I had a client that, after completing everything for the job, put in a chargeback for $2500 with her credit card claiming she didn’t get the deliverables she wanted. The problem was that I didn’t have that much money in my bank, so when the credit card company pulled that money back from my account, it overdrafted. This then caused a domino effect because it was unexpected, so I had paid bills and all of those payments began to bounce, causing over a dozen overdraft fees of $35 each. Also, I couldn’t pay myself for a short period of time there. I wouldn’t have been so shocked if it was my fault if I deserved the chargeback because I didn’t deliver the services. But I did some of my best work! I spent so much time and energy on the project, going above and beyond what was agreed and paid for. I sent in the paperwork required to prove I was right, and eventually, the money was returned to my account as her credit card sided with me and denied her claims. I had a right to be bitter. I could have been very angry. I should probably still be holding on to resentment against her. After all, she caused me great distress and embarrassment as checks bounced and overdraft fees piled up. I have witnessed a lot of tribulation, abuse, and hurt by the powers of the marketplace. When I feel I have been created by a client, partner, or employee, I make a choice to allow myself to become bitter and withdrawn or I can decide to learn from the experience and become better. Here is the wisdom I’ve gained on the subject of forgiveness from the Bible: "Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends." Proverbs 17:9 NLT At the peak of my agency life, my partner was stolen from me by my best client. This rocked the entire operation. Both my client and my partner were an integral part of my income. But this was not the end of my life as I supposed. It was merely a temporary detour that eventually helped me move in a more positive direction with my company. God has revealed to me that the way I choose to interpret what happens in my business life, more than the actual circumstances and experiences, is what determines my destiny. Bitter or better—I get to decide! Here is my observation: It is the one who has been wronged in business who has all the power, not the one who does the wrong. And my power comes in the form of forgiveness. When I forgive, I liberate myself to live the business life God has given me. Godpreneur Rule: Forgiveness is a powerful force in the hands of the Godpreneur who has been wronged. #DebtFreedom #LaunchingMyBusiness

My parents aren’t entrepreneurs; they are middle-class Americans that chose to work for the public sector. Dad’s retired from the Army and from teaching high school in Miami, and mom has also put in over two decades of public work for the Army. But THEIR parents were both entrepreneurs. My mother’s side owned a convenience store. My father’s side was in the auto repair business. What I learned later on in my thirties was that both sides of the family had failing businesses. Neither accumulated the wealth needed to pass along to the next generation (my parents). So how do you think that affected their decision NOT to start their own business? And, how do you think it affected the way they brought me up? They urged me to get an education and seek a stable job, preferably with the Army. Money is guaranteed, and retirement plans run themselves, so you don’t have to put much thought into wealth building, and to get rich, you can just live comfortably while avoiding the pains you saw your parents go through. God designed our minds like computers. By his design, the most important programs were installed in childhood- the patterns anchored within us are based on our earliest impressions. The things we heard our parents repeatedly saying about money as children are permanently saved in our minds, forming our ideas that end up determining the way we think about money later in life. Sayings like “Money is the root of all evil;” [misquoting 1 Timothy 6:10 on purpose] “Money doesn’t grow on trees;” and “You can’t buy happiness” were ingrained in our minds as money blueprints, thus forming our opinion on wealth. These were told to us over and over because our parental figures thought they were “protecting” us from something negative they experienced in their lives. Since our parents influence our behavior mostly when we’re young, there are only one of two possible ways to deal with their ideas about money and fortune: Identify with and accept them Rebel and reject them The Bible says: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2) You can either think about money and wealth on the same scale as your Earthly parents, or you can do things radically differently and think like your heavenly father. WARNING: When I say “rebelling,” I mean the POSITIVE rebel, not the NEGATIVE rebel. I warn you not to let resistance against your parent’s principles, alone, be your motivation to break the pattern of your financial blueprint. Rebelling for the wrong motivation won’t lead to wealth. You don’t want to get rich- you just want to recoil against your broke, sometimes un-spiritual, parents or feel superior to them. Instead, all of us ‘Godpreneurs’ must rebel against the enemy that has our behavior captive to the way our parents thought. If we rebel against our parents, the thought is still there, and we’d be fighting the wrong enemy. Even if we put a lot of effort into our businesses, and earn some money, we’ll probably lose it quickly because we haven’t worked thoroughly on our mindset to break the chains that internalized the money blueprint in us. As ‘Godpreneurs,’ if we believe anything is possible with God, then anything is possible when God provides us with more money to manage. We’ll all have a facile time making money due to our motivation is to be free from the thoughts of the enemy by holding on to the possibilities of God! Godpreneur Rule: We ‘Godpreneurs’ can identify and turn from our family’s mindset on money, and acknowledge that God wants us to take on His new mindset for our business’ profit. #BusinessBibleStudy #FindingMyPurpose #GainConfidence Secrets of the Millionaire Mind A Christian entrepreneur’s book summary of the New York Times best-seller Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. 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

