Search results for "leadership"

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

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

I am a “seeing is believing” kinda guy. I grew up in the Catholic church but didn’t continue after high school. I spent all of my university life and into my late 20s totally away from any kind of relationship with God because I didn’t see Him in anything I was doing. He wasn’t relevant. His power wasn’t present. I was large and in charge and taking the reigns of my future. I didn’t see God anywhere in my college life, so I didn’t believe. I started my business as a non-Christian. My buddies and I got together to start a web and graphic design company. Things were great. We made a bunch of money and had tons of fun…without God. Life was good. I didn’t see God anywhere in my business life, so I didn’t believe. Then, my mother tells me to read a book called “The Secret” and my mind was opened up to an “unseen” world of power that’s all around us. Shortly thereafter, a friend shares the gospel with me and explained that this power has been there all along and we have access to it 24/7 and that God is the source of that power. And around the same time, a girlfriend of mine invites me to church and something stirred deep within my soul and I felt that this was the life I wanted to live. I began to see God in everything in my personal life, so I began to believe. A few years into my walk with Christ is when I realized that my business was an extension of myself and it was also in need of saving – my business needed Jesus to be in charge. It was the only area I had not let God fully control. It’s like I was holding on to a piece of my dark past. But the conviction was too great and I finally let it go to God. That’s when my business was completely transformed and I uncovered my true calling in business and in life. I began to see God in everything in my business life, and I believed even more! My faith went on fire! Jesus can save us personally and professionally. We entrepreneurs are really good at separating business from our personal life, but Jesus wants it all. I believe that there are Christian entrepreneurs out there that have given their personal life to God but haven’t surrendered their business lives. I know this is true because I was one of them. Maybe you don’t believe God can come into your business. Maybe you think it’s easier for others, but there’s no way God would care about you’re doing. The bible says Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29 NIV) Not seeing Jesus, and yet believing is a blessing from God. If you’re being convicted of sin in your business and the spirit is showing you the truth about Jesus being able to take control of your business, then let’s pray to save your business and turn it over to God. Pray this with me. Say: Lord Jesus, You are Son of the living God. You saved me and you save my business too. You mediate between me and God and you provide me the perfect example of how to lead my business. You offered yourself for the sins of my business and take that guilt from me. You are sinless and rose from the dead and are seated at the right hand or the father and are CEO over my business. Today, I repent of the sins I’ve committed in my business. I repent of the pride of ownership I have in trying to lead and fix everything on my own. I repent of looking at my products and services to save me. You alone can rescue me. I believe you lived, died, and rose to save me and my business from sin and death and replace it with passion, purpose, and a calling to witness you through my products and services. Jesus, I desire to lose my business to find a true venture in you. I place my faith in my business in you. Impart your power in my business so that I can Triumph over the enemy that doesn’t want me in my calling. I want to walk in my “Born to Do” identity. Empower me and my business for your mission to be a minister in my marketplace and that my products and services would witness to all nations that you are Lord over all. My friend, if you prayed this prayer, then I believe you’ve saved your business and are ready for Godpreneurship! Make sure you keep Jesus at the center of it all, read the Bible every morning before starting your business day, and get in a good Bible-based church. Welcome to being a Godpreneur. #BusinessBibleStudy #NewEntrepreneurs #GodpreneurAcademy

