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I’ve been married since 2011. Before that I was a nightclub promoter for 10 years. Needless to say, getting married was going to be a big battle for me since I’d been living an entire decade around a culture where having tons of girls that are friends was the name of the game. The other day I had a co-worker come into the office to knock out important work. She’s amazing, a really hard worker and extremely smart. Lunch time came around and neither of us brought lunch. We had to go grab somewhere. I immidiately remember that I had committed to “set boundaries” around lunches with women. What if my wife or friends would see me out? They don’t know she’s my co-worker. So I grabbed my partner and the 3 of us went to lunch. We don’t all have the same past I had, but we all have the same enemy around us that wants to destroy our relationships. We might not think it can happen to us, so we’re reluctant to set the same boundaries for our self. Now, that does not necessarily mean that by not setting boundaries our intention is to cross a line with the opposite sex. Usually it means that we have a false sense of our own capability to handle any situation at any time the way it needs to be handled. My experience as an entrepreneur says you are playing with fire. Any time we think that we are not vulnerable, we are fooling ourselves. All of us are vulnerable and I am including myself in this. The bible says "Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who always does good and who never sins." ECCLESIASTES 7:20 AMP For me, acknowledging my vulnerability is a smart move. Now I can set the boundaries in place that not only will keep me from crossing the line but will keep me far away from that line in the first place. Being an entrepreneur comes with this “whatever it takes” mentality that says that boundaries with the opposite sex are not really necessary. Having lunch or dinner with a potential prospect (especially a big one with lots of money) is okay. Traveling out of town with someone is okay, especially to close that major deal. After all, it is a business trip to grow the company! These things that culture says are okay can often be the first step to an affair. Every affair begins with some type of encounter. Limiting or eliminating those encounters is essential. My co-worker and I had a great lunch, and my partner tagged along and it was especially helpful because he provided some valuble insight on a project we were on. My point is this: Good, solid, well thought out boundaries for entrepreneurs in relationships are essential. Yes, there may be consequences as you follow them but in the big picture what’s really most important? Godpreneurs, take time this week to reassess your boundaries or create them if you have never had any. Think of five boundaries in your business that you can put in place to protect your relationship. Share in the Comments What boundaries do you currently have in place to protect your relationships when it comes to business dealings with the opposite sex? Make time this week to sit down with the person you’re in relationship with and discuss boundaries. Get on the same page about boundaries. Hear each other’s concerns, and respect the boundaries that will make your significant other feel secure in your relationship. It’s important that boundaries aren’t just physical boundaries but that they also protect you against emotional affairs. What boundaries can you put in place to make sure you are not seeking emotional needs from others that you should be getting from your significant other? Pray over the boundaries you have set and ask God to help protect your relationships. #SharpenLeadership #StrengthenIntegrity #MarriedEntrepreneurs

There are a few times in my life where a single sentence has changed me forever. For example, in marriage, I read “Marriage isn’t meant to make you happy, it’s meant to make you holy.” Wow! This rocked my universe. I was looking at marriage the wrong way for 5 years. It’s no wonder we struggled! Paralleling this with business, I now realize that business isn’t meant to make us happy, it’s meant to make us holy! You see, it’s through the fighting of the battle that we grow closest to God to be at the center of everything, even my business. It’s through the storm that we recognize our need to stay under God’s shelter our entire lives. I look at it this way: I have a huge calling over my life to help God in his mission to redeem the identity of entrepreneurs back to himself. I thought that since I was doing God’s work, this would be easy. NO WAY! Since I have so much baggage and sin of my own, God continues to uses my business to refine me so I become a better soldier for his calling over my life. Furthermore, the enemy wants you to NOT be in your calling. He doesn’t want you to succeed and will do everything to stop you at your tracks – in your business failings. The key here is perspective. In marriage, I could see my problems and complain, or I can see my problems and change. So I can see my problems as God working to concentrate me (perfect me, cleanse me), or I can see my problems as an excuse to quit. The enemy wants me to take the latter bait. No way, not today, not ever! So how do I fight through the pain? When I find myself struggling, wanting to quit, and at the end of the last dollar, I remember my purpose in business and that I always have the opportunity to overcome by resisting the enemy and continue pushing forward. The bible says "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up". Galatians 6:9 NLT We must paralyze resistance in our business with persistence of our calling. The leadership of the great entrepreneurs I admire always inspires me because they knew how to overcome great obstacles through steady persistence. I love stories of entrepreneurs overcoming bankruptcy and lost fortunes. I like them because they inspire me to be persistent in the face of adversity. They never gave up! I’ve almost given up on the branding world many times. Money was tight and I was lacking direction. Why should I try so hard when a job seems so much easier. I’ve thought about a corporate job more times than I’d like to admit. I could easily be paid so much more in relation to the stresses of entrepreneurship. But God spoke to my heart each time, and I