One person, in particular, helped me through this ‘restart’ phase. 

But in 2008 I came to know Christ and I began my personal transformation.

It’s even possible to put “personal holiness” before following God and doing what He asks us to do for

From 2014 to 2016 I was on a “hiring freeze”. For 2 years I ran my business with a skeleton crew of 2-3 people. It’s tough to do business with only a couple of people. It gets lonely and it’s a lot of work. Plus, I was just barely getting by financially, meeting my own needs primarily. Early in 2016, I began to feel God stirring me to “unfreeze” my hiring and start bringing a team together. As the team came together, I began to realize something profound: God wanted to use me to bless others on my team financially. We entrepreneurs can sometimes get caught up in the “me mentality”. What’s in it for me? How will this benefit me? How will this hurt me? How will my bank account grow from this? That’s where God wants us to shift our mentality. We serve a God of abundance! He doesn’t want you to have just barely enough to meet your own needs; He wants you to be so blessed that you have more than enough to meet the needs of the employees, contractors, and vendors around you in your business. He wants you to be so blessed that you have more than enough financially that not only can you pay your bills and accomplish your own dreams, but you can also be a blessing to others. The Bible says: “…Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” (Psalms 35:27, NKJV) God wants you to excel in every area of your business. He actually takes pleasure in it! And I believe He wants you to be blessed because, through you, He wants to bless people, your church (with increased tithes), and charities around you that you’ll support. So, how do you live this “blessed” life? Unfortunately, you can’t just “think” your way to abundance. The book “the secret” is really missing a major component in this law of attraction. Yes, first, you have to make room for it in your thinking. You have to expect that He wants to bless your business. If your thinkin’ is stinkin’, so will your life. If your mind is of overflow and abundance, you’re now thinking like God. But where this “law of abundance” drops the ball is that, second, you must walk in obedience. I don’t care how much you think about getting rich or having millions, if you’re stealing money, cheating on your spouse, and living in clear opposition to God’s very best for you, you’re not going to experience the blessings of God. We’re Godpreneurs. Our CEO is God. He sees every part of our life. He knows what we’re thinking and doing. If we can align our thinking and obedience, we can experience the blessings of God. Not because of our own financial gain, but because of the financial gain of others. Change your mindset to want to make money to bless others. He delights in our prosperity! #FindMyCalling #FindingMyPurpose

It wouldn't sit right if the person launching the business were doing it off of a whim, or because there's

I’ve been married since 2011 to my beautiful wife, Stephanie. The courting, dating and engagement season of our life was awesome, full of excitement and anticipation for the day we would be married. My plans for marriage were that we would immediately begin to conquer the world together.  I had plans for us to be a “power couple”, on fire for God, plowing through the stages of early marriage and reaching levels of love that take other couples decades to achieve.  I was ambitious, to say the least. Needless to say, you know where I’m going with this story. If you’ve been married for 1 day, you probably had a good laugh reading the last paragraph 🙂 Ok, I admit that I had NO CLUE what I was getting into. The only thing I knew is that God had amazing plans for us, but I wasn’t anticipating for what God had in store for the beginning of our marriage. Most of us want to rush into things, conquer like a warrior, and ask questions later. We entrepreneurs, especially, want to skip over the “lessons” of life because…well…we have to make money don’t we?!?  If not, it’s back to a 9-5 job. But God is never in a hurry; He knows that beyond us DOING something, we must BE something for Him – so He takes time out to conquer us (from the inside out) spiritually before we can conquer our business goals under His guidance. In Joshua 4:1-9, under the guidance of God and the leadership of Joshua, Israel was now on the other side of the Jordan – in the Promised Land. But what is life in the Promised Land like? Is it one glorious vacation time after another? No; for Israel it was a place of battle, but most of all, it was a place of trust – they knew they had to trust God with every thing they had, because the challenges only got bigger in the Promised Land – but so did the blessings. When Stephanie and I got married, it was amazing to see what God did in both of our lives to bring us to that day. Much like the miracle of the Jordan drying up for crossing….me….Alex Miranda….getting married…that was a miracle considering the life of 10 years of nightclub promoting I did in Miami. I really did naively think that life was going to be peaches and cream getting married. But what I’ve come to realize is that my marriage, the battles I’ve faced being married, are all making me HOLY because God is DOING something in both of us…cleansing us spiritually so that, one day, my dream of this “power couple” can come to life. Your business and it’s growth into new products and new markets isn’t an exception to God’s way of making us “holy” and “consecrated” for His work. Think about this: if God has big plans for you to conquer and grow your business in amazing ways, why would He do that without making you an amazing leader first? You don’t grow big AND THEN become a great leader and entrepreneur.  No, first God wants to set you apart, work on you, make you amazing, then go with you battle by battle. The Conquest of Canaan by Joshua took 6 years from B.C. 1487 to 1493. If we Godpreneurs are just entering new markets of growth, except for God to be working on you for a bit. For how long? That’s what God is asking you….how long will it take you to become everything God wants you to be? It’s up to us. #MarriedEntrepreneurs #WorkLifeBalance

