Search results for "leadership"

Back in 2007, I got into some huge tax problems. I had hired a bunch of employees, but I wasn’t sending their personal taxes to the IRS like I should have been. It turns out I needed $14,000 to repay the IRS or I could face more penalties or even jail. I had no idea I was breaking a law at the time. It wasn’t until my accountant pointed it out that I realized what I was doing was not only wrong, it was illegal. I was basically stealing from my employees and the government. I was in big trouble and I needed $14,000 quickly or the trouble was going to get worst. Embarrassed and ashamed, I told my parents about the issues I was facing. Without hesitation, they agreed to pay the debt off for me. I was now free from that weight on my shoulders! The price of my mistake was paid by my loving parents. Of course, I promised I had learned my lesson and I wasn’t going to let that happen again. We all have areas in our business life where we break the law, bend the rules, or even unknowingly do something wrong that eventually catches up to us. And if those sins we commit aren’t exposed and brought to justice, we will continue to do them for the rest of our business careers. Some of us are stuck in a pattern of sin in our businesses that we don’t have the power to break free from. We have a client that’s paying us illegally, but it works out because we’re saving money. We have business coming in from places that don’t honor God, and still willingly do it, even though we know it’s wrong. This is called sin. And until sin is put to death, we are dead businessmen transacting in a corrupt world. But… The bible says "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life". (John 3:16 NIV) The death of Jesus stands at the center of the solution to the very sin that traps you. On the cross, a sinless man pays the price of your sins in business so that you can be alive and free from all the sins that hold you down. Jesus’ death on the cross is both the most tragic evil done, but the greatest good of all time. All the sins you commit in your business have a penalty. And for every crime caught, there is a penalty. Like when I got caught not paying taxes when the penalty was paid, you say that justice has been served, and that’s a good thing. Whether you’ve been caught or not, our sins are a rebellion against God. Those sins still trap you in a world that God didn’t have planned for you to operate your business in. This sin that you have carries a penalty by God – death. It’s not just physical death, but a spiritual one too. When we’re spiritually dead, we’re separated from God, and we continue our sinful existence until our physical death. But like my parents paid my $14,000 IRS debt, Jesus paid the penalty for your sins in business when he died for us. This doesn’t mean you stop sinning, it means that the penalty of the sin was incurred for you, payment was made by Jesus himself, and you are now free to draw closer to God so that you can be freed from the grip of sin. Now you can begin the journey of letting go of the sins you’ve carried for years in your business because the price was paid. I remember when I found out about my IRS problems I was afraid, scared, and I didn’t even want to go into work. But when my parents paid the debt, I was free from those thoughts and able to take my business to new levels that God wanted to show me. Jesus’ death is one of the most important concepts a business owner must understand. I didn’t fully understand its significance, this is why I’m trying to illustrate it in different ways. See, I had committed a crime in my business and the penalty for that crime was $14,000 that I could not pay for. However, my parents could pay the penalty on my behalf. The penalty was paid. The IRS was restored. The cost was real. Yet because of the generosity and sacrifice of my parents, I’m not bound to pay the penalty. So, Jesus died for our business sins and paid the penalty for them out of His love and generosity, allowing us to avoid paying the penalty ourselves if we accept that. I believe the message of the gospel for entrepreneurs will be the hardest to do or understand because we’re the authority in our businesses. The bible says “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich [a successful businessman] to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25 NIV). As entrepreneurs, we tend to act on our own authority to choose between good and evil in our businesses instead of submitting to the ultimate authority of God. This rebellion is what curses us, causes us to sin, and we fall short of what God has planned for us. But we love our sin, we trapped, we’re separated from God, and we deserve to get caught and pay a price. But God, rich in mercy and love, pursued and saved us by substituting his Son in our place. For me, this means that now I’m free to do what I was Born to Do. And although I still sin, I’m not trapped because I’m forgiven and I can get up and continue to pursue my calling. So to us Godpreneurs, Jesus’ death is the best news in the world for our businesses. It’s the gospel—the good news that though we substituted ourselves in the place of God, God substituted his Son in our place that we might draw near to him in righteousness and continue to uncover and pursue our purpose and calling here on earth. If all of us business owners repent and believe in this, we can receive new life in Jesus, be reconciled to God, our business dealings cleansed from shame, our brands restored to honor, and given an eternal inheritance in the family of God! #BusinessBibleStudy #NewEntrepreneurs #GodpreneurAcademy

I used to think it was my lack of leadership skills.

