Ambition had a good and a bad side. The good part is that it’s a strong desire to do or to achieve success in something, typically requiring determination and hard work. The bad part comes when the desire is unmarried to my main mission, my born to do identity. Let me explain. My mission in life is to help 10,000 Entrepreneurs uncover and bring to life what they were born to do, the Business God created them to start. That’s a mission God gave me, so he supplies the ambition I need to go out and get it done. But then a distraction comes along the way, usually at a time where I really need the money.  My ambition, unchecked by God, begins to shift because something “sexier” came along, caught my eyes, and now something shinier is the object of my ambition. This is adultery, for business.  I’m cheating on my mission for something that is actually taking me away from my mission. The book of Proverbs in the bible references illicit sex and loose women more than any other single subject. The writer certainly thinks this is an important topic for us to consider. But for entrepreneurs, the message goes far deeper than one might think. The bible says "Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and to insight, “You are my relative.”  They will keep you from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words.  At the window of my house I looked down through the lattice.  I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who had no sense.  He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house  at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.  Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent." Proverbs 7:4‭-‬10 NIV Anything in business that ignites your desires and passions to the detriment of your good judgment and common sense could be considered a harlot who would potentially steal your heart and fracture your business. Who or what in your company is the harlot that wants to steal your life? What is it that has the potential to bring you to ruin if you give in to its unhealthy attraction? It might be some form of addiction, sex, the lust for power or influence—maybe, like me, it is ambition. It is seen time and again in the lives of famous entrepreneurs consumed by some uncontrolled appetite. If we Godpreneurs have a clear mission in life, we will not be easily distracted by the sideshows along the way. Godpreneur Rule: Focus your business on a meaningful mission that inspires your personal discipline and single-mindedness. Don’t give in to your unseemly passions. #EnhanceFocus #StrengthenIntegrity #SharpenLeadership

We fight to protect ourselves from pain of loss in profits, reputation, trust, and leadership.

One time I pretended an event was sold out when it really wasn’t.  I had even sent an email out saying that there were no more spots left and there was now a waiting list. I thought that maybe people would see the sense of urgency and react and sign up.  Instead, I got nothing. Oddly, I wasn’t sad or defeated that the event didn’t sell out.  Instead, I was embarrassed because I had to lie to the staff that helps me with the event.  They replied to that email congratulating me and I had to let them know one-by-one that the email was a lie. Deep down, I know I had a pride issue at the time.  I want my events always to sell out.  I want to be seem successful to everyone around me. After all, I’m an entrepreneur and I should be crushing it. Underneath all the glamour and facade, entrepreneurs are all the same—just clay fashioned into housing for a living soul. Everyone is searching for meaning and purpose in business and shares the same basic human needs. Showmanship is one thing, but we shouldn’t be fooled by our own act. At the heart of it all we are the same as everyone else—no better and no worse. And we need to recognize that fact. So how do we kick this bad habit of showmanship, pride, and fake facades? What if our entire business model revolves around a fake authority we’ve built, and there’s no turning back? The bible says One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.  A person’s riches may ransom their life, but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes.  The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.  Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Proverbs 13:7‭-‬10 NIV Here are 3 ways I’ve learned how to kick the habit of showing off and pretending to be someone I’m not. 1. Brag About Others: I’ve switched from trying to sell my services to selling my clients services.  I do branding, so I create the logos and websites for people.  When I’m done, I simply tell the world what they do, not what I did.  This helps me focus on others, and myself. Attend to the Basics 2. Your body, soul, and mind need working out constantly: We need to be in the bible daily to take on a Christ-like humility.  Here is God on Earth, can do anything he wants, yet shows us that those who are last will be first.  I read the Bible to keep me from becoming more of the old me. 3. You’re Doing Better than You Think You Are: Cultivate pleasures and have a realistic appraisal of yourself. God doesn’t read your press clippings. And if He did, He would not be very impressed. We’re all hard on ourselves.  If we really take a step back and look, we’re actually doing amazing things.  The problem is that we’re not where our visions have shown us yet, and that can lead to frustration and lies to make yourself act like you’re there already. Godpreneur Rule: Drawing attention to yourself may be good for business, but the simple life is good for your soul. #SharpenLeadership #StrengthenIntegrity

