I was reading Psalm 37, and it dawned on me that God was juxtaposing two different people throughout the chapter: the wicked vs. the righteous. Many times in business, we come across entrepreneurs who know how to make money, drive nice cars, and spit a good game when you first meet them, but then they turn out to be big a-holes (that's "asshole" for those that don't know). We need to study Psalm 37 closely for two reasons. So we know who we are NOT to become (or, for some of us, what we need to change from) So we know who to AVOID doing business with (or be aware of the ministry work you might be jumping into) The Bible describes them as wicked because they are far from God. Today, we wouldn't necessarily call them wicked. I don't use that word a lot. Instead, we call them business owners who are dictators, pompous, selfish, arrogant, prideful, narcissistic, and more synonyms in that line. I've been in the situation of avoiding these wicked-type entrepreneurs. However, I've also been in a situation where I simply can't avoid them - God put me there to show them about Jesus and potentially guide them to righteousness. Let's dive in and study the New Living Translation (NLT) of Psalm 37. I will use my #GodpreneurMethod and insert business terms using (parentheses) within the verses so the chapter becomes personal to our entrepreneurial experience. Don't Envy A-hole Entrepreneurs. (From Psalms 37:1‭-‬6) Don’t worry about (bad Entrepreneurs) or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good (in your business). Then you will (run businesses) safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your (Godpreneurial) heart’s desires. Commit (every business dealing) you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your (brand's cause) will shine like the noonday sun. Don't Be Angry at A-hole Entrepreneurs (From Psalms 37:7‭-‬15) Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act (in your business ventures). Don’t worry about evil (entrepreneurs) who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm (for your own business). The (arrogant entrepreneur's business) will be destroyed, but those (Godpreneurs) who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Soon the (narcissistic business owners) will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. The (God-First entrepreneurs) will possess the land and (run businesses) in peace and prosperity. The (dictatorial-type entrepreneurs) plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. The (terrible business owners) draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right. But their swords will stab their hearts, and their bows will be broken. Don't Desire the Riches of A-hole Entrepreneurs (From Psalms ..37:16‭-‬19) It is better to be (a Godpreneur) and have little than to be (an evil entrepreneur) and rich. For the strength of the (terrible business owner) will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the (kingdom-minded marketplace leaders). Day by day, the Lord takes care of (upright business owners), and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in (economic depressions) they will have more than enough. Don't Be Stingy Like A-hole Entrepreneurs (From Psalms 37:20‭-‬24) But the wicked (entrepreneur's business will fail). (Businesses in opposition to God's purpose) are like flowers in a field— they will disappear like smoke. (Evil business owners) borrow and never repay, but (Godpreneurs) are generous givers. Those (Godpreneurs) the Lord blesses will (be industry leaders), but those he curses will (have failed businesses). The Lord directs the steps of (God-First business owners). He delights in every detail of their (companies). Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Don't Chase Fantasies Like A-hole Entrepreneurs (From Psalms 37:25‭-‬29) Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet, I have never seen (Faith-driven entrepreneurs) abandoned, or their children are begging for bread. (Godpreneurs) always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing. Turn from evil and do good, and you will (thrive in your marketplace) forever. For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly (business owner). He will keep (their business) safe forever, but the (employees) of the (selfish business owner) will (be out of work). The godly (entrepreneur) will (receive more share of the market) and will (thrive) there forever. Don't Scheme Like A-hole Entrepreneurs (From Psalms .37:30‭-‬33) (Godpreneurs) offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. They have made God’s law (the way they run their business), so they will never slip from his path. (Terrible business owners) wait in ambush for (righteous entrepreneurs), looking for an excuse to (ruin) them. But the Lord will not let the wicked (entrepreneurs) succeed or let (Godpreneurs) be condemned when they are put on trial. Don't be a Rebellious A-hole Entrepreneurs (From Psalms .37:34‭-‬40) Put your (business hopes) in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you (success in your industry). You will see (terrible businesses) destroyed. I have seen wicked and ruthless (entrepreneurs) flourishing like a tree in its native soil. But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them! Look at those who are honest and good (business owners), for a wonderful (entrepreneurial) future awaits those who love peace. But the rebellious (business owners) will be destroyed; (their businesses) have no future. The Lord rescues the (Godpreneur); he is their fortress in times of (business) trouble. The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him. To learn more about the #GodpreneurMethod of personalizing Bible verses to amplify their meaning for your business, take my YouVersion bible plan called "A Christian Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Growth." #GodpreneurMethod #AgencyOwners

