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I’ve admitted to you before: I was a terrible boss. I love people. Everyone will tell you I’m a very nice guy. But when it comes to being a boss, something wasn’t clicking. And I’m searching for that reason why… Today I came across a clue that might help me, and I thought it might help you too. In the story of Adam and Eve, after they ate from the tree, they were naked. In response, they hid from God and covered themselves with fig leaves. They sinned, they let God down, they were less than perfect, so they hid. The legacy of Adam and Eve’s act is that we entrepreneurs are still hiding today. I’m guilty of hiding from my employees when I messed up, things are bad, or even if someone else messed up. Golfing, food, drug abuse, and sometimes even exercise represent our “fig leaves.” And even though we’re hiding, God will still ask us “where are you?”. What are your fig leaves? Next time, stop and realize what you’re doing. Then, ask yourself, WHO do you need to confront or what sin do you need to repent from so that you can stop hiding. #SharpenLeadership

A perfect stranger reached out to me on LinkedIn because she Googled something about Christian entrepreneurship, and I came up at the top of the results. She asked me for some advice on a virtual conference she was speaking at. I could hear her heart to want to serve at the highest level. At the end of our conversation, I congratulated her on having the desire to serve her audience with the best possible information. Our level of effectiveness on LinkedIn (and in any business relationship) is directly proportional to the amount of care and concern we have for our followers. Only when we acknowledge people and add value to them will we have the potential for a rewarding connection. The Bible says "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." (Hebrews 13:16) Everyone seeks to know and be known. As you navigate LinkedIn and interact with those around you, remind yourself that each person you meet has challenges they need to overcome in their business lives. As a Christian entrepreneur who's gracefully been redeemed and changed, you've been equipped to change your network's outlook and demeanor with your words of wisdom and subject matter expertise. Your advice and encouragement can be the catalyst for lasting change in a contact's business life and the inspiration that makes them flourish. To read more articles on LinkedIn, click here. #AttractingRightClients

One of my favorite things to do on social media is to create a post asking people if they need prayer. I get tons of engagement! It's the easiest way to develop a relationship with someone, yet it is so underutilized on LinkedIn. Prayer changes business circumstances, both for the receiver and the giver of the praying. The Bible says "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5:16) If you're going to put yourself out there as a prayer warrior for other business people on LinkedIn, be ready for all the circumstances you could be involved in changing. Your prayers will have the power to change: Desperate business situations Hopeless career conditions Financial problems Marketplace obstacles Employee and partner issues The mindset of people Entrepreneurial defeats into victories Our marketplace prayers as Christian entrepreneurs have the power to change anything that stands between the one asking and God’s perfect will for the receiver's life. And prayer also has the awesome power to change us, the ones who are praying. Consistently asking to pray for others on LinkedIn changes the priorities of our reason for spending time on the platform. Prayer does have the power to change things in business. In fact, prayer has the power to change the entire marketplace. To read more articles on LinkedIn, click here. #AttractingRightClients

Knowledge is so underrated. The turning point in the life of Adam and Eve was the advent of knowledge. They were instructed not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That suggests that good and evil might have already been at play in the world at that time, but Adam and Eve did not know of them (Genesis 2-3). You see, knowledge has the potential to turn anybody's life around. It has the ability to create. It can bring your downfall, as it can define your dominion. 