I don’t seem to learn very much when everything is going great. It is usually in my failures that God gets my attention. The other day I didn’t deliver on time a project I had promised. The client was upset. I had failed to deliver on what I had promised. I look at it like this: if something went wrong in a project, client, vendor, deal, or employee, it’s a check engine light that something needs fixing. I had to flat-out confess to the client that I was sorry and I had no other choice but to make it right. Sometimes God humbles us to test our reaction before He lifts us up. The bible says "Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined; whoever hates correction will die. Even Death and Destruction hold no secrets from the Lord . How much more does he know the human heart! Mockers hate to be corrected, so they stay away from the wise". Proverbs 15:10‭-‬12 NLT Have you ever been embarrassed or ashamed with a client situation only to discover later that your experience was supremely valuable? Maybe your failure turned your life in a way that nothing else could have accomplished. I have found that down is the way up in business. Anyone can handle success. How you handle failure as a Godpreneur is a sign of greatness. All entrepreneurs will suffer setbacks and discouragement; it come with the territory if you are trying to do what you were born to do. The one who is always playing it safe will never find out what kind of stuff they are made of. The failures and disappointments we experience in our businesses are not always what they appear to be. Maybe they are really just momentary set-backs as we focus on God’s will for our businesses. Godpreneur Rule: Humble yourself before God and He will lift your business up. #SharpenLeadership #GainConfidence

I’ve been married since 2011. Before that I was a nightclub promoter for 10 years. Needless to say, getting married was going to be a big battle for me since I’d been living an entire decade around a culture where having tons of girls that are friends was the name of the game. The other day I had a co-worker come into the office to knock out important work. She’s amazing, a really hard worker and extremely smart. Lunch time came around and neither of us brought lunch. We had to go grab somewhere. I immidiately remember that I had committed to “set boundaries” around lunches with women. What if my wife or friends would see me out? They don’t know she’s my co-worker. So I grabbed my partner and the 3 of us went to lunch. We don’t all have the same past I had, but we all have the same enemy around us that wants to destroy our relationships. We might not think it can happen to us, so we’re reluctant to set the same boundaries for our self. Now, that does not necessarily mean that by not setting boundaries our intention is to cross a line with the opposite sex. Usually it means that we have a false sense of our own capability to handle any situation at any time the way it needs to be handled. My experience as an entrepreneur says you are playing with fire. Any time we think that we are not vulnerable, we are fooling ourselves. All of us are vulnerable and I am including myself in this. The bible says "Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who always does good and who never sins." ECCLESIASTES 7:20 AMP For me, acknowledging my vulnerability is a smart move. Now I can set the boundaries in place that not only will keep me from crossing the line but will keep me far away from that line in the first place. Being an entrepreneur comes with this “whatever it takes” mentality that says that boundaries with the opposite sex are not really necessary. Having lunch or dinner with a potential prospect (especially a big one with lots of money) is okay. Traveling out of town with someone is okay, especially to close that major deal. After all, it is a business trip to grow the company! These things that culture says are okay can often be the first step to an affair. Every affair begins with some type of encounter. Limiting or eliminating those encounters is essential. My co-worker and I had a great lunch, and my partner tagged along and it was especially helpful because he provided some valuble insight on a project we were on. My point is this: Good, solid, well thought out boundaries for entrepreneurs in relationships are essential. Yes, there may be consequences as you follow them but in the big picture what’s really most important? Godpreneurs, take time this week to reassess your boundaries or create them if you have never had any. Think of five boundaries in your business that you can put in place to protect your relationship. Share in the Comments What boundaries do you currently have in place to protect your relationships when it comes to business dealings with the opposite sex? Make time this week to sit down with the person you’re in relationship with and discuss boundaries. Get on the same page about boundaries. Hear each other’s concerns, and respect the boundaries that will make your significant other feel secure in your relationship. It’s important that boundaries aren’t just physical boundaries but that they also protect you against emotional affairs. What boundaries can you put in place to make sure you are not seeking emotional needs from others that you should be getting from your significant other? Pray over the boundaries you have set and ask God to help protect your relationships. #SharpenLeadership #StrengthenIntegrity #MarriedEntrepreneurs

