I’m addicted to working. I have other additions, but none has grappled me more than being addicted to going to work, being at the office, and wanting to do more in my business. I struggle with this because I know God wants us all to work, but I had to come to terms with the fact that it was killing my relationship with my wife and friends. We entrepreneurs all have addictions. Most of us are addicted to coffee or some kind of stimulant to keep us full throttle. We want to be on full throttle because we have a lot of things we feel we need to accomplish and not enough time in the day. My list of to do’s is so long I could lock myself in a North Carolina log cabin for one year with no phone calls and I still wouldn’t be done. We often joke about these things, but it can become very serious. It did for me. In my studies of work addiction, I’ve found that it affects our spirit, mind and body! Spiritual – An entrepreneur ultimately replaces God as the center of their life with something or someone else. Mind – Repeated patterns of choosing work over relationships makes the work addiction stronger and disrupts your thinking. Body — Consequences from our poor decisions cause stress and anxiety. SPECT and MRI scans show how this disrupts and rewires our brain circuitry. Think about a car. Our brain is like all the parts of the car…Tires, engine, etc. Our mind is like the car’s computer, and tells the car’s parts how to function so we move forward. Our spirit connects us to God in the same way the driver of the car chooses weather or not to drive the car correctly and according to the plan and design of that car. If we can’t operate the car correctly, we crash. Sometimes a fender bender, sometimes a total loss. How can we overcome the addiction? How can we operate our cars like a professional NASCAR drivers? The Bible says Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.” Mark 12:29‭-‬31 MSG God is like the designer and manufacturer of the super car. The car works best when the parts are working properly and our car’s computer system is updated. The same thing goes for your business. Can you imagine if you tried to have your accountant run your marketing? LOL! It wouldn’t work! Why? Because accountants operate a certain way. Our entrepreneurial life works best when the mind, body, and spirit are all working within God’s plan and design for our business. The Bible says May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it! 1 Thessalonians 5:23‭-‬24 MSG Regularly choosing work over God is a defect in mind and body and is sin. It becomes an addiction when it becomes a regular pattern. Godpreneur Rule #62: Godpreneurs Work Smarter, Not Harder, By Putting God First. #WorkLifeBalance

I’m addicted to my cell phone. If I’m in the car, waiting for the doctor, in line at the grocery store, or during TV commercials, I’m checking my phone. I’ve created a whole bunch of ‘triggers’ in my life that are associated with me checking my cell phone. At this point I have no control over this habit. That’s scary!  Especially while I’m driving!  It’s terrible. Checking our cell phones is pretty harmless (unless we’re driving), but what if the thing we turned to was much more serious. The same way we turn to our phones when we hit a trigger, we turn to work when we hit other triggers. Have you ever found yourself in a situation in your business where you felt out of control so you turn to working more? We entrepreneurs have many things that trigger our sense to need to do more! We turn to many things to relieve that stress. But what are those triggers?  What are those things we turn towards? What brings us comfort? Do we even know and fully understand this?. The Bible says “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 NIV I believe this bible verse had the two steps to help us identify and overcome the triggers of our work addiction.  I like the watch and pray parts.  Those are 2 actionable steps. First, watch. We must know and understand these triggers.  Watch out for them.  Avoid them. If debt is a trigger, then you need to focus on getting our of debt. If marital problems are the trigger, then focus on doing the little things in your marriage to make it right.  If clients send you into a stressful situation, then dump the bad clients. Let’s point out some potential triggers that send us back into work mode Bank account low Sales numbers down Launch went wrong Conflict with client, vendor, employee, or contractor Home issues Competition envy: seeing them win a contract or launch a new service Nothing better to do at home Thinking of your long to do list Our addiction to working has 4 major parts Trigger – the situation that triggers you to want to work Role – work promises to escape, relive or fix that stressful situation Object – the ‘gring mode’ that we turn to instead of God to meet our needs in the moment Goal – comfort, because we don’t like feeling the pressure or stresses that triggered us to work So now that we know and understand these triggers that send us into work mode, how do we break the cypher? Then, Pray. The second part of that bible verse, Jesus has us pray. What does it cost you to associate a stressful trigger to a quick little prayer? Maybe at first it will see disingenuous because you know that immediately following the prayer you’re still going to fall into the addiction. But over time, any small prayers in sincerity start to have an effect over the work addiction and you’ll catch yourself sooner or get yourself our of grind mode faster. You are addicted to working or you wouldn’t be reading this blog post. You’re addicted to comfort and you and I find things that will silence our pain and bring us peace. But the peace you’re searching for in work is a fake, a fraud, an imposter. The real peace is found by seeking Jesus more. In him you will find purpose and passion, which will then give you a Godly understanding of what your vocational identity really is, which then will put your work into its rightful place in your heart. We often don’t rank work addiction as “bad” because we see people overdose on heroin and thing “well, at least I’m not shooting up, instead I’m working more.” The only problem is that God sees all addictions the same: competition to Him and imposter solutions for something He can only truly provide. Godpreneur Rule #86: Godpreneurs find releif and comfort in God during stressful times in their businesses. #WheretoStartFirst #WorkLifeBalance #EnhanceFocus