1 Corinthians 2:8 says: ..."the princes of this world crucified the Lord of glory because they knew not the wisdom that was concealed for our glory". Did you see that? Even wisdom is known. In becoming who we were sent to be, Knowledge is essential. Hosea 4:6 tells us that the reason we perish is that we lack knowledge. John 8:32 tells us that it is known truth that sets us free. Knowledge is essential to make it in the life that we have been called to live. But until we avail ourselves to knowledge, having it and walking in it will remain a mirage. What does it mean to avail yourself of knowledge? It simply means to expose yourself to atmospheres and environments that celebrate, promote, and advocate for knowledge. It means to put yourself in the presence of someone who has knowledge and releases knowledge and be open to receiving it with meekness and gladness. You remember Mary and Martha when the Lord visited their home? Mary availed herself to knowledge, and the Master commended her for it. In fact, the Master said knowledge was the ONE THING that is needful (Luke 10:38-42). In considering knowledge, there are 3 things to be mindful of: The Source: God places a premium on the sources where we get knowledge from. It is because the source of knowledge determines whether or not it's worthy of our consumption. That's why God’s first thing addressed with Adam and Eve was the source of their knowledge when they said they were naked. He asked, "...who told you that you were naked?" (Genesis 3:11). The source of knowledge will determine the content of it. The Curation: Knowledge Curation is simply the organization of knowledge. Is the knowledge you're exposed to well organized to communicate meaning? Is it in the right progression? Is it in the right quality and quantity? Curation will determine the usefulness of knowledge per time. The Communication: The source/content of knowledge may be right. The curation may be accurate. But if its communication is wrong, it can change the whole narrative and make an impact on it. It can deter meaning and intent. That's why, as Christian Entrepreneurs, it's high time for us to start paying due attention to where and who we get our knowledge from. Who or where is the source of knowledge that we use in running our businesses? I think it's high time we started having our own kingdom summits, conferences, seminars, and workshops to submit to our King. We should not only be a talker but also a doer, I'm taking the first step in doing that. I'm putting together a 3-days life and business transforming summit for Christian Entrepreneurs who want to walk in dominion in the marketplace in 2021. The event is scheduled for December 17-19 and runs from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM EST daily. At the event, we have kingdom impact makers on the lineup to disburse knowledge. I’m talking people like Horst Schulze (Founder of The Ritz Carlton Hotel and The Capella Hotel Group), Jordan Raynor (Entrepreneur and Executive Chairman of Threshold 360), Joel Manby (Former CEO of Herschend Enterprises, Saab Automobile USA, and SeaWorld Parks), John Ruhlin (Founder and CEO of Giftology), Candace Junee (Digital Marketing Maven, Social Influencer and CEO of Epic Fab Girl and 11Eleven Fashion), Alex Miranda (Founder of Daily Godpreneur and CEO of Creative Complex), Rebekah Lyons (Author of Rhythms of Renewal), Carlos Whittaker (Author of Moment Maker and Kill The Spider) and Milton Chefoin (CEO of GEM Systems). Everyone speaking at the event has a proven track record of results that are befitting for the kingdom. Each and every one of them has honed in one specific area of focus, acquired, and become leaders in it. They are very well-curated at it and are now ready to communicate their knowledge with other Christian Entrepreneurs who are prepared to commit to leading lives and running businesses that reflect the Kingdom of God. Let’s share knowledge from God and lead you to DOMINION in 2021. Find out more at www.gemvirtual2021.com

Financial management is a SLOOOOOW game. Maybe that’s why I get frustrated with it at times. I’m supposed to add a little into my savings account and watch the interest grow…over years!. Savings for a goal, budgeting, or investing in the stock market are slow as well. I say slowly because I’ve been conditioned to get everything NOW that I see financial management as slow. But that’s just how God designed it. Financial management is about planting a seed, letting go, and letting God grow it and produce fruit over time. But when we get frustrated and try to inject hormones to grow bigger and faster, or we pick the fruit prematurely and spray it with gasses to ripen faster, we don’t get what God intended for us, we get our creation – which will always fall short of God’s best for us. The Bible says: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9 NIV) In business, you’ll always experience a delay once you invest. When you put out a proposal, there’s a delay between your proposal and its acceptance. The same is true in our financial management – once you begin the journey of budgeting, paying off debt, and accumulating wealth, there’s a delay between when you began stewarding money correctly and reaping the benefits of your obedience. Solomon, the richest man that ever lived, said this in the Bible: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV) I know it’s irritating for us Godpreneurs to make a deposit into something and not have it instantly return a reward. We pour time into employees, systems, and processes, only to see the investments bear fruit in a different quarter. But when we make the investments, and let God do His thing in His timing, we let go of the