In my studying of “giving” as a Christian Entrepreneur, I learned that giving wasn’t always about giving money. Sure, some people were compelled to give money, but many were giving property, crops, wagons, clothes, food, etc. The famous Bible verses that are used at the time of the collection in our church don’t mention what kind of gifts we should give. For example, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:6‭-‬7 NIV) Nowhere in 2 Corinthians 8 or 9 does Paul mention anything about money. It’s all about giving a gift with the right ATTITUDE and MINDSET. See, giving isn’t about giving money. Giving is about developing the attitude of understanding that God’s given us something, and we should want to give that to the world. For some, giving will come in the form of Money. And not because they feel guilty about giving, but because God has moved their spirit to want to contribute towards something amazing. For others of us entrepreneurs, giving will be about giving our services or products because they will benefit a need. We can also give free resources, ebooks, blog post teachings, and video courses so we can share with the world what God has given us as specialized knowledge in our field. And when we give, we get back. It’s the law of reproduction. When a farmer plants a banana tree, it produces bananas. That’s the law. And when I plant that one banana sprout, it produces dozens of other bananas. That’s the law of multiplication. We know reproduction and multiplication are gifts from God because when Jesus gave himself to us, he reproduced himself in the disciples, and it multiplied to millions everywhere. We’ve been talking about the 21 Laws of Money Management for Christian Entrepreneurs, and most of the laws are all about mindset and attitude. The mindset of the cheerful giver has an incredible impact on our financial management as we seek to be stewards of God’s gifts over our lives. The bible says "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty." (Proverbs 11:24 NIV) The most financially successful entrepreneurs out there have been people who have figured out that they need to give something to receive more of it. They give of their time, knowledge, products, services, and yes, sometimes money, because they are doing it out of love and charity, not out of obligation or guilt. I believe that if we Godpreneurs going to be great financial managers, we need to make sure we have our attitudes and mindset about giving in line with how God wants us to think. He wants us to give as much value as we can to the marketplace. The more you can give, the more will come back, and multiplied! Godpreneur Money Rule #11: Godpreneurs are cheerful givers – we sow generously and reap generously. #BusinessBibleStudy #SharpenLeadership #ShareYourTestimony The 19 Rules of Money Management for Christian Entrepreneurs This course will help you develop a better sense of money management God’s way. 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

There's the way the world does business, and there's God's way. How do you grow a successful, profitable, meaningful God-first business? You have to learn what the Bible says about your entrepreneurial journey and apply it to every business situation. This devotional guides high-achieving Christian entrepreneurs who want an efficient formula for drawing closer to God, improving their Bible reading habits, AND grow their businesses God's way. Plan Devotional Here TAKE PLAN HERE #BusinessBibleStudy