became convinced that if I overcame, He would give me the big break I needed. I thought my success might come in building a big traditional agency but it didn’t. And as I battled two consecutive failures at attempting to build a large-scale agency, I finally gave up on that dream and began to despair. Has that ever happened to you? Proverbs says "The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again". Proverbs 24:16 NLT Slowly God began to build me back up after I lost my hope. He reminded me that my life was never really about building a big agency —that was just an avenue to build my character—He had bigger plans for me. So with His help, I started over and regained my confidence to move ahead by faith. At the time that I’m writing this, I’ve created Launch in 2 Days, a methodology for branding what you were Born to do. I’m teaching this methodology to other branding guys like me, and they love it! Owning a big agency was not my long-term place of service, but my attempts were an important schoolroom for me. The lessons I learned have served me well. God may change your direction but He will not abandon you. If you persist, you will discover the entrepreneurial purpose He has designed for your life and that will bring you more satisfaction than you can possibly imagine. Never give up! Godpreneurs never give up, no matter how dark the clouds over our business. God has a plan for me that will bring unsurpassed joy to my life. #FindingMyPurpose #SharpenLeadership

I have some friends my age that are growing successful businesses. They’ve got employees, their cash flow is great, and they are secure in their personal finances. I have been annoyed by these same friends before. I see how far along they’ve come, and it makes me realize how much further I have to go to get there. Being around successful entrepreneurs a lot, my patience is often tested toward God and His sovereignty to will and work in my business according to His perfect timing. We entrepreneurs don’t like waiting. We’ve been waiting for years for it to be ‘our turn.’ We don’t want to wait anymore. Oh, and add insult to injury for the fact that we go through attacks WHILE we’re waiting. At one point or another, all of us Godpreneurs have questioned God’s faithfulness, angry, stressed and losing hope that He cares for us. We ask questions like Does God really love and care me as much as He loves those entrepreneurs around me who are not waiting on Him in their businesses? Maybe He is not going to do what He promised in my business? How long do I have to pray for with no answer? This waiting causes us to wonder if God is still guiding the vision of the business, skeptical of whether He is ever going to give us the big break we need. The Bible has many examples of people that have questioned God like this. Many have found themselves waiting for God to act in their lives. There’s no guarantee that God would respond to them, their waiting and what they desire. Like us, they wait in uncertainty and sometimes even in disgrace; ridiculed and tormented. Think Noah building his Ark. He had to wait a long time to see God’s promise fulfilled. During all the years Noah built and finished the ark, he had to endure tons of physical and emotional pain. Through all of this, Noah did the only thing he could do: Keep believing. The Bible says "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance". 2 Peter 3:9 ESV Seeing God answer a prayer or a promise in our business is pretty easy. Waiting on God to do so can be very hard. Especially when God doesn’t come through for a while. However, we see him refrain from going ballistic and faltering in his faith. Instead, Noah chooses to wait well. In the depth of his distress, Noah does what you and I should learn to do. Noah holds on to God. Are you in that space in your business? The space between the entrepreneurial promise and the fulfillment of the promise? In the times you want to give up, don’t. Remember, Noah worked for years before God delivered him. Keep believing and keep moving. God’s timing is perfect. Noah was also insulted during his waiting. This is even more of a reason to hold on to Christ in the waiting period. He is fighting for you. Though allegations fly in your business and the enemy assaults your mindset, though competitors and even employees try to cut you down and drag your name through the mud in the marketplace, though scrupulous vendors launch schemes and temptations for you to cheat roar, though you seek revenge as your flesh fails—your hope is in the One who fights for you. You and your business are safe in God’s love and in the power of His mighty name. When we are asked to wait for the fulfillment of God’s vision for our business, instead of losing our patience or abandoning our reliance on God, we should cling to Him. Keep believing. Cling on to God even more now than ever. As entrepreneurs, we don’t like to wait. It’s not that we need that thing we’re waiting for, it’s that we need more of God in our lives. That’s the secret to waiting – hold on to God even more in the waiting! Godpreneur Rule – Godpreneurs hold on to God even more during waiting seasons. Ask this Question: Do you think it is hard to wait? PRAYER Father, in the middle of the storm in my business I am setting my hope on You. You fight for me and You are greater than all my enemies. Nothing I face in my business today is more powerful than You. You are the solid ground beneath the foundation of my business. Give me peace while I wait. Envelope me with grace in the presence of my enemies, knowing that You see me and defend me and my business in Your love. Amen. #BusinessBibleStudy #GainConfidence