stress, and we embrace the peace of God that will build our faith and make the time we spend in waiting a joyful time. When it comes to managing money, we’ll always see the fruit of our efforts in a different season. We need to stop trying to pick stocks that we pray will skyrocket overnight so we can be instant millionaires. We need to be willing to make investments that, in the long run, are guaranteed to perform well and return ripened fruit, good to eat. When we Godpreneurs start following God’s plan for us managing our money in our businesses correctly, we aren’t going to see all of our debt paid off overnight and see tons of cash all of a sudden pour into our bank accounts. Things will come in God’s Timing. We’ll get a small client or a short order, and then we’ll get a bigger one, and it will grow. I know because I’ve experienced this phenomenon myself. We simply need to learn how to wait for our due season. And while we’re waiting, keep on working and grinding and giving value to our customers and doing excellent, above-and-beyond work. We may not see anything happening right away, but there is a God orchestrating things in our favor. We don’t see the pilot of the airplane, but we know someone is up there in the cockpit, and we know the pilot has a whole bunch of help guiding him, which gives me comfort in knowing I’ll get to my destination safely. I may not see the airport in front of me, but that plane will land, and I will reach my destination, as God as my pilot. One day our efforts will pay off. The little seeds of proper financial management will pay off, and we will see what God had planned all along. Godpreneur Money Rule #10: Godpreneurs plant seeds, let go, and trust God has good plans for us – plans for us to prosper! #BusinessBibleStudy #FindingMyPurpose #GainConfidence #EnhanceFocus The 19 Rules of Money Management for Christian Entrepreneurs This course will help you develop a better sense of money management God’s way. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

I’ll admit that I worry about money WAY too much. It’s OK to think about money and plan out your finances. It’s OK that money is top of mind when managing your business. What’s not ok is…worrying. As entrepreneurs, money is the worst thing we can worry about because it’s so uncertain. No matter how good your product or service is, no matter how awesome your lead generation campaign is performing, something always changes. Facebook changes its strategy, and Google updates its algorithm, and now that cash you were relying on dries up. Or the membership program you once had well-oiled starts to dismantle, and you find yourself in debt because you can’t sustain the costs you incurred. Business changes always, and money can’t be relied upon, therefore worrying about it is senseless. How can we change our worry? Where do we channel and equal, but opposite energy? How can we keep money top of mind without letting worry creep in? Worry is not natural. And it’s not biblical. Jesus says: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26 NIV) There 3 Strategies to focus on when trying to rid yourself of the worry of Money in Your Business. 1. Focus on Your Born to Do Calling In all of creation, humans are the only ones that worry. Every other creature just trusts the creator has it all taken care of so they can focus on what they are born to do. 2. Focus on Life’s Importance Matthew 6:25 Jesus urges you to remember that life is more than about food and clothing. It’s about your family and your impact on this world. It’s about meeting the needs of others, and trusting God will meet your needs simultaneously. 3.Focus on God – Your Father God has promised us a share of His inheritance. Philippians 4:19 says “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” We don’t need to worry because we’re already on God’s will, we’re in his “trust fund.” You have to imagine like a very wealthy grandfather who succeeded in building an empire, and He’s already got your college paid for and money set aside for you to grow. Imagine knowing that it’s all going to be good for you in life financially, and all you have to focus on is managing that money correctly and doubling its return! You get into trouble in business when you doubt that God’s got your back. When we Godpreneurs worry, we are trying to play the role of God. And because we call our own shots and generate our money, we are the ones the enemy will use most to make us worry – so we can do what he did and try to play God – which got Him thrown out of Heaven and down here in the first place. Through Christ, God has already taken care of our business's financial needs. There’s no need to worry. Godpreneur Financial Management Rule #5 – God knows what’s going on in my business and in my finances, and He’s already met my needs. He wants to help me out, and therefore I don’t need to worry. #BusinessBibleStudy #GainConfidence The 19 Rules of Money Management for Christian Entrepreneurs This course will help you develop a better sense of money management God’s way. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