When I gave my life to Christ in 2008, my heart began to change, and so did my heart for business. I started to feel an obligation towards helping entrepreneurs with more than just their logo and website. I saw so many pay me money to then find out 6 months later that the business didn’t work. My heart changed from seeking their money to seeking their Godpreneur purpose with them. I implemented a policy that everyone now has to have a strategy session with me where I get to discover their passions and help guide them towards starting the right business, the right way. As entrepreneurs, our hearts are always somewhere. And more times than not, its either on money (like it was for me at the beginning) or on the customer.  Sounds nice to have a heart for the customer, right. Easier said than done. And it takes a transformation of heart. When I accepted Christ into my life midway through my business, I was allowing the holy spirit to begin to change my heart.  It’s not to say that I don’t fall into the money trap time and again, but I do it much less often now because I’ve developed a heart towards helping entrepreneurs, something that I feel God has purposed for me to do. This speaks to our relationship with our employees, too. We should be concentrating our efforts towards a change of heart, rather than just trying to modify their behavior. When your employee asks why you have a certain rule for your business that other businesses don’t have, you should be willing to explain it in a way that demonstrates the way your heart for God directs your behavior. It is easy to say, “Because I said so!” but that doesn’t engage your employee’s heart, it just asks for a certain behavior. Godpreneur Rule #78: Godpreneurs seek to change their heart, knowing that the behaviour change will follow. #DifferentiatingMyself #BuildMyPersonalBrand #RaisingCapital

My church does a fundraising campaign every year that goes towards the construction of our new building. I’ve seen the architectural renderings. It’s going to be an incredible place to worship. I’ve seen my church grow since our days of meeting at the movie theater. I’ve taken part in several of these “building campaigns,” and it’s been a blessing to see each one take the church to a new level. The way I see it is that it’s not that God needs my money. He’s got plenty of it to go around. What God is looking for is my stewardship and my heart to be aligned with His. I don’t feel obligated to give an offering to my church. Instead, I feel blessed that I’ve been given the opportunity to participate in an organization that’s making a tremendous impact for the kingdom in my community. But we sometimes don’t see it the way I’m explaining. Some of us are giving out of ritual or obligation. We put very little thought into the fact that God is using the money we make in our businesses to let us steward it towards amazing kingdom work. But remember that God doesn’t need a small portion of our money. It’s His money in the first place. The bible says, The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. (1 Corinthians 10:26) Technically, your money and business are His, so we can’t give God anything. Not a tenth, not half, not 90%. It’s all His. What’s not all His, yet, is your heart. That’s the battle between good and evil going on. And the enemy will use the money to win your heart. He’ll make you think it’s your money, and that the church owes you some kind of “thank you” for your generosity. God’s not appreciative of the money we give; He’s moved when our hearts are surrendered to Him. That’s the parable of the widow giving pennies at the offering. Jesus said she gave more because she gave from her heart. (Mark 12:41-44) Godpreneurs are excited about being allowed to participate in kingdom expansion! Owning a God-Centered business is an incredible opportunity, and a gift from Him, for us to make profits so that we can be involved in something that matters beyond the material, beyond the financial, beyond our businesses! Imagine if we all thought this way? I pray for each Godpreneur’s heart to be aligned with a proper heart of Godly stewardship and that the Lord bless your business profits tremendously so you can be a part of kingdom work. Godpreneur Rule:  The Lord blesses a Godpreneur’s business profits tremendously so we can be a part of Kingdom work. Father, everything in my business is Yours, including me. Thank You for the privilege of Godpreneurship so that I can be a part of distributing Your resources for Your glory. Amen. Journal this: 1. How can I make my perspective on the money and material goods my business produces, a Godly one? 2. Do I put too much value into “business stuff” and “keeping up” with what others are doing around me? 3. Is God getting my leftovers or my heart? #BusinessBibleStudy #RaisingCapital #IncreaseEnergy 5 Lies of Money and Business Instead of reading the blog posts, take the video course!  I personally teach you the method.  You get: Workbook 5-Video Teachings Access to dozens of courses in the Godpreneur Academy! 