Search results for "leadership"

Gaining wisdom is at the top of my to do list on a daily basis.  Having insight and understanding is the most important role I have as a Godpreneur.  It’s this knowledge that provides me the intuition to innovate and constantly be seeking a better way to serve my clients. Where does my wisdom come from?  Experience is one place.  Remembering what I went through can guide me to where I’m going. But the most important wisdom I get is from God himself.  I sit down each morning with my bible and seek out his wisdom on how I should run my business (and my life of course). As a Godpreneur, I’m learning to not overcomplicate my life.  I’ve had to un-complicate things because so many distractions threaten to take me off my focus on the fundamentals of the owning a business. And because my business is involved in Kingdom guided work, I strive to do things right and start with the fundamentals. How do I put God first so that everything falls into place? It starts with humbling myself and admitting that God is the CEO and you are the President. He calls the plays and I execute them—sometimes over and over again, always learning more about God and myself. And you keep at it, always reminding myself that the CEO of heaven and earth has a perspective of my business that I’ll never have. I have 3 priorities in life God Family Business In that order, I’m able to keep my priorities straight and it makes me truly successful at what I do. The bible says These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck. Proverbs 1:1‭-‬9 NLT Business is not a game of chance for me; it is serious kingdom work and the stakes are eternally high. I must start with the fundamentals. Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs start with the fundamentals and stick with them. #EnhanceFocus

I have a gift from God to analyze and rationalize my business ideas. I can put business plans together quickly. I can launch a company in 2 days! But this strong rational mind can also get me into trouble because I take control, act on my behalf, and sometimes trick myself into doing or NOT doing something. In the years since I started personally developing myself and my relationship with God, I realized that everything is controlled in the MIND. The reasons I launch or fail to launch will all come from my mind, therefore working on my mindset becomes one of the most important parts of my walk with God. We Godpreneurs have a gift from God to use our minds in amazing ways. It can be a strength because it helps us come up with the idea. It can also be our weakness because we have strongholds that bring in fear, doubt, and resistance. If we’re going to launch a new endeavor, we need to learn how to use the gift of the mind in a new way… God’s way. How do we learn how to properly apply our minds to our entrepreneurial ventures so that we can succeed? The bible says: Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.(Romans 8:5‭-‬8 NIV) Your mind is your biggest partner in launching and growing your business. But the Bible warns several times that there’s spiritual warfare going on between your ears that needs careful attention. Notices in this Bible verse from the book of Romans the emphasis on the mind being governed. Your mind is either governed by yourself, or by God. This truth will make all the difference in overcoming things that are preventing you from expanding your mind into new territories in business. How do we renew our minds? The frustrating part is that you can’t READ your way to a better understanding of God. Head knowledge won’t change anything. What we need to do is continue to develop a very personal relationship with God. The more real God becomes in our hearts produces more love we gain for God, which develops our faith, which makes it easier to launch into the unknown. Now that we know our minds play the biggest part in overcoming barriers to launching our business ideas, we have to take on the mindset that there’s a spiritual battle going on for control of our minds and we need to suit up for war. If we partner with the spirit, we can heal our minds of anything holding us back. The spirit gives our minds power, love, and self-disciple (2 Timothy 1:7). A mind turned over to God will be the weapon that will give us the mental discipline to let God lead us into entrepreneurial expansion. We need to surrender our minds to God. It’s hard for us Godpreneurs who crave knowledge and need to understand everything we’re doing, but we need to surrender our minds to God like we surrendered our lives to Jesus. We need to submit and be responsive to guidance. Imagine if all of us Godpreneurs laid down our minds at God’s feet for His service in the marketplaces we’ve been called to?! Our minds may have gotten us far in life, and now God wants to take it to places it could have never gone alone. #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