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

One of the major challenges Christian entrepreneurs face is, aligning purpose with their businesses. A number of people are in a business void of purpose. Some others are running other people’s purposes. A lot more are being deceived by their thought pattern with regards to business. These can only leave much to be desired in the Kingdom business. The purpose is divine and the reason for being. However, it’s one of the most abused life concepts. Failure is; making money from business and not making a purpose out of it. A Christian entrepreneur is a man or woman on a purpose mission. On the other hand, entrepreneurship is simply a purposeful pursuit. If one is ever called to business, it is because some divine purposes must be fulfilled somewhere. Defining and aligning purpose in business are common challenges we encounter in business. Some have overcome it, while some are on it now. Sometimes, we seem not to find where purpose lies in our businesses. It is not strange that we can step into business without figuring out why we are called on to it. We all came into this world empty; no possession, no knowledge, no skills, no professionalism. However, each of us brought into this world, the most valuable thing - we brought purpose. The purpose is our gift to our world. The purpose is the primary reason for business. In this purpose lies the help, solution, comfort, wealth, and the relief the world had been waiting for. So, our coming is a response to the craving of God’s creation for what is in us. Jesus said; “I was born and I came into the world for only one purpose. I came to tell people what is true” (John 18:37 Easy English). Like every human, Jesus came with a purpose into the world. Jesus was born for one purpose – ‘to tell people what is true. He was focused on this purpose in doing the business of the Kingdom. When Jesus finally left the world, He left with no purpose because it is not needed in Heaven. Job declared; “We bring nothing at birth; we take nothing with us at death” (Job 1:21 CEV). The joy in departing this world is in dying empty. Purposes are only relevant here. What on earth are you here for, doing business? Find out. Can you boldly define and declare it? Can purpose be found in your business? You can still be the long-awaited solution if you make up your mind. See, there are definite roles that purpose will play in your business if you dare follow yours. The purpose will help structure your business. The purpose will help define your business to conform to what God wants and not what you want. The purpose will help clarify the things that cannot change about your business, regardless of any circumstance. You are called upon today, as a Christian entrepreneur, to do purpose and not just business. You cannot be said to be successful in business unless you have fulfilled your purpose. Obviously, the world is groaning in pains for want of purpose-driven kingdom businesses. Oh, how glorious and great relief it will be if we all fulfill our individual purposes in business. We can all determine to die and fulfill the pleasures of God, who has called us to impact our world through business. #FindingMyPurpose

Can I share my ultimate blogging secret? Here it is. Whenever I have a problem in business, I study what God has to say about it and how I need to get through it, then I write about it as if I had known all along. Yeah, it feels weird blogging about something I just learned, but it works! Writing about it helps me absorb the lesson, apply it to my current situation, and help others going through the same thing! We bloggers have, in my opinion, an unfair advantage for overcoming problems in our own life. While others have to struggle to come to make time for God to reveal the lesson to them, and hope they can remember it, we get to study, write, apply and teach it all in the same amount of time. Total unfair advantage! The amazing news here is that we don’t have to live defeated for long. When problems come, sure as the sun will rise, we can recognize the problem as an opportunity to recognize, learn, write, apply, and teach. When problems threaten to hold us back from experiencing God’s full and complete grace, a weblog about it, and the issues go away so we can stay in the full presence of God. The Bible says: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:13‭-‬15 NIV) By dying on the cross, Jesus made a public spectacle of a problem and turned it into the greatest act of love history has seen. Through your blogging, you too can nail the problem to the cross, remove any shame and guilt, pass the issue along to God, and write about the lesson you just learned. You don’t even have to wait for the victory; the victory already happens at the moment you recognize and repent. God brings the deliverance from the problem in time, but awards you the victory immediately at the moment of learning about