I have a gift from God to analyze and rationalize my business ideas. I can put business plans together quickly. I can launch a company in 2 days! But this strong rational mind can also get me into trouble because I take control, act on my behalf, and sometimes trick myself into doing or NOT doing something. In the years since I started personally developing myself and my relationship with God, I realized that everything is controlled in the MIND. The reasons I launch or fail to launch will all come from my mind, therefore working on my mindset becomes one of the most important parts of my walk with God. We Godpreneurs have a gift from God to use our minds in amazing ways. It can be a strength because it helps us come up with the idea. It can also be our weakness because we have strongholds that bring in fear, doubt, and resistance. If we’re going to launch a new endeavor, we need to learn how to use the gift of the mind in a new way… God’s way. How do we learn how to properly apply our minds to our entrepreneurial ventures so that we can succeed? The bible says: Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.(Romans 8:5‭-‬8 NIV) Your mind is your biggest partner in launching and growing your business. But the Bible warns several times that there’s spiritual warfare going on between your ears that needs careful attention. Notices in this Bible verse from the book of Romans the emphasis on the mind being governed. Your mind is either governed by yourself, or by God. This truth will make all the difference in overcoming things that are preventing you from expanding your mind into new territories in business. How do we renew our minds? The frustrating part is that you can’t READ your way to a better understanding of God. Head knowledge won’t change anything. What we need to do is continue to develop a very personal relationship with God. The more real God becomes in our hearts produces more love we gain for God, which develops our faith, which makes it easier to launch into the unknown. Now that we know our minds play the biggest part in overcoming barriers to launching our business ideas, we have to take on the mindset that there’s a spiritual battle going on for control of our minds and we need to suit up for war. If we partner with the spirit, we can heal our minds of anything holding us back. The spirit gives our minds power, love, and self-disciple (2 Timothy 1:7). A mind turned over to God will be the weapon that will give us the mental discipline to let God lead us into entrepreneurial expansion. We need to surrender our minds to God. It’s hard for us Godpreneurs who crave knowledge and need to understand everything we’re doing, but we need to surrender our minds to God like we surrendered our lives to Jesus. We need to submit and be responsive to guidance. Imagine if all of us Godpreneurs laid down our minds at God’s feet for His service in the marketplaces we’ve been called to?! Our minds may have gotten us far in life, and now God wants to take it to places it could have never gone alone. #BusinessBibleStudy #LaunchingMyBusiness #GodpreneurAcademy Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea Join Us on a 12-Days Business Bible Plan to learn Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea. 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

My first business was a dream. It was three best friends coming together to “stick it to the man,” leave corporate America and start an agency on our own. We grew to 8 full-time employees, an amazing office on South Beach with views of the ocean, and investors who paid us handsomely for a percentage of our company. My partners and I were in our 20s and living the dream! Then my accountant calls me into his office one day because he had some important information he needed to share with me. It turns out that I wasn’t paying employment taxes to the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for an entire year and I had accumulated a bill for $20,000 that needed to be paid…immediately. I was shocked. I didn’t have the cash, and I didn’t know where I was going to get it from. I got on a repayment plan with the IRS. My parents gave me a loan so I could be on my way to recovering from this mess I had created. I made some cuts at the office and eliminated people I had brought on board. I had to start over. I was humiliated and depressed. I felt like a failure. I’ve carried this “guilt” with me my entire entrepreneurial career. This traumatizing experience is why I didn’t make any more big attempts to hire a lot of employees again. I’ve purposely kept myself a “boutique” firm, so I don’t have to relive that embarrassment. That feeling of guilt is a big reason why I’m constantly reluctant to launch businesses that require many employees. This IRS experience was so painful for me that I wanted to bury it deep in my mind and pretend it didn’t happen, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t affect me and the businesses I would continue to launch. When we entrepreneurs do that, it’s like putting a toxic wastebasket in our brains, showing what we don’t want to deal with in our businesses into it and putting the lid on tight. And the next time we want to launch a venture, if we don’t invite Jesus to come and deal with what we’ve put in there, it will affect our mindset and decision making – stopping us from launching the business God intends us to be in. However, the bible says In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:26‭-‬28 NIV) This means that even in the worst of your business circumstances, God is at work to heal you and save you. Nothing you’ve done in your past businesses is beyond His power. Launching your business can be a story of God’s redemptive love and healing power if you allow Jesus into the place where you’re storing the hurts of your business past. The only way forward to launching your business is to stop hiding, face what we’d rather keep buried, and let God deal with it. It will be a gradual process, but God will heal. First, we have to truly feel “forgiven” for anything in the past, regardless if we were guilty or not. We can’t launch a business freely, until we are free of guilt, no matter what we’ve done or how much shame we feel. Second, we must share this guilt with someone and ask them to pray for us. The bible says, “If we admit our sins – make a clean breast of them – he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.” (1 John 1:8) Those of us Godpreneurs that struggle with guilt need to embrace that we don’t need to shove guilt into the back of our minds – we must release it completely. This is the beginning of the freedom that will allow us to launch the business God intends for us. But… Holding on to that guilt for many years means that there’s still a ways to go to be healed from it entirely. In my case, the type of guilt that I lived with for so many years is the feeling of responsibility for the crime of not paying my employee taxes and the embarrassment of having to let them go. The enemy loves to keep entrepreneurs trapped in a place of feeling guilty because when we are stuck there, we won’t be able to launch, grow, and develop business God’s way. Imagine if we all didn’t hide our feelings of guilt, and instead, faced what we’d rather keep buried, and let God deal with it. Guilt is a major obstacle we will overcome when launching our businesses if we can give it over to God. If you need prayer for this, drop a comment, and our team will pray for you. #BusinessBibleStudy #LaunchingMyBusiness #GodpreneurAcademy Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea Join Us on a 12-Days Business Bible Plan to learn Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea. 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

