I’ve had times of major disagreements with business partners, employees, vendors, and yes… CLIENTS! That’s never going to go away. We live in an imperfect world. Interacting with each other will naturally produce conflict. The only person that can change is ME. I’ve learned that if I seek peace by biting my tongue, showing reservation, and walking away, I can defuse any situation. But this MINDSET is difficult to achieve without a few key ingredients. First, the greatest book ever written on the subject of peace is the bible. It’s the book I wake up to almost every morning. Although the first half is almost all war, the second half is all peace. And that’s my second key the equation of peace: Jesus. Peace will always be an elusive dream in our businesses unless we first meet the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ Himself. It is Christ who can give us the serenity to be kind in the face of adversity with Business partners; it is Christ who gives us the ability to remain silent in response to angry words spewed in our face by a client; and it is Christ alone who will someday bring peace to the turbulent marketplace when He establishes His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The Bible says: Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace! Proverbs 12:20 NLT If you’re really deep in anger and it’s even difficult for you to open a bible every morning, then at least set a daily reminder on your phone to repeat these statements to yourself while in the car or before work: I must choose to submit to the peace of Christ. My morning time in the word calms my inner person. I am a calming influence on others. I am filled with inner peace. Peace flows from my heart. I tune in to the peace of heaven. Christ said to the Samaritan woman at the well, “Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life” (John 4:13). Godpreneurs, as much as is within you, be at peace with all men. #SharpenLeadership #NewEntrepreneurs

The other day a friend of mine was calling for career advice. He has a cushy 9-5 position but wants more. He’s tried flipping homes and selling insurance on the side. Neither has worked. So I began probing and asking deeper questions about purpose and passion. When I asked him what he did at his job, his voice and energy changed. Come to find out the guy is a genius at his job and they rely on him to troubleshoot major problems when computers and servers go down. I was on to something. I recommended that he see his current job as an entrepreneurial venture, invest in himself, and continually seek out better contracts in his space. He had an ‘ah-ha!’ moment and said the words that I love to hear: “Alex, how do you do what you do? You’re a freaking fortune teller or something like that.” I told him I can’t take any of the credit, that God has blessed me with the calling to help others find their ‘born to do identity’ and that we are all called by God to help others for his greater purpose. We Godpreneurs have the ability to be a light for others to see God in us. This guy thought I was a fortune teller, but I quickly corrected him and said that that was God within me. We can either take the credit or give the credit to where it’s due. God hopes that you’ll give the credit to Him because it will ultimately bring more people to Him, which is His main purpose for us. The Bible says: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16 NIV God’s ultimate plan for your entrepreneurial life reaches beyond the visions he’s given you for your business. He has positioned you in your industry as a singular point of light. You’re an influencer in a world that desperately needs to see something divine, something that is clearly not of this world. Above and beyond the achievements associated with your gifts and talents, he wants to draw people to himself. Our entrepreneurial visions are means to a greater end, namely the glory of God and the salvation of men and women. This is His ultimate objective, His ultimate desire. Imagine if our biggest prayers were that God would continue to make our light shine brighter for all the people around us to know Him more. Instead of praying for financial blessings or problems to go away (you can still pray that too), what if we also included a prayer to be a stronger light? If we’re obedient to God’s ultimate calling (to be a light), don’t you think that it will produce more blessings and favor from God? Godpreneur Rule #49: Our success is accomplished with the help of God and we are here to be a light to the world and give the credit to God. #StrengthenIntegrity #ArticulatingMyIdeas #ShareYourTestimony

Growing up I had leadership, strengths in sales, marketing and entrepreneurship.   We do the sales, marketing AND leadership.

to gain deeper insights into timeless truths that are directly relevant to your business decisions, leadership

He placed people in political leadership including Gideon, Saul, and David.

Think of the fellowship, networking, and leveled-up leadership abilities that grow out of this work of

The kind of leadership and ownership we are to exercise is not to be heavy-handed, as Genesis 2:15 indicates

So I stepped out, and in time God did bring that right leadership person to fulfill the vision that He

Introduction Why Christian CEOs Should Care About Building a Personal Brand Personal Branding and God-First Leadership Personal Branding and God-First Leadership God put people in leadership positions to influence their This is the most fundamental and enduring purpose behind being in a successful leadership position.

please God laid out by Paul, we are also instructed to TEST everything about our business ways and leadership

I read a lot of books on entrepreneurship, leadership and productivity.  

at the time is that sharing my problems openly just made those around me more nervous and wary of my leadership

As you make your leadership decisions, the outcomes of your faith are put into motion.

