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It’s 3 in the morning and you can't sleep. You toss and turn, rolling from one side to the other; nothing helps. Everyone else is sleeping, but not you. It's now 3:30 am and you're staring at the ceiling. Your anxiety has taken complete control. The clock on the wall keeps ticking; you cover your head with the pillow to not hear it. You feel like crying. You're depressed, alone, scared, and stressed. What a mess you and your business plans are in. What does all this anxiety mean to a business owner? All this trepidation, all this insecurity, all this worry, all this restlessness. What's the meaning of it all? Well, anxiety in business means simply this: YOU ARE AN ENTREPRENEUR 💪 You’re not dumb, you’re not emotionally underdeveloped, you’re not incompetent or too green to own a business, your parents didn’t fail you; it doesn’t mean you failed them, and, this is important, it does not mean you are not a Christian. Christian entrepreneurs battle anxiety. Jesus did. In the garden of Gethsemane, on the night before his crucifixion, He prayed for the cup of suffering to be taken away from Him. In fact, He prayed with such ferocity, the capillaries burst and rivulets of crimson rolled down His face. Jesus battled anxiety. He faced fears, but He fought through His fears, surrendered them to God, and fulfilled his mission. Anxiety did not win, and this is God's plan for you too! The Bible says: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) Anxiety comes with entrepreneurship but it doesn’t have to dominate your business life. God's plan for you is not an entrepreneurial journey that is drenched in anxiety. It's God's will that you and I learn to run an operation that is characterized by peace and not panic; by calmness and not chaos. Yeah but Alex, I'm drowning in my business - like I’m still showing up, but barely keeping it together. I’m making it, and I’m smiling, but nobody knows what’s really behind this smile - the things I think about some days on my way home. I just want to run away from it all. I want to suggest something to you Godpreneurs today about the storms of anxiety in your business life, and about the waves and the winds that are tossing you and your plans around. Listen, those winds will keep blowing, and the waves will break and they will crush you, no doubt about it. However, you have a choice of who accompanies you through those storms. Will you invite misery or God? Will you invite death or life? Will you invite loneliness or the God that will never leave you or forsake you? There are things happening in your business that you’re afraid of that makes no sense if you're truly inviting God to walk this entrepreneurial journey with you. There are people that are causing you to shut down. There are circumstances that are senselessly paralyzing you. However, when you put those things in the context of who the God is that is walking by your side, and what you mean to Him, you begin to train your heart to be anxious for nothing.

A friend of mine asked me the other day: “Alex, who are the top 3 companies in your field?” I was stuck. I couldn’t answer. He said that I needed to know that, follow them, and set up meetings with the owners. He said that it’s likely they will share whatever information I needed because people are inclined to share with others in their industry, especially me being a smaller company. So, I took on the challenge and the other day I met with another branding agency to see how we could do work together. It was great to learn how someone else runs his business, targets a certain clientele, and has a unique approach to the market. What was it about my instinct that was preventing me from opening up to others in my industry? Greed? Hording? Pride of knowledge? Normally, we entrepreneurs don’t meet with the competitors. We avoid their Facebook posts, secretly envious, but not wanting to get frustrated seeing their successes. But we’re all on the same team. We branding agencies all want to help the world tell their story, help people find their identity. God didn’t create us to be competitive to the point of not meeting with one another. Even the best golf players in the world play friendly matches together. One day they are friends, the next day they are competing for the same prize, but they are both better today because of the things they learned from each other yesterday. Similar to my situation was what was happening around the time of the spread of the church in Acts 11 of the Bible. We see a divide within the church of Jews versus gentiles. The Jews wanted to keep Jesus to themselves, but that’s not what God had designed it out to be. Jesus came for all to be saved, and for all to commune together to learn from one another, band together, and grow stronger. You might be in a cut-throat industry where competitors don’t meet. You might even have walls of anger towards others who have taken business from you in the past. God is calling you, today, to forgive, move on, and explore opportunities of growth together. We Godpreneurs act from a whole different set of rules than the normal marketplace functions under. We have a God that has so much business for us that it would be impossible for us to service everyone. There must be room for others because God has someone uniquely designed for competition to service. Godpreneur Rule #85: Meeting and learning from the competition is designed to make us stronger. #BibleStudy