I’ve been at this entrepreneurship stuff since 2005. That’s the year I collected my last paycheck and set out on this exciting journey. It wasn’t until 13 years later when I finally realized the definition of success in entrepreneurship. Success is NOT making your first Million Dollars. Succeeding is NOT owning a big multi-national corporation with 100 employees. Finding success is NOT paying off all my college loans. In entrepreneurship, success comes down to one thing: not quitting. We are so easily distracted by what society deems as successful: fancy cars, nice watches, and fat stacks of $100 dollar bills thrown out on a bed to lay in. But all of those things aren’t as powerful as what I’ve discovered to be the anchor of success in business. The Bible says in Jeremiah 23:3-4, “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the LORD. What I’ve come to learn from walking with God and consuming every word from the Bible through the lens of an entrepreneur’s walk is that God gives richer blessings to the Godpreneur that remains faithful. This verse in Jeremiah gives us a good clue: Faithful Godpreneurs will have no fear. Faithful Godpreneurs will lack for nothing. Faithful Godpreneurs will be fruitful. Faithful Godpreneurs will increase. Do you want to feel successful in your business? Stop chasing the things or this world and focus on your obedience to the calling God has called you to: business ownership. If you haven’t quit, if you’re waiting on God, and if you have faith that He will provide, then you are already more successful than 90% of the marketplace. You’re going better than you think you are! We are all interested in increasing. Godpreneurs should all desire to be fruitful – to lend and not borrow. We should not be afraid. God says these blessings come to those who remain faithful and stay the course out of Godpreneurship. No matter what, do not give up on your entrepreneurial dream. Remain faithful, because God promises great blessings to Godpreneurs who stay the course in their business. Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs stay faithful, committed, and obedient. #GainConfidence

