In 2008, just 3 years after starting my partnership, I began my spiritual revolution.  I grew up Catholic, and after confirmation I really didn’t have much interest in church. Like most boys growing up in Miami, the girls and nightclubs are more tantalizing to our souls. But in 2008 a friend of mine invited me to a Christian non-denominational church and I was hooked! I started growing in my relationship with God. My heart was changing, my thoughts were changing, and the way I viewed people and my business were changing. I’d like to tell you that my partners were happy for me and everything was peaches and cream, but nothing could be further from the truth. Because I was walking in one direction and the other was walking opposite, making business decisions became challenging. I was serving a new CEO above me that wanted things to be different. To please my partners, I sacrificed my new thoughts in hopes of keeping the peace and moving forward. I convinced myself that when its business, God is out, but for my personal life, I was going to grow with God. Essentially, I was living a double life. Sometimes in partnerships we’re put into situations where one person is a believer and the other isn’t.  Or maybe it’s two Christians, but one isn’t walking as close to God as the other. We begin to experience moral and ethical problems.  Business is like a marriage, and being married to someone that’s reading a different book can be challenging! So where do we go from here? Certainly we don’t just bow out and give up the business, right? We can’t just sacrifice all we’ve done to create the business, correct? God’s ways are different, contrariant in nature. The opposite is true. In fact, God wants you to get deeper into the business partnership, but He wants it done out of sacrifice to Him. Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." This verse is TOP 5 verses of the Bible that I hold on to and live by every day.  Wherever we are at in our lives, God wants us to think like him and sacrifice the old ways in which we thought. The relational problems that arise from my business partnerships used to deeply trouble me until I wrapped my head around the concept of sacrificing everything I used to think in order to think like Jesus would. This helped me to see my partners not as ‘opposite’ of me, but as brothers that I love. You can choose to focus on your partners and the problems, or you can choose to focus on sacrificing your thoughts and replacing them with God’s thoughts. Let love shine through from God to your business, your partnership, your clients, your services, and your employees. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13, genuine love is all about giving of oneself. However, the pattern of capitalism in the business world is selfish. If we’re conformed to it, we might try “sacrificing” to gain something, be it happiness, acclaim, self-worth, or in my case keeping peace with my partners. But true sacrifice involves giving up selfish desire for selfless love. Sacrifice in business requires balancing our hopes of success and wealth with the understanding that those hopes are not the focus. True sacrifice involves a greater goal than we gain personally or relationally. As Jesus’ life demonstrates, sacrificing must be about living to serve God, even as we seek to serve our business partners and others for him. #WorkLifeBalance #SharpenLeadership #BusinessPartnership

In July of 2014, I installed an ‘INTRANET’ at my company. An intranet is a private network within my company. Only employees and contractors are allowed in. In this intranet, I talked about the mission, vision, and goals of the company.  We displayed growth stats, had courses my team could take, and dialog amongst each other.  It was also a mini social network of our own. Why would I build an intranet for my company? The primary reason was that I wanted us all to be on the same page moving into the future. I realized that the visions God gave me, he didn't give to the team. I’m supposed to interpret them and relay the message at the right time, in the right way. The second reason I built the intranet was to arm and equip my team with the knowledge, training, and resources to move into the future. This future would include battles…battles of distraction, competition, letdowns, employee turnover, and all other sorts of bumps that entrepreneurs experience. We, as business owners, are in charge of our team. It’s not about YOU anymore.  This is about your team. We will find ourselves in times of attack by the enemy, and thus our employees will too. Our first line of defense is prayer, of course. And when we're done praying, it's time we equip our team to defend and succeed! In the book of Nehemiah, we read that he's on a mission to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. We see a leader that knows how to equip his team, knows the importance of what this does mentally to His team and doesn’t just rely on his initial prayers. In Nehemiah 4:16-18, God’s word says: "From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me". God wants you to succeed. He is for your business! He’s looking for leaders that will equip their teams. If you’ll focus on covering your team in prayer, training them for success, and equipping them for battle, your business will be impenetrable to the forces that don’t want it to exist. Imagine a world where every company was led by a Godpreneur - an entrepreneur under the full authority and direction of God. I pray we all can become the Godpreneurs God has created us to be. #GainConfidence #WorkLifeBalance #AgencyOwners All my best, Alex Miranda Get to know me at www.alexmiranda22.com P.S. I did a Business bible study called 40 Days to Restarting Your Business, God's Way. Check it out: 40 DAYS TO RESTARTING YOUR BUSINESS, GOD'S WAY A business Bible study to help you rethink, reinvent, and restart your business, but this time, God's Way! We parallel Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall to your journey in rebuilding your business. Also, coaches and Christian business leaders, you can use, edit, and repurpose the teachings for your own tribe! Check it out.