One of my greatest mentors in faith and a close entrepreneurial friend gave me the best piece of spiritual advice I’ve ever heard. He said, “Alex, it’s not that we need to sin less.  It’s that we need to see our need for Christ MORE.” Up until that point, I was always trying so hard not to sin, trying to battle my addictions, trying to rid myself of all my baggage. We all seek freedom.  I don’t think anyone of us wants to be a slave to our businesses. Did we start businesses for “Financial Freedom” and to make our own decision and travel and do what we love? We need to successfully fight our addictions, but easier said than done. When my friend spoke those words that I shared, a FREEDOM settled over me.  It was like a great weight was lifted off my shoulder.  The epiphany for me was that I was fighting the wrong battle. I should be fighting to be more like Christ, and letting God fight the addiction for me. The Bible says “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  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?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?   “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:25‭-‬33 NIV Freedom is what we seek as Entrepreneurs after all, right? And Jesus ultimately paid the price for that freedom. Here are 4 practical steps you can take to receive freedom from addictions. 4 Steps to Freedom from Work Addiction Manage Stress at the Office One way I’ve been able to manage stress is by thinking to myself “what was God’s purpose for this problem?” Stress comes about when there’s a problem that needs solving.  Instead of letting the problem overtake me, I take the glass-half-full approach and say “God, you had a reason for this, and I’m going to trust in you and you’re going to reveal to me what it is I need to do.” Awareness of My Emotions I love emotions. I love the joy I feel when I close a big deal. It’s euphoric!  But I love it more because I’m physically able to see that my body is responding to some outside force that’s clashing with my internal spirit. On the other side of the coin, we can also feel emotions when something BAD has happened. A client sends you a bad email, the deal you wanted broke apart, your employee does something to embarrass you. We need to be “aware” of that exact 3 seconds of when it happens. That’s the only time we have to make a decision: either I’m going to let this lead to destructive behavior, or I’m going to find God in this exact circumstance. The Big Picture In Sight Addictions don’t just affect you at work, they affect everything and everyone that comes in contact with you until you’ve resolved the issue.  It takes over everything in you and around you.  It’s like putting on sunglasses at night.  When the stress comes, things will get dark around you. The addiction is putting on glasses on top of the fact that things already got dark. Taking off the glasses and shedding light around the fact that God has a plan and looking at all the positive things around you will help. I personally start to thank God for my office, the clients I have, the money in the bank account (even if there’s very little), and the clients, prospects, vendors and employees that He’s blessed me with. Confess Last, but not least, we need to always be confessing our work addiction. The Bible says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 NIV Confessing it keeps you in reality and prevents you from convincing yourself that it’s right.  It keeps you from continuing to justify the addiction. I’ve been dealing with work addiction for over 10 years.  It wasn’t until recently that I began confessing it.  Am I healed?  No.  Am I getting better. Yes! And I believe I’m getting better because I’m confessing it as often as I can. Godpreneur Rules Godpreneurs are masters at managing their stress levels at the office. Godpreneurs are aware of their emotions that destroy, and turn them into good. Godpreneurs keep the big picture in sight:  God has a great plan. Godpreneurs use the power of confession to move to new personal development heights. #GodpreneurAcademy #WorkLifeBalance #EnhanceFocus

Before getting married, I used to stay at the office burning the midnight oil, cranking away at building my business. Once I got married, I figured that she’d be cool with the same routine since, after all, I’m doing it so we could have a better future. I would say it was the sacrifice we had to pay now so we could live our dream lives later. Needless to say, the first years of my marriage were especially tough because I hadn’t yet figured out how to balance my entrepreneurial zeal with meeting the needs of my bride. The lie of sacrificing today for financial freedom tomorrow is just that: a lie. Although God has called us Godpreneurs to be marketplace ministers, that’s only one element of life. God calls us to belong to Christ in every area of our lives. Our businesses are not necessarily the most important aspect of our calling. First, we must remember that work is not limited to paid work. The work God leads us to may be unpaid work, such as being a husband, raising children or caring for a disabled family member or