Leadership abilities are in the eye of the beholder.

I confess that I’ve had unhealthy ambitions to create a name for myself, and this temptation still plagues me at times. Deep down, I want to build a big brand with my ventures so I can be recognized as a thought leader, innovative entrepreneur, and build wealth so I can be rich. I’ve created out of a desire to make a name for myself, or, to put it in more worldly terms, to accumulate fame and fortune. If I’m honest with myself, I’m essentially trying to save myself. Let me explain. When I came up with my companies, I wasn’t content simply putting my innovations to work to help others. I wanted to leverage my creations to make a name for myself. Why? What is it about the human condition that causes me to use my work as a tool for proving something to the world? Deep down, I know there’s something wrong with me. I know I’m flawed. I know I’m not “right.” Deep down, we know that I “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Each entrepreneurial venture is me trying to cover up these flaws with my accomplishments. I think that if I write a bestselling book, or sell a business for millions of dollars, or have hundreds of employees, or get 100,000 Instagram followers, or build the world’s largest agency, then I’ll be able to mask my sinful human condition. Essentially, I use entrepreneurship as a means of saving myself. I know better! And every day I’m choosing to transform and renew my mind. I know it’s not that I need a bigger company, it’s that I need Christ to be bigger in me. The bible says I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NIV) As a Christian, I know that the work of salvation is complete! Because Jesus said, “It is finished,” I no longer have to use my companies as a means of saving myself. What incredible freedom I experience when I let that truth really sink into my heart! Because of the gospel, I am free to work and create not as a means of making a name for myself, but as an act of worship to the One who made me, saved me, and called me to Godpreneurship. This truth replaces my improper ambition with proper ambition that flows out of a love for Christ and a desire to make His name famous throughout this earth and the next. Father, help me to remember this every second of the day as I lead my businesses. (PS – I write self-deprecating blog posts for 3 reasons. First, to confess to others. This helps call out the sin. Second, to process my own thoughts and declare new ones to myself. Third, that it might help you too.) #StrengthenIntegrity #EnhanceFocus

In my post-college proclivity, I desired nothing more than to start a great idea, grow it, and cash out so I could retire in my twenties. My first, second, or third ventures didn’t work out and I was now into my thirties…and still no fortune and fame. Around 2008 is when I started going back to church and gaining a new perspective on everything in life. One mindset shift I began to feel was that my ambition began to shift from selfish desires (fame and fortune) to wanting to help others and feel significance in my work. My struggle was that I still wanted fame and fortune, but I also wanted to serve others and be in God’s will for my business life. As Christians, is it possible to be ambitious in our entrepreneurial ventures and still have our self-worth and identity firmly rooted in Jesus Christ? Tons of self-help books and motivational coaches tell us that ambition is essential to accumulating wealth, fame, and glory for ourselves. The general consensus of entrepreneurship today is that it is the primary means by which we make a name for ourselves in this life and prove to the world that we are important, valuable, and worthy. Of course, this is nothing new for entrepreneurs. After Adam and Eve, human beings have been using work to make a name for themselves, rather than to glorify God and serve others. Take the Babylonians as an example. In Genesis 11 we read the account of these ancient entrepreneurs discovering the incredible technical innovation of brick-making. With the invention of the brick-making process, the Babylonians could build better homes, roads, and cities—all wonderful things; but driven by pride, the Babylonians’ ambition wasn’t to glorify God through their work. Genesis 11 reads Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” Genesis 11:1‭-‬4 NIV Their ambition was to make a name for themselves. They said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4). And if there was ever a question as to whether or not our motives matter to the Lord, the rest of the passage provides the answer. “The Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city”. Genesis 11:8. Creating a new business is not inherently bad. Our entrepreneurial ventures can and do reveal God’s character and love to serve others. But when we create a business out of a motivation to make a name for ourselves, we are attempting to rob God’s glory that is rightfully His. In Proverbs we read: All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord . Proverbs 16:2 NIV While Scripture makes clear that creating to make a name for yourself constitutes improper ambition, the Bible makes equally clear that ambition can indeed be God-honoring, so long as it flows out of a response to the work Christ did on your behalf on the cross. As Godpreneurs, this mindset could be the very thought that will turn everything around for us if we truly believe it. My prayer for Godpreneurs today is that you would re-align your ambitions to be healthy and in the direction of your born-to-do identity – your calling to do God’s will in the marketplace. #EnhanceFocus #StrengthenIntegrity

