Why is it that so called ‘successful’ entrepreneurs complain of headaches, ulcers, high blood pressure, alcoholism, drug abuse, obesity, insomnia, and you fill in the blanks with your own complaints? I’ll tell you why: They THINK they are in the business they should be in. They’re making money, they have customers…so this must mean this is where they are supposed to be. They think the business isn’t doing as well as it could BECAUSE of the headaches and insomnia. They think if they get to the doctor to fix this up, the business will get more of their 100% effort and things will improve. This was me. This was my story. And for years, I told myself that I could fix this on my own. This will come to a shock to you: You’re in the wrong business or role. You’re selling the wrong product, providing the wrong service, and in the wrong role within your organization. You’ve reached a level of incompetence, and its causing the health problems….not the other way around. You might be the boss, but you’re horrible at managing people, so they stress you out. Its time that you stop being the boss, hand that over to an operations person, and you go back to making cakes. Your might be the boss of a business your family has done for years, but you hate it and its stressing you out. Its time to move on. Why am I so passionate about entrepreneurs finding what God wants them to do in business? Because when we’re in line with God’s vision for our life, a sense of joy and happiness enters into our heart that is a medicine to our body. Stress is released. Problems will always surround you, but how you react internally changes now that you’re in line with God’s vision. So problems don’t affect you like they used to. Its time to do a sober exam of your business life. Do a health check up. How’s your health? That might be an indication that you’re not living in line with God’s vision for your entrepreneurial ventures. #SharpenLeadership #BecomeDisciplined

If we look at suffering or failure in our businesses as something to be avoided, we may miss some of God’s greatest work. Some suffering is God’s effort to correct business practices, remove people from around you to bring others in, take away service and replace it with another, or shut it down to start the one He wants for you. Proverbs 3:5-12 says, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God ’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God ! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don’t, dear friend, resent God ’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction. It’s the child he loves that God corrects; a father’s delight is behind all this.” When you feel you were not cut out to be an entrepreneur, remember that when you are weak, God can fill you with His strength. When you rely on your power, there is no room for God. #EnhanceFocus #GainConfidence

Trouble comes in many colors in business. Outside factors come along and rock the very foundation of everything we’ve built. Divorce, key employee leaving or losing a big contract are only a few of the common bed rockers. I found this bible verse very comforting in times of trouble in my business. Psalms 71:20-21 says, “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.” If you’re in troubled times right now you have two choices in mindset. First, you can be depressed and anxious and stressed out. I’m not sure if this is possible to avoid outright. But how long you stay in this state if mind is critical. The second choice needs to come as fast as possible, which is to worship God, seek Him more than ever before, and trust that’s he’s changing things around for your good. He will comfort you once more. P.S. I think its also fun to note that in the verse above, God MAKES us see trouble. When God gives you a vision, we always think its for something amazing, right? We associate vision with something positive. But in this case, God has us see times of trouble. Sometimes we can see it coming, sometimes we don’t see it until it snacks us in the face. But that’s a different blog post. #DifferentiatingMyself #StrengthenIntegrity

I’ve been through my shares of ups and downs in my business. And when the downs come, it seems like everything around me is crashing down. Bills get backed up, confidence is lost, a feeling of failure sets in, and the will to give up starts to creep into your mind. When we go through these times, it seems like we’re all alone. But we’re not alone. In Deuteronomy 8:6-9, Moses writes “Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.” You might not see it because your mind is clouded with the problems of the business and where the next checks will come in to pay the bills. You might not have the faith built up yet to immediately turn to prayer when troubled times come. But we have a God who has made a promise to us entrepreneurs….for the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land. #SharpenLeadership