Involving more employees in my business was never easy. After my past runs at growing my business, then subsequently having to let people go when things didn’t go right, hiring people brought up painful and panicky emotions. I’ve never shared this because I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it anyway. I wasn’t sure that I was truly important enough to deal with, so I just hid in my office, on my own, and made sure I only hired contractors and virtual assistants. I kept telling myself (and the world) that I wasn’t prepared to be a boss, and that I’m supposed to fly solo in business (you can read it in my past blog posts for yourself). But these false beliefs are an effect of guilt and shame. Entrepreneurs living as prisoners of guilt have many effects on us and our businesses: some spiritual, some emotional, some mental, and some physical. The circumstances won’t be the same for everyone, but there will be similarities. Because of these symptoms, though, we Godpreneurs fail to do the one thing that God always asks of us in our businesses. We fail to obey in launching that new business, product, service, or event when He calls us to. We fail to write the book when the spirit nudges us. We’d rather hide than accept responsibility of launching into the unknown – back into the area where we could get hurt again. And that’s a big problem for those of us struggling to launch our next big idea. But the bible says: Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord , and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord ; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. (Psalms 37:3‭-‬6 NIV) The anxiety caused by not launching the thing God’s calling you to will set your body on edge, and it will react in ways that are not healthy: headaches, over or underweight, acid in the stomach, and tension in the muscles leading to neck pain, and in my case, lower back pain. The only cure I’ve found to help is meditating on scripture that repeatedly reminds me not to worry, that God has my back, and that He keeps in perfect peace those of us who trust in Him. The enemy doesn’t want us to launch the vision God has for us, and he’ll show himself physically and mentally within our body unless we battle him with the truths from God – His word and promises. If we Godpreneurs are in a complete place of trust and security in God within our businesses, we won’t be experiencing anxiety, worry, and stress, and our body will be at peace with itself. God has had to teach me that he does not hold me personally accountable for all the ups and downs in my business that has led to employees coming and going, and quite frankly it’s arrogant of me to think I’m the one that calls the shots on people coming and going in the first place! God will only hold me accountable for the things he has asked me to do in business. He does not expect me to fix everything or fix myself. He’s taking care of that. #GodpreneurAcademy #BusinessBibleStudy Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea Join Us on a 12-Days Business Bible Plan to learn Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea. 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

Sometimes I can’t launch a new marketing campaign or business growth opportunity because I’m still suffering from the defeat of a past one that didn’t go so well. I get these feelings unforgiveness that I harbor against the people that rejected me. I’ve even developed a bitterness towards God for not allowing it to work, which leads me to shame and self-pity. I’ve come to accept that suffering is part of the journey of entrepreneurship. Not everything will be perfect. But I’ll admit that sometimes I get stuck in a specific moment of suffering for a little too long, preventing me from taking action on what God wants me to do next. I’m sure we can all agree that we don’t WANT to be suffering. We’d do everything we can to avoid it because it’s not healthy to be there for too long. But easier said than done, right. We Godpreneurs all carry around beliefs of the things that have happened to us in business. These beliefs form the spiritual battles we wage in our minds day in, and day out. When we’re wounded in our emotions, we must be careful not to stay stuck there, let it take root and begin to infect other parts of our business. If the suffering lasts too long, we develop even more bitterness and resentment, and launching anything new becomes less and less likely. But God designed suffering to be a place we pass through, not set up camp. We Godpreneurs must all suffer because it produces the perseverance, but we must also keep moving along the pilgrimage of entrepreneurship to the place we were created to be at in business. The bible says And how blessed all those in whom you live, whose lives become roads you travel; They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks, discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain! God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and at the last turn—Zion! God in full view! (Psalms 84:5‭-‬7 MSG) Godpreneur, in your suffering, God has traveled and is currently traveling the road with you. You are on a journey in your business, and your destination is the business God created you to start. Once you’re there, it’s all the eternity with Him! You’ll experience lonesome valleys along the way. These are the times in our business, where God seems distant. But, through the beauty of being able to get up and launch again, God provides springs for us to drink from! You see, the opportunity to launch again is where God wants to provide us energy and perseverance to