the problem and turning from it. That’s grace. That’s what the cross teaches. If you’re feeling shame in any area of your business, blog about it, you can choose to publish it or not. Some things are too fresh and too personal to make public so write about it and save it as a draft or delete it. It’s the act of writing about it that you have an unfair advantage to overcoming problems. We can remove shame, guilt, fear, frustration, but blogging about whatever is causing those feelings. The healing and breakthrough for our businesses are in blogging itself. We’ll find it a beneficial release in so many areas of our life in the act of blogging alone. Imagine if we were all able to release the things in business holding us back and leaving us captive, either physically, emotionally, or spiritually, by recognizing, learning, writing, applying, and teaching about it through our blogging. #ChristianBloggers #BusinessBibleStudy #GodpreneurAcademy Keys to Successful Christian Blogging In this course, I'll give you some keys God taught me about how to write a successful Christian blog. 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

Have you been in circumstances where you need to pay bills, and you had no clients? Your expectations for this month, days, or even this year have not been accomplished, but you know God is faithful. As entrepreneurs, we all have been there; we’ve dealt with paying bills, having debts, and sometimes even not paying our employees. Sometimes we have situations in which doubt or financial commitments can overwhelm us. Nevertheless, we acknowledge that God is in control of our circumstances. When speaking of provision, regardless of the circumstances and what we can see, our trust is in the One who created heaven and earth. During tough times, our confidence must rely on God. As we look for His will and obey His commands, we may be able to face whatever circumstances knowing that God directs our steps, and for that, we will not shake or fall. In the Bible, in the book of 1 Kings, we can see Elijah prophesied a great drought, and God directed him to go to Kerith Ravine where He sustains him and sent ravens with provision. The Bible says So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. (1 Kings 17:5-6) As Elijah obeyed the voice of God and understood that the word that came from the Lord would be fulfilled, he had the provision of what he needed during his time in Kerith Ravine. The same way God provided Elijah, He may provide to us as long as we look for his presence and obey his commands; even though, as entrepreneurs, we may not understand our circumstances, God is in control. As we recognize that God has provided for us, join me in prayer. Dear God, I acknowledge your power and sovereignty over creation. Thank you for the business you’ve given me, and I pray that I can honor Your name through my services and products. I pray for discernment from your Holy Spirit to have the vision you have for this business. I surrender every new project, every idea, and all my business to You so Your will is done. Yours is glory and the name above ALL names. I pray that I can honor You, Lord, with my life and business; I want to serve you with righteousness. May, you Lord, give me peace when there’s a storm and where circumstances may seem wrong. As you provided to Elijah in Kerith Ravine, may you provide all that I need, as you already have knowledge of it. May you give me strength when I’m tired, and may I be courageous when the road gets hard. May I come to You every day so you can be glorified in my life and my business. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen. #GainConfidence

Until the past few years, my thoughts had been that the only reason to go into business is to make money. That sounds good anyway and represents the mindset of many business people. I went into business with that mindset. After all, one should make a living. So, when I set out, it was to make money and not help people solve their problems. Now I understand better and know better. I have the right entrepreneur’s mindset now. On one fateful day, I visited the market to procure some production inputs. My Client wanted samples of the materials, so they could decide what goes for them. I, therefore, requested my customer to cut out half the yard of each material for the production of samples. As a regular customer, I told her I would not pay for the samples, but she insisted I must. I made a case that she stands to gain a lot when my Client places an order. Out of compulsion, she agreed to give the samples for free, though with an evident feeling that she has lost some money. A week later, my Client placed an order for 4,000 units of the product. The implication of this was that I would buy materials worth about USD 3,000. This was just one order in the series. The woman couldn’t see ahead, even though I told her, because money had blinded her foresight. She could only see the loss of about USD 3.0 for the samples. Indeed, it was the mindset and not