I can’t even begin to count the number of failed ventures, partnerships, marketing campaigns, and product launches I’ve had in my entrepreneurial career. Since 2005, I’ve been collecting the failures, analyzing each one, and building something better the next time. But there are times I want to hang up the hat, call it quits, and head back over to a comfy 9-5 where, at this point in my career, I could be making well over $500K with bonuses and stock options. Any entrepreneur who has failed in a venture will immediately agree that business ownership can hurt. But after the wound has healed a little, they will also be the first to try to do it again and again because of the joy it brings. I remember my first business, Creative Complex. It was immature, painful, wonderful, and hopeless all at the same time. When it failed, I could have just given up on business or learned from it and looked harder for a better, more satisfying business next time. I chose the latter and I’m so glad I did. Several years later I found my purpose and passion in business and now I’m married to my calling – my ‘born to do’ identity. It has not always been easy. In fact, there have been moments when my wife has wondered how she could have married someone with such financial instability. But those thoughts were only momentary and the shared joys of her being able to stay home with our child and not work have been immense and overflowing. I’m not the best business person in the world, but the marketplace seems to love me through thick and thin. Its honest advice may hurt sometimes, but I can always depend on it. Wisdom has given me everything it has to give, and together we move forward to bring visions to life. The Bible says: "Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly". Proverbs 3:13‭-‬18 NLT Entrepreneurship hurts—but it is well worth the pain and sacrifice. Next to my family, nothing has given me more reasons to live for than the passion of pursuing my calling. And since I’ve put God first in my business, He’s the one closest to me, and no matter what happens, I can trust in the spirit with my life. Look for your calling in business, live for what you were born to do, and you will find it. But in order to keep the business, you must give it away. Give it to God. We Godpreneurs give ourselves to their entrepreneurial calling; trust in God to be faithful and accept his holy spirit wisdom into our ventures. #SharpenLeadership

The Visionary Missionary Blog for The World Race Gabe Sanchez Meet my great friend Gabe Sanchez! I have the privilege to know Gabe as a brother in Christ, a friend, and a supporter of his mission field work. God has given him the spiritual gift of Vision, and his vision is HUGE! ENTREPRENEURS:  God has given you the ability to profit so you can be a blessing to the world.  It’s our duty, obligation and responsibility to have the best businesses possible so that we can continue to support the great commission.  If you need a pump up message on this concept, watch Peter J. Daniels. Gabe, I look forward to God using my tribe of entrepreneurs to support your vision! #SharpenLeadership

Is your vision to do good? When your customer gives a testimonial, will they satisfy your vision’s hunger? My vision is for my clients to discover what they were born to do, bring it to life, and tell the whole world! When they testify that I’ve helped clarify their calling in business, the vision is satisfied and my appetite is full. But if my vision is set on making money, possessing more territory or gaining more clients, we’ll always just want more and we won’t be satisfied. Money and territory goals are great, but they are goals and should not be mixed with the vision. Ask yourself: How can I make this world a better place? What will my product or service do for the GOOD of my clients. Start there when setting your entrepreneurial vision. An appetite for good brings much satisfaction! #BusinessBibleStudy #EnhanceFocus

One thing I’ve learned in the years of being an entrepreneur: I’m a horrible boss. No, really! I’m a great leader, I can instill Vision and confidence and trust like no other. I’m amazing with brainstorming, problem solving, branding and marketing. But when it comes to managing people, I stink. BUT WAIT…that’s just fine! For years I always thought that being an entrepreneur meant being the boss, and nothing could be further from the truth. Technically, the role of an entrepreneur can be ANYTHING. Here’s what the role of the entrepreneur is, and the same applies to everyone in your organization: everyone should be doing what that are COMPETENT at. If you love to bake, and you start a bakery, you will quickly realize that baking takes a back seat when you have to pay the bills, hire the employees and market your services and products. All of the sudden, the whole reason you started a business (to bake delicious delicacies) is now 4th on the list of priorities, and you find yourself stressed and about to give up. So here’s the solution: 1) make a list of what you love to do, and what you hate to do 2) as fast as possible, partner with or hire someone to do the things you hate doing As a baker, you should be coming up with new recipes, training other bakers, doing quality control, and always be in the kitchen while occasionally coming out to greet the customers only to take a quick survey of how they like the pastries you made. You’re the superstar!! We all need to stop living in levels of incompetence and start living lives of meaning. #SharpenLeadership