When I first started going back to the church in 2008, my business partners and I were in the tender first years of running a Branding agency. All of us were involved in the nightclub industry, either as promoters or nightclub owners. We had known each other for years! But by 2008, I was ready to make my transition out of that lifestyle and industry. My business partners saw it immediately. I was talking, acting, and doing business differently. One time I remember putting the word “blessed”, somewhere in a mass email to our clients and receiving a lashing-out from one of my partners to “please keep religion out of the business.” That’s when the conflict started. 5 years later, this partnership was over. I was (and probably still am) hurt by the entire subject. These were my best friends. I tried my hardest to get them to visit church with me so that they see what I see. I kept telling myself ‘maybe if they knew God, we could stay together.’ I gave them a copy of Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life, I prayed for them continually, I even straightened up some of my anger problems in hopes they would see a changed man and be compelled to know that Christ is real. I’m still praying for them. I love them, I still talk to them once in a while, I accept them for who they are, they are still my brothers, but we’re different now. Becoming a Godpreneur will not come easy in our lives, especially if you’re doing the massive switch that I did – from rockstar South Beach nightclub promoter. We run a huge risk of being ridiculed by new words we’ll use and of alienating clients, vendors, employees, and partners that don’t agree with our ‘born again’ status. But God has so much more in store for us than we could ever imagine if we…take a risk for Christ…like He did for us. In Acts 21, 22, and 23, we meet a Paul that knows he’s at the end of his life. He knows that his time of death by persecution is coming. And you know what? He accepts it with no hesitation, counting it all as gain (Philippians 3:8). Paul’s boldness, against the wishes of his best friends, is a great example of the risks you and I should be taking as Godpreneurs. You will risk ridicule for dropping whatever business you had going on because you feel God calling you to start a different business, one that brings you purpose and meaning. Whatever that business is, you won’t feel alive until you do it. You will risk conflict for separating yourself from business partners, employees, contractors, and vendors that no longer line up with your ethics and morals. You will risk losing clients (and thus money), that no longer serve the target market you are trying to reach. You will have tribulations, but don’t fear, for Jesus has overcome the world and God has your back! (John 16:33). We have a new identity. We have a new purpose. We were born into a royal family, destined to do amazing things. Godpreneurs are the top of the ladder, the trendsetters, the oldest profession in the Bible, and the largest contributors financially to the growth of the church around the world. Godpreneur Rule #1: Godpreneurs go out and tell the world, risking it all for Christ, unashamed and purpose driven with a God-given identity. #FindMyCalling #BusinessBibleStudy

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

My pride and selfishness get me in a lot of trouble, especially when it comes to waiting on God in my business. As time passes by, still not having achieved the successes I desire, my pride creeps in to whisper lies in my ear like “you deserve so much more than this, you should have more fame and fortune by now, what are you waiting for?” And I know I’m not alone. In fact, because of my line of work, I’ve spoken with so many Christian entrepreneurs who share similar and sometimes deeper strongholds than I’ve personally ever felt. We entrepreneurs suffer from: The desire of being praised The desire of being honored The desire of being preferred The desire of being consulted The desire of being approved The desire for comfort and ease The fear of being humiliated The fear of being criticized The fear of being passed over The fear of being forgotten The fear of being lonely The fear of being hurt The fear of suffering It’s our pride, coupled with one or more of these thoughts that hold us Godpreneurs back from doing the very things that God wants us to do WHILE we wait, so that later on, we can be lifted higher. The Bible says In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5‭-‬7 NIV The Bible reminds us, entrepreneurs, to humble ourselves because God wants to lift us up in due time. In God’s economy, one must proceed the other. Jesus is God’s own son, yet He arrived as a humble servant. For Godpreneurs like me and you, humility is not thinking you and your business are less, it is never forgetting the fact that it is Jesus who made you and your ventures MORE. So, how do you become more like Jesus in the marketplace? How do you develop a spirit of humility during your waiting season? For me, I became more humble as I developed my habit of reading the Bible every