I started hosting Meetup.com meetings at The Creative Complex. We specified that we were looking for ‘Creatives Only’ in the description. We meant to attract graphic designers, web developers, marketing people, etc.  But instead, what we got was a wizard, a network marketer, a financial planner, and a couple of creatives. Doesn’t that stink?  When you’ve set out to attract the perfect prospect, the right client, and you get a bunch of randoms?! But I’ve been struggling with this.  In my heart, I felt that everyone is God’s people, and who knows why God places people in our lives. As Godpreneurs, we’ve allowed God to be the CEO of our businesses, so we’ve also given Him the authority to bring us whomever of His children He wants us to interact with. Christ didn’t limit his interactions to the right type of people.  Why should we? But I’ll admit that I felt a difficulty interacting with those that showed up to my meetup that were out of my comfort zone. I was trying to bring around the people who think and act like me, and ultimately would buy from me.  Selfishness at its finest. Maybe I even think they are ‘beneath’ me and I was resentful that they took up our time. Although I am going to tighten up the description of the group, I pray that God removes any sense of entitlement I may have, and to allow me to embrace the unexpected people God brings to my entrepreneurial life. There’s a difference between interacting and actually doing business with.  I think its okay for us to choose to do business with those that are like-minded, but no one is beneath us for a discovery call or even a group Meetup. #FindingMyPurpose #BuildMyPersonalBrand #HiringtheRightPeople

I’ve had some bad clients do horrible things to me.  I’ve been stiffed for a $2500 invoice….still unpaid to today. I’ve been insulted, bad mouthed, degraded, lied to, betrayed, and mocked. The worst thing to ever happen to me was my biggest client going behind my back to offer my partner more money to go work directly for them. That was brutal. For weeks I plotted my revenge.  I schemed up ways to get back at the client. When someone has wronged us or our businesses, we are often tempted to seek revenge. We may gossip, give them the “silent treatment,” or even retaliate. We have a choice: 1) live our lives in the spirit 2) live our lives in the flesh In 1 Samuel 24:15 we read “May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.” David refused to fight in the flesh, and left Saul’s judgment to the Spirit of God. You’ll be tempted to seek revenge. Your blood will boil. The hurt will drive your mind to fantasize about 100 ways to retaliate. But remember, you serve an amazing boss that is waiting to see just how much love and compassion (or restraint) you’re going to show. Let it go. I ended up doing nothing to retaliate.  In fact it ended up being a huge blessing…the end of one season and the beginning of another in my entrepreneurial career. A couple of months after this client went behind my back to take my partner was out of a job.  Don’t know what he’s up to today, but praying for him. Imagine if we all just moved on and didn’t seek revenge and let God do His thing. Godpreneur Rule #22: Live in the Spirit and allow God to be the judge. #DifferentiatingMyself #StrengthenIntegrity

My company used to be heavily involved in nightlife marketing. Along with marketing nightclubs, we also helped some strip clubs with their flyer designs. It was easy and consistent money, and my designers were good at it! But as a growing Christian, I began to feel convicted about doing work for gentlemen’s clubs. So I began declining their work, even giving away that business to other companies. This really sparked some heated arguments in the company, so we kept doing the work. Over time, I couldn’t kick the conviction, so I made a solo decision to cut ties with the adult entertainment industry. My employees were furious. This was affecting their commissions!  But it was also affecting my conviction. As entrepreneurs, we’ll all face massive pressure from people close to you to do something in contradiction to what God is asking you to do. In the face of pressure, especially to pay bills, we may compromise our ethics and morals and stand in opposition to God’s desire for you. As a entrepreneurs, I’m sure you know about pressure. Our employees can be relentless in asking us to do things outside our value system, including clients they want to work with, marketing campaigns they want to execute on, and adding new people to the team. They can be every bit as demanding and intimidating as the 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum in the grocery store line for a piece of candy. When that happens, stand firm in your identity in Christ. Let your desire to be obedient to God give you strength, and lovingly explain why you’re not willing to compromise your beliefs. I explained my point of view to my team and they eventually understood my conviction for not wanting to do business with strip clubs. I had to let those employees go because we didn’t stand on the same moral grounds, among other things. Eventually God convicted me of the same when it came to doing business with nightclubs.  That was tough because it represented 90% of my business.  The letting go of employees on that one was one of the most difficult days of being an entrepreneur I had ever experienced. Godpreneur Rule #36: Godpreneurs seek to please one boss, one board of director member, the main investor:  God. #BusinessBibleStudy #WheretoStartFirst #HiringtheRightPeople The Business God Created You To Start Have you ever wondered why you received the talents and gifts you have been given? We, as entrepreneurs, were born to do. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