the amount of money. We still have many people in business today without the right biblical entrepreneurial mindset, just a money mindset. Unconsciously, we sometimes walk into this moment because we seek to make a living or a fortune rather than seek to help people and please God. This has to change. The Bible says, “Whoever loves money will never be satisfied with money. Whoever loves wealth will never be satisfied with income. Even this is pointless” Ecclesiastes 5:10 GW. This scripture indicates that people are more money-minded in business because of the love of it. The Bible does not condemn seeking money as a return on investment. The priority is the issue. One’s business attitude about money is the crux of the matter. Some godly acts should precede money and profit. The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes also says, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days” {Ecclesiastes 11:1 Amp}. In business, there are things to let go of for future rewards. The outcome of my story above is a practical example. Rigidity in all aspects of Christian business pays less. At every point, the Kingdom's purpose must be served. So, our money mindset in business should be that of purpose-driven contentment. Suppose your primary purpose or motivation for going into business is to make money. In that case, you are not an entrepreneur but a businessman, and you will never be satisfied with money or more money. You will also not be able to serve God’s purpose for calling you. It is a limiting attitude to be overly money-minded. Your focus should be to offer purpose-driven services. Money then comes as a reward you receive by putting in efforts to help people meet their needs. See yourself as God’s instrument in bringing assistance to His creation. Desist from seeing money in everything. It can deny you good opportunities, relationships, and finally, ruin your business. Change your mindset as I did. We can all have a singular mindset in business, despite our individual calling into Christian entrepreneurship. The world will be happier with our emergence as God-centered entrepreneurs because it cannot give itself what we have #DifferentiatingMyself

For the last few years, I’ve been recognized as one of the top Christian Business bloggers worldwide. It’s an amazing achievement that I celebrate because of all the hard work I’ve put in. I realize that this achievement could not have happened if God hadn’t set me apart and give me a unique ability to see the bible from an entrepreneurial perspective and want to share those findings with the world. God gave me a unique way of sharing the stories in my writing style; therefore, God gets all the credit for my achievements. We all have our unique writing style, voice, and calling within the Christian business blogging space. God doesn’t want us all to be carbon copies. It’s our unique writing DNA that gets us recognized for our achievements – an achievement made possible because God set us apart. The Bible says: He has saved us and called us to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, (2 Timothy 1:9 NIV) Just being yourself – the way He created you to write – you can make a difference and bring new insight into people’s business lives with His words. This means that when you are recognized for your work as a Christian business influencer, you also remember God who ‘has saved you and called you to a holy life.’ This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t celebrate the achievements that we worked hard for. This means that we won’t get caught up in the recognition. Getting caught up could stifle our creativity and possibly remove the Holy Spirit’s inspiration and replace it with our own. Instead, if we always put God first, even in our achievements; He can continue to bless our work and bring us into even higher levels of achievements! This does not mean that we should not celebrate our achievements, but rather to remember ‘God’s purpose and grace’ during those achievements. #ChristianBloggers #BusinessBibleStudy #GodpreneurAcademy Keys to Successful Christian Blogging In this course, I'll give you some keys God taught me about how to write a successful Christian blog. 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 don’t have a great reputation for finding and keeping a great team. Since 2005, I’ve had dozens of people come in and out of Creative Complex. I used to think it was my lack of leadership skills. I would beat myself up for not having the right process or product. I wasn’t a Donald Trump, I didn’t bully my people. In hindsight, I just don’t think the vision or goals were strong enough to create the glue that keeps teams together and propels them into said goals. But in the middle of 2015, I began refining my USP (unique selling proposition), I put God as my CEO, and I earnestly sought out His purpose for my life and my business. I received confirmation over and over that the new “why” for my business was a strong one, and not just from clients. My team was