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 like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. In fact, it’s my job to listen. As a Brand Strategist, I have to listen to what the entrepreneur is asking for in the company they want to brand or rebrand. I listen to what they want on their website, the logo they envision, and the overall business direction they want to go in. I then have to wait and also listen to the little spirit within that will inspire me to guide the entrepreneur towards their born-to-do identity, the business they were perfectly made for. The key here is to listen twice before speaking once. Listen to the client, then listen to the spirit. It’s a mistake for me to jump the gun and speak too quickly. The Bible says: Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit? Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. (Proverbs 18:13‭-‬15 NLT) Being a good listener leads me to the opportunity to say something that may powerfully affect the entrepreneur's entire business direction, and thus their life. When I’m listening intently and I let the spirit lead my strategy sessions, my clients sit there and drink up every word I’m saying. Such a great feeling to be used by God to pour into my clients! And what a great moment to thus minister to my clients. This is when they are vulnerable because they are hungry for guidance. They are about to make one of the biggest decisions of their life, and here I am given the ability to consult them in any direction. I’m constantly driving home the fact that we only should be doing the business that God designed specifically for us. Christian or not, my clients melt and I’m able to minister because it has to do with their future investment. My clients think they have all the answers. Not all, but most. So most don’t ask for guidance. I have to package the guidance up as business consulting. They’ll buy consulting and planning, they won’t buy advice on what they were born to do. Sell the sizzle, feed them the steak. And because I’m a Holy Spirit driven Godpreneur who is a good listener, my client’s hearts change and they become like a sponge ready to soak up any advice that might bring more meaning (and profits and success) to their business. I can look back now comfortably at my clients and see that most too have become good listeners. They become a good listener to the life-giving words of God, given through me. That’s what happens when two spirits speak to each other. Godpreneur Rule: Learn to listen to your clients and the spirit and discover your ministry opportunity to your client’s heart. #SharpenLeadership

Since 2005, entrepreneurs have sought out my advice in business, mostly related to marketing and branding. Beginning in 2013, I’ve felt a deep burden to want to do more for those asking, a burning desire to be more to those that are looking to step into the world of entrepreneurship. While spending time with God in early morning Bible reading, this is what he revealed to me: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us…” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV) That burden….that burning desire that I feel…that’s God making His appeal through me. Godpreneurs, He’ll do the same for you if you allow Him into your business. He wants to make an appeal through you to reach your partners, employees, contractors, vendors, prospects and even people on your email list you don’t know. My Prayer for Today is “Father, thank You for choosing me and using me. Today, I surrender every area of my business life to You. Show me ways to be a miracle to others so that my life brings glory to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.” #FindMyCalling #FindingMyBrand #FindingMyPurpose

What on Earth is my business here for? This was a question I struggled with for a while back in 2014.  Back then, my identity was all wrapped up in being the owner of an agency that serviced nightclubs with websites, graphic design, and marketing. Although the industry is exciting and ever-changing, deep inside I felt no “purpose” behind the work I did.  Sure, I was making money and feeding the families of my employees, but that wasn’t enough. In November of 2014, I made the scariest decision of my life and fired all of my clients and let go of all of my employees to start over on a new road that would fulfill my desire to find meaning and purpose behind my business. It was in the state of nothingness where God was able to reveal to me why on Earth I was created to be an entrepreneur. We do not all have the same abilities, businesses, or circumstances. But we do all have the privilege of deciding the purpose to which we will dedicate ourselves. There are only three big decisions that most of us entrepreneurs will ever make in life Who is my business going to serve? What product or service am I going to provide? What is my business going to exist for? It’s that third decision that seems to stump most of us, business owners. I had the first two solid and established.  I was missing the third. For 3 months of my life, I lived in depression and agony as I scrambled for money and meaning.  I turned to God and established a deeper relationship than I had ever had before, seeking wisdom in this area as if looking for water in the desert. In my bible reading, referring to wisdom, I read “Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says,  “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed.  Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight.” Proverbs 9:4‭-‬6 NIV As I sought God and looked to restart my company, I looked back at all the work I had done and tried to find the clients and work that had given me the most joy and fulfillment.  In my reflection, I realized that I loved helping people discover the entrepreneur within them and help them launch that business.  