keep on going along your pilgrimage to Him. But sometimes we get stuck. We wallow in self-pity, and we can’t even see the spring of water God has set up for us to drink from. Let us not get stuck in the valley of suffering. Staying there makes it harder to leave because we lose hope in carrying on. We need to have faith that God has a plan for the suffering and a better place for our business. We need to expel all fear. We need to remain joyful, confident, and expect good things from our next launch. There’s no place for anxiety and negativity in Godpreneurship. If we’re experiencing this, it’s probably a sign that we’re not doing the thing God created us to do. Take my course in the Godpreneur Academy to get back on track! Imagine if we all praised God in this place of suffering, thanked him for the pain of the past, and continued to the blessings that lie ahead by launching the next idea. #GodpreneurAcademy #BusinessBibleStudy Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea Join Us on a 12-Days Business Bible Plan to learn Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

I’m a CrossFit competitor. On competition day, there could be 3-4 grueling workouts I have to perform in 8 hours. Just one of those workouts could have me drained for the rest of the day. Now, imagine that I have to do this three more times! It’s exhausting just writing about it. To be ready to launch into my next working, I have to be restored. I need to eat, drink, rest, and do whatever it takes to be close to 100% within a few hours. There are certain rituals I go through to get back to peak performance. Without restoration, I can’t be at my best for the next workout, and I certainly won’t have a chance at performing well on the leaderboard in the competition. Listen, launching a business is working out. There’s a lot of physical and emotional energy that goes into it. If we’re not restored from a previous attempt at launching or the past pains that hold us back from bringing to life a new idea, we stand little chance against a world that it set out to beat us so that we don’t do the thing we were born to do. While food, rest, and water can restore us physically, we all need someone to restore us emotionally. All types of psychologists and life coaches can help, but God is our original creator, the one who has called us for a specific reason and has the power to restore us to our original form – His image. The bible says For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 NIV) You may have gone through something very tragic that isn’t that easy to bounce back from. Restoring you won’t be a simple replenishing of finances or pep talk of motivation. You may have attempted to restore a broken partnership or mend a relationship that went terribly wrong, but the grime of the incident lingers, preventing you from moving forward. You see, only your original creator that has the blueprints to the business He created you to start can do the work of restoring you to your true glory. The good news is that we Godpreneurs all have a God that’s in the business of redeeming us and restoring us, even if the damage seems beyond repair. We’re a reflection of His glory; He wants nothing more than for THAT light to shine in the marketplace. God wants to show himself through the business we launch. He wants to refresh our soul and guide us along the right paths for his name’s sake. (Psalms 23:3) Under the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus can reverse the damage that had been done to us from a previous attempt at launching or from the fear of launching our first venture. Remember Ephesians 2:10: if we Godpreneurs were created not just as God’s handiwork, but also to join in with God’s work in our marketplace, then we must believe that he can and will work through the launch of that business, product, or service. The damage that has been done in that past is preventing us from stepping out in faith and joining God is bringing to life the business he has called us to. Imagine if we were all willing to partner with Him in His purpose of restoration so we could be free to respond to that calling every time were inspired to move our ideas along. #BusinessBibleStudy #LaunchingMyBusiness Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea Join Us on a 12-Days Business Bible Plan to learn Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea. 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

Back in college, I learned there are two types of investors: risk averse and risk seeking. Risk-averse people are more conservative. Risk seekers…well, it’s pretty self-explanatory…they like to take risks. I’m a risk seeker. I like to go “all in.” If I like a business opportunity, I go after it. But it wasn’t always like this. And there are times that I’m not such a risk-taker. When I’m feeling defeated or fearful, I retreat and sink into a place of comfort. We entrepreneurs all have a level of riskiness in us. By definition, entrepreneurship is to take risks. But many of us take the risk, and at the first sign of a storm, we sink back in fear and doubt. How can we increase our threshold for risk so that we can launch into the unknown, survive through the storms of entrepreneurship, and thrive on the other side? The bible says “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:29‭-‬33 NIV) Jesus was pleased that Peter had joined him on the water because Peter took a risk that required faith. Jesus’s words of affectionate encouragement to Peter served to increase Peter’s faith in the future. The only way to walk on water (be a successful Godpreneur) is to begin by stepping out of the boat (launch your business), but don’t expect it to be an easy ride. Peter didn’t get it right the first time, and neither will you. Seeing where opportunities in the marketplace are won’t come naturally to you. You have to learn how to receive, understand, test, and respond to marketplace revelations, being taught by the Spirit and led into supernatural business ownership. The way you launch and grow a God-First business is through taking small steps and gradually increasing in faith. Remember, Jesus says to be “faithful in the little things” to be entrusted with “greater things” (Matthew 25:21). As we Godpreneurs go on the journey of launching the vision God has given us, our progress in business ownership