also beginning to see and understand the bigger calling our business served, and they were seeing the clients needed to prove it. When my team latched on, I knew it was time to kick the business into overdrive and implement a business growth plan. Some of us have been burnt in the past by bad experiences with hiring and firing. We’re scared to repeat the same cycle we’ve been through in the past, scared to let people down, let them go again. Or we had a team and we grew a company, but couldn’t sustain the growth and things have plateaued and you’re trying to figure out how to take things to that explosive growth level. Maybe we have a team now, and we know the vision, and it’s time to let them know. But how do we know it’s really time? The answer: Communication from God. This is where Joshua finds himself before crossing the River Jordan. In a number of ways, the preparation for invasion and the conflict that lays before Joshua and the people parallels what an entrepreneur will go through as he or she gears up to enter into their promised business success. What Godpreneurs need to see and understand is the significance that this preparation proceeds out of God’s communication. First, God speaks and commissions Joshua (1:1-5) and then calls him to be strong and courageous (1:6-9). In view of this word from God, Joshua speaks to the people and gives them instructions for preparing to cross the Jordan in three days (1:10-15). 10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, to possess it." In my previous blog, we see what it takes to prepare to conquer. This forms the backdrop, the motivation, and inspiration for Joshua motivating his people. Here the keynote is Joshua’s immediate and obedient response regardless of the obstacles that lay before them. There is in this section a note of urgency, certainty, expectancy, and faith in Joshua’s commands to the people. As God had commanded the new leader was taking charge and following the Lord’s orders with confidence. This is followed by the response of the people which, of course, had its source in the Word of God (1:16-18). 16-18 "They answered Joshua: “Everything you commanded us, we’ll do. Wherever you send us, we’ll go. We obeyed Moses to the letter; we’ll also obey you—we just pray that God, your God, will be with you as he was with Moses. Anyone who questions what you say and refuses to obey whatever you command him will be put to death. Strength! Courage!” In any successful business of God’s people, the leaders must have the support of the people if the work is going to fly. That’s why I call this blog “Preparing Your Team”. So, you’ve honored God’s word. Now God is honoring your business and moving your team to respond. You’re encouraged by your people when they respond to the calling as well. Imagine what happens if we DON’T honor God’s word. Then everyone on the team misses out on their calling. It’s sad, but this happens in many businesses. This is why I’m passionate about entrepreneurs finding and living out their calling from God….because so many other lives depend on that one entrepreneur. But this isn’t us. We’re Godpreneurs. As we move forward with God’s growth plan for our business, both you and your team must continue to trust the Lord, examine your service to your clients, and look to God to move your company into obedience rather than resort to some form of manipulation or coercion. There is a need for us to be disciplined. This isn’t easy. It requires real commitment and must always be done with a view to the calling God has over you. #BusinessBibleStudy #BecomeDisciplined

When I went to college in 1999, I started in the undergraduate program for the law. Yup, that’s right. I was going to be a lawyer! Other than good grades in high school, nothing really pointed me in the direction of law. I’m sure it had to do with my parents feeling that law was a good career path to make money, and I wanted to make my parents proud. But after 2 years, I wasn’t happy. In fact, my grades were the lowest they had ever been since 6th grade. I felt like a failure, and I didn’t know why. A counselor asked me what my favorite classes were, and the answer I gave was anything that had to do with business. I loved organizational behavior, human resources, business law, and marketing. I could care less about anything related to pure law. So I made the switch halfway through my college career from undergraduate law to the undergraduate business program. And guess what? Yup, you guessed it. My grades skyrocketed back to my Albert Einstein-esque days of high school. I was loving every class… except for financial accounting! In our childhood, we were all raised to please our parents. We didn’t know what it was to please God, our parents were our everything. The problem with parental influence (sometimes) But sometimes our parents are raising us from their own experiences. Their experiences could have been great, so they want us to walk in their footsteps. Their experiences could have also been awful, so they guide