I have to admit one of the areas I struggle most in business is with my integrity. I’m often late to meetings. I sometimes cancel appointments or don’t even show up. I set weekly meetings in place for my team members, all with good intentions, but then I can’t keep up with the weekly commitment, and I drop off. Yet in other areas of my business, my integrity is on the spot. I finish my projects with excellence, all the way to the end. I pay my bills on time. I try not to use credit. I don’t lie, cheat, or steal from people. But the thing with integrity is that I can’t have integrity in one area of my business and not have it in another. The definition of integrity won’t allow for this division. The Definition of Integrity in Business Integrity in business has a single devotion to clean hands and a pure heart. Integrity is like a pure glass of water. If you throw just a single drop of food coloring, the glass is no longer pure. For us, business owners, having integrity goes well beyond avoiding cheating, lying, and overall bad behavior. Integrity is one whole glass of water, meaning our actions aren’t something we can mix into the water and take out easily. We all have moments where we damage our integrity, areas of our business where we can get away with skillful deception, and people we gossip about. All of these things can keep us from the MORE that God has set aside for us – from the blessed business life. Those of us seeking to achieve greatness in business must learn to build, defend, and clean our integrity. How do we become the type of Godpreneurs that keeps their integrity in all areas of our business (and personal) life? What do we do if we’ve done so much to our integrity that we feel it’s been lost forever? How can we begin and stick to a plan of purity of heart? In the most famous preaching ever given on the planet, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount lays out the eight beatitudes, which are qualities of the people that enjoy special favor from God. I believe these qualities are the keys to unlocking the next levels of achievements in our businesses. The sixth beatitude gives practical advice; we need to keep our word more often in business. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8 NIV) Why is Your Integrity Important? Why is being in integrity and having a pure heart so important? Because then God reveals Himself to us, and when we see business the way the Creator of commerce sees it, we enter a new level of understanding of our industry, marketplace, and people we do business with. When you have a pure heart, you get a “sixth sense” of God’s reality in business. Yet without integrity, our deceptions can stay so long that we don’t even see that our glass of water is dirty because your eyes get used to seeing through the tainted water. Impure entrepreneurs have no desire to see God, but you are a Godpreneur who is part of Christ’s kingdom and are blessed because you see reality as it truly is, including the reality of God. What We Need to Do to Keep Our Integrity So what does it take to purify our hearts and keep our integrity in business? First off, integrity doesn’t come from us trying to clean it, buy it, or work it out, but from the reception of God’s grace. Integrity is a tough subject because we’ve got all these pockets of our business where, if we were honest, we lack integrity. We’ve fallen short, our glass of water is murky, and all these moral failures arise that make us think, “man, I’m a mess, and I got a lot of cleaning up to do!” Listen, we could all make a similar list of failures. And that’s where the integrity begins – with a confession. Confessing our bad works in business is the beginning of God doing good works through our business. Notice, I said, “God doing good works.” The transformation for gaining and defending your purity of heart will come from God. We need to keep it real and confess our areas of weakness and ask God to reveal more areas so He can immediately clean them. We need to admit that we don’t always keep our promises, we often gossip, we sometimes slack off, and we pretend to be someone we’re not. And we can’t compartmentalize our life and clean up our business integrity and not the integrity in our personal lives. Remember, integrity is one whole glass of water, and eventually, one compromised area can spread to the entire cup. This means that it will affect the business, too, because while sin may be personal, it’s never private. There’s No Such Thing as Perfect Integrity Look, none of us, Godpreneurs, is perfect, but God doesn’t expect us to run perfect businesses! He does, however, expect us to have integrity, and we start by owning up to our sins — no matter how long our list is. God is more interested in our hearts than our sins. We’re never going to be perfect. We’re never going to be sinless in business, but we can sin less. Imagine if we all chose integrity? How much better of a marketplace would it be to transact in? How much more could God do through us? How much better would our products and services be if they were all produced from pure hearts? Let’s all choose to have pure hearts moving forward. #StrengthenIntegrity

#EnhanceFocus #FindingMyPurpose

Almost every morning since 2014, I’ve sat down to read my bible in the morning and God puts it on my heart to share a message with other entrepreneurs. I’ve learned a lot about running my business by the book. Will you allow me to share that with you? If so, you would receive a daily email with some thoughts on what I’ve learned from the Bible to apply it in business. You´ll get a message in your inbox to help you grow closer to God and the customers you serve. This way you’d would be able to give God some minutes of your time and stay connected with Him during your workday. Would you join us? Subscribe here: http://www.dailygodpreneur.com/landing/subscribe/ #GainConfidence #ShareYourTestimony #FindingMyPurpose

In this course, I’ll walk you through my own experience in putting God first in my business and bringing that new brand to life, quickly! COURSE HERE In this course, I’ll walk you through my own experience in putting God first in my business and bringing that new brand to life, quickly! When we put God first, it changes the entire way you look at the marketplace. It won’t be easy. You’ll face an enemy that does not want you to align your business with God’s will. 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. Godpreneurs seek to please one boss, one board of director member, the main investor: God. #GodpreneurAcademy #BusinessBibleStudy #LaunchingMyBusiness

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to “restart” my business. One day things are going great, there’s momentum, the vision is clear, we´re making money. COURSE HERE I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to “restart” my business. One day things are going great, there’s momentum, the vision is clear, everyone’s on board, we’re making money. Then, bad news. Bad news has come in many forms. For me, it happened each time a partner of mine left the company. It also happened when I lost my biggest client. The latest one happened in November when I dropped the nightlife from my service list and the accountant told me I had a couple of weeks of survival before it was all over. We’ve all had set backs in our business. We have good days and bad days. But sometimes we get news so big that it rocks the entire foundation of your business, your plans for the future, and ultimately, your identity as an entrepreneur. We feel depressed, lonely, like a failure, like the dream is over. I’ve been there, and its likely I will be there again. But there’s good news! God has a plan, and he wants us to REBUILD! Yup! And in these next series of posts, we’ll look at the book of Niahmiah and how he was sent to REBUILD the city of Jerusalem. Most of the time in the bible when something bad has occurred we see people going straight to God first. TAKE COURSE HERE #GodprenerAcademy #BusinessBibleStudy #LaunchingMyBusiness