morning. This habit began to form a relationship between me and Jesus. That relationship opened up my ears to the holy spirit’s small voice and opened the eyes of my soul to see God for who He really wanted me to see Him as. As I drew closer to God, the desires and fears I shared earlier began to transform as I let God take control of them. I began to take a more humble approach to prospects, clients, vendors, contractors, employees, and the marketplace as a whole. That my employees are loved more than me That others are chosen before me That my team may be praised and I unnoticed That my heart be like Jesus That I am strengthened by the spirit That I am taught Jesus’s ways For God to help me put my self-importance aside To learn the kind of cooperation with others in a way it shows Christ’s light Any Godpreneur who walks intimately with Him will not think more highly of himself or his business than he should. To assume Jesus’s ability to wait, while still showing gentleness and grace, all we need to do is be in a relationship with him day in and day out. To be humble in business doesn’t mean we have to be weak. God has given us all we need to live confidently as inheritors of His riches. The proud businessman will never truly lift up God’s name in praise. Yet He raises the humble Godpreneur to new heights. #SharpenLeadership

I picked up an amazing tool from a Tony Robbins course that I use weekly. It’s called an “emotional flood.” Essentially, I close my eyes and imagine all the amazing things that have happened to me. It lasts for 5 minutes. Through an audio recording, Tony helps me jog my memory for all the awesome things. Essentially, you shut out the negative and ‘flood’ your mind with awesome thoughts. When our waiting feels like a ton of uncertainty in our business, without answers – much like Noah’s waiting, there is a danger of losing faith that God is listening. If we have these long spans of time in our businesses, it tempts us to question the faithfulness and character of God. We look around our business and there’s no sign that He is answering our prayer. We wonder will he ever come through for us. In these critical moments in our entrepreneurial career, we need a strategy to win while waiting through the seeming absence of God. The Bible says in Roman 5:3 "Paul clings to the only One who can help him. He resolves to believe He will bring to fruition that which he awaits. Then he does something most of us don’t. In the middle of his waiting, Paul chooses to rejoice. Before it is his turn, prior to seeing any evidence that God will answer his petitions, Paul chooses to praise God…anyway". Paul clings to the only One who can help him. He resolves to believe He will bring to fruition that which he awaits. Then he does something most of us don’t. In the middle of his waiting, Paul chooses to rejoice. Before it is his turn, prior to seeing any evidence that God will answer his petitions, Paul chooses to praise God…anyway. Are you suffering waiting in your business? This is the time for an EMOTIONAL FLOOD. Turn on some worship music, flood your heart with praise. Look back at everything He’s done for you as an Entrepreneur, and rejoice and be glad…even while you wait. Maybe your circumstances in business appear to be upside down, but God is always right-side up! Worship and praise Him in the waiting. Wonder in Him while you’re wondering and wandering. Today, don’t ask for much, just praise Him. Get your heart and mind back into the place of faith and expectancy. Let God calm your business anxieties. The flood of emotions will drown out the negative feelings. Your praises will lift you out and up to the throne. Before it is your turn to succeed in business – before anything you have asked comes to fruition, praise and rejoice Him! That’s how you re-center and refocus your mind on the challenges of TODAY. When we can’t see through the waiting; when the big break doesn’t come in; and our competition pummels us with hate until we find ourselves in a desperate place—praise and rejoice anyway! No one or nothing compares to God. He is the last one standing with us in our businesses. He’s always there. So as we wait, we praise Him for that. If He makes our business wait, there is a divine purpose in it. I pray Godpreneurs don’t miss the opportunity to wait with purpose, to wait well! #GainConfidence #BusinessBibleStudy

Being in the marketing world, there are so many services I could offer. Between search engine marketing and content creation, to social media advertising and sales funnel development, the field is wide open with opportunities. Sometimes I get tempted to stray away from what I know and dabble in areas I’m not familiar with. Not for fun, but because an opportunity came around to make some money doing it, I might as well give it a shot. I’m all about challenging myself in new areas, but I’ve learned that veering from what I know usually lands me in trouble, frustration and bitter struggles with clients, vendors, and contractors. Why? Because I’m departing from what I know. If I would have said “no” to the client asking me for additional marketing services outside of my expertise, it would have allowed the space for a perfect client to come in for me to service. But because I’m over there distracted with this new