know that your brand does not stay static keep it evolving over time But keep checking back to make sure it's still aligning with who you are Thank you very much