My wife and I ran into big problems in our marriage because I worked so darn much.  Day and night, 25 hours a day, 8 days a week (that’s right, I worked so much I created days that didn’t exist). I think it’s a combination of 1) knowing there’s still a lot to be done to grow the business and putting in more time will get it done, 2) workaholics syndrome I inherited from mom, 3) wanting to prove my worth to my father by how much I work, 4) if I was broke, at least I was working and that felt good, and 5) sometimes I just wanted to escape home life and working is a safe refuge. All of these above excuses are lies that the enemy has lead me to believe.  Each statement above can be a whole chapter in a book. Working hard isn’t the problem.  Not resting is the issue. We entrepreneurs do have a lot of work, we do have great responsibilities, we do not follow the normal 9-5 schedule, but we’re also smarter than the average Joe and need to understand the tricks of the super successful who seem to be able to manufacture time at will. How can we beat the system and create more time?  The answer is a contradiction of the mind:  find a day of rest. In Mark 2:25-28 "Jesus said, “Really? Haven’t you ever read what David did when he was hungry, along with those who were with him? How he entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, with the Chief Priest Abiathar right there watching—holy bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat—and handed it out to his companions?” Then Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made to serve us; we weren’t made to serve the Sabbath. The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath. He’s in charge!” I used to cringe when I heard the pastors preach about taking a full day of rest.  I imagined me sitting on a couch doing nothing for 24 hours and freaking out as if in an insane asylum. Worst is that I thought I was being a “bad Christian” for not taking a day off.  So then I would force myself to not work just to honor the day as if to say “ok God, I did it, are you proud of me?…”  See how even on the Sabbath I was still working for someone’s approval? The Sabbath isn’t an item on the Christian checklist of things that make God like you more.  The Sabbath is a day where you rest to RECHARGE, REBOOT, REJUVENATE, and RELAX. Imagine you’re working out at the gym.  Don’t you ‘rest’ between sets of exercises?  This time of rest actually strengthens you and you do even better the next set!  That’s how taking a day of rest works. We entrepreneurs need to be very conscious about taking this full day of rest so that our ideas for the following week ahead of us are at 100% and we’re full of the energy we need to tackle the challenges and excitement of owning a business. Your Entrepreneur Compass, Alex Miranda Do you think you’ll be bored on your rest day?  Here are  5 Things Successful Entrepreneurs Do on the Weekends. Comment below with some ideas on things you do on your rest day. #TimeManagement #WorkLifeBalance

In high school I was part of different cliques.  Since I played multiple sports, I had the Hispanic soccer players, the black football players and the nerdy chess players in my circles.  Because I had awesome grades, I had the smart, top of the class kids on my side.  I also associated with the rockers and punks because thats the music I identified with. So when it came time to run for President of the Student Council, it was a landslide victory.  I won, not because I had the best marketing plan or campaign slogan, but because I had deep relationships amongst almost every demographic in my school.  I became ‘one of them’ in every clique. We entrepreneurs have the ability to become one of our customers.  But it’s not enough to just pick one demographic or niche area.  Even within one group, there are different personality types and ways they like to be communicated with. It’s important that we have a desire to want to speak our customer’s language, walk in their shoes, and find out what keeps them up at night. Our customers want to feel like we know what they are talking about, what they go through.  But that can be so hard for us if we’re not truly looking to serve their needs over our own. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul describes his method of ‘winning souls’ as he’s on his missionary journeys.  He says in verses 19-23, "Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!" You and I are on a mission of our own.  God’s using you and me within our own markets, our own niches, to show others what being a Godpreneur is all about. We’re providing our service or product to a group of people that need to be able to relate to us so they can like, know and trust us. You can know your customers better by doing more surveys, asking them what they would like to see you provide.  You can also do quizzes and assessments to get to know their personality or buying behaviors to better speak their language. We, like Paul, would have much more success in the spreading of our company’s mission if we made it a point to become like our clients, think like they think, so we can serve them better. Godpreneur Rule #142: Godpreneurs are devoted to thinking like their clients so they can serve them better. #MakingMoreSales #TargetMarket&Niche