tutoring students after school. Even if you are leading a great organization, the most important work God calls you to may be outside your job. Your entrepreneurship may meet your need for money—which in itself fulfills part of God’s command to work —but it may not fulfill all the other purposes God has for your work life. For example, caring for children, aged or incapacitated people is a kind of work. On the other hand, a so-called hobby could be the most important work God is leading you to. You might work at writing, painting, music, acting, astronomy, leading a youth group, volunteering at a historical society, maintaining a nature reserve or a thousand other kinds of work. Any given activity could be work for one person, and leisure for another. Second, we must take care to not let business dominate the other elements of life. I let my business be #1 in my life, even above God at one point. I probably still have times where I put my new venture or even my clients above my family and God. This selfishness almost led me to divorce several times, especially because I was so convinced that she should respect the fact that I want to work hard for our future. All along, God was using her to get me in balance. The bible says "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." Ephesians 4:1 NIV Even if God leads you to a particular business, you will need to set limits to that work to make room for the other elements of God’s call or guidance in your life. In my business, I help people find their calling in life. I give people hope and purpose. That’s a major job! But God still doesn’t want that calling to take over the other things I was called to do. If God leads us to be married and to be a small business owner, for example, then we will have to balance the time and responsibilities of both callings. Work should not crowd out leisure, rest and relationships. There is no formula for balancing work and the other elements of life. But we Godpreneurs must take care not to let a sense of calling to a business blind us to God’s calling in the other areas of life. As a Godpreneur God has given me his eyes to see all of the ways in which I’m living out my calling. God shows me how to invest my time, energy and talent in each of the places he’s calling me to. God puts clients, vendors, employees, and even my wife around me to refocus, balance and correct me. #BusinessBibleStudy #WorkLifeBalance #MarriedEntrepreneurs

These are the ones that take up a lot more time, need more hand holding, are more stubborn in their ways, think their ideas are the best, and change directions multiple times during the branding process. This used to make me irritated. So much so that after a while, my attitude and heart changed towards that client, and what started out as a great relationship became toxic and confrontational. What I’m describing to you are the emotions I personally went through.  Maybe the client felt the same way, or maybe that’s just the way the client is and his or her expectations are that I need to handle those twists and turns because it’s my job. As I’ve grown closer to God and given more of my heart and passion to him, I’ve become a lot more graceful in my dealings with clients.  This has helped me, once again, appreciate the process of branding and show more love to my more challenging clients. Mastering my passion doesn’t mean mastering my craft. I get better at branding each job that I do, but my passion gets its exercise elsewhere. The bible says "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil." Proverbs 4:23‭-‬27 NLT My emotions are a powerful force. I control them, not my clients. My passions can be the source of much of the evil way I would end up treating problem clients. Instead, I choose to accomplish great things by properly directing my heart’s focus. God has given me a set of perfect and reliable guidelines in His Word that will direct my business life when place my passions under their authority. But it requires a practiced decision I must make in theory, well ahead of the practical test.  This isn’t a switch I turn on and off.  This isn’t light that stays on all the time. Prayer plays an important role in helping me to predetermine my behavior as I face the challenges of entrepreneurship. You contain your emotions through your will and intellect if you are wise. This is accomplished by thinking through your values and priorities before the adrenaline starts to pump. Many a client relationships have turned south in seconds because behavior had not been considered before the tension rose. I have lost my reputation and moral authority in the snap of the finger. I can destroy something I have built up over a long time in a matter of seconds if I let my passions get the better of me. Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs Give our heart to God and channel our passions toward personal growth. #WorkLifeBalance #BecomeDisciplined

I have a list to review at least once a week of all the crazy things God has come through within my business. Not kidding, here is the screenshot to prove it. And this list continues….I have a separate list of BIG victories that happened. It’s for those moments where you’re like “Dude, only God could have orchestrated this!”. The bible says "Give praise to the Lord , proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done." (Psalms 105:1 NIV) It’s important that we do this for a few reasons It will let you realize God is always in control. Helps you to not build pride thinking that you’re the one doing these things. Puts you in the position to receive more from God because your mindset is in gratitude attitude. We Godpreneurs need to have the habit of always praising God for the big and little in our business, and writing it down will help us keep record so we can always be reminded that God shows up. This is especially helpful to look at when business seems bad. Try it out. Comment with any other strategies you have. #ShareYourTestimony #WorkLifeBalance