I like updating my own website. I enjoy composing my weekly emails that go out from Creative Complex and sending them out. I love project managing. I’m also good at following up on my sales calls, collecting credit cards and booking appointments. Can you believe that even though I had an assistant, a project manager, a web developer, and an account executive, I still performed all of their jobs?!?! What a mistake on so many levels.  But the biggest mistake in doing this was that I was robbing others from growing…from flying from their nest and soaring with me. We can do that sometimes as entrepreneurs. We think that we’re the only ones that can do it the best.  We get impatient. We step in to help at the first sign of something not going they way we would do it. Deuteronomy 32:11 says, "Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them up and carried them safely on his pinions." Godpreneurs realize that there are times you step into problems, but its momentary.  In the end, the goal is to let that person learn how to soar like you so you can let God take you to places you’ve never imagined. As for me…I USED to like doing all of those tasks I mentioned at the beginning.  But…I don’t do them anymore. Even though I’m great at these things, I have people on my team that are flying because I let them go. Godpreneur Rule #42: Let go of the tasks so your team can face and solve problems on their own and learn to soar with you. #WorkLifeBalance #SharpenLeadership

I’m in the business of consulting.  I make anywhere from $199 – $499 an hour for my time. Proverbs 11:25 says A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Although I volunteer at church and go on medical mission trips, which are both refreshing others, I also feel compelled at times to refresh others by offering my consulting for free. As Godpreneurs we serve a boss that will send us paying clients, but will also send us non-paying clients…or can’t pay as much as I charge (discount clients). Be sensitive to the spirit.  I’m not saying to just give away your services to anyone and everyone from the church.  The spirit will lead you.  It will ‘feel’ right to do this. We must have faith that God will refresh us…because His word says it. #SharpenLeadership

When I first started my company I told people I did logos and websites. But that’s not how God would describe what I do. When I take into consideration His point of view and commit my work to Him, He reveals to me what I should really be doing. I help businesses and entrepreneurs find their God-given marketplace identity. Proverbs 16:3 says: "Put GOD in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place." My challenge to all of my clients is to ask them WHY they are in business. Not all of them are Christian. I can’t have that conversation with everyone. But I can bring God in through the work I do and establish seeds that could potentially grow. Since I’ve committed my work to God, He continues to bless me with clients paying me more than I would have ever dreamed of charging. He’s also moving my business in directions I could have never taken on my own. Commit your business plans to God’s purpose for your entrepreneurial career. #FindingMyPurpose

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

These include farming, craftsmanship, teaching, leadership, giving, wisdom, miracles, etc.

I have to admit that I let my business be guided by market trends, what my competitors are doing and, sadly, chasing after profits. I let outside factors determine the direction of my company sometimes. Other times, I’m guided by an internal compass and a desire to please God. It’s a constant battle. Whenever we entrepreneurs talk about our business plans and activities, we use terms like “my aims, my ambitions, my goals, my desires.” Some of us do things purely for ourselves, but most of us, unconsciously, perform with an eye of approval of some audience or other; Our parents, our staff, our competitors, our clients. The question is not whether or not we have an audience, but which audience we have. Only one audience matters:  God. An entrepreneurial career lived listening to the decisive call of God is a life lived before one audience that trumps all others – the Audience of One. Imagine running your business to only please one person.  Imagine doing everything with such perfection because you work for God, for His purpose and calling in your life. Imagine a world where every entrepreneur lived to please God.  I’m not saying everyone drops what they are doing to become a pastor.  No.  Right where you are, in your current industry, what if you worked to only please God. That’s my mission in life… showing entrepreneurs what it’s like to run a business for an Audience of One. I’m trying daily. #SharpenLeadership