Are you feeling discouraged that business isn’t going the way you wanted? Has your business turned into BUSYness, and you’re overwhelmed? You’ve assembled your team, you have a plan, but the enemy keeps attacking from different angles. He’s got your team discouraged, and the once excitement in Restarting the business has now turned to them being afraid. If this continues like this, the business will likely fail and everyone is looking for a new job. But that’s not the plan God has for you. God has plans for you to prosper and grow! In the Bible, the book of Nehemiah gives us entrepreneurs an amazing example of how to lead through a rebuilding project. At the beginning of the project, there is encouragement, excitement, team building, and overall great spirits for what God was doing. However, in Nehemiah 4, we see discouragement settle into what was once an exciting revitalization of the rebuilding of the wall. Nehemiah 4:10-11 says "Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”  Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.” Nehemiah's project is being threatened by exhaustion, discouragement, and an overwhelming feeling that this is "project impossible." And to make matters worst, fear has crept into their minds. Sound familiar? You’re not alone in your struggle. This is every entrepreneur's rollercoaster ride when rebuilding, and relaunching a business.  You’re always in one of 3 places: in the middle of a trial, coming out of one, or going into one. Right now you’re in the thick of it. Successfully Restarting a business - God's Way - means you'll be honoring God more in the marketplace, and that’s not something the enemy will allow easily. We need to hold on to God's promises. We need to not give in and not give up. We need to pray up and press on! Victory is ours because God said so! All my best, Alex Miranda Get to know me at www.alexmiranda22.com P.S. I did a Business bible study called 40 Days to Restarting Your Business, God's Way. Check it out: 40 DAYS TO RESTARTING YOUR BUSINESS, GOD'S WAY A business Bible study to help you rethink, reinvent, and restart your business, but this time, God's Way! We parallel Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall to your journey in rebuilding your business. Also, coaches and Christian business leaders, you can use, edit, and repurpose the teachings for your own tribe! Check it out.

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

One day, I had a new plan for rebuilding my company. I prayed about it, and now it was time to take action. I gathered up the people closest to me and formed a new team that would help accomplish the vision. What’s my vision? In a sense, it was the same as Nehemiah’s when he had the vision to rebuild the wall - I wanted to see my company rebuilt! Why?  Because God made me passionate about making sure people are living in the identity and purpose they were born for. I had a dream, a vision, a plan, and an unwavering commitment to seeing it through because this plan was coming from God. We’ve been praying and planning and plotting, now it’s time to set this business in motion. Nehemiah had a plan and there was no question that he believed it would succeed. Nehemiah 2:17-18 says "Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work." I love his commitment to the cause.  Here we find a man on a mission! Does your business feel like you’re on a mission from God to make it happen, or you’re just on a mission (Miami lingo for things not going as planned)? You need to gather the troops, unfold the plan, and get to work!  If they see that you’ve been called to do this, and if God has placed them there for you, they will give you a vote of confidence. If we’re all press play on the plans God has for us in living the identity and purpose we were born for, we as entrepreneurs will see more joy and happiness from what we do and there is nothing that will stop us. Get going with the plan! All my best, Alex Miranda Get to know me at www.alexmiranda22.com P.S. I did a Business bible study called 40 Days to Restarting Your Business, God's Way. Check it out: 40 DAYS TO RESTARTING YOUR BUSINESS, GOD'S WAY A business Bible study to help you rethink, reinvent, and restart your business, but this time, God's Way! We parallel Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall to your journey in rebuilding your business. Also, coaches and Christian business leaders, you can use, edit, and repurpose the teachings for your own tribe! Check it out. #WheretoStartFirst #FindMyCalling