Take a look at my calendar and you’ll see a busy guy.  You might be impressed at how I’ve left not white space in my Google calendar.  Everything is in there – eating schedule, workout schedule, meditation time, reading time, private events and business meetings. But what’s it all for? To make money?  To be a better human?  To squeeze everything I can out of life before my time is up?  Maybe all of the above? Anyone can seem busy.  Anyone can give themselves something to do just to feel like they are working.  But if we’re honest with each other, the day ends and sometimes we still feel empty, unfulfilled, and think back and say ‘what the heck did I do today’?  We literally can’t tell our spouses anything because we have no clue. Psalms 39:6 says “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be." If a business has no purpose, the organization will be like zombies walking around just trying to collect their next paycheck.  Money is really the only purpose. If we entrepreneurs fill our schedules up with the purpose of making money, then we’re the same. Being a busy entrepreneur isn’t wrong, but busyness requires intention and purpose. This is a big reason why I had to make God my CEO, hold my calendar accountable to his purpose for me and my business, and fill it up according to moving forward on the visions he has given me. #EnhanceFocus

When I first started my agency, my personal plans were along the lines of building a big agency and making a lot of money in the process. Not a terrible goal, but I had no real plan of accomplishing that goal. I was a young, materialistic entrepreneur caught up in Miami vanity who still thought in terms of doing what seemed fun at the time and did not think about where my dreams might take me. Well, I grew up, and it took a few hard lessons to do it. One day a friend of mine introduced me to a book called The One Thing by Gary Keller. In a nutshell, the book taught me that even the biggest tasks can be broken down into small pieces that are manageable. The goals I set for my business are now broken into bite-sized chunks that are not so difficult to achieve. First, I needed to decide what I wanted to accomplish and work back from there to where I am now. When I became a Godpreneur, my first goal in business was to serve God in some way through my business. This was a big task. When I finally got serious about putting God first in my business, I decided to read the Bible every morning and journal what I wrote that morning on a blog. So I did just that and one thing led to another, and here I am with www.dailygodpreneur.com. I’ve been writing 2-3 posts per week since November of 2014. Did you notice that I focused on “what” I wanted to do, not “how” I would do it? “How” is in God’s hands. The Bible says, "We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer." Proverbs 16:1 NLT What I wanted to accomplish was drawing closer to God in my business. And what I did to do that was read and write from the Bible. How God would transform me… Well, that’s actually still happening daily! I’m not really sure how it’s happening, and I’m not really concerned or worried about it. I’m more focused on WHAT needs to continue to be done. Godpreneur Rule: When you make your business plans, don’t leave God out of the formula. That is the only part that makes any sense. #EnhanceFocus #NewEntrepreneur #WorkLifeBalance

I started writing Daily Godpreneur blogs in November of 2014. At the time, my business was doing terrible. I had to shut it down to restart all over again. I had lost major clients and couldn’t afford to pay my team. It’s the lowest point I’ve ever been as an entrepreneur. Still, I recognized a need in the marketplace to have a blog focused on Christian Entrepreneurs. I knew there could be a worldwide community, but that it would take time to grow. I also recognized the business opportunity that would be afforded to me. If I grew readership, I could come out with books, courses, a membership platform, and even merchandise. I saw speaking engagements, coaching and private consulting as possible avenues as well. But I didn’t want to rush the process. Something inside of me said that this was going to be a long road, and to wait patiently for God’s timing because a lot of work still needed to be done INSIDE of me. See, when I first started writing, I was at the beginning of my understanding of God, ministry, and marketplace, and what it meant for me and my business. But most of us entrepreneurs are not this calculated in our approach in new ventures. We’ve rushed into many businesses, products, services and even that weren´t on timing. In hindsight, we would have done something different; we would have waited. It’s not in our DNA to wait. From the Garden of Eden, we’ve been programmed to be impatient and seek instant gratification from creation and our surrounding. What I’ve learned from God through my blog, Daily Godpreneur, and my experience building a tribe from scratch, is that I’ve been extremely blessed by waiting three years to take the first steps at building a business around my teachings. God wants to do the same for each of our businesses. He wants us all to wait on Him so he can show us patience, build our character, increase our faith in prayer, and become wiser Godpreneurs. We have to be willing to wait. The Bible says "I waited patiently for the Lord ; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord , who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods." (Psalms 40:1‭-‬4 NIV) Waiting in our businesses isn’t a curse. It’s a blessing. Patience for a Godpreneur is a gift from God to your