I’ve been checking my heart a lot more to see if the things I’m doing in my business are lined up with the way God would want me to lead. I’ll admit, it looks ugly sometimes. I’ve taken on clients I shouldn’t have because the lure of money was there. I’ve neglected certain people in my company, I’ve talked down to others, and I’ve pursued certain ventures at the prospect of making tons of money, even though I wouldn’t be passionate about it. In short, I’m still a work in progress. Left to myself, I’d be pursuing all types of crazy stuff. Who knows, I might even still be a nightclub promoter! But then I came to know Jesus, and he saved me from my sin. For us entrepreneurs, sin always has our greatest downfall in business. We’ve all sinned against God one way or another in our ventures. We’ve done something that’s broken his commands and stepped over his boundaries. There are moments we haven’t treasured him above all else in our business as the God above everything that deserves our full praise and devotion. There are times we haven’t loved him with all of our minds, hearts, and souls. But we come back to Jesus, we’re reminded once again that left alone, we’re dead, but because of Jesus’ power to save, we and our businesses are kept alive! The bible says But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:10‭-‬11 NIV) Jesus came to save you and your business. His birth is called good news because God himself came down to intervene in your life and business affairs to save you from yourself. Your company has an identity and mission, right? Your company is here on earth to accomplish something, right? You’ve seen some wrong in the marketplace, and your products and services make the wrong right, right? Jesus’ identity and mission was to come and save you. That was God’s vision all along. God saw the depravity of man and came to save us from ourselves so we can live and run businesses free from the negative mindset that sin entangled us in. Sin in our businesses separates us from God and each other. When we come down too harshly on an employee, it alienates us. When we take on a project and do something unethical, we try to hide from God. We separate ourselves for some time and hide in our shame while as we delight in our sin. Our hearts are chaotic and we go off and bring that chaos into our company culture. And despite all the best-selling self-help books, 10X growth conferences, and motivational Tony Robbins seminars, we still don’t know how to deal with our sin and shame in business. We alone, and even with the help of the great gurus of business, are unable to bring about what we need most – freedom from our sinful hearts. But Jesus alone was born to do what we’re powerless to do in our business and in our lives. He saves us from ourselves, therefore he saves our businesses. He lets our mission keep going because his mission was complete when he came as our savior. God’s plan worked! Whenever we feel crushed or defeated…whenever sin has us pinned down and feeling condemned, remember that Jesus came to bring life to the dead businessman, hope to the depressed entrepreneurs, and healing to the broken risk-takers. Jesus lives to save us, sinners. God is here today, with us and our businesses. This keeps our businesses free from sin. #NewEntrepreneurs #BusinessBibleStudy #GodpreneurAcademy

But God inspired every person as they wrote.