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

We all have a “dream client” that we wish every client was like. It’s not that this client paid you the most, it’s that they were impacted and changed the most by the product or service we created. How can we bring more of these good-feeling situations into our businesses? We must decide on a niche. The best branding projects I’ve been involved in were the ones where I helped an entrepreneur discover what they were born to do, bring it to life, and help them tell the world about it. I’ve guided thousands of entrepreneurs on the journey of launching a business, but the best ones are when the entrepreneur feels a “calling” to create the product or service they envisioned. So how do I attract more and more “dream clients” to allow me into their business plans? All of us entrepreneurs are built by the same creator of the universe. And by design, God created us to come back and connect with Him regularly. This action of coming to God often is integral to the development of our entrepreneurial journey. I personally believe this “daily huddle” with God is where we business owners uncover and discover our niche. The desire for quality time with God, our CEO, is how we were built so we could receive His loving care and divine direction for our entrepreneurial calling. God built us GODPRENEURS to be restored by Him so He could reveal His ideas more to us. The bible says “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Getaway with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 MSG) Rest is what prepares the mind for the revelation. You’ll be able to decide on a niche more clearly when you are living freely and lightly. When you discover how to connect with God regularly, you live in a condition of abundance. You’ll be getting filled up, so you can turn around and fill others up. You’ll see that the people that start buying your products and services will all contribute to confirming your joy and happiness in a very specific niche. And when you’re feeling more of your joy, more often throughout the day, you’re able to have a better quality of life at the office, at home, and in your community. You’re able to give because you first received it. You’re able to love and serve on those who you were meant to do business with. You’re able to do what you were born to do. I have my personal brand, Daily Godpreneur, and I constantly come back to God and allow Him to guide my writings and teachings. In turn, I believe He brings me the people I’m supposed to do business with! He also inspires my marketing and advertising so I can attract even more followers. If we neglect the daily task of coming to our CEO (God) for our discovery prayer time, we’re missing out on His revelation. If we fail to learn how to meet with God in prayer and meditation, we operate in a condition of depletion and start to depend on our own energy source. And as a form of survival, we’ll try to take from everyone, rather than overflow onto a specific group of people – the ones God called us to serve. What’s Next? Make a list of everything you LOVE doing and are UNIQUELY gifted at doing. Avoid things you’re good at or obligations just because you wear that hat in the business. Keep it to your UNIQUE ABILITIES. List things that you would do even if you weren’t paid to do it. What moves your heart, calms your heart, or makes it beat faster because you’re excited to do that service or provide that product? What services do you provide that restores you, excites you, or connects you to God? What do you do at work that, after finishing, you think you yourself “Wow, that was a spiritual experience!” Once you have your list, narrow it down to the ONE PROBLEM you would do for the rest of your life. That’s your niche. #BuildMyPersonalBrand Deciding On A Niche In 4 Steps to Deciding on a Niche for your Business, join Alex Miranda as he guides you to launch a brand with intention and purpose and decide on a niche already. 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 always battling this conflict in my mind of wanting to help others but needing to make money for myself.  There’s also a battle of wanting to be this big celebrity authority, but still wanting to stay humble. We Godpreneurs that have a big message to share with the world can sometimes feel this conflict and it may hold us back from pushing forward with our cause. Many of you know, I read the Bible almost every morning to hear from God on what he wants me to do today and what message he wants for the Godpreneurs. Today I got a peak into, what I believe to be, the formula for achieving authority and potentially celebrity status in your niche, while doing exactly what we’ve been commanded to do. Ready?  I’m excited! But wait, to set this up, I have to share something amazing that led to this. My wife and I attend a marriage growth group (Bible study) where we’re reading Andy Stanley’s book “Staying in Love”.  Each week there are devotionals we are to do together at home to prepare for the following week. The morning of writing this blog, before opening the devotional, I prayed “God, speak to me today on what you want me to do and share.”  That’s my routine every morning:  coming to my CEO and asking what’s the plan for today. The devotional had me read Philippians 2:1-11, and that’s where and how I got the revelation I’m sharing with you today. I’m going to do something different.  I’m going to break this down in sections and explain each section from the point of guide to Becoming an authority. 1-4 "If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." If you pause there and give me your attention, there’s some amazing nuggets here. First, we can’t miss the fact that first, we must be following Christ.  He’s the ultimate example how how to rise to authority.  I can write a whole new book just on how, first, we must follow Christ in order to receive the true calling from God on what we should be becoming an authority in. Second, don’t be obsessed with making it to the top.  Instead, be obsessed with spreading your message and putting your tribe first.  Getting to the top will follow, as we’ll see in the next verses. 5-8 "Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion." There’s a powerful message here that I don’t want you to miss.  It’s easy to skip over this part. For some of us, coming to the realization that we have a message to spread to the world can be jolting because it requires us to remove ourselves from the day-to-day business, put others in charge, and set on a new course of learning and growing to becoming the best messenger we can be. Your identity is going to change, and this process won’t be as easy as you’d think. It was easy for Jesus because he knew he was God and he knew his role and he knew his purpose.  Most of us are timidly stepping into our roles as Godpreneurs, sometimes one foot in and one foot out. 9-11 "Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father." Here’s the last key, the promise from God that you want to hear:  “God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything.”  I believe that we’re all created in God’s image and asked to follow Christ because God wants to lift us high!  That authority you want, that celebrity status you seek…that’s God’s plan. But we can’t see celebrity as the Keeping Up with the Kardashians.  Celebrity comes as a result of following the order above.  Authority celebrity is your reward for a job well done, your service to God and humanity, your duty of accomplishing what you were born to do. #SharpenLeadership #BusinessBibleStudy Deciding On A Niche In 4 Steps to Deciding on a Niche for your Business, join Alex Miranda as he guides you to launch a brand with intention and purpose and decide on a niche already. 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 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