I also loved helping guide existing business owners towards recreating their business with a new sense of passion behind it, helping them identify their business’s purpose. At that point, I realized I have become my own client, and I was really the one going through the rebranding. That’s when my company officially switched to being a branding agency. I determined right then and there that I would ask God to help others find a purpose in their business that could live for each day. This new sense of “working for God” wakes me up every morning and I thank God for letting me be alive. Have you found a worthwhile purpose in your business? Success for an entrepreneur has been defined as “the progressive realization of a worthwhile, predetermined goal.” Establish a handful of worthy goals in your business and give yourself fully to accomplishing them. In establishing your business purposes, start with your relationship with God, your family, and at work with clients and employees. These top three areas of your life need the most urgent attention. What are you living your business life for? Godpreneur Rule: Settle on your business’s purpose and set out to accomplish it each day. #FindMyCalling #EnhanceFocus #NewEntrepreneurs

Have you ever been pitched something in your business that, half way through the call, you know you’re not going to purchase, and you let them finish the entire presentation and at the end say “let me think about it?” I’ve done this, I believe, my whole business life.  I feel bad saying “no thank you”.  In reality, I’m a liar. I just told a big, fat lie.  I’ve made up my mind already, I don’t want that product or service.  In fact, the conversation should have ended minutes ago, I wasted both of our time. I guess I’m trying to be polite and let the man finish.  I think maybe my mom engrained in me that it’s rude to cut someone off or to say no. But now I’m learning the opposite is true, and in fact, it’s biblically true. Little white lies are often told to preserve the peace, as if telling the truth would in some way destroy peace. Yet the Bible presents truth and peace as existing together: “Love truth and peace” (Zechariah 8:19). Tellers of white lies believe they are speaking lies out of “love”; however, the Bible tells us to speak “the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Sometimes telling the truth in business is not easy; in fact, it can be downright unpleasant. But we are called to be truth-tellers. Being truthful is precious to God (Proverbs 12:22); it demonstrates the fear of Lord. I’m working to become a lot more confident in myself.  Not arrogant, confident.  Franklin Roosevelt said “Confidence…thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance.” A dishonest businessman is full of rot and will be exposed, causing you great embarrassment. It is not a question of “if” but “when” you will be exposed. The writer of Proverbs exalts the virtue of honesty. Where does honesty rank in your set of values? I am ashamed to admit that I have often struggled with being honest. Maybe you have failings in this area of your life too. This salesman I tried to fool called me out on it the next call we had.  He straight up told me that if I wasn’t interested, I should not have lied and said “I’ll think about it.” He was right.  I felt so small, so dishonest. I vowed to change that from that conversation on. What an embarrassment when the truth was revealed.  I choose to never let that happen again. Once you are proven to be dishonest, it is difficult to regain the trust of others; difficult, but not impossible. Confess your lie immediately or take back what was stolen. Don’t let it go uncorrected or it will fester and become a “rotten stench” in your character. Face up to your sin and admit that it is wrong. That is the pathway to healing and restoration. There is nothing so pure and strong as a man with a clear conscience. Godpreneur Rule: Determine that honesty will be a hallmark of your business life and pay scrupulous attention to maintaining it at all times, no matter what the cost. #StrengthenIntegrity #SharpenLeadership

The other day a client call me to say that according to other vendors he’s spoken to, I sold him an inferior product that wasn’t going to yield him the results he wanted. Luckily I had already been confronted with the same concern by another client, so I knew how to handle the situation already. In both cases, I came to discover that the information my clients were being fed was coming from the same vendor type. This vendor wanted to sell them his product, but in order to do that, he needed to switch them from the platform I had them on. Instead of hurling insults at another vendor, I simply defended my choice and backed it up with stats to prove my product was able to perform at the same level. When we are facing situations like this, it’s easy to gossip, hurl insults, become angry, and even resent the client themselves for being misled by others. Can you control your tongue in situations like this? Few have mastered this small part of human anatomy. In my previous life (before Christ) I would have become extremely defensive and combative. Instead, I controlled my tongue. The bible says Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult. (Proverbs 12:16 NIV) I work everyday to master my tongue. I realize the power of the words coming out of my mouth. Everything I say has an impact just by virtue of my personality and position. And because I am in charge, there is often no one who will point out my faults. I must have the self discipline to constantly remind myself  the power of my words. That client will remember my response to his inquiry. The conversation started out combative on his end, who knows how long it had been eating at him that I sold him an inferior product. By the end of the conversation, without insulting anyone, I had him back at bay and confident in the platform I had him on. When you have something to say about an insult or gossip, what do you do? Write a comment below. Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs learn to harness the power of our tongue and use it to do the greatest possible good in our business. #SharpenLeadership