offering, I’m not over here ready and able to serve this perfect prospect. We don’t like to wait. Especially in the face of money being thrown at us. We’re not confident when the next check will come in, so we try new things. We don’t have faith that, ultimately, God beings us perfect clients if we trust and wait. As entrepreneurs, because we really don’t know how God’s going to bring our prayers to life, our thoughts become vulnerable to enemy attack. Many in the Bible fell victim to distractions and taking matters into their own hands. Abraham tried to bypass the wait time by having a child with his maid (Genesis 16:1-4). King David, King Jeroboam, and much more also had their fits with waiting. Listen, waiting for God isn’t easy. When the bank account is low, bills are due, and employees need to get paid, this is the perfect environment for taking matters into our own hands rather than lifting it all up and surrendering it to God. Times of uncertainty in our business is exactly when we much keep our eyes on Christ no matter what. It’s here where everything we learn in the Bible and at church comes into reality. It’s during the turbulent twists and turns of business that we need to FOCUS ON WHAT WE KNOW. God is powerful. God is just. God is good. The Bible says "Which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me." 2 Timothy 1:12 ESV You don’t know how things will turn out in your business, but you know in whom you believe. You can trust that He has a purpose for your businesses. You can be certain that your God is not a quitter. He’ll finish what he started in your business. He is faithful. We don’t need to look far for the evidence. We’ve had waiting periods before, and God had brought us through them. When we’re waiting for something big to happen, Godpreneurs turn right around and look backward for a time. We should remember the miracles, the uphill battles we overcame and the strength it built in us. If He has been faithful for all of my entrepreneurial careers, and many generations of business owners in my family before me, won’t He certainly remain constant now? It is this knowledge that enables us Godpreneurs to get up and move forward in our businesses while we wait. #BusinessBibleStudy #EnhanceFocus How Godpreneurs Wait Instead of reading the blog posts, take the video course!  I personally teach you the method.  You get: Workbook 6-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*

If you asked me in 2003 upon graduating Cornell if I was going to be a writer, I would have had a great laugh. I was the guy struggling to pump out a 3-page essay. I found reading and writing to be extremely boring. In 2014 my business took a major turn. I had already started going back to church in 2008, so I was five or six years into my walk with Christ. But my business wasn’t fully turned over to God, so I made a decision to shut everything down and start over in October of 2014. In November I found myself in depression. I knew the next few months were going to be rough having lost 90% of my income and a few relationships with great people I loved dearly. I turned to God and held on even closer to Him. I felt God wanted me to do something new. God moved me to start reading and writing like never before. I became disciplined in reading the Bible every morning, then writing a blog post geared towards entrepreneurship as it relates to God. I’ve never stopped this habit I formed during a rough time of waiting on God for my next business move. As entrepreneurs, every day our lives are changing. Our relationships in the marketplace change. Our products and services change. We even change inside. As Godpreneurs, we are constantly being transformed. Amidst the tumultuous changes in our lives, what can we do to weather the storm? How can we get better while seemingly everything around us is getting worst? Jesus says in John 15:1-4, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. Grape vines don’t think in the offseason “oh man, this stinks, I have no fruit.” They are cool, calm and collected knowing that their due time is right around the corner. And as this parable points out, God wants to use the season of waiting to make us better for next season. There’s nothing wrong with change in business, but as we are discovering and living out our entrepreneurial purpose while waiting on God, there are some things that we need to do so God can bear more fruit through us and into the marketplace. You are creative. You can get creative while discovering your purpose. Maybe it’s not starting a blog like I did. Maybe you pick up photography or painting. Maybe you’ll build something. What are you passionate about? While you are waiting for God to cause you and your business to walk fully in your purpose, do what you’re passionate about. I took up reading and writing. I had never done that before. It’s likely the thing God wants you to do is something that you’ve never done before. Pray for God to do a new thing in you so that you. This will cause you to not be stuck in the same place in your business forever. Your purpose in entrepreneurship is about more than you do what makes you comfortable. You have to step up your creative mind and step out of your comfort lane. Like the grape vines, let the warm joy and love of God become a part of your business life. Take time to focus on helping others or volunteering. But don’t try to duplicate somebody else’s purpose. Just because I wrote a blog doesn’t mean that you have to, too. Just be yourself. Listen to the voice of God and allow Him to lead you and guide you in your entrepreneurial purpose. God wants us to live out our business purpose to the fullest, to experience the most of the Godpreneur life, to have a fresh experience of the good life every single day. #GainConfidence #BusinessBibleStudy How Godpreneurs Wait Instead of reading the blog posts, take the video course!  I personally teach you the method.  You get: Workbook 6-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