I’ve been shooting video's in the middle of my office for years now. It can be pretty tricky. I know many of my readers want to do this, so I’ve put together a blog of the equipment you need to buy and some tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way. WHERE TO SHOOT I have 3 places I shoot in Conference Room: Shooting in a conference room will not only give you control over lighting and ambient noise, but it will keep you from distracting the entire office (and keep the entire office from distracting you). Desk: I love my setup by my desk because it’s convenient. I can be up and shooting in no time. You definitely need to have a desk setup! Office Shot: I love my “Office Point Of View” shot. This is where you see the entire background of my office and it gives the viewer proof that I actually have a space where I do business. SETTING YOUR BACKDROP Each of the spaces above can have a specific background that you want people to see. There’s a cool way of setting up a backdrop, and there’s a cheesy way. Shotting yourself sitting in a chair with some fake plants in the background doesn’t look cool….not anymore at least. It’s better to shoot in front of a solid colored background. WARNING: Please stay away from computer-generated backdrops…like shooting in front of a green screen and then the video editor replaces the green screen with a scene from the beach. This is very 1990’s news reporter style. In my office backdrop shot, I make sure I grab an angle that you can see the best parts of my office. I clean up, make sure everything is nice. I angle the camera so that the room is centered. If I am going to film with no background, filming against an off-white wall looks pretty boring, and can lead to nasty glare and reflections. Instead, use a roll of seamless paper from a photography supply store. STUDIO LIGHTS I use studio lights. The overhead lights in my office create nasty shadows on my face and glare on the top of my head. And since sunlight changes throughout the day in my office, it can be tough to maintain a consistent look. So I cover or turn off the overhead lights, I block out as much outside light as I can, and I bring in my own video lighting. You don’t need fancy lights to get a good image. 3 well-placed lights should get you just the amount of light that you need. Here’s a link to the lights I use: Neewer 1600W Photo Studio Video Softbox Lighting Kit (copy and paste this into Amazon). SOUND LIKE A PRO In my office, recording sound creates echo and reverb. This is not only distracting, but it sounds like you’re filming in a bathroom! To fix this, you need great recording equipment. First, I recommend you get the Blue Microphones Snowball iCE Black Microphone with Knox Studio Boom Arm & Pop Filter. You’ll need this for podcasting and filming from your desk. If you’re not filming from your desk, you’ll want a way to capture your sound that is NOT directly the sound your camera captures. You’ll need the Zoom H1n Digital Handy Portable Recorder. Get the entire kit that comes with the memory card, etc. You’ll need it all. WARNING: Watch out for distracting, noisy heating vents. Make sure you can turn off the ventilation system in the room where you’re filming. LEAVE (OR REMEMBER) YOUR SETUP If at all possible, leave your studio set up all the time. At my office, I’ve found that having a dedicated space to film my videos has allowed for greater spontaneity and simplified the production of new videos. If you’re planning on filming multiple videos, and if you can sell it to your team, having a dedicated space can save you a ton of time. So there you go! Now go shut down that meeting in your company’s conference room and get your studio set up! Just don’t tell them we told you to do it. SHOPPING LIST This is my own personal setup that I have at my office. Professional Camera Kit – Panasonic Lumix G7 (link to entire kit) Get the kit that comes with a memory card, battery, etc. You’ll need it all. Tripod – AmazonBasics 60 Inch Lightweight TripodThe camera kit above has a tripod, but if you’re buying things separately, get this tripod. Additional SD card – SanDisk Ultra UHS I Memory 64GThe camera kit above comes with a 32GB. You’ll want an additional 64GB. Extra BatteriesThe camera kit above has extra batteries, but if you’re buying things separately, you’ll need extra batteries. Desktop Web Camera – Logitech Widescreen Calling Recording I do all of my quick recordings, zoom calls, social media LIVES with this camera. Lights – Neewer 1600W Photo Studio Video Softbox Lighting Kit Buy this entire kit. It comes with bulbs. It’s ready to go. Microphone Desktop Microphone – Blue Microphones Snowball iCE Black Microphone with Knox Studio Boom Arm & Pop Filter You need this. Don’t think about it. Just buy it. External Recorder – Zoom Portable Recorder If you really want your video sound to be on point, you need to record your audio separately with this. Camera Mounted – Rode Video Mic Fuzzy Windjammer Kit This is if you’re in the car or outside and someone is recording you. Teleprompter Setup Teleprompter – Glide Gear TMP100 Adjustable iPad/ Tablet/ Smartphone Teleprompter Teleprompter Remote – Satechi Bluetooth Multi Media Remote IPad or Phone – I’m assuming you have a phone or ipad mini or android tablet you can use. You’ll need to download a teleprompter app. Teleprompter Tripod (heavy duty) – Mactrem Travel 11lb load #AgencyOwners #NewEntrepreneurs

I witnessed a lot of miracles in my business. I could write blog posts for days on this, but the best ones I remember came in the area of finances in my business. There would be times when we needed to make payroll and by some miraculous way, a client that owed money for a long time ends up paying the day we needed it. This happened a lot! I understand that it's difficult to think straight with looming bills and uncertainty. We all have a tendency to forget the miraculous ways God has worked in our businesses. In the midst of difficult circumstances, we doubt Him instead of focusing on His faithfulness in the past. Ultimately, this lack of trust could potentially cost us the privilege of leading a team and having a successful business. God can shut us down unless we learn to trust God. Do you really trust God? Most of us find it much easier to trust when things are going well, but when things are difficult, our faith in Him can be tested. In these times, it is important to remember when God sustained your business through difficulties. I think about the times sitting down with the accountant who is trying to figure out where monies will come from. My faith was strong, and I would tell them that my God comes through for me. The next week I’m smiling at the meeting because God came through. Psalms 143:5 says “I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.” Remembering those faith stories will help your business maintain an attitude towards God that is positive and anticipatory. #GainConfidence