My first business was a dream. It was three best friends coming together to “stick it to the man,” leave corporate America and start an agency on our own. We grew to 8 full-time employees, an amazing office on South Beach with views of the ocean, and investors who paid us handsomely for a percentage of our company. My partners and I were in our 20s and living the dream! Then my accountant calls me into his office one day because he had some important information he needed to share with me. It turns out that I wasn’t paying employment taxes to the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for an entire year and I had accumulated a bill for $20,000 that needed to be paid…immediately. I was shocked. I didn’t have the cash, and I didn’t know where I was going to get it from. I got on a repayment plan with the IRS. My parents gave me a loan so I could be on my way to recovering from this mess I had created. I made some cuts at the office and eliminated people I had brought on board. I had to start over. I was humiliated and depressed. I felt like a failure. I’ve carried this “guilt” with me my entire entrepreneurial career. This traumatizing experience is why I didn’t make any more big attempts to hire a lot of employees again. I’ve purposely kept myself a “boutique” firm, so I don’t have to relive that embarrassment. That feeling of guilt is a big reason why I’m constantly reluctant to launch businesses that require many employees. This IRS experience was so painful for me that I wanted to bury it deep in my mind and pretend it didn’t happen, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t affect me and the businesses I would continue to launch. When we entrepreneurs do that, it’s like putting a toxic wastebasket in our brains, showing what we don’t want to deal with in our businesses into it and putting the lid on tight. And the next time we want to launch a venture, if we don’t invite Jesus to come and deal with what we’ve put in there, it will affect our mindset and decision making – stopping us from launching the business God intends us to be in. However, the bible says In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 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 8:26‭-‬28 NIV) This means that even in the worst of your business circumstances, God is at work to heal you and save you. Nothing you’ve done in your past businesses is beyond His power. Launching your business can be a story of God’s redemptive love and healing power if you allow Jesus into the place where you’re storing the hurts of your business past. The only way forward to launching your business is to stop hiding, face what we’d rather keep buried, and let God deal with it. It will be a gradual process, but God will heal. First, we have to truly feel “forgiven” for anything in the past, regardless if we were guilty or not. We can’t launch a business freely, until we are free of guilt, no matter what we’ve done or how much shame we feel. Second, we must share this guilt with someone and ask them to pray for us. The bible says, “If we admit our sins – make a clean breast of them – he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.” (1 John 1:8) Those of us Godpreneurs that struggle with guilt need to embrace that we don’t need to shove guilt into the back of our minds – we must release it completely. This is the beginning of the freedom that will allow us to launch the business God intends for us. But… Holding on to that guilt for many years means that there’s still a ways to go to be healed from it entirely. In my case, the type of guilt that I lived with for so many years is the feeling of responsibility for the crime of not paying my employee taxes and the embarrassment of having to let them go. The enemy loves to keep entrepreneurs trapped in a place of feeling guilty because when we are stuck there, we won’t be able to launch, grow, and develop business God’s way. Imagine if we all didn’t hide our feelings of guilt, and instead, faced what we’d rather keep buried, and let God deal with it. Guilt is a major obstacle we will overcome when launching our businesses if we can give it over to God. If you need prayer for this, drop a comment, and our team will pray for you. #BusinessBibleStudy #LaunchingMyBusiness #GodpreneurAcademy Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea Join Us on a 12-Days Business Bible Plan to learn Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea. 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

As an entrepreneur, I’ve never had just “one” business. Instead, I’ve always owned several businesses either on my own or with partners. It’s fun to own multiple businesses because I could have money coming from different places, not be bored just doing one thing, exercise my creative juices in different areas, and whenever possible feed leads or opportunities from one complementing business to another. But there’s also a darker side to owning multiple businesses that I’ve avoided talking about for many years, but it’s finally time I confess – a lot of times I feel out-of-alignment, pulled in different directions, and divided in my decision-making. As a result, I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve caused damage to my reputation in business because of the domino effect that happened both professionally and personally when I didn’t pay attention to what this division in my life was doing to me. It’s not that owning multiple businesses is wrong. Many people are successfully managing 