There are seven key factors for succeeding at launching the purpose God has placed in your heart for you to fulfill. COURSE HERE We all, as Godpreneurs, have stories we are waiting to tell. The right time to do it is always NOW! Don’t waste time thinking twice about the difficulties or resources you don’t have in order to start, think about what you do have right now and follow both God and your heart, there’s no time to lose when it comes down to living out the dream God has planned out for you. There are seven key factors for succeeding at launching the purpose God has placed in your heart for you to fulfill. Write the story God always planned on you to write, serve Him in the best way possible: by following His wish for you and your business TAKE COURSE HERE #GodpreneurAcademy #BusinessBibleStudy #LaunchingMyBusiness

I like my leadership skills. I´m happy with who God made me be in business.”

In college, I didn’t like my finance and accounting classes. I probably didn’t like them because I wasn’t good at them. I barely scraped by to knock those classes off my list of requirements, knowing I would NEVER become an accountant or be in the financial planning industry. After college, I started my business, and accounting wasn’t my priority. But since I was the “ivy league” graduate of my partners, I took on the accounting myself. I figured since I had just learned it in college, I was the best of the 3 of us. Instead of hiring a bookkeeper or paying for monthly accounting service, I decided I would do it all myself to save money. After all, how hard could this be – it’s not like we were a billion-dollar company. A few years into my company, it came time to files for taxes. I met with a Certified Public Accountant, and he broke the worst news I had ever heard – I owed $15,000 to the IRS in payroll taxes that I had not been paying. I was devastated. The accountant told me that I shouldn’t be trying to do things on my own, especially in an area I’m not good at. That day I sucked up my pride and hired the accountant’s monthly bookkeeping and financial advising services. We all need help in certain parts of our businesses. There are tasks that we need guidance with, but our ego or pride doesn’t let us ask for help. Sure, there are things we can save money on by doing ourselves at the beginning of the business, but the least we could do is ask for guidance, read a book, or follow tutorials. We have to be smart enough to realize this journey wasn’t meant to be walked alone. One problem entrepreneurs can experience is that we think we need to know and do everything on our own since we’re the owners – or else we’d be seen as unqualified to be a business owner. We think that owning a business means we should know it all, so we don’t ask for the help and guidance we need. But doing things on our own is NOT how God designed us. In fact, in the most famous preaching ever given, Jesus tells us that our entire spiritual walk hinges on the concept of humble dependence – our need for God. The bible says “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3 NIV) When Jesus says, “poor in spirit,” he’s talking about people who have come to understand that without God, they are nothing. In other words, the people that are humble enough to admit that they don’t have it all together and need help are the ones that will be blessed. So how does this apply to your journey as a Godpreneur? It’s a blessing for you and your business when you recognize you are in need of God’s grace, you are spiritually bankrupt, and you’re a sinner that will take the whole business down if left on your own. Your realization of this danger to your life is what turns you to God because you realize you can’t do what you’re born to do without Him. One of Jesus’ steps to achieving greatness in business is to have total dependence on God. When you are in a mindset of dependence, it humbles you, and you see that you’re not as good in certain areas as you might think. We stop pretending to be someone we’re not. We get off our throne and let God take His rightful place in our businesses. I could imagine how hard it must have been for my accountant or my partners to work with me, Mr. Know-it-all. I wasn’t willing to learn, grow, or accept correction because I was trying to maintain the inflated image of myself I created because I graduated from an Ivy League school. When I started my journey with God and realized that there was so much more to learn about business, even after graduating college, that’s when I finally humbled myself and committed to being a student again, depending on my new professor – God. When we realize our dependence on God, that’s when He brings a resource into your business that will help. This can come in the form of a person, a new tool, or a resource. Even Jesus, when he started working as a carpenter, must