ventures. When you wait patiently in God: You gain access to His ear and He hears the prayers for our businesses He will come to your rescue and deliver us to safety You will worship God at all new levels People will see what He has done for you and your business Our time of waiting for the big break, the right employee, or the insight we need to move forward will turn into a testimony to other Godpreneurs. Our clients, employees, vendors, and contractors who witness our deliverance will come to fear and trust in God. Yes, waiting on God is a form of evangelism in the marketplace! When Godpreneurs wait patiently for Him, our businesses will be blessed and our hearts will be strengthened. Our patient waiting shows God that we trust Him with our whole business, and He rewards faith like that in amazing ways. Trust me, I’m experiencing the blessings of three years of the patiently writing blog. I wrote 365 blog posts before putting out my first book. Chew on THAT kind of patience. It’s my job to challenge Godpreneurs worldwide. As we dive deeper into the blessings for our businesses that come from waiting patiently on God, I want you to prepare your heart to begin to wait, knowing that God is going to take care of your ventures. Get ready to understand what it means for a Godpreneur to truly trust God with our business life. Godpreneur rule: Godpreneurs wait patiently on God for our next business move. Questions to consider Has there been a time where you waited, and won? What’s the last thing you rushed in your business that, in hindsight, you would have done differently? On a scale of 1-10, and 10 being excellent, how good are you at waiting on God’s timing? #BusinessBibleStudy #WorkLifeBalance #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

"Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14 ESV) The experiences you had growing up are essential for your first steps in owning a business and dealing with the profits because you’ve studied your parents’ behavior precisely and saved them in your subconscious. When you start earning money in your business, you’ll imitate the income patterns of your parents without discerning it. I, myself, had steadily emulated this pattern of spending and financial mismanagement in my early business endeavors- -without understanding the root of my failure! God designed us to be creatures of habit, and when we’ve learned something, it’s not easy to unlearn it. We can only break away from our parental thought structures later, by making ourselves aware of them and consciously flipping the switch by filling ourselves with new, Godly beliefs. Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs are conscious about spending money with a Godly perspective. #BusinessBibleStudy #WorkLifeBalance #FindingMyPurpose Secrets of the Millionaire Mind A Christian entrepreneur’s book summary of the New York Times best-seller Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

Whenever I’m launching a new event, product, service, or marketing campaign, I get anxiety because I can’t wait to launch and start seeing the fruit of the labor. I get so focused on the launch, I begin to neglect other parts of my business (accounting, operations, culture, human resources). Admittedly, I also neglect my marriage during the “launch mode.” I expect her to understand that I’m doing something important for our future finances. There’s no problem in being excited about things we’re waiting in our business. The problem is when we obsess, become anxious, and neglect other areas of responsibility. The reason why this is happening is that our minds aren’t trusting that we planted the seeds and God will make it grow. We’re praying for His goodness day and night, but then we’re still going and trying to control every little thing in the situation we’re praying for. This control we seek has us neglecting important parts of our business and marriage and negative causing a domino effect. One of the biggest breakthroughs I’ve had in business and marriage was the ability to remove stress and anxiety through praying, letting go, and letting God grow the seeds I plant. The bible says: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". (Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 NIV) When you pray and let God handle the result, you’re getting a peace that other married entrepreneurs wouldn’t understand. You see others hustling and grinding, and you see some (seemingly) peacefully growing their business and (seemingly) happy in love. I emphasize seemingly because whether times are good or bad, the more peaceful types have a deeper understanding of letting go and letting God, regardless of the circumstances. That peaceful state of mind is what we should look to achieve! Look, anxiety and stress are bad for the heart – science has already concluded this. That’s why in Isaiah 26:3 we read “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.” You want peace in your marriage and business? Do you want to remove the anxiety behind product launches, new hires, new ventures, and all the awesome family growth opportunities afforded to you and your spouse? Whatever you’re concerned about, pray and have faith that God will move that mountain. Let the situation go and move on to keep doing your daily routines and not neglect the little things that married business owners must do make sure the system and process function at the best levels. This isn’t a free pass for us to sit back and relax. When a farmer is done planting seeds, his work is just getting started! But he’s not anxious about the seeds sprouting, he trusts that nature will take its course. When we pray and let God do the seed growing, we’re protecting our hearts from doing bad business and marriage decisions like overspending, bringing on partnerships that shouldn’t be and compromising our integrity as spouses. We married entrepreneurs make a lot of stupid mistakes when we over-control and neglect other areas of our business and personal life. Like a farmer, we Godpreneurs are either waiting for crops to grow, receiving the harvest and reaping the rewards, or moving on to the next new season – both in business and marriage. Regardless of the stage, when we pray and let go, God gives us peace which allows us to be emotionally and physically consistent today! Godpreneur Rule – A Godpreneur’s faith will move mountains in His business and marriage. #MarriedEntrepreneurs #BusinessBibleStudy #WorkLifeBalance #GodpreneurAcademy 21 Days of Breakthroughs in Business and Marriage This course provides needed strength and faith, in the truth of God’s holy Word, for breakthroughs in both your business and marriage. 