2 or more businesses. What I discovered was wrong with me didn’t really have anything at all to do with the business itself, but with a much deeper root in my own personal life – my integrity. We Christian entrepreneurs know that integrity is important. We’ve heard about it, and we may have an idea of what it is, but integrity has so many levels in all seasons of our life that it essentially becomes a life-long muscle that has to be strengthened and exercised. The Definition of Integrity One definition that the dictionary gives for integrity is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” As Christian entrepreneurs, I think we would all say that we pass this test or that we’re working on this in our lives and we feel justified by this definition. But there’s a second definition of integrity – “the state of being whole and undivided.” The difference is that this definition is not about honesty or character or goodness.  Instead, this version describes integrity as wholeness or oneness. In other words, an entrepreneur with integrity has perfect alignment between their words, actions, beliefs, and I would argue, even their businesses. A business owner of integrity is not divided, we don’t say one thing and do another, and we are consistent with our core. It’s the second definition that left me thinking that a have a lot of room to grow in this area of integrity. I’ve met and done business with people of high integrity and its always a breath of fresh air because they are always on time, they are focused, and they do what they say they’re going to do. A Warning about Integrity We would all agree that integrity is both a rare and extremely important quality in entrepreneurship, especially for us Godpreneurs. It is a virtue that God would want us to improve and intentionally cultivate. In fact, integrity is so important to God that its mentioned 6 times in the book of Proverbs alone, 16 times in the rest of the bible, and referenced in over 80 other bible verses! The one we see most often in Proverbs is something like this: "Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out". (Proverbs 10:9) In each of the proverbs that mention integrity, God contrasts good integrity with the consequences of not having integrity. Why? Not to scare us, but for us to see that there’s a domino effect that can happen when a business life is out of alignment. When integrity in business is lacking, it sets off a chain reaction that if not fixed, can lead to so many problems. When one thing falls it knocks down another, which knocks down another, and soon enough, things have gotten out of control. Here are some problems you may also be experiencing in your business life that point to your need to also work on your Integrity. 6 Signs that Point to a Problem With Your Integrity You’re Losing Your Attention to Detail – When your actions and words are out of sync it causes you to make mistakes in internal projects, production, or the services you’re providing. Because you said one thing but did another thing, your brain can’t process things perfectly because God didn’t design your brain to do two opposing things at the same time. Your Self Discipline Takes a Nosedive – Entrepreneurship requires 100% excellence in self-discipline because you’re the boss, so you are the only one holding yourself accountable to your goals. Self-discipline even as a non-business owner is not easy, and it is next to impossible for entrepreneurs when your personal integrity is out of whack.  When you see yourself marking every task or project launch as “urgent”, then you’re blinded to the truly important tasks God needs you to focus on, therefore what God wants you to accomplish that day slips through the cracks. Your Reputation Begins to Suffer – Proverbs 22:1 says “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” You think you’re in business to make money, but God placed reputation ABOVE money because poor integrity will be a bad witness to the world and good people (people of high integrity) will not want to work with you. Instead, you’ll attract other people of bad integrity.  You can fool some clients or employees when they first meet you, but sooner or later your being out of alignment will make your reputation suffer. You Experience Problems at Home – I don’t know about you, but when there’s an issue with a client’s account and have to get home late because I’m fixing the problem so I don’t damage my reputation, my wife isn’t happy. She understands to a certain extent, but it’s not ideal. The stresses of not being in integrity will bleed into your personal life. Your spouse and kids won’t get the 100% you. You Can’t Sleeping Well Because Your Mind Won’t Stop – When I’m stressed, I lay up at night staring at the ceiling thinking about work. Forget about a sleep pattern, I get thrown off and wake up tired. Getting home late will make you sleep late, then you’ll want to get up early to keep fixing things and you get little sleep. The bible says, “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:2) 6. Now Your Health is at Risk – When you’re stressed, don’t sleep well, and have problems with your spouse and kids, it’s a recipe for health problems. God didn’t design our bodies to go through this kind of turmoil. Your body is an outward expression of what’s going on inside. Gaining weight? Back hurt? Eyes twitching? This is your body outwardly showing the integrity issues. The chain reaction above is a small illustration of the problems when our integrity is compromised. To drive the point home, if a bridge has a huge crack, we probably wouldn’t cross it. It’s obvious that the structural integrity of the bridge means it needs fixing. But what if the bridge had a bunch of small cracks? We’d probably still cross it. But if they don’t fix the small cracks, they will become bigger. In the same way, our personal integrity can develop small cracks over time that turn into big cracks. And sometimes people can’t see the small cracks, but eventually, the cracks will become public and our business and personal lives come crumbling down. We Godpreneurs need to make sure we’re always working at keeping our integrity. But how? In the next few posts, we’ll explore integrity and reveal God’s plan for keeping our hearts pure. #StrengthenIntegrity #BecomeDisciplined