have needed guidance and instruction. God must have brought resources around him to make that happen. We Godpreneurs need to acknowledge that when God is at work within us, we can put Jesus’ teachings into practice across all the areas of our businesses. In a marketplace full of powerful business people, it may seem like a weakness to be dependent on God. This is a lie the enemy wants us to think. The Godpreneur that’s more likely to be successful will be the instills a culture of dependence on God and each other to break through barriers and achieve greatness. As Jesus eludes to, a humble Godpreneur is the first characteristic mark of companies that achieve sustained greatness. Of course, the marketplace is full of entrepreneurs that are stuck in a state of inflated self-appraisal and self-promotion. Instead of being envious, our hearts have to break for them. This is even more of a reason we need to show our dependence on God – so we can be a light in the marketplace and display Jesus’ characteristics and influence others to turn their dependence on God too. Let’s pray. Lord, be merciful to all of us Godpreneurs – sinners ministering in our marketplaces. We recognize our need for help. Please help us to be more humble and have a true view of ourselves in our businesses. We thank you in advance for the greatness we will achieve as we do Your will through our products and services. Amen! #LaunchingMyBusiness #NewEntrepreneurs #BusinessBibleStudy Jesus’s 8 Steps For Achieving Greatness in Business Achieving greatness starts when we learn about humble dependence on God and trust that He will always bring new resources into our business. 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 pride and selfishness get me in a lot of trouble, especially when it comes to waiting on God in my business. As time passes by, still not having achieved the successes I desire, my pride creeps in to whisper lies in my ear like “you deserve so much more than this, you should have more fame and fortune by now, what are you waiting for?” And I know I’m not alone. In fact, because of my line of work, I’ve spoken with so many Christian entrepreneurs who share similar and sometimes deeper strongholds than I’ve personally ever felt. We entrepreneurs suffer from: The desire of being praised The desire of being honored The desire of being preferred The desire of being consulted The desire of being approved The desire for comfort and ease The fear of being humiliated The fear of being criticized The fear of being passed over The fear of being forgotten The fear of being lonely The fear of being hurt The fear of suffering It’s our pride, coupled with one or more of these thoughts that hold us Godpreneurs back from doing the very things that God wants us to do WHILE we wait, so that later on, we can be lifted higher. The Bible says In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5‭-‬7 NIV The Bible reminds us, entrepreneurs, to humble ourselves because God wants to lift us up in due time. In God’s economy, one must proceed the other. Jesus is God’s own son, yet He arrived as a humble servant. For Godpreneurs like me and you, humility is not thinking you and your business are less, it is never forgetting the fact that it is Jesus who made you and your ventures MORE. So, how do you become more like Jesus in the marketplace? How do you develop a spirit of humility during your waiting season? For me, I became more humble as I developed my habit of reading the Bible every morning. This habit began to form a relationship between me and Jesus. That relationship opened up my ears to the holy spirit’s small voice and opened the eyes of my soul to see God for who He really wanted me to see Him as. As I drew closer to God, the desires and fears I shared earlier began to transform as I let God take control of them. I began to take a more humble approach to prospects, clients, vendors, contractors, employees, and the marketplace as a whole. That my employees are loved more than me That others are chosen before me That my team may be praised and I unnoticed That my heart be like Jesus That I am strengthened by the spirit That I am taught Jesus’s ways For God to help me put my self-importance aside To learn the kind of cooperation with others in a way it shows Christ’s light Any Godpreneur who walks intimately with Him will not think more highly of himself or his business than he should. To assume Jesus’s ability to wait, while still showing gentleness and grace, all we need to do is be in a relationship with him day in and day out. To be humble in business doesn’t mean we have to be weak. God has given us all we need to live confidently as inheritors of His riches. The proud businessman will never truly lift up God’s name in praise. Yet He raises the humble Godpreneur to new heights. #SharpenLeadership