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 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

There’s a lot of areas in my agency where my team can make costly mistakes. A project manager can miss a due task date and delay a project. A graphic designer can lose a major change and mess up a client’s marketing campaign. A developer can forget a major update, and an entire site can go down on a client for a few days. When these mistakes can cost me a contract with a client, it makes my blood boil. My immidiate instinct is to raise my voice, blame, point fingers, and make the person feel the same pain I feel. I feel like FIRING THEM on the spot! Yes, my mind goes to these places sometimes. An error by someone on my team has cost me money and reputation points in the past. The scars of these past experiences have caused me to lash out at anyone that threatens my business and livelihood. Showing Mercy in Business As entrepreneurs will always be surrounded by people in some way, shape, or form. And these people will undoubtedly anger us at one point or another. People make mistakes. People don’t always follow instructions. People aren’t perfect, and when that imperfection affects a critical part of our business, we can’t help but put our defense mechanisms up. We have many people that could do us wrong in business. Vendors can not follow through with what they promised. Contractors can delay projects by weeks if they make a mistake. Employees can have a lapse in judgment and do something hurtful. Partners can selfishly betray us. Clients can say hurtful things. The great battle for us Godpreneurs isn’t avoiding sin, but instead, avoiding our sin in response to someone else’s sin. Our greatest struggle for holiness as Christian entrepreneurs is being able to be Christ-like, even when we’re wronged against in our business. How do we become the type of Godpreneurs that can handle the wrongs against us in a way that builds our businesses and breaks us free from the anger that could be holding us back from more in our businesses? God’s POV on Mercy In the most famous preaching ever given on the planet, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount lays out the eight beatitudes, which are qualities of the people that enjoy special favor from God. I believe these qualities are the keys to unlocking the next levels of achievements in our businesses. In the fifth beatitude, Jesus reminds of why mercy is so important for entrepreneurs to practice. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7 NIV) Mercy for business owners means treating the people we do business with better than they deserve. A type of mercy is forgiveness, and so is helping someone we’re not obligated to help. The reason Jesus says the merciful are blessed is that mercy is the entire reason for Christ’s incarnation, death, and Resurrection. It’s through Jesus that a business owner’s sins in business are forgiven, and he receives help by the gift of God’s spirit. 7 Practical Ways to Show Mercy Today Mercy can be very practical to you, especially as the leader of people. You’re supposed to help others attain their outcomes, regardless of how you feel about them. When you help a client, who you may not even like and who wronged you in the past, you are showing mercy and being the light of Christ in that person’s life. When you do this, you will be shown mercy. Although mercy sometimes feels like you’re losing or giving up a favorable position, you could have rightly taken, showing it benefits the outcome as a whole as well as the other person. Mercy is Being patient with a partner’s differences Helping employees around us that are hurting Giving a vendor a second chance Doing good to those clients who hurt us. Being kind to competitors who offend us Building bridges of love to prospects who can’t afford us Valuing relationships of strategic alliances over the rules of the marketplace When we Godpreneurs can create an environment of forgiveness, organizational performance improves. Why? Because people won’t feel like they walk on eggshells. When people are allowed to make mistakes, they take risks necessary to break through to innovations in business that will set the business apart. So, who do you need to show mercy to this week? A Prayer for More Mercy in Business Father, thank you for Jesus and the mercy You demonstrated for us on the cross by giving us your one and only Son so that we could have a life with You. Draw Godpreneurs worldwide into a deeper understanding of Your mercy. #StrengthenIntegrity