Have you ever ran 10 miles?  The first mile is awesome, you’re feeling great.  The last mile…well, not so great. There’s an invisible resistance holding you back, voices convincing you to give up, and body parts that will surely make you pay for it in the next days. It seems like it works that same once you start sharing your business idea with people.  Your friends and family are supportive at the beginning.  There’s an excitement and it seems like this idea is going to take off. Once you get some momentum and this thing is looking for real, you start to get some haters. A family member starts to throw in the negative things that can happen (because he or she failed in the past).  A friend starts to guide you in the direction they are going in (because they don’t have the same talents as you).  A past client experience has you double guessing your return to try again. We’re all going to face criticism.  I believe it’s there to help us grow in the face of adversity. The Bible says "In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation." 1 Peter 5:10 NLT When it shows up, realize two things If you feel you were truly called (born to do) what you’re doing, then keep going. You can’t, you won’t please everyone all the time.  Just please God. You’re going to offend someone.  In fact, you must offend someone.  Your entire business has to revolve around something you’re trying to fix, a problem in the market.  That alone means you’re going to face haters.  It means you’re on to something BIG. Your venture is going to stir the pot, but keep on going. Godpreneur Rule #84: We Godpreneurs operate under the command of one God that has called us.  He turns haters into motivators. #BusinessBibleStudy #FindMyCalling Reviving Your Business Dreams, God’s Way In this course, you will receive the training you need to have a successful business launch and know once and for all that FINALLY, MY BUSINESS IDEA IS LAUNCHED Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

I used to run my business out of my living room.  Employees would come over every morning and the living area was converted into an office.  Very convenient for me, and employees didn’t care, but it wasn’t cool for clients. We set out to find an office warehouse to convert into our new creative space. After searching up and down, and through an awesome set of circumstances, we came across the place that I’ve called headquarters since 2010. It’s easy to walk into my office everyday and not remember the struggles of working in my living room.  I take for granted that God made some awesome things happen for me to find and continue to stay in my space. Recently I’ve changed my attitude towards my office. When I walk in, I remember what God brought me though to get and keep my place. We entrepreneurs need these reminders around us of the victories we’ve had. The problem is that we’re so stuck thinking about problems and circumstances that we forget to have an attitude of gratitude. If we would set up reminders in our minds, I believe we will begin to tip the scale from worry over to gratitude more often in our days. Back in the Bible says, God would have people set up alters and stones to remember certain events.  It happened at the crossing of the Jordan River and many other milestones that the Israelites triumphed, where God mad himself known. In 1 Samuel we read "Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!” 1 Samuel 7:12 NLT The Israelites had just had a major victory and they set up a reminder so that they won’t forget.  This was done to make sure their minds were constantly thinking GRATITUDE. You have more things great that happen to you than you know.  You’re doing better than you think you are.  The problem is you’re focused on the bad things that are currently happening than remembering the past victories. This is why companies put their awards on the walls.  This is why companies keep a linkage of employees of the month.  This is why it’s important to always write down your victories. I have a reminder to write my victories every day, then review them once a month, then write the MAJOR ones down on a different list. If we all kept remembering where we have come from, it will give us the attitude we need and the gratitude needed to propel us into the plan that God continues to have for us. Godpreneur Rule #105: Godpreneurs constantly celebrate their wins by writing down and revisiting their victories. #FindMyCalling #BusinessBibleStudy Reviving Your Business Dreams, God’s Way In this course, you will receive the training you need to have a successful business launch and know once and for all that FINALLY, MY BUSINESS IDEA IS LAUNCHED Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

The leadership of the great entrepreneurs I admire always inspires me because they knew how to overcome