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

Whether dealing with employees, partners or contractors, I often took my team for granted.  Showing courtesy, gratitude, and care for others might happen in the first couple of months of knowing the person, but that wore off for me. The same person whom, once upon a time, I wanted to do work with and was excited to have on my team, now likely feels unappreciated by me for all that they do for me everyday. Why is it that today if a new client comes knocking at the door with business, we jump to thank them even before the job is done, and yet, we show little or no gratitude to the people on our team that make it happen? What we fail to realize is that expressing gratitude benefits both parties in the relationship—the recipient and the giver. When we give appreciation to those that work for us, we often receive even more in return! Research shows that employees that felt more gratitude feel more attached to the business and are more pleased to come into work even the following day. Satisfaction goes up! Gratitude is a boost to get people on your vision and riding the rocket with you.  It will also help employee retention, so people stay with you longer. The bible says “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” God is asking us to be grateful because it takes our focus off of the NEGATIVE (which is our tendency) and places it in the POSITIVE (which is where God wants us). Every day we have the awesome opportunity to show appreciation to the people that help run your entrepreneurial machine. Here are some simple ways to show employees, contractors, vendors, partners, joint venture partners, and clients well-deserved appreciation everyday: Thank your employee because they care, not because it’s their job. When your employee is doing their job, don’t just think “well, that’s what I pay them for”. You may be taking their work for granted just because you’re also doing your job. Appreciate the fact that they are a component of the machine you’re building and without them the thing doesn’t run as well. Tell them why you appreciate them. So it’s one thing for your employee to hear “Man, I’m really grateful to have you on my team”. It’s a whole different story to follow it up with “I sleep better at night knowing I have you on my team”. Be creative in expressing recognition. Saying the same thing over and over becomes bland.  People become numb to it. Try more personalized phrases: “I’m grateful when…”, “I’m blessed to…”. Simply pick a different way of showing the same appreciation. The English language allows for millions of combinations. Appreciate the time and mindset, not only the results. Even when your employees goof up and are unable to deliver up to your expectations, thank them for their effort and time. If your contractor forgets to do a task from a long list of tasks, or if he or she burns the cookies, don’t make them feel all their work was wasted. “It’s not a big deal. Thank you for your effort.”  (personally, I would also follow it up with how it could have been done differently) Look for positives to appreciate even in negative circumstances. My mom is great at seeing the good in everyone, everything, every situation.  How many times have you gotten the “I’m running late,” or “I can’t come in today,” or “I’m backed up.”  Instead of moaning and groaning, thank the fact that they are even telling you this in advance.  This will make them want to “make up” for it. Surprise “Thank You” notes. I’ve written thank you cards, sent text messages, wrote emails, posted on employee’s Facebook walls, and left sticky notes on their desk.  You don’t have to do this daily.  With the 5 examples I just gave, you have one for every week of the month.  Then figure out other ways and come back to repeat any later on.  These can make their day. Let them know how important they are to your success. As an entrepreneur, we are only as strong as the people working in our machine. Even if you’re a solo-preneur, you still count on vendors, affiliates or contractors to help you succeed. Count your blessings and accomplishments in business, and inform your team about the impact they have in your success. Appreciate how your people contribute to the achievement of your personal goals. Praise in private and public. It’s nice to be praised at your desk, but it’s even better to be recognized publicly. You can send an email blast, post on the company Facebook page and bring it up at the next meeting. Find ways to appreciate publicly. Go out of your way when they need help. The best way to show gratitude is showing up with they need help. Praying for someone who is down, buying their tires and having them pay you back slowly, or just listening when they need to talk. Sometimes you can offer to do their job for them so they can take a break if you see them down. Give a Gift. Nothing says thank you like a gift. For some employees this will be the best thing ever, but for others it won’t be as impactful.  You won’t know until you try it. The more thought that went into the gift, the bigger the impact. Your Entrepreneur Compass, Alex Miranda. COMMENT BELOW:  What are some ways you show your team gratitude?. Sound off below. #ShareYourTestimony #DifferentiatingMyself #AgencyOwners