How did I even start caring about the concept of Identity? When I started attending church again in 2008, I was introduced to a whole network of people that were also looking for purpose and meaning in their lives. It didn’t take long for me to start getting involved in helping grow the church by inviting friends and even doing their website! Where I grew the most was when I started attending growth groups. Some call them Bible studies. Essentially they are ‘masterminds’ within the church. In 2012 I decided to lead a growth group called Chazown. In this group, we were discovering God’s vision for our lives. It was during and through that group where I realized my calling was to help others discover and bring to life God’s entrepreneurial plan and purpose in their lives. All of a sudden, owning a logo and website company made sense! But I didn’t immediately drop everything to pursue this path. My identity was so wrapped in the nightlife and agency world that there was no way I could pursue this new calling over me. Instead, I tried to just slowly introduce it, talking about it only when certain people were around, not fully embracing it. I guess I tried to create the perfect mix between a nightlife authority and someone who cares about people’s passions and purpose…but who was I kidding? There is no such thing as a perfect identity for entrepreneurs. If you always try to be someone that others will like, you’ll end up not having peace in your life. To have peace in our business lives, we must listen to God and get comfortable being who He wants us to be. We’re meant to rely on Him, to know His purpose for us, and trust that God shows us our identity…what we were born to do. Part of living a godly life is having a group of friends who support you in your relationship with Him. Being a part of a godly community is vital in not forgetting that who we are is defined by God and not others. The Bible says: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." Ecclesiastes 4:9‭-‬10 NIV I was able to see a glimpse of my real identity when I started to lead my own growth groups. But before that, I attended growth groups. And before that, I decided I was going to go back to church. Having a community is what led me down the path of finding my identity. Now I totally rely on my church and the community of friends I’ve built. We are all there to support and water each other’s identity. We go on marriage retreats, vacations, dinners and mission trips together.  Without them, I’m not sure who would support my identity in Christ. Which of your friends and family help support you in your relationship with Christ? Gopreneur Rule #74:  Godpreneurs surround themselves by friends and family that support their spiritual growth. #GainConfidence #SharpenLeadership

I’ve got a client that when he calls, I immediately drop what I’m doing to pick up his call and get him what he needs. He’s an excellent paying customer that relies on me to come through for him in a pinch. Several times he needed some branding work turned around in only a few days. My entire team and I would pause what we were doing to be this client’s superhero. This client (figuratively speaking) thinks I’m Jesus and that I walk on water! He talks me up to all of his contacts, and I receive great referrals from him. He’s encouraged me and helped me grow, and I’m blessed to have him as a faithful client. God’s the same with all of us entrepreneurs when He gives us instructions. His timing, and His desire for us to act immediately directly impact the seen and the unseen things in our business. When God instructs us to do something in our business, it’s wise to obey what He’s telling us because there’s a reason for His timing and plan. I’ve written extensively on God’s timing, especially as it relates to the waiting seasons in our businesses. I’ve also written about timing from the perspective of why certain things happen at certain times, and how it’s all part of God plan. But even within a circumstance or a waiting period, God is still there. He’s still instructing us. We shouldn’t mistake a waiting season for complete silence. God is still asking us to do things and do them immediately. The Bible is full of examples of faithful believers that, because of their swift and immediate response, God showed up when they needed Him. Rahab didn’t hesitate to help the two spies that Joshua sent in before invading Jericho. For this, God saved her and her entire family. Noah didn’t blink an eye when told to build an ark. For this, God saved him and his whole family (and a boatload of animals). Jesus says in the bible "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21 NIV) This verse is a powerful lesson for you as an entrepreneur. God wants to show himself in your life, but commands must be kept. If God says jump, you say ‘how high’? You don’t go and put on your shoes. You don’t look up to see if you’ll bump your head on something. You squat down, engage your butt muscles, and spring up and into action. It’s because of my “last minute emergency call” client (and several others that did the same thing), I uncovered a great need in the market – Launch in 2 Days. It’s the methodology I came up with whereby a client’s branding is completed in 2 days. Everyone wins. The clients get what they need fast, we produce the best work because we’re focused and deadline-driven, and we get paid well for it. I believe with all my heart that it was God working through my clients that helped me discover this untapped market in my industry. Usually, things like branding take a long time. Not only does the planning take a while, but there’s already a plate full of client work going on that any rush job would be impossible to do. But my desire to want to please my clients completely and immediately gave way to an innovation that set me in a new direction which God has blessed. There is power for Godpreneurs in being obedient in God’s timely instructions to us in our businesses. As we go about our day-to-day business life, don’t hesitate on God’s instructions. There’s a purpose in His plan for your business if you love Him and obey His commands. Let God even use your clients to teach you the lessons behind acting immediately. It’s our timely obedience that produces fantastic customer service, how much more will our father reward us when we obey Him immediately too! Imagined if we all followed God’s timely instructions in our businesses? How much further along would we all be!? #LaunchIn2Days #EnhanceFocus