As an entrepreneur, I have been challenged to find the right people to hire, collaborate with, or partner with different projects. Work cannot be done in a silo, and work can only be accomplished by finding the right team members to complete the task. However, over the years, I am learning that finding the right team members goes beyond their skills and talents. Do they share the same values as me? What is their character like? One particular project stands out to me: a post-production editor was not meeting the timelines of delivering edited videos. I frequently called him to check on progress, and he made promises that he will deliver at a certain time but in vain. Then one day, an industry peer reached out, and we began catching up; and he mentioned that he was working on a particular project, and the above-mentioned editor was on this project as well. This shocked me and it made me realize that the editor did not share the same values as me. One value being honesty. The dictionary describes being honest as free of deceit and untruthfulness, sincere, morally correct, or virtuous. The word of God takes in deeper and states in Colossians 3:9 (AMP): “Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old self with its evil practices…” In addition, the bible also highlights honesty in Proverbs 10:9 (AMP): “He who walks in integrity and with moral character walks securely, But he who takes a crooked way will be discovered and punished.” Therefore, as business leaders, we need to take some time in choosing whom to work with. Some situations will only reveal someone’s true character, and it will cause us to doubt our selection process. This should not deter us, but it should sharpen our discernment as we meet new people or continue working with our team members. The revealing of someone’s values or character is a gentle nudge from God to show who can progress with us into the next level of our businesses and those we have to leave behind. The entrepreneurship journey is a winding road that requires us to pay close attention to those we work, collaborate with, or partner with. For you to reflect, ask yourself the following questions: What values are important to share as a team? What skills and values should I have in order to work in harmony? Is there someone who I need to leave behind? #HiringtheRightPeople

Something I choose to work on a lot in my personal development is the art of patience – waiting for the right time to launch a new product or service, or waiting on the best time to hire someone. I have such big visions, I want to grow so fast! It’s likely tied to my need/want for success. It probably has roots in pride as well, since I want to be the first and only one doing what I do. I could even trace a bit of ego because I want to prove to others that I can create a big business that has tons of momentum and buzz. I’ve been down the road a handful of times, and each time I’ve LOST IT ALL. Yup, my pride, greed, and ego all got in the way of the ONE THING that entrepreneurs need when growing a business: patience to wait on God. I’m better every day and with every new venture because of the truth of Proverbs 6:1-5: "My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,  you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth.  So do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighborʼs hands: Go—to the point of exhaustion— and give your neighbor no rest!  Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids.  Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler." Proverbs 6:1‭-‬5 NIV Just a couple of years back I had gone too fast, tried to run too far ahead of the plans, and I found myself in debt and having to make deals with contractors and vendors to reduce the amounts I owed them. A huge blow to my ego. Godpreneurs, it is never too late to throw our life into reverse if we detect that we are on the wrong road. Have courage today. Be honest with yourself and ask God to help you develop the patience you need to wait on Him and not create your own success. When we see a door of opportunity, there is nothing wrong with turning the door’s handle to see if it will open but a lot of heartaches can follow if we break down a door that is locked. I have learned some bitter lessons when I have done this. Creating my own success also places a burden on me to sustain that which I have created. On the other hand, when God allows me to go through a door, it is He who keeps the door open and I can rest in that partnership. Godpreneur Rule: Patiently wait on God for your business success and He will give you results greater than you could engineer on your own. #NewEntrepreneurs #LaunchingMyBusiness #SharpenLeadership