In any given year, I’ll have thousands of great ideas in my business, but most of them die in my mind.  A good amount of them make it through to pen and paper, I actually keep a Google doc of ideas.  From there, a smaller group actually get acted upon.  Finally, one or two a year actually survive. All of us entrepreneurs have great ideas.  We’re visionary.  But there are a couple of things we need to be aware of. The more aligned you are with your purpose and with what God has for you, the more resistance you’re going to meet. If you don’t believe in your product, you won’t have the strength to fight through this resistance. We want to believe that we can control everything.  So if someone says no to our idea, product or service, we want to think logically and say “well, maybe it’s a bad idea or product.” But what if the resistance is there to teach you to wait, refine your approach, and develop the faith and courage that the early church had to endure to spread the gospel. In Acts 13, we see Saul and Barnabas going around to various cities, talking with Jewish leaders and letting them know about Jesus.  Although some received them warmly, and most have them plenty of time to explain themselves, there is a “FORCE” that exists that does not want this message to spread.  This force will do anything to stop them, but Saul was so bold and so driven with purpose that he would dust his sandals off and move on. Godpreneurs, when your product or service is going to change the world, when you feel like you are doing God’s work, be ready for the resistance that will come. Sure as the sun will rise, you will have no resistance.  And if you don’t have resistance, be vigilant to that too, maybe you’re so off course that this force doesn’t even see you as a threat. If you truly believe that what you are doing is God’s plan for you, then that’s the only thought that needs to drive your every encounter with opposition. Godpreneur Rule #68: opposition in selling our God-given calling means that we’re on the right track. #MakingMoreSales #BusinessBibleStudy

I love sitting with entrepreneurs or those thinking about making the plunge and helping them discover their identity. I have to admit that I’m inspired by it. Inspired means “spirit within.” This means that the Spirit within me receives a message from God and I simply am a vessel of delivering the message. But I’ll admit that I don’t always give credit to God. Everytime someone says “OMG Alex you’re a genius, thank you so much for helping me,” I get pumped up and my ego goes through the roof. It’s confirmation that I’m some kind of fortune teller! One time, after solving a clients problem, he turned to me and said “Alex, you walk on water.” I’ll never forget, because I remember thinking, yeah, maybe I do walk on water and perform miracles like Jesus! We can do this as entrepreneurs. We figure out what we’re gifted and talented at, and others confirm it, and we can easily go down the road of thinking we’re some big shots. From there we write books, teach courses, get famous, and become rich! And going down this path, we can easily lose ourselves and lose the perspective that, as Godpreneurs, we’re doing God’s work. In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas are going from city to city preaching the good news. They are doing what they were born and commanded to do, and they were having huge success! People were practically worshiping them! They healed a man who couldn’t walk, and they called them GODS!  But Paul and Barnabas were very quick to point and give credit to God. They stopped the non-sense of being worshiped for what God had done through them. Can you imagine your client calling you God? Can you imagine how amazing that would feel? The temptation is there for me and you to take the spotlight. But we have to battle that, and we always have to be giving credit to God. If we do this, I believe it will keep our minds on helping more and more people, not helping our ego more and more. When we feed the side that wants to help more and more people, I believe the money and fame take care of themselves. Paul, from the Bible, didn’t care about fame and fortune. He just wanted to preach. And look….2000 years later he’s arguably the most famous person in the Bible after Jesus. Godpreneur Rule #67: always give credit to God for the gifts and talents you have to serve others. #BusinessBibleStudy #FindMyCalling

I’ve been studying the concept of “integrity” for over 45 days straight. I wanted to learn as much as I could because, quite honestly, I needed to fix this area of my life. But now it’s time to stop talking “theory” and start putting things into action in our businesses.  My employees, vendors, and clients will more likely remember what I do than what I say. We can all sit and learn something for days and months, but in the business world, seeing is believing! The bible says: "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." (James 1 23-25 ESV) God is looking for doers of the Word – people that listen intently to the lesson and apply it directly and immediately into their lives. I’ve compiled a list of my favorite 7 actions you can take today to improve your integrity in business and in life. Do these so that your life as a whole comes into alignment with your true pure heart, opening up the floodgates of blessings that Jesus wants you to experience! These are the 7 Godpreneur Rules to Mastering Integrity in Your Business Life 1) Godpreneurs Are Punctual You can build integrity by being on time (or even early) to meetings. Do you think your time is more important than the person you scheduled a meeting with? If you’re late, you’re selfish. I know I’m being very blunt, but there’s no two ways around it. I’ll admit that I say I’m going to be somewhere at 1 pm, and sometimes I get there at 1:05. That’s my lack of integrity. And because I know I suffer from this, I need to trick my brain into being at the meeting at 12:30 until I can master the art of being somewhere 10-15 minutes ahead of time, which is ideal. Punctuality is important in business. It shows the person you’re meeting that you value them and their time.  