will depend on the extent to which we allow him to deal with the barriers in our mindset with which we struggle. Launching a healthy, life-long, Spirit-filled business that continues to bear fruit requires us Godpreneurs to cooperate with the renewal of our minds and the restoration of our hearts. We can’t go on the journey of launching a God-First business without the inward journey of healing and transformation. If we’re serious about launching a business, then we shouldn’t settle for an impaired experience of being his ministers in the marketplace. He wants us all to know the joy of launching a business opportunity with him, which once seemed impossible to us. Imagine if we all didn’t let fear prevent us from cooperating. We will need the help of others. This is why Godpreneur Academy exists. We will almost certainly falter and sink into the water from time to time. But ultimately, it will all be worth it to be in business with Jesus. #LaunchingMyBusiness #BusinessBibleStudy Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea Join Us on a 12-Days Business Bible Plan to learn Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea. 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

The times that I’ve drawn closest to God are when I’ve had to depend on him to get me through a season completely. When my brother passed away, it was tragic for my family and me. I latched on to God more than ever, and from that dependence, I had the strength to start our non-profit, Jose’s Hands, which continues to do medical missions worldwide. When my branding agency faced a big lawsuit, I made God the judge of my life and from that scary season, the idea for my company, Launch in 2 Days birthed. The best brands I’ve launched and some of my most intimate moments with God were birthed from overcoming Obstacles that threatened to have me seclude myself into a comfortable place and not take any more risks that could lead to another tragedy. We Christians are born with a desire to have an intimate relationship with Jesus. But this close relationship doesn’t happen in comfortable places in our lives. No. Instead, intimacy comes from dependence, and dependence comes from faith and trust. We Godpreneurs are called to step off the boat and to walk on water with Jesus. Launching a business should feel so risky that the only way to win would be that Jesus was by our side, knowing that he is faithful and able to lead us. We’ll develop a deeper relationship with God once we’ve launched than sitting on the sidelines thinking about it. We’re not called to launch on our own, and we’re called to launch WITH God. It’s this partnership that we Godpreneurs are gifted with. Owning a business is a tool God uses to draw us into the relationship He sent Jesus to restore. The bible says For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! (Romans 5:17 NIV) You and your business become God’s stewards and heirs of eternal life. You’re charged with declaring and demonstrating God’s kingdom to your customers, employees, prospects, vendors, competitors, contractors…the entire marketplace! Don’t waste another moment hiding from your calling, afraid of launching your dreams, especially when there’s so much more of God that we could discover by partnering with Him. Jesus comes after us to rescue us back into relationship with him, even those who failed, left bankrupt and lost it all. Yes, I’m part of this group of redeemed. And you can be, too. Jesus says If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me. (John 12:26 MSG) This calling to launch a God-First business, lead 100% by Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit is an adventure that many Godpreneurs have yet to discover. If you feel called to launch, I want to help you on this journey. I have 3 Ways. Subscribe to my growing list of subscribers to my daily devotional for Christian entrepreneurs at www.dailygodpreneur.com. Join a tight group of Christian Entrepreneurs and me that mastermind and help each other’s businesses grow at www.godpreneuracademy.com. Launch your business through my company, www.launchin2days.com. I pray that you’re able to overcome the obstacles to launching the business God created you to start. All my best always, Alex Miranda #BusinessBibleStudy #LaunchingMyBusiness Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea Join Us on a 12-Days Business Bible Plan to learn Overcoming Obstacles to Launching Your Idea. 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

At one point in my branding agency, I was building my business around trying to impress potential clients with bigger jobs so I charge a whole lot more. I wanted to be dealing with rich, wealthy people that had big budgets. I wanted to be rich like them. After a year, I ended up discovering that the I didn’t like working with these clients. They are a ROYAL PAIN! The richer they got, the more they demanded and the smaller I felt. It was like working with a ‘know it all’ that had no clue at all. The bible says "Don’t eat with people who are stingy; don’t desire their delicacies. They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it. You will throw up what little you’ve eaten, and your compliments will be wasted". Proverbs 23:6‭-‬8 NLT I decided I wasn’t going to build my business around trying to impress those who have power and riches or hoping to become one of the elites of our society. Underneath the surface, we are all equal entrepreneurs before God. So I stopped trying to gauge the success of my branding agency by how big of a fish I could catch, but instead on how deep of an impact I could make. This kept me humble and always in the mindset of trying to figure out how I could help more people, faster, and more profoundly. See, trying to go after the big money accounts was not only more work for me, but it was also misleading from my calling. Instead, I had to brand the REAL ME. I must constantly be bringing to light the identity I was born to be. The One whose appearances are real has chosen to be humble and meek—His name is Jesus. Yes, every knee will bow and every tongue confesses that He is Lord. But He called us friends and laid aside the prerogatives of royalty when He tore down the curtain of separation in the Temple and gave us direct access to His Father by faith through His death and resurrection. Weak entrepreneurs may insist on status, formality, and appearances, but God sees us for what we are. Wise Godpreneurs follow the example of Christ’s humility. You are aware that under the surface you are just like everyone else—no better and no worse. We Godpreneurs look beneath the surface—people and circumstances are not always what they appear to be. #DifferentiatingMyself #SharpenLeadership