There are three types of visions: the one YOU have for your life, the one EVERYONE else has for your life, and the one GOD has for your life. When I first started my business, I didn’t have a relationship with God. The only two visions I was relying on was my own and whatever others suggested. But that doesn’t mean God didn’t have a vision for me, I just wasn’t tuned in to that TV Channel to see it. #NewEntrepreneurs #WheretoStartFirst

I began to see God in everything in my personal life, so I began to believe. Jesus can save us personally and professionally. We entrepreneurs are really good at separating business from our personal life, but Jesus wants it all I believe that there are Christian entrepreneurs out there that have given their personal life to God

My goal as an entrepreneur has always been to discover new ways to better serve my employees and my customers. That’s what entrepreneurship is. It's discovery – then it's fulfillment of the discovery. We all need to understand that we are discoverers, and that God takes delight in our discoveries. In fact, the bible says in Proverbs 25:2: "It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them."(Proverbs 25:2) You have to realize that there’s a whole world of discoveries for you to make in your business. Discover a new book. Discover a more productive way of arranging your day. Discover the diet that fits you best. If you realize that God’s concealing it and waiting for you to discover it, then it helps you to know that it's already there for you to grab, you just have to put in the time… like a scientist puts in time to discover the cure for a disease. Start by praying to God to reveal the discoveries He wants you to know.  Then go along your day knowing that God is going to let you discover something new today. Godpreneur Rule #39: Godpreneurs never stop discovering the things God is concealing from them. #NewEntrepreneurs #FindingMyBrand #LaunchingMyBusiness

My company used to be heavily involved in nightlife marketing. Along with marketing nightclubs, we also helped some strip clubs with their flyer designs. It was easy and consistent money, and my designers were good at it! But as a growing Christian, I began to feel convicted about doing work for gentlemen’s clubs. So I began declining their work, even giving away that business to other companies. This really sparked some heated arguments in the company, so we kept doing the work. Over time, I couldn’t kick the conviction, so I made a solo decision to cut ties with the adult entertainment industry. My employees were furious. This was affecting their commissions!  But it was also affecting my conviction. As entrepreneurs, we’ll all face massive pressure from people close to you to do something in contradiction to what God is asking you to do. In the face of pressure, especially to pay bills, we may compromise our ethics and morals and stand in opposition to God’s desire for you. As a entrepreneurs, I’m sure you know about pressure. Our employees can be relentless in asking us to do things outside our value system, including clients they want to work with, marketing campaigns they want to execute on, and adding new people to the team. They can be every bit as demanding and intimidating as the 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum in the grocery store line for a piece of candy. When that happens, stand firm in your identity in Christ. Let your desire to be obedient to God give you strength, and lovingly explain why you’re not willing to compromise your beliefs. I explained my point of view to my team and they eventually understood my conviction for not wanting to do business with strip clubs. I had to let those employees go because we didn’t stand on the same moral grounds, among other things. Eventually God convicted me of the same when it came to doing business with nightclubs.  That was tough because it represented 90% of my business.  The letting go of employees on that one was one of the most difficult days of being an entrepreneur I had ever experienced. Godpreneur Rule #36: Godpreneurs seek to please one boss, one board of director member, the main investor:  God. #BusinessBibleStudy #WheretoStartFirst #HiringtheRightPeople The Business God Created You To Start Have you ever wondered why you received the talents and gifts you have been given? We, as entrepreneurs, were born to do. 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

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