People come to me for logos and websites. I get to be there from the very beginning. They tell me all about the big visions and dreams for their idea and I help them bring it to life. Since 2012, I started to throw a monkey wrench into the discovery process. Instead of trusting that every entrepreneur coming to me is launching the business they particularly were born to start, I ask them, “Is this what you were born to do? Like, if God was sitting right here, and you could launch any business in the whole world and God would fund every penny, so long as it was what He created you for, is this the business we’re launching for you?” A very common response is, “How do I figure out what God’s calling is for my business?” Ever since I started asking that question, I’ve been able to guide my clients on the trajectory of launching a business they feel CALLED to be in. But not everyone knows right away. Most people don’t know at all. And one phone call or meeting with me might not be enough time to uncover it. Some of my prospects leave this strategy session very unclear and unsure about what to do next. We’re all searching for meaning and purpose in our businesses. Some entrepreneurs are still waiting to know God’s will for them. We want to know what exact industry, service or product we were created to do. While we’re waiting for the revelation, what can we do today to find God’s will for our business? Jesus said in John 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me". As a Godpreneur, you are in business to look like Christ in the marketplace. If Christ came to fulfill God’s will, then you here to do the same. I wrote a book called Discovering Your Calling as an Entrepreneur. Below I’ve covered 4 steps that I took from portions or the book to quickly outline a plan for you. Here are four steps to help you uncover it: Develop the desire to know God better. Once I started to find out what God had to say about logos, websites, and marketing, I began to uncover bits of information that I weaved together to have a complete understanding of my purpose as a brand strategist. What Breaks God’s Heart Should Break Yours Too. I started to notice God cared about identity. There’s a lot of lost entrepreneurs in the world who don’t know what they were born to do, and their websites and brand story didn’t really tell anyone a clear message. That started to burden me too and helped me have a stronger desire to help my clients. Spend time praying and reading God’s Word. Many of you know that I write a blog post almost every day of the business week. I do this in order to maintain the habit of reading and praying. Pray, “Lord, help me to hear You and recognize that it’s You so that I will be in the business that You desire me to be in.” Pay attention to your natural gifts and abilities. I love asking clients what their PERFECT client looks like. I tell them to name the DREAM scenario, the best product or service coupled with the most amazing client. Then I help them build their business around those clients, products, and services. God gives you gifts according to His plans for your entrepreneurial venture. Tap into what God put inside of you to help build His kingdom in the marketplace. That’s the will of God for your business! Seek counsel from spiritually mature people. God places people in our businesses to help us. He’s placed me in your life for you to be reading this paragraph. Be willing to be mentored by other Godpreneurs. Godly counsel will only push you closer to the discovery of God’s perfect will for your business. Join us at community.dailygodpreneur.com today and begin to meet and fellowship with other Godpreneurs. We Godpreneurs want to know the will of God for our business life and we have a desire to please God. Even though we may not know God’s calling today, as we wait on God to make that picture more clear, we need to be encouraged today because we’re seeking. If we had no intention of fulfilling it, we wouldn’t be Godpreneurs. It is a noble ambition for an entrepreneur to want to know God’s calling in business so we can lead purpose-driven businesses. #BusinessBibleStudy #FindMyCalling #GodpreneurAcademy How Godpreneurs Wait Instead of reading the blog posts, take the video course!  I personally teach you the method.  You get: Workbook 6-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