While finishing dinner at Olive Garden with my wife, it came time to pay the check. Our server comes back with the bill and a handful of Andes mint chocolates, my wife’s favorite! Normally you’re only supposed to get two, one for each person. My server J.P. brought us like 8 little magical delights of delicious, minty goodness. My wife asked her: “wow, so many??” To which J.P responded, “I like to give more.” She probably broke the company policy of giving one candy per person, but her giving nature got the best of her and she was compelled to give more. I haven’t forgotten about that experience at Olive Garden. I haven’t forgotten about J.P.’s generosity. As entrepreneurs, sometimes we’ve been conditioned to only give clients what they paid for and not a drop more. We’re trained to watch the bottom line, not let customers ‘take advantage’ of us, and keep costs low and profits high. But if we’re smart about things, being generous can create a sticky moment for our brand. Like the fact that I can’t forget my Olive Garden experience, we should look to create unforgettable generous moments in our businesses. The Bible says: One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.  A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.  People curse the one who hoards grain, but they pray Godʼs blessing on the one who is willing to sell. Proverbs 11:24‭-‬26 NIV If you are not generous by nature, ask God to change your heart and add members to your team who are strong where you are weak. Then empower them to be generous on your behalf. Effective entrepreneurs strive to be generous with others. We understand the boomerang effect of generosity—it always comes back to us. Godpreneur Rule: Work to develop a generous heart in your business and in doing so, give to yourself. #SharpenLeadership

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

To talk about attracting money into our business, we first have to talk about giving. Why? It’s the natural order of things. To receive fruit from a tree, a farmer must give seed to the soil and toil the land. It’s the same way in business. I’ve also experienced that to receive from my clients, I must first give them something of value whether it’s my time, a free resource, or educational information. When I do this, it makes my customer more likely to give me their business. I’ll admit that I was one of those guys that didn’t take giving seriously. It was a combination of lies that I told myself like, I don’t have enough to offer, I have my bills to pay, and maybe next month I’ll throw a few bucks in. It wasn’t until I started giving from my business that I realized how stingy and greedy I was. I saw how selfish I had become, and how diametrically opposed my mindset was to the way God wanted me thinking. What I learned was that God wasn’t interested in my money, but instead, he has commanded me to give so that my heart would never be attached to the money of my business, but instead to serving others. You see, God wants to be the one to support us on our entrepreneurial journey. Our products and services are meant to support others, not us. God gets the credit for filling our bank account, not our clients. But we can’t come to that understanding without completely disconnecting our minds from the selfishness that money draws out of us. Listen, tithing and donations are all a touchy subject. It’s touchy because it’s the biggest tool the enemy uses to divide us from God…because money could be the biggest tool God can use in your business to do the most good in the world for His kingdom. You might be thinking, “But Alex, I can’t even pay for a website, how can I afford to give?” Listen, you’re not alone. We’re not alone. We entrepreneurs all go through the same issue of not having a stable income. It seems easier for the 9-5 guy to give because he’s only got to give from his account, and he can easily calculate the amount and have it automatically deducted. Us entrepreneurs sometimes don’t have that luxury, especially when the credit card company would like to get their payment…FIRST. Maybe you do have it all together in your finances and you’re a regular giver at your church, but you want to learn how God wants you to steward your money in your business so you can attract more of it in. The lesson is the same for both the giver and inconsistent giver: If you want to attract more, you must give more. Now wait, before you send your guilty tithe into your church, you have to understand the types of giving there are and some commandments on giving. In my studying to prepare for this touchy subject, I too learned the Bible explains four types of giving that we, including our businesses, can offer directly related to our finance departments: alms, first fruits, offering and the tithe. Each type of giving we do has a return to yourself and our businesses. The commandments for each are important to understanding because these are non-negotiables, especially the tithe and first-fruits. When we really understand these, then our mindsets will be ready to attract more because, in the end, if you want more, you must give more. The ROI of Tithing to Your Church Tithing (giving of 10% to your church) shows God your obedience and that your money isn’t really yours, you’re simply managing it for Him while you’re here. He takes the 90% you keep and blesses that to do more than the 100% would have. The bible says "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. (Malachi 3:10 NIV)" The way I see it, tithing is a weekly reminder that the money my business produces is not mine and that I need to be careful I how I manage it (budgeting) and what I spend the rest on (financing). And since tithing is what supports the church and its growth, my tithing encourages me to go out and get more business so I can bring more to the church (investment). Grow an Area of Your Business with an Offering While tithing helps you in your budgeting and financing departments, offerings cover sales and marketing. Let me explain the way I see it. We come out with products and services. We