us in fear and shelter us from going through what they went through. Parents, willingly or not, will guide our dreams and purpose based on their own shortcomings or victories. And so we make our decisions on work and career based on what our parents have guided us towards. Years later, we find ourselves living out a dream that wasn’t even our own – unhappy and feeling unfulfilled. Our parent's desires aren’t our desires. Our desires should be God’s desires for us. The Bible says: "The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord , endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands." (Psalms 138:8 NIV) God created you. He designed you specifically with your own vision, motivations, fears, desires, and strengths. When you separate your desires from those that others may have unknowingly projected onto you, the picture of the business God created YOU to start becomes more clear. Your purpose in entrepreneurship is unique to YOU The business you’re supposed to be running isn’t to please your parents, spouse, friends, or the church. Your dream business is what God Himself wants you to do. He planted a vision in YOU, specific to YOU. So how do we know if what we’re doing is our own, our parents, or God’s vision for our business lives? First, we have to believe 100% from the bottom of our core that God has a unique purpose for us. If we don’t believe this, then we’ll continue to run businesses for ourselves and not for God. Second, we have to acknowledge and confess that we might not be living out God’s dream, but instead someone else’s. Third, ask God through prayer and meditation to bring to mind anything that we’re doing that could be other’s expectations versus what God designed for us to do. Finally, we need to make a list of what comes to mind between what we think is from God and what we think is from expectations others put on us. When we take a sober inventory of what influences our true purpose and calling, some of us might be surprised at how far down a road we’ve traveled that we weren’t meant to go down. I pray that this exercise helps bring more entrepreneurs closer to understanding God’s calling for their life. Imagine a day where we’re all launching and running businesses unique to our God-inspired DNA, not based on what the world wants us to do. #BusinessBibleStudy #GodpreneurAcademy #FindingMyPurpose Entrepreneurship on Purpose A 3-Day business Bible study to help you uncover your calling to bear fruit that your business can have an eternal impact and glorify God 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 can’t even begin to count the number of failed ventures, partnerships, marketing campaigns, and product launches I’ve had in my entrepreneurial career. Since 2005, I’ve been collecting the failures, analyzing each one, and building something better the next time. But there are times I want to hang up the hat, call it quits, and head back over to a comfy 9-5 where, at this point in my career, I could be making well over $500K with bonuses and stock options. Any entrepreneur who has failed in a venture will immediately agree that business ownership can hurt. But after the wound has healed a little, they will also be the first to try to do it again and again because of the joy it brings. I remember my first business, Creative Complex. It was immature, painful, wonderful, and hopeless all at the same time. When it failed, I could have just given up on business or learned from it and looked harder for a better, more satisfying business next time. I chose the latter and I’m so glad I did. Several years later I found my purpose and passion in business and now I’m married to my calling – my ‘born to do’ identity. It has not always been easy. In fact, there have been moments when my wife has wondered how she could have married someone with such financial instability. But those thoughts were only momentary and the shared joys of her being able to stay home with our child and not work have been immense and overflowing. I’m not the best business person in the world, but the marketplace seems to love me through thick and thin. Its honest advice may hurt sometimes, but I can always depend on it. Wisdom has given me everything it has to give, and together we move forward to bring visions to life. The Bible says: "Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly". Proverbs 3:13‭-‬18 NLT Entrepreneurship hurts—but it is well worth the pain and sacrifice. Next to my family, nothing has given me more reasons to live for than the passion of pursuing my calling. And since I’ve put God first in my business, He’s the one closest to me, and no matter what happens, I can trust in the spirit with my life. Look for your calling in business, live for what you were born to do, and you will find it. But in order to keep the business, you must give it away. Give it to God. We Godpreneurs give ourselves to their entrepreneurial calling; trust in God to be faithful and accept his holy spirit wisdom into our ventures. #SharpenLeadership