One thing is for certain:  in my business, I deal with a lot of uncertainty. Uncertain where the next client will come from. Uncertain how long this new economy will last. Uncertain of the next step to take. My wife hates uncertainty, she needs to be in control. We all experience uncertainty and we all process it differently. Some of us are less affected by it than others, but we’re all under its reality. As entrepreneurs, we agonize over decisions because we are afraid of making a mistake, but God doesn’t promise to give us absolute certainty. He invites us Godpreneurs to know and trust Him in the midst of uncertainty. That’s what faith is all about, and entrepreneurs have to learn how to manage, live with, and use uncertainty to their advantage.  Let it strengthen your faith and testimony of how God works in and through your business. The book of Proverbs says: Trust in the lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3 5-6) How comfortable are you with uncertainty? Imagine if we entrepreneurs could just trust that, after doing our best possible job, we left it in God’s hands and moved on to the next most important task for moving your business further. If you constantly worry about your business, surrender your fears to God. Instead of being determined to figure out what God wants you to do, focus instead on who He is. As human beings with finite minds, we do not always understand the eternal purposes behind hiring, firing, changing product and service offerings, bringing on new clients, and everything else that comes with uncertainty. Faith is trusting that our story will fit perfectly into His story. This is His business. He’s asked us to do something, He’ll do the rest so we can move on. Godpreneur Rule #61:  Trust God’s character in the midst of business uncertainty and embrace the wisdom and goodness of God working in and through our lives. #GainConfidence

I feel like I’m being set up. Not in a bad way, but in a great way! I’ve come to understand setbacks and waiting seasons as “training” that God will eventually have a plan for. I don’t know it yet, but the reason will be clear later. How do I know this? God’s done it before. I was a nightclub promoter for 10 years. In that role, my job was to convince people that I had the hottest ticket in town to the night of your life. Year-after-year I grew my reputation as the guy you called when you wanted to celebrate on South Beach in style. My branding and marketing agency was also nightlife focused. Hot clubs from around the world used us for logos, websites and graphic designs. Professionally, I learned a lot about hospitality, customer service, providing a wow experience, promotions, entertainment, and salesmanship. Then God called me out of that life in 2014, and I took my talents and left South Beach and the nightlife altogether. Where did God take me? To help churches, non-profits, small business owners and entrepreneurs with their branding and marketing. I feel like I was being set up the entire time. Although the nightlife was fun, it was also a deep, dark, lonely place. But now I know why I was there: because one day I would be a light to those in the dark, and my story would be one seen by others of redemption and restoration. I would also take all of the professional skills learned and apply them to my new life. God has a plan, purpose and will for our business lives. Before we were born, we were appointed to do something amazing in the marketplace. How awesome is our God that He had a plan from the start!. But it’s hard for us to see that when we’re in the thick of our circumstances. The setbacks, sad times, challenges and disappointment, along with all the fun times, blessings, growth and momentary successes are all part of a training God has uniquely designed for a great thing only He can do. Everything that’s happened and is happening in our businesses are working together for our good for the plans, purposes, and will of God through our businesses. As we journey on the entrepreneur rollercoaster in the dark with no lights warning of the oncoming drop and inevitable jarring turn, trusting God is absolutely paramount in our business lives, although we might not understand how all of the pieces of the puzzle will come together. The Bible says: "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:36 NIV When you trust God with your business, knowing that He loves you and will never leave nor forsake your business, you are empowered to faithfully believe that God’s training is for where He is taking you in the marketplace. The training God has us Godpreneurs going through is market-timed and on purpose! Like an Olympic athlete training for his day on the podium, your training through business is strengthening you for where God has ordained your ventures to go. No matter what, remember faith and obedience is God’s way to the top of your industry. When God let that other business fail, it was to show you the new product or service you had to release. When God denied you that big client you really wanted, it was to save room for the even bigger client he had lined up for you already. When God didn’t allow for your course to be released yet, it was because you still needed to be consecrated to some past limiting beliefs and mindsets. When God didn’t allow that past relationship to succeed, it was to bring you the spouse that would partner with you on your business to take it to the heights he had planned. Allow these real-life personal examples of timely training of my own to encourage you today. God is training you as an amazing Godpreneur to fulfill his plan, purpose, and will. God will be right on time, you just watch! #BecomeDisciplined #ShareYourTestimony #DifferentiatingMyself