work hard to research, develop and market them. God opening rewards those efforts of your business when you give offerings. Giving an offering is us recognizing a specific thing in our business is totally out of our control and in God’s hands, and it implies, whatever resource is sown-the giver shall see a return of 30, 60, or 100-fold. When we entrepreneurs participate in an offering, we must have something we’re asking God to reward; a new partnership, a new marketing campaign, or a big proposal you pitched. Giving is a spiritual act but it translates to the natural through the demand for your efforts. The bible says "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 9:7 NIV By giving an offering, you are purposing your money to a specific thing and so you give with a cheerful heart. This is setting up your mindset for victory and receiving abundantly from that act. Your mind and heart are ready for the success of that business move you’re asking for blessings over. So, tithing is an act of obedience and offering is an act of letting go and letting God. We must know the difference because it directly affects all of the cash flow in our businesses. What First Fruits Can Your Business Bring to the Table? Imagine you’re a farmer. You’ve invested all the money and time in hopes of a good crop so that you can go and sell it, make your money back and some profit as well. Since you’ve invested all you got into the crop, you’re probably very excited when the first fruits come out because you get to go and sell it and start paying some bills, maybe take your spouse out for dinner from all the hard work you’ve just put in. Not so fast! The bible says "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." Proverbs 3:9‭-‬10 NIV God is asking the farmer to bring the first part of his crops to the church, not sell it at the market right away. Why? It’s another mindset training. When we entrepreneurs give our first fruits, we’re training out the selfishness and ungratefulness that is holding us back from receiving all that God has for us. We’re demonstrating to God that we’re so grateful for what he’s done, how far God has brought us, and where he’s taking our business. Ok, so you’re not a farmer, you’re a web development company, for example. Here are first fruit offerings you can make You develop software and finally release it in the marketplace. The first sale is the first fruit. You take the first sales of the year and give it as first fruits to thank God for last year. This prepares your business to be blessed for the entire year. You launch a new product or service. The first sale is the first fruit. You start a new business partnership. The first sale is the first fruit. It should be a celebration! You should do it with joy and thanksgiving for what God has provided and one step closer to your own Promised land. How much is a first fruit? How many fruits do we give? Good question. You can offer the first sales, the first week of sales, or some other measure that feels right for you. The important thing is to feel the celebration. So, tithing works on your obedience mindset. Offerings works on your letting go mindset. In giving firstfruits; it is a measure of faith and heart. Giving of Alms to Charity through Your Business We’re called to be compassionate and good humans here on earth. The bible says "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord , and he will reward them for what they have done." Proverbs 19:17 NIV I do medical missions every year through my charity, Jose’s Hands. This is me and my family’s efforts to give to the poor and underserved in other countries. I and my staff give in money and volunteer time, and expect nothing in return, and allowing God to become the repayment plan. I pray this teaching blesses you and your business. Imagine a marketplace full of cheerful givers in all areas of giving; alms, first fruits, offerings, and tithing. What kind of abundance would be flowing through our businesses if we reprogrammed our minds to this money mindset instead of the one culture has us wrapped around? Wow. #BusinessBibleStudy #FindingMyPurpose #DifferentiatingMyself Attracting Money In Your Business, God's Way Educate yourself and prepare your business to steward the financial blessings God has in store for you. 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 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

In November 2014, I made a radical move in my business. I stopped serving all nightlife clients. I felt God leading me in this direction. But with that move, I had to cut everyone from my team, leaving just 3 of us. I didn’t just randomly do this. I prayed long and hard on this decision. But I felt God telling me that this was the move to make. As much as it hurt some families that relied on a paycheck from me, I was obedient to God. I had to have faith. It reminds me of a time in the bible when God instructed Gideon to reduce his army to 300 to fight an army of 135,000 Midianites (Joshua 7:7). Seems unreasonable. Why would God do this? God wanted Gideon to know that victory does not depend on strength or numbers, but obedience and commitment to Him. As proof, the Midianite army fell without Gideon’s men even having to fight. I’m not telling you to fire your staff today and start over. That’s what God was leading me towards. What I’m saying is, what is there in your business that seems too hard to conquer? “Midianites” sometimes come in the form of employment challenges, market volatility, or competitive scares that make us feel outnumbered and overwhelmed. Whatever you’re facing, remember that the battle is God’s. Don’t let fear overcome your faith. I had to let go of the nightlife, and it was a huge battle internally. Make your choice for faith and trust that God will fight for you. To read more articles about starting over, click here. #WheretoStartFirst #FindMyCalling

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

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

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