As a branding agency, my job is to launch people’s business ideas. Being in this position gives me a lot of influence in the entrepreneur’s life because what I say and do has a direct impact on the success (or failure) of the business. Understanding this power I have is really what’s led me for most of my walk as a Christian entrepreneur. Knowing that I could point someone in the direction of their calling – regardless of their faith – has driven me to study anything and everything the bible has to say on the matter of discovering people’s calling and launching THAT business for them. My insatiable desire to launch the “right” business for someone is what led me to create Launch in 2 Days, a groundbreaking way of bringing a brand to life in 48 hours or less. This is a true market-disrupter. The branding world doesn’t like me right now. Other people that do logos and websites aren’t really happy with me. Customers love it, but my colleagues are hating. Why? They mainly say that there’s no possible way to come up with a great brand for someone in such a short time. They say that you need time to massage a brand’s message and that creativity can’t be rushed. And while I can see the value in taking time for many things, and that rushing in some situations is terrible, the act of bringing someone’s calling to life is something that needs to be done fast because the devil doesn’t want that product or service to existing. See, I’ve made my Launch in 2 Days service a product that stands against Satan and his lies that keep entrepreneurs from doing what they were born to do. And because I’ve made the brand of my business something that opposes the forces of darkness in this world, therefore, I will be persecuted by anything and everyone around me that isn’t on my side. Haters Come with the Entrepreneurship Game We, Godpreneurs, will all be persecuted for standing up for what we believe in our businesses. The policies we implement, our plans, our prices, our products – it will all be used against us because we’re purposing to do God’s will in the marketplace. But how do we suffer well? How can we keep going when even the ones we love the most are against us? How can we keep fighting for what we believe is right, also when we’re alone in our battle? Welcome to every Godpreneur’s dilemma! And who knew this was going to happen even before we would suffer? Jesus did. In the most famous preaching ever given on the planet, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount lays out the eight beatitudes, which are qualities of the people that enjoy special favor from God. I believe these qualities are the keys to unlocking the next levels of achievements in our businesses. But the eighth and final beatitude is different than the rest. The first seven beatitudes focused on humility, meekness, right relationships, mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking. These were all positive qualities. But Jesus foreshadows the possibility of “persecution for righteousness’ sake.” The bible says, Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10‭-‬12 NIV) Jesus knew that if you follow the first seven beatitudes, you’ll see your life change and achieve more. But because you’ll see more success, you’ll also see persecution. Haters will hate because the forces that oppose God’s ways in the business world still hold great power in the marketplace. It sounds contrarian, but Jesus is talking about the blessing of being persecuted for doing right in business! Why There’s Persecution in Business But why would you be persecuted for righteousness? The reality is many will reject us Godpreneurs because we’re in a fallen world! Jesus points out that any entrepreneur who announces God’s kingdom through their brand will be persecuted (Matt. 5:11-12). As Godpreneurs, we may be subjected to active, even severe persecution if we stand up against injustices in the marketplace. For me, I feel it’s an injustice for a branding agency to launch an entrepreneur’s business just because they pay me, and not take into account if this business is even the business they should be going into. Others in my industry disagree, and that’s when I get persecuted. The good news is that my clients don’t mind it at all. Once I explain my logic to them, they agree with me! And because my clients agree with me, they bless me with their business, and I keep on doing more launches! Bring On The Haters Our blessing is that active persecution for the right reasons is an indication that the powers of darkness believe we are succeeding in furthering God’s kingdom! In other words, more suffering and persecution means we’re on the right track! Hallelujah 🙌 Imagine if we all had the courage to look our haters straight in the eye and love them even more because they are helping us live out all of the qualities described in the beatitudes in our marketplaces. Jesus, I pray for the courage to run my business in humility, meekness, right relationships, mercy, and purity of heart. Please give me the strength to be a peacemaking Godpreneur who hungers for righteousness and answers the call to reflect your kingdom’s values in my marketplace. If I am persecuted for these things by my partners, employees, clients, or anyone I do business with, may You be my comfort. #SharpenLeadership

"Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." (Proverbs 3:9-10) When you tithe, you are showing God that we have our priorities straight in our finances.  You are letting Him that you and your business are committed to keeping the lights on at HIS place of worship – your church.  What God uses your business supports your church. The reason I bring up the tithe as a “membership fee” is so that you would possibly think differently about it.  You’ve probably heard the pastor at your church give all the various verses of tithing, but maybe nobody’s ever put it to you in this way. Personally, if I want to make a change of habit in my life, I have to think differently than I did before to jolt my brain into a new pattern. The same way we put aside money to pay for critical things like rent, cell phone, and car, we need to plan for the tithe in our financial budget. It should be a line item expense that we can’t operate our business without paying. Godpreneur Money Rule #16: Godpreneurs honor God’s plan and purpose for tithing. We allow God to use our business to support our church and it’s growth. #BusinessBibleStudy #BecomeDisciplined #GodpreneurAcademy The 19 Rules of Money Management for Christian Entrepreneurs This course will help you develop a better sense of money management God’s way. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

I 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