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

Commitment: this is a tough one for entrepreneurs. I know because it’s tough for me. I’m a visionary. I love to start things. I get a rush of excitement with new beginnings. But when the going gets tough, or I lose some momentum, I’m quickly derailed and distracted by the next product, service, marketing campaign, or opportunity. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this because I deal with entrepreneurs every day. Almost all of us have commitment issues. We’ve got big plans, and we’re excited to launch them. But somewhere between the vision and the completion, we face an enemy that will stop at nothing to make sure we don’t accomplish what we were called to do. But God’s got a solution for you. It’s the word of God. It’s his promises to the committed that, not only will he be by our sides through it all, but that we’ll come out victorious. It’s the mindset of the committed. The Bible says "Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses". (1 Timothy 6:12 NLT) Although circumstances around your business are constantly changing, you need to be of one mindset: you have the favor of God as you walk in the marketplace. Whether things are going well for you, or you’re in a storm, your commitment can’t change. When things somehow just seem to be working out exactly like you thought they would, or you can’t seem to land that next big client you need, God’s right there to keep you committed. Regardless of the circumstances, you are always experiencing the favor of the Lord because you’re a Godpreneur and you’ve put Him in His rightful place in your business: first. Sure as the sun will rise, you’ll experience setbacks in your business. There will be moments where the enemy will come at your hard, especially when he sees you doing what God created you to do. Stay committed through those moments; it’s the only way to the destiny God has set up for you, your family, and your business. In Psalms, we read: "Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me". (Psalms 138:7 NLT) I wrote a book and blog series called “Restart Your Business in 40 Days” where I parallel Nehemiah’s rebuilding of Jerusalem to the rebuilding of our businesses. Nehemiah had a calling to rebuild the wall around the city. You knew it was his calling because he had the passion and desire, the favor of God, and the will to fight through all the obstacles to stay committed to the vision. Just as he put the plan in place and the team was rocking and rolling, the enemy began the attacks to try to derail the vision. But through it all, Nehemiah stayed focused and committed to bringing the wall up. Godpreneurs, when we’re in our calling, it’s going to be extremely important that we stay focused and committed. It’s going to require our undivided attention. We might need to prune the roses in our garden, cut some other projects that are going on concurrently. Those may be distractions, disguised as part of the calling, but not the real thing. Imagine if we were all on guard against anything that would distract us from the calling in our businesses? We can if we trust in God. His peace will guide us, and His favor will protect our businesses. #FindMyCalling #GainConfidence #EnhanceFocus #BusinessBibleStudy

I confess that I’ve got some insecurities that hold me back from time to time. I’ve seen God’s vision for me and my business, I even have it written down in smart goal format. But the vision is so big, I start to doubt I’m big enough yet, I’ll be short on money, there are so many steps to get there, and what if I fail…again! All of us entrepreneurs face this giant several times in our careers. God calls us beyond our comfort zones, and as exciting as it might be to think about it when it comes to execution, we freeze, tense up, and retreat back to the place we feel in control. How can we rise up to what we were born to do if we’re crippled with these insecurities? Maybe your corner office and a steady paycheck is your safe zone. Perhaps the products and services you’re most familiar with are the ones you stick to. Maybe the business is coasting and the mindset of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” makes you feel confident in your business. Listen, it will always be overwhelming when you are pursuing God’s plan for your business. We’re in the business of saving souls in the marketplace, how can you expect it to be easy? If it were easy, everyone would be saved, and we’d be in heaven. The key thing I’ve learned several times is this: Trust God in what He can do and not your own feelings and emotions. The Bible says "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10 NIV) When God reveals His plan for you in the marketplace, it’s going to be beyond your current skill set or ability. If it’s not, then you need to question if it’s really from God. It will surely be beyond your knowledge level and likely be outside of your budget. That’s by design. Why? To stretch you and challenge you to come out of your comfort zone and start becoming the