I started out my company with 2 other partners. Along the way we made deals with 7 other people to take pieces of the company in exchange for shares in the company. The money was very enticing. We got a new office on South Beach, new computers, hired a lot of employees. It felt good to be in control and growing an agency! But after a while in business, I began to notice that we all believed in different things and wanted to go in different directions. They had their own lives and goals, I had mine.  They had their own ethics, morals, standard and habits while I had developed different ones. This became a wedge that split the relationships. As entrepreneurs, the idea of partnerships and investor money sounds so great to us. We get more help, and we feel like a real business ready for the NASDAQ! But what happens when the excitement of the beginning partnership fades away and people start being real. What happens if half way through your business you have a spiritual awakening that changes every way you handle business? God only has one solution for us…. Proverbs 6:1-5 says, "Dear friend, if you’ve gone into hock with your neighbor or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger, If you’ve impulsively promised the shirt off your back and now find yourself shivering out in the cold, Friend, don’t waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess. You’re in that man’s clutches! Go, put on a long face; act desperate. Don’t procrastinate— there’s no time to lose. Run like a deer from the hunter, fly like a bird from the trapper!" Over the next 6 years God disassembled the entire team, removing anyone and everyone that I could be unequally yoked with. In November 2014 the final remnants of the past were totally removed, and now God had a clean slate to work with. Now I wait on God for pretty much everything and every partnership opportunity in my business. I patiently wait for God to open up doors to walk through instead of forcing myself in. I don’t just hire any regular Joe off the street or partner with the next guy who has a great idea. I make sure God brought the circumstances for that person to be there. You might be in a bad partnership.  ou might owe money you borrowed.  Pray for God to create the circumstances to get out and focus all attention on the opportunity that will free you from this. Imagine if we all just waited patiently for the plans God already created for us to succeed?  But in order for that to come to pass, we must be emptied of our past. Godpreneur Rule #67: Patiently wait on God for your partnerships and He will give you results greater than you could have done on your own. #HiringtheRightPeople #BusinessPartnerships

Back in 2014, I received a letter from the attorney of one of my clients saying my company was being named as a party in a lawsuit. The letter threatened that I could be sued for millions because of our involvement in their lawsuit. I was so afraid. Where was I going to pull money like this from? How was I going to pay the legal fees to help me defend myself from this terrible situation? I called some lawyer friends. Some suggested I send a letter. Others suggested that I needed to shut down my operations. Others said I need to hire an attorney to represent me. Finally, one of my friends and brother Christ told me that I just needed to do NOTHING. He said that these things usually settle in court and that chances are, I won’t hear about it again. I took his advice, but the letters kept coming, and I kept getting more and more afraid that I’d be bankrupt and be forced to shut down my operations. But then I listened to a great sermon that talked about putting my trust in God, and that He is our great defender! I started repeating this to myself over and over. Each new lawsuit updated letter came in, I’d look at it and say “God is my defender, I did nothing wrong here, God will vindicate me and guide me to move forward.” It’s been years since I received any information about this. It’s almost as if the entire thing went way. Not a peep. We Entrepreneurs are always faced with challenges that will test our trust in our great defender. We might be waiting for a huge financial break. God will guide us. We might be in the middle of a huge fight with our business partners. God will protect us. We might have lost our direction and need to center ourselves again in our calling. God will guide us. But what do we do when we’re trying to find a way to trust God, but it’s more difficult said than done? If you’re like me, this is sometimes the difficulty we face; mustering up the trust to keep pressing on. Listen, trusting God isn’t easy at first, but it will be necessary for staying on track in our businesses for the rest of our lives. The Bible says: "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you". Psalms 56:3 NIV When you’re afraid in your business, your flesh naturally wants to kick into survival mode. Do the UN-natural thing: trust God. There is no other way to fight fear than with the fear of God Himself. I’ve learned to associate the feeling of being afraid and fear to other thoughts that serve me and my business positively. Memorize verses of Trust – This is a great verse to associate to when faced with an unknown situation in business: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NIV). For a Godpreneur, there’s nothing stronger to fight the enemy of fear and doubt that the Word of God in the name of Jesus. Repeat Affirmations – another tactic I use is to repeat over and over “I trust in God’s process.” When you begin to repeat it enough times, you start to internalize it and believe it. Remember the Past – the only way these works is if you document all the times you trusted in God, and He came through for you! In times of difficulty, I often go back to my list of accomplishments and sprinkled in there are victories that came about because I trusted in God. When we’re shouldering deep in our business struggle, and we’re having to wait for something, trust that God will protect, defend and guide you. Imagine if all Godpreneurs trusted in God’s process as we grow our businesses. Imagine a world of people praising God, even as we wait because God hasn’t brought us through yet. Godpreneurs turn to God in our fear. Godpreneurs call out to Him when the trust is fading. Godpreneurs put our trust in Him; He gives us peace in our businesses. God wants to honor that kind or trust and He will not forsake our business ventures. There’s nothing stringer for our entrepreneurial career that God’s almighty promise to protect us, defend us, and guide us. #BusinessBibleStudy #GainConfidence #SharpenLeadership #FindMyCalling