Since I deal with corporate clients, getting $2,500 checks isn’t that easy. Two people have to sign a check, but the invoice has to go to 2 departments then through a processing plant, and back down to the 3rd floor for delivery Things can get confusing and sometimes they make mistakes. Mistakes like paying twice on the same invoice.  This has happened to me several times. So now I’m staring at a $2,500 error in my favor. Like monopoly, I feel like I got that bank error community chest card! What would you do? Would you deposit the check and hope corporate accounting doesn’t catch it and if they do you’ll just play stupid? Or would you call up your point of contact and point out the error? This is THE EXACT moment at the Garden of Eden where Satan tempted Eve.  That’s the same thing she went through. Does she take the shortcut to knowing God or does she refuse to compromise and follow God faithfully. So you want to know what I personally did?  Here, I’ll tell you the truth from two times this has happened to me. About a year ago I ate the apple and deposited the check. The client never found out, I still have the money.  But can I tell you that last year has been the roughest year of my career.  I’m not saying that this choice on my part caused all that, but it did reveal to God that I still wasn’t ready to be ‘trusted with a lot’ because I couldn’t be trusted with this little bit. (Luke 16:10-12).  God had to bring me down and out of depths of depression and anxiety that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I’ve come out of that valley, and I’m stronger than ever! And then came the test AGAIN!  OMG!! This time I’m closer to God than ever before in my life, BUT I WAS STILL WANTING TO STEAL!!  I started to make up things in my mind like “well this could be God showing me favor because I tithed a big check to the church.” I began to justify what I know wasn’t right. The devil is a LIAR!  And he lurks around like a roaring lion ready to devour (1 Peter 5:8).  Even the godliest of men and women aren’t safe. This time I took the other route.  Believe it or not I had to ‘sleep on it’ and the next morning my bible readings were related to ‘not taking shortcuts’. God is so amazing!  He met me in the morning and sat with me and showed me His word and promises.  He held me through the time of prayer and as I cried out to Him he held me closer than ever.  I repented for my sinful nature. I emailed the client immediately and let him know about the mistake. Godpreneurs: No shortcuts!  No stealing!  God is your CEO and he’s watching what you’re going to do with the check the devil brought you. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says God is faithful and He won’t let you be tempted beyond what you can overcome. Entrepreneurs, it is part of our sinful inheritance to want the harvest without the work. Satan is a liar and cheater, and so we shouldn’t be surprised to see such mistaken checks in the mail and a strong inclination to steal it. Any opportunity we have to get rich quick without working catches our attention immediately. I’ve read somewhere that ‘Satan owns the short term.’ I love that.  So true. Proverbs 20:17 says, “Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.” God owns the long term. Life is a journey, not a short term trip. There are no shortcuts to satisfaction and true peace of mind. Don’t do like I did and deposit the check.  Use it as an opportunity to show Jesus to a client of yours that might be thinking ‘wow, this person could have deposited that check and we would have never known, but there are some good people in this world’. Ultimately, our first purpose in business is to give glory to God.  Do the right thing always. #StrengthenIntegrity #ShareYourTestimony #SideHustlers

As a young girl, I had many friends, and I would come home from school and eagerly tell my parents and sibling about my day and what I did with my friends. As the years rolled by, my relationships began to dwindle, and I wondered why I had fewer friends than my younger self. When I took the bold step of starting a business, my friendships reduced drastically, and I became a handful. This change dampened my hopes, and I began to find myself wondering if I had made the wrong step by starting a business. The choice of starting a business and resolving to continue building a business is very personal, and the majority of entrepreneurs know from a young age that they will start a business at a later stage or start many more as time goes by. The entrepreneurial journey is lonesome, and we can find ourselves struggling to maintain friendships or relationships because they do not understand our resolve to build a business. The story of Gideon came to my mind. When he faced the call to deliver Israel from the Midianites. Gideon minded his own business, beating wheat in the winepress because he had to hide and save it from the Midianites. Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him to save Israel from the hand of Midian. Gideon is shocked that God could choose him but eventually, he obeys, and he sets out to attack Midian with 32,000 men. (Judges 6-7) I can only imagine Gideon thinking that he has the right number of people to fight against the Midianites. However, God says “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.” (Judges 7: 2-3, NKJV) Gideon watches the troop dwindle in size, yet God continues to tell him that there are still too many people. A test is done to select the men, and those who lapped water were 300, and these men were to proceed with Gideon. Therefore, are you willing to let God choose your 300? Are you willing to let God choose your tribe? Even if you see people leaving your life, friendships ending or team members quitting along the way? It can be challenging to watch the people around you reduce to a handful but imagine what you could accomplish by allowing God to choose your 300. Like Gideon, the Midianites were destroyed, and Israel was delivered. Our businesses can only reach greater heights if we let God be God in our lives and businesses. He knows who is best for us. He knows who will contribute to the business honestly and wholeheartedly. He knows who will stand by you when the storms of life come your way. So, the next time you see a person leave your life, remember Gideon and his 300. #DifferentiatingMyself #HiringtheRightPeople