I recently had a client that I just wanted to quit on.  Several times I attempted to weasel my way out of the deal. I wanted to quit because they were a real pain in the butt.  I totally underquoted them. I didn’t factor for a lot of things and it costs me.  But to make matters worse, the client was abusive and degraded me. Well, that’s how they made me FEEL. We get into contracts and arrangements sometimes that we regret.  We entrepreneurs sometimes have little patience for this and we escape the problem quickly. But what if there was a reason God wanted you there…under that pressure? Is there any good that can come out of being in a seemingly terrible business relationship? The answer might surprise you. The bible says "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." James 1:2‭-‬4 MSG God can use any situation to mold and shape you into a better, stronger entrepreneur. Think about a diamond.  It’s under pressure for thousands of years before we get the rock.  Then it needs to undergo cleaning and cutting before you get to put it in a piece of jewelry ready to show the world. In the same way, God is molding and shaping us under pressure. Consider lawsuits, bad contracts, terrible hiring decisions, and mistakes in planning a test…a shaping of your wisdom so you can be a better entrepreneur tomorrow. Imagine a world where, instead of being upset at the bad situation we’re in, we look up and ask God to give us the patience to endure, learn and grow from the trials of entrepreneurship. Godpreneur Rule #152: Godpreneurs see tests and challenges in business as great opportunities to learn and grow. #LaunchingMyBusiness #GainConfidence #SharpenLeadership

In 2014, I launched my blog, www.dailygodpreneur.com. Since then, I’ve had thousands of subscribers to my daily devotional, tens of thousands of followers on my Instagram, YouTube, and podcast channels, and even started my membership program. How did I get to this point I’m at now? It all started with ONE blog post…my first one. I was reading the Bible one morning, admittedly, because I felt obligated to. Reading didn’t come naturally to me. I hadn’t fallen in love with getting my daily bread every morning, but I was committed to just doing what I was told was right, which was to read the Bible every morning. Then, one day, a Bible verse popped out at me that was specifically about me as an Entrepreneur and what I was going through in my business. It was weird. Then it happened the next day too. I was in the application of what I had read to what I was going through. I felt I needed to journal my discoveries, so I pulled out a journal and wrote what I had uncovered. I became a little obsessed and started to look forward to coming downstairs in the morning, making my coffee, and hurrying to my chair to sip my coffee and discover what else God had for me in His word about my business. Then…the spirit moved. I had an inspiring though – what if I took the entire Bible and uncovered everything it had to say to entrepreneurs, and furthermore, put it all on a blog so that other Christian Entrepreneurs could read about what I was learning!? That single thought is what sparked the Godpreneur brand for me, and I now knew what I had to do. What I’ve come to realize is I have a heart that wants to lead Christian entrepreneurs launching and growing their purpose-focused business. I also realized that if these Christian Entrepreneurs were going to succeed, they need to be in God’s Word daily, but that’s tough if they’re struggling to find time to be with God in the morning. That’s when I knew I needed to start this blog and speak to one person: the Christian entrepreneur like me. We entrepreneurs were all hard-wired with a heart that breaks for a certain group of people out there. This is by design. That’s a huge clue God’s given us to reveal the target market we were called to blog to. Like a Shepard that is herding his flock, we also are called to herd a certain group of people. If we want to uncover the target market for our blog, it’s going to come when we realize who the people we’re supposed to be freely helping guide, even without being paid are. Once we can identify this, then the blessings will come to us. The Bible says: Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38 NIV) When you run a Christian blog, Jesus shapes our hearts, and a new spirit comes in us to care for a certain group of people. This heart moves and thinks like God. But yours isn’t like mine or anyone else’s. Thank goodness for that, or we’d all be writing to the same person. Your heart and business have a God-anointed individuality. Want proof? Ok. Do you also care to help Christian entrepreneurs making sure they know everything the Bible has to say about business? If yes, then you and I have something in common and hit me up to be a contributor on my blog. But you likely differ in what type of people (women, young men, realtors, Miami-born, etc.). But if you don’t care about what I care about, there’s the proof that we are all different. Godpreneurs, we’re all created for good works, but we don’t have to speak to every person on the planet. Picking a target market for your blog, lets you narrow down your level of burden and responsibilities to only a smaller group of people. If you’re having trouble narrowing down your target market, try these questions Who is one person that comes to mind right now that you want to write a letter to (or even a whole book) so they could fix their life because you feel you have the formula? What could you write to yourself 10 years ago that would have changed you and helped your journey to where you’re at now? What would you write to your child 20 years from now when they read your blog? Who our heart breaks for the most is one way God shows us entrepreneurs who our target market is for our blog. Our blogs are made to notice, to care, to move more for a specific demographic and particular products or services: when their needs are met, our hearts are satisfied, and our bank accounts are filled; when they aren’t, our hearts hurt with their hearts and we need to solve the problem with a new blog post. A blog post is supposed to solve one person’s problem, and you have the answer. Imagine if we all became aware of our hearts, how it feels for certain groups, and begin crafting our blog around that? Our joy would increase, and our readers would be happy and satisfied! Prayer – Father, help us take the focus off ourselves and put it onto others. Reveal a heart that hurts for a certain group of people. Spirit, identify a particular people with particular needs, and help me take steps towards helping them uniquely with my blog. #BusinessBibleStudy #ChristianBloggers #GodpreneurAcademy #TargetMarket Keys to Successful Christian Blogging In this course, I'll give you some keys God taught me about how to write a successful Christian blog. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

I put a lot of pressure on my co-laborers. If you’re working with me, I ask for solutions, not problems. I demand excellence and specialization. And I go fast, so keep up! If I’m going to have these high levels of quality individuals working with me, I need to train and discipline them into this. Trust me, they don’t come born this way. It is in this correcting process where I continue to learn how to be a great leader. The value in owning a business isn’t producing great workers, but that the workers are producing a great leader in me. Leading others isn’t meant to make me happy, it’s meant to make me holy. For me, this was especially true in the area of disciplining and training those that work with me. I was terrible at it. I would ignore issue, sweep them under the rug, make excuses for them, and let anything slide. I probably did these things to save time. I didn’t want to stop and discipline and re-train. The bible says "A servant pampered from childhood will become a rebel". Proverbs 29:21 NLT Sometimes there are tricks of the trade that others are willing to pass on to save a little time and energy along the way. But when it comes to leading others, there aren’t any shortcuts. Great training coupled with immidiate corrective disciplining will make your employees, vendors, contractors and even clients into the best partners you want them to be. It is not easy to say “no” to those under my authority, especially if I care about them. But their short-term gratification is not worth the long-term disappointment of a ruined business relationship and a hardened heart. Only God can help you do what is right and pass on a blessing to those you co-labor with in business that will last a lifetime. Trying to take any shortcuts in this process of training will only prove to be frustrating. Dead ends often look like shortcuts, but you can’t get where you want to be by taking them. An effective Godpreneur leader knows how to manage those under his authority and has the will to do what is right for them. #BecomeDisciplined #SharpenLeadership

I think my greatest fear is that my business will not make a difference. I fear I’m not in the right industry, pursuing the wrong niche, or speaking to the wrong tribe. And I know I’m not alone in thinking this way. After working with entrepreneur’s brands for over a decade, I’ve had many conversations about purpose and calling. Some know exactly what they’re going after, most of them have no idea. Rest assured: Godpreneurs have been created by God in his image. Godpreneurs have great worth. Godpreneurs have been given gifts, gifts are meant to contribute something to the family, the community, and the world. In spite of these truths, my clients still fear to live a life of insignificance. Why? Many entrepreneurs don’t see themselves as significant. They do not have a vision for how God wants them to make a difference in the business world through their unique gifts. We have a crisis in calling. The Bible teaches us that we are called out of our own selfishness to love and serve God and others in specific ways, responsible to an audience of One. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, God calls us to glorify him in all we do – which includes our current business and future entrepreneurial ventures. However, many believers miss this concept because there’s an underlying separation of business and God. We see this in a few ways. The evangelical church tends to focus on salvation, evangelism, or basic discipleship – all of which are important. But there is a little or non-specific teaching for entrepreneurs who are working 20-80 hours a week on their visions. While many excellent evangelical churches exist, most of them do not address: Ethical issues in business ; Public affirmation of ministry in and through entrepreneurship; Discernment of the gifts of all church members and how to use those gifts wisely in the church and in the marketplace. People are being equipped for personal faith, but not business life. Further, entrepreneurship is often seen as an antithesis of family life. Working overtime or on the weekend is seen as a threat to the fabric of the family. On the contrary, like Jeremiah’s response to the Babylonian exile, God has called his people to seek the flourishing of the city so it may prosper, and to do so with humility, patience, love, and grace (Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 4:1-3). Many idealistic young entrepreneurs set about starting a business with unrealistic expectations about money and success in a future career. Now the “mid-life crisis” is coming earlier. People are starting to discuss the “quarter-life crisis.” People who have been the best and brightest all their lives are feeling bogged down and unfulfilled. Their high expectations of entrepreneurship are dashed. Success has not come as quickly as they had hoped. The central reason for these various problems is a failure to develop a biblical basis for entrepreneurship. The bible says: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". Jeremiah 29:11 NIV This being true, then the good news is that we all have a calling. Some have uncovered and recovered it, while others haven’t discovered it yet. In this series, we will explore how to discover God’s call in your business life. Do you fear living an insignificant life? Why or why not? #BusinessBibleStudy #FindMyCalling