I’ve been doing CrossFit since 2010. Beyond the physical pain, I’ve also grown in my mindset through the workouts. Lessons like discipline, competition, finishing strong, pacing, focusing, dieting, and more! One skill that I’ve seen serve me well time and time again is RESTING while in the middle of a workout. I’m not talking about a long rest, so the clock expires. I’m talking about short rest to regroup, reset, take a breather, get back up, and hit it hard again. If I go, go, go, then I’m going to burn out and not be able to finish. But when I rest for a moment and take in a deep breath, I can see clearly and attack the workout once again. In our businesses, especially while we’re launching our new idea, we could start out enthusiastically with a lot of fire and energy. The momentum begins to build as excitement for calling being released to the world builds. But if we’re not careful to rest, fatigue could get creep into the mind, and we stop seeing straight. We begin to make the wrong decisions because we don’t have enough oxygen (holy spirit) running through our bodies. We start to tap into our own strength (never a good idea) instead of staying hooking on God’s GPS. The enemy of “business” can disguise himself as productivity, and before you know it, we’ve exhausted ourselves, our vendors, and our team. But God’s word should give us hope that rest is actually something we need to discipline ourselves to do. In Psalms, King David writes: "The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name". (Psalms 23:1‭-‬3 NLT) When you’re a sheepherder, you purposefully stop your flock and go by one by one and make sure they sit down. Some go down without a fight, others are stubborn and still, want to run around. They eventually rest because of the good shepherd that cares for their long-term health and knows there’s a long journey ahead. You need to take a day of the week (Sundays?) and close up shop. Physically and mentally, we need to sit down and rest. I love Chick-fil-A because that’s the exact reason they close on Sundays. For 6 days they place is a madhouse. On the 7th day, they all rest. The Bible says: "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord , will keep me safe". (Psalms 4:8 NLT) Maybe you’ve never experienced true “rest.” Maybe you’re reading this and thinking “are you kidding me, I can’t turn my brain off.” Trust me, I go through it too. Jesus says “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NLT). You need more rest, but don’t focus on that, focus on the reality that you need more Jesus. God wants us Godpreneurs to rest. When we rest, it allows us to replenish our physical, mental, and emotional strength that keeps us fighting the battle of bringing our callings in business to life. Just as a good mother cares for their kids and makes them take a nap, God cares for us business owners. He knows the journey that lies ahead for us and the holy spirit with nudging us when it’s time to rest for a moment. Taking a rest break from “launch mode” doesn’t mean we are losing ground; it just means we are getting prepared for the journey ahead into greater things for our businesses. #BusinessBibleStudy #EnhanceFocus