I go through seasons in my entrepreneurial career. There’s a season where I expand on my ideas and bring them to life. Then there’s a season where I’ve pulled back on the expansion to hunker down on what I have in front of me and I'm waiting on the next move. But I get frustrated in the season of waiting. I’m not done with all the ideas I want to bring to life. I have the plans all written out, the right people to call, and the enthusiasm and determination to get them done, but something is saying “wait”. (And one time I ignored the call to wait and lost a whole lot of money.  That’s a different story for another blog post.) We entrepreneurs are visionary, which makes us impulsive at times.  We’re very connected to the spirit, that inner ‘feeling’ or gut instinct that guides us. Sometimes our own desires get in the mix of the gut feeling and we rush into things prematurely. But what if this waiting period was actually meant to be a period of growth….inner growth. Maybe this is a time that God is calling you to be much closer to Him than ever before! I learned something profound while participating in a Bible study of the book of Acts. God had the apostles wait 10 days in Jerusalem after Jesus’s death before sending them out to spread the gospel. Acts 1:4‭-‬5 in the Bible reads: On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with  water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” The apostles knew the plan, knew what they had to do, but were commanded to wait. You may have these amazing plans of reaching so many new customers with your amazing product or service. Your offering might even be something ministry-related that will help the church so much! But God sometimes asks us to wait….to build us up, make us stronger, bless us with an anointing that we needed to receive or a lesson we needed to learn. We Godpreneurs can think that it’s all GO, GO, GO all the time, that there’s no time to waste, that we must ACT NOW! Can I share with you that the most growth I have done spiritually is in the season of waiting, hunkering down, stacking chips, refining my process, calling my customers more, providing more value, but most importantly, gaining more insight into the person of God…while I wait on His next move for me. Godpreneur Rule #16: We regard every day as a precious gift of time to spend in preparation for what He will do through us. #BusinessBibleStudy #SharpenLeadership

When I first started going back to church in 2008, it was with one foot in and one foot out. It felt good to go on Sundays and check church off my checklist of great ways to start my week. As I began to grow in my faith, I learned that in order to include God more in my business and find out what the CEO has in store for me, I needed to get to know Him more. I began reading the Bible in the mornings periodically. It started out with small devotionals, daily emails, and blogs like the one you’re reading. Eventually, that turned into wanting to read through the entire Bible. Then something incredible began to happen. I started to see the Bible as one big business book! It was like I was at Cornell all over again. Now, I read the Bible daily and God has an incredible message for me and my business every time. When we want to know things more, we spend more time with them. More time at the gym will lead to better bodies and health. The more we learn about diets and exercise, the more we begin to see our habits change and, over time, we become healthier as long as we stick to it. Some of us don’t have the habit of reading the Bible daily. I get it, I was there. Others have realized it and do it once in a while. Still, others haven’t connected their businesses and their relationship with God. Here is what I’ve learned: God wants to permeate our businesses and become the catalyst for our success as we look to grow and conquer. He wants us to prosper. He wants to lead the charge into growing your business beyond your imagination. He wants to fill your heart with visions that will take the rest of your life to accomplish. That’s the amazing business partner that we have waiting for us every morning. But this doesn’t happen by chance or luck. God has told us how this is going to happen. And today I’m going to share the formula you have to follow from this point forward if you’re serious about having your business succeed and prosper. I’m writing a parallel through the book of Joshua as it relates to us stepping into our entrepreneurial promised land. Joshua has been commanded by God to conquer the land promised to his ancestors. Joshua 1:5-9 says: “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” First off we are given assurance that God will be with us and ride with us during the roller coaster ride of entrepreneurship. He knows that the journey won’t be void of battles and hardships, but He promises to stand with us. But then the word “only” comes into the picture. Here He wants to throw an asterisk and say that He wants to be by your side and give you victory, but you have to keep to the law He has set and meditate on it day and night. This may seem challenging at first, but it becomes easier over time when you purpose to develop the habit of daily reading. And then God says we will have success if we can keep to His laws. “For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” You can try to run your business on your own. Many, including myself, have gone out to fight the battle of growing the business on our own. You may have had success, but you’re likely burnt out and overworked. What would it look like if all Godpreneurs took God with them into every new business venture, every new negotiation, every new idea? What if we all took the time every morning to draw closer to God? If we can know that God wants to go with us and meditate on His word daily, we are setting ourselves up for prosperous and successful businesses. #WorkLifeBalance #FindMyCalling