My marketing agency used to do work for nightclubs and strip clubs across the world. I had the best graphic designers in the world working on the top hot spots from Vegas to Miami. Then from one day to the next, I quit it all. I didn’t want to be in that world anymore. I didn’t want to be helping the dark in my business and seeking the light in my personal life. But do you think the leads just stopped coming in for more work? Nope, we had developed a reputation over the years. People would still reach out to me about doing work, and I had two choices. I could take the work and continue to show our amazing ability to produce a quality product in a timely manner, or I had the choice to respectfully decline. J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, said “It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” I have the choice of what type of work I do and what clients I let into my company. My choices affect my relationship with God and the outcome of everything I do in my business. The Bible says: “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion.  To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.  Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power.  By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just;  by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth". Proverbs 8:12‭-‬16 NIV I respectfully decline all nightclub work that comes my way. We still have the ability to do amazing designs, but I’m choosing to flex my character, the new person God’s wisdom is shaping. Choices—we all make them every day in our businesses. But in the end, they make us. Godpreneur Rule: Choose to cultivate your inner Godpreneur, and don’t sacrifice your character on the road to success. #StrengthenIntegrity #WorkLifeBalance #SharpenLeadership

I’ve had the pleasure of going through pain in business. I had a client include me in a multi-million dollar lawsuit, which propelled me in a new direction for my business. I had a client fire me and request money back, which led me to fundamentally change the way I do business and opened my eyes to a brand new opportunity. When faced with adversity, I know I choose one of two roads: either I internalize it and let it make me bitter, or I give the pain to God (my defender) and let the spirit process the emotions and feed my mind new positive thoughts that lead me to finding opportunities. Based on my own account, God uses pain I experience in my business to do one of 4 things for me: mold my character teach me something important grow me in some way make a difference in the lives of others How can I look at the list of benefits above and not thank God that I go though pains in business? Business is about solving problem after problem.  Nothing happens when you’re jumping from happiness to happiness.  Happiness come from problems being solved. The bible says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 NIV The key for me is choosing to give the problem to God and not keeping it to myself.  God will never waste pain in your business that is offered to Him. When I offer my struggles in business to God, it removes it from contaminating my mind and opens me up to receive the solution.  In the torment of pain, I choose to spend my emotional energy and mental capacity on thinking logically. I need to pass this off in order of move on. #ShareYourTestimony #IncreaseEnergy #SharpenLeadership

I feel “called” to what I’m doing. Not the logo and website stuff that I do.  That’s my “vocational” calling – a strong feeling of suitability for my particular business. My calling is not merely my business plan or what I do as an entrepreneur or my set of skills or gifts. My calling is my identity. Who am I? My Primary Calling My primary calling as a Christian that I’m made in God’s image and I’m known by Jesus and called to be his faithful followers.  Regardless of my business doing good or bad, I’m in a transition between businesses, or I’m very satisfied with the meaningful work I’m doing – I’m called to be like Christ and show that to the world. Secondary Calling (My Business) Like a building is built on a strong foundation, the secondary calling is built upon the primary calling and it is through that calling in which the secondary one can exist. Yes, I do logos & websites.  But if I attach my primary calling to this, then it gets deeper.  I don’t just do logos & websites, I help people find their identity.  When I help someone find out what they are born to do, I develop a relationship with them where God can begin to use me to speak into their lives.  Now I can do my primary calling – be a light to my clients. The bible says "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." I Peter 2:9-10 NKJV It’s in this dual-calling approach where I’m able to truly find my identity as an entrepreneur. When I can combine my primary calling and my vocational secondary calling, I’m more powerful both as a Christian and as a provider of my service to my clients. The two are not separate.  You don’t have two different callings.  You have one calling (vocation) built upon the first calling, your primary calling. Our calling is primarily about our identity. And that is not usually the answer people are looking for when they ask, “What is my calling?” Usually, people want to know, “What business should I do? What product or service should I offer? What skill, what capacity, what gift might be distinctly mine?” People come to me to help them with their secondary calling, but they are going to always get my primary calling because I’ve recognized one can’t exist without the other. I pray that God remind me of my identity in him as I meet with clients. I am a follower and a servant that’s being discipled to best serve my clients. I thank God for calling me to this service. No matter what task I am facing, I always remember my identity as a child of God by his mercy and grace. #BusinessBibleStudy #FindMyCalling #DifferentiatingMyself