Albert Einstein said: “My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.” That’s exactly how I felt as I began my relationship with God. I graduated Cornell University with a Business, Economics and Marketing degree. I thought I was the wisest man in the world. I started my own business shortly after college and began to take on really big clients and partnerships almost immediately. It wasn’t until 3 years into entrepreneurship that I started going back to church to begin my relationship with God as an adult. One of the first things I discovered about myself was that I had other things in the “first place” position in my business life. Things like money, partying, and notoriety were at the top of my list. So I made the switch. I put God first in my business. The craziest stuff started happening. First off, I started reading business books again. Once I had graduated college, I thought all of that was over. Nope. The spirit was moving me to educate myself more, humble myself to knowing that I don’t know anything at all. Secondly, I started attending a monthly business growth group where we learned the latest and greatest in “what’s working” strategies for growing a business. I believe the spirit was moving me to be in community and grow with others. The Bible says: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine." Proverbs 3:5‭-‬10 NLT After God took care of my pride of wisdom, he was then able to reveal to me that not even those things are as important in my business as helping others find God. I can’t be revealed newer and greater things until I’ve been revealed other smaller things that I needed in order to truly understand and appreciate higher level thought. And I look forward to 10 years from now looking back to today and saying “wow, I know so much more now!” I have found God in my business. He has been searching for me all my entrepreneurial career. God was a gentleman and didn’t barge in. I invited him in. Then, through wisdom and understanding, we developed an intimacy and friendship beyond the superficial level. I now have an intimacy with God in my business. One that allows me to trust Him to look out for my best interests so I don’t have to. Granted, I still struggle with establishing priorities and sticking to them. But I wake up every morning with the Bible in my hand, ready to receive and subsequently share a message to Godpreneurs because I have articulated this priority in my life. The wisdom of Proverbs indicates that if God is at the top, every other aspect of my business life will fall into place. I have put this promise to the test in my own business and can vouch for its reliability. God always keeps His word. I will fail, but He never fails. Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs Decide to put God ahead of everything else in our business life. #FindMyCalling #FindingMyPurpose

All the major financial teachers out there recommend to take 10% of your income and put it into an “education account.” Like tithing and saving, personal development through education is an essential component of solid financial management. I’m guilty of spending money on things that comfort me instead of educating me and make me wiser. I’ll easily purpose to save money to go to Disney World, but I won’t intentionally save money to go to a business conference. We all do this. We easily spend money on things that comfort us, but it’s a chore to invest in something that will make us wiser. But if we want to grow our character and truly make God first in our businesses, we need to grow wiser. The Bible shows us that it’s wiser to invest in our personal growth. "Buy the truth and do not sell it— wisdom, instruction and insight as well." (Proverbs 23:23 NIV) God wants you to take some of your money and invest it into yourself and your spiritual growth. It’s why the major financial teachers have you take 10% of your income and put it into an education account. This could be used for attending seminars, buying books, taking courses, and joining membership platforms like GodFirst.Biz to increase your knowledge of business AND God. “Grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18 God wants you to educate yourself ALWAYS, even after college is over. I’m part of a monthly group of Godpreneurs that gathers to talk about “what’s working now” strategies in our businesses and our walk with God. The investment in time into attending and being part of the group counts towards my education fund. I also pay for monthly subscriptions to 2 different online membership platforms that help me to grow in specific business areas I lack in. We can’t become the Christian business owners God wants us to be without investing time and resources into leveling up our skills and education. When we Godpreneurs invest in anything that helps us grow, we’re telling that our mind is set on knowing and growing closer to Him. He blesses that obedience and brings more resources and opportunities around us. Godpreneur Money Rule #12: Godpreneurs become to God wants us to be by investing in ourselves, and God smiles because we use our money the right way. #BusinessBibleStudy #DifferentiatingMyself #BecomeDisciplined #SharpenLeadership The 19 Rules of Money Management for Christian Entrepreneurs This course will help you develop a better sense of money management God’s way. 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