Business people appreciate a punctual person. 2) Godpreneurs Keep Good Company You can build integrity by surrounding yourself with people who have good integrity. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says “bad company corrupts good character.” Don’t waste your time with people who can’t keep their word. Because I’m working on my integrity, I’ve made it a point to surround myself with people who have integrity because the opposite of the verse above is also true: good company influences greater character! Consider starting a group of like-minded Godpreneurs at your church who want to succeed and have integrity. Godpreneur Meetups are the action behind the biblical principle “iron sharpens iron”.  Good Godpreneurs around you can make all the difference in the world. 3) Godpreneurs Do Not Commit To Everything You can build integrity by saying “no” to certain requests for your time and effort. If you have 100 things on your to-do list and struggle to balance all of your obligations, then you have integrity issues in the area of commitment. I have goals, and taking the right steps to achieve them means I have to break off some existing commitments (your integrity will take a hit here) and say no to new opportunities that aren’t in line with my new goals (your integrity will regain points here). Your commitments in business will drive your strategic priorities. Since your time is the most valuable asset you have, simplify what matters to your business right now and go after it.  Integrity is a verb, not just good intentions. 4) Godpreneurs Keep Their Promises You can build integrity by keeping your promises. Don’t schedule a meeting with someone and then cancel because something else came up. People will forgive you, but they won’t forget. You might have the best reason in the world, but that can’t erase the memory of the cancelation. I need to personally work on the concept that if I say I will do A, B, and C then I need to do A, B, and C.  But admittedly, sometimes I do X, Y, and Z because it’s more important to me or to simply avoid doing the original commitment because it’s not suiting my needs anymore. This needs to stop. You want people to talk behind your back and say “Man, that person really comes through with what they say they’re going to do!” Business people remember what you say, they remember a promise, and they remember when you fail to follow through on a promise because their own business or personal priorities rely on your word. No matter what the cost, stand by your word in business. Your word is the currency of success. 5) Godpreneurs Practice Honesty In All Situations If you want to set yourself apart from the rest of the businesses out there, practice honesty. Why? Because honesty is a virtue these days. People are actually surprised when others are honest, so they don’t forget you! The bible says in James 5:12, “But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” When I’m going to be late on a project, my clients are more appreciative when I come clean that I’m going to miss a deadline than if I wait to explain myself AFTER the deadline. Ironically, it actually works in my favor to communicate that BEFOREHAND. And I know it sounds like common sense to let a client know if you’re going to be late, but I’m the first to admit that I don’t always practice this. I will be moving forward. The business world will trust you and respect you more for being honest and upfront in all situations, especially the toughest ones. 6) Godpreneurs Get Back In The Game You can also build integrity by getting back up when you get knocked down. When you mess up in business it’s always best to take 100% responsibility, learn from the mistake, apologize to anyone that may have been affected, and move forward. Sometimes just making this effort will build back the trust that was broken. I can’t cover up or ignore mistakes I’ve made in my business partnerships or on client projects. I just need to face reality and make a better effort tomorrow. 7) Godpreneurs Write It Down You can also build integrity by writing down your commitments. If you commit to something, write it as a task, preferably in front of the person. If you commit to a meeting, immediately open your Google calendar and schedule the date/time and invite the person to the meeting right away using their email. Writing things down shows the other person that you intend to do exactly what you say. I’m pretty good at this because I have so many things going on that I NEED a system and process to hold me accountable for doing what I said I would do. You need to take the time to make a note of what you just committed to.  Then your employees, vendors, contractors, prospects, and clients will see you mean it and you will actually remember to do what you say you will do! God uses the Word to transform or minds. God uses our actions to shape our journey. Remember, we are shaped by our actions and we’ll make the most impact by the things we don’t just learn, but we do. Praying we can all be doers of the Word so we can all level up our integrity our marketplaces. #WorkLifeBalance #TimeManagement #StrengthenIntegrity