Godpreneur He desires for you to be. The Bible says "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6 NIV) You will feel insecure. You will feel fear. You will feel small. You will feel overwhelmed. You will feel broke. But be confident that God’s looking to level you up in each of these areas because every time you do face this giant of insecurity, you’ll be stronger than the time before, which means you’ll be able to do a more significant thing the next time around. The only way we can overcome those insecurities that haunt every entrepreneur is by trusting God’s ability to lead our businesses. That’s the difference between a Godpreneur and an entrepreneur. We put God first. In this Godfidence, we conquer our fears. You might be trying to come up with every excuse as to why you couldn’t possibly be the one to do this. You’ve convinced yourself that you don’t have the skills, that it wasn’t meant for you. Trust me, I’ve been there, and I’ll be there again. God won’t leave us. As we learn to trust in the Bible and apply it to our businesses, our confidence rises above feelings of insecurity. We Godpreneurs do great things in the marketplace when we go beyond our comfort zone. Let God comfort you today. Let these words encourage you to break out of any mindset that makes you feel insecure so you can start seeing you as God sees you. Imagine if we all ran our businesses confidently knowing that God already gave us victory! We’ll all overcome and be mighty marketplace ministers ready to accomplish great things for the kingdom. Amen! #IncreaseEnergy #GainConfidence

Some people get stuck before pulling the trigger to launch a business. One of my ventures, ‘Launch in 2 Days’, concentrates on launching brands. I’ve started many companies for people, but it’s a small fraction compared to the number of people who have NOT launched yet. We’ll have a discovery call, sometimes they’ll even pay me to consult them on the idea, and then I don’t hear from them again. Fear struck them, and they’re back to their comfortable place. See, I’m the exact opposite; I’m fearless when it comes to launching new growth opportunities, products, campaigns, or brands. I go after it with everything I got. What makes me different from most people that have a dream of starting a business? Faced with the decision to go after the business God has called to start, some retreat back to the “planning board” to rethink and reassess. Some of us press “mission abort” before launching because some clouds appear hundreds of miles away. Some of us don’t start because of fear of money. Yes, it costs money to go after your calling. Some don’t start because they don’t feel worthy. Some of us try reliving failure we’ve already been through in the past when attempting to re-launch the business. I’m over all of that. Been there, done that, and I’m here to write about my triumph. The Bible says: "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline". (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV) How do I personally launch now? I think it’s a combination of a little bit of crazy and a whole lot of courage. Since I’m operating from a place of gifting, being in God’s favor, covered by his grace, the Lord will be victorious. You can’t move forward as an entrepreneur until you learn to face all your fears and operate beyond them. I’m not saying be irresponsible and dive in without counting your logistics. I’m also not ignoring the fact that we all have fears. More importantly, God’s mindset is to mold you into a Godpreneur, relying on him and his word as a lamp that will guide us on our journey. Physically, entrepreneurship might be a solo endeavor, but not apart from God. In fact, it’s the opposite. Like a Rollercoaster ride, business will, for sure, throw at you unpredictable twists and turns with frequent stops along the way; sometimes with regressions. I keep thinking of the story of David and Goliath; here’s a youngster who saw his fellow men cleft in their camp, paralyzed in fear. He’s thinking “God helped me defeat a lion and a bear; so it will be with this colossal man!?” With one rock, the giant went down. Was it the rock that won the contention? No, it was the lack of apprehension to go after his mission. The Bible says: "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31 NIV We all already have overcome fears in our past. Most of us have launched something that’s collapsed. We’ve all experienced impediments, either in a previous business or job. The same God that took you through that made you genuine because the Lord desires to guide us along the next step in our journey. Imagine if all Godpreneurs esteemed God to move forward with our callings! How many more excellent inventions would we beget? Many unique products/services would be offered by people operating out of their gifting and calling, not adhered to something they weren’t born to do. I have 3 questions for you: What business is it that you know God is calling you to do today? What’s keeping you from moving forward? Will you allow us Godpreneurs as a community to strengthen you by praying for you? We want to help guide you to get beyond any fears that are holding you back from launching. Go to ‘community.dailygodpreneur.com’ and join the campaign! #BusinessBibleStudy #FindMyCalling