I’ve been married since 2011 to my beautiful wife, Stephanie. The courting, dating and engagement season of our life was awesome, full of excitement and anticipation for the day we would be married. My plans for marriage were that we would immediately begin to conquer the world together.  I had plans for us to be a “power couple”, on fire for God, plowing through the stages of early marriage and reaching levels of love that take other couples decades to achieve.  I was ambitious, to say the least. Needless to say, you know where I’m going with this story. If you’ve been married for 1 day, you probably had a good laugh reading the last paragraph 🙂 Ok, I admit that I had NO CLUE what I was getting into. The only thing I knew is that God had amazing plans for us, but I wasn’t anticipating for what God had in store for the beginning of our marriage. Most of us want to rush into things, conquer like a warrior, and ask questions later. We entrepreneurs, especially, want to skip over the “lessons” of life because…well…we have to make money don’t we?!?  If not, it’s back to a 9-5 job. But God is never in a hurry; He knows that beyond us DOING something, we must BE something for Him – so He takes time out to conquer us (from the inside out) spiritually before we can conquer our business goals under His guidance. In Joshua 4:1-9, under the guidance of God and the leadership of Joshua, Israel was now on the other side of the Jordan – in the Promised Land. But what is life in the Promised Land like? Is it one glorious vacation time after another? No; for Israel it was a place of battle, but most of all, it was a place of trust – they knew they had to trust God with every thing they had, because the challenges only got bigger in the Promised Land – but so did the blessings. When Stephanie and I got married, it was amazing to see what God did in both of our lives to bring us to that day. Much like the miracle of the Jordan drying up for crossing….me….Alex Miranda….getting married…that was a miracle considering the life of 10 years of nightclub promoting I did in Miami. I really did naively think that life was going to be peaches and cream getting married. But what I’ve come to realize is that my marriage, the battles I’ve faced being married, are all making me HOLY because God is DOING something in both of us…cleansing us spiritually so that, one day, my dream of this “power couple” can come to life. Your business and it’s growth into new products and new markets isn’t an exception to God’s way of making us “holy” and “consecrated” for His work. Think about this: if God has big plans for you to conquer and grow your business in amazing ways, why would He do that without making you an amazing leader first? You don’t grow big AND THEN become a great leader and entrepreneur.  No, first God wants to set you apart, work on you, make you amazing, then go with you battle by battle. The Conquest of Canaan by Joshua took 6 years from B.C. 1487 to 1493. If we Godpreneurs are just entering new markets of growth, except for God to be working on you for a bit. For how long? That’s what God is asking you….how long will it take you to become everything God wants you to be? It’s up to us. #MarriedEntrepreneurs #WorkLifeBalance

When I read in the Bible about the "uncertain" times the people of God went through - every famine, every economic downtown, every plague, every disease - God sustained what they went through because they put their trust in him. When your trust is in the Lord, you and your business are secure. It's easy to trust God when everything is good, the client list is growing, employees are happy, and all is going according to plan in our business. Friends at church ask us, "how's business," and we jubilantly reply, "God is good, I’m just trusting the Lord, everything is amazing!" However, it's a whole different ballgame to trust God when things are not so good in our businesses. You see, to trust God along your entrepreneurial journey means you have to allow Him to do what He wants to do, even if He fails. But wait, God fails? That's the point - He’s God, and he doesn't fail. We must trust God enough to let Him succeed - on HIS terms and way. HIS time, not in my terms, way, or timing. To trust God in entrepreneurship is to say, “I´m going to let you do what you want to do through my business, Lord. I’m not going to argue with you, I’m not going to complain, I’m not going to resist your calling, I’m going to let you do what you know is best, and I’m not going to fear the outcome." We've heard Psalm 23 a hundred times, but we mostly associate it with a funeral. I want you to think about it now, as I read it, from your business struggles perspective. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want." In other words, God will take care of all my needs if I'll just trust Him. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." It continues later in the passage, "and even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me." How many times have you felt like quitting your business? "God, you called me to this, I know, but this is hard! I'm almost out of funds, my entire 401K I've put into this venture! Why Lord do you have me in this toxic business partnership, Father? You called me to be a guide and light in my partner's life, but I'm feeling used and abused!" The Bible says it like this in 1st Peter 4, verse 12, it says "Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you." "In the world, you will have tribulation," that's John 16:33. However, 2nd Corinthians, chapter 4, verses 17 and 18, says this trouble in our business is temporary. The verse reads, "For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long." Listen, Godpreneurs, the struggle is not going to last. Our temporary and momentary financial fumble will not last. And if we switch our mindset to this kind of trust in God, this act of faith will achieve for us an eternal glory that far outweighs all the troubles combined. So, we focus NOT on what is seen (which are the problems in our business ventures), but on what is UNSEEN, for what is seen is temporary! What we see isn't going to last, so God is asking us to take the focus off our problems to focus on what is unseen, which is trusting in the calling He has for our entrepreneurial path, which is eternal. #EnhanceFocus

Sometimes, when you’re following Jesus, He leads our businesses right into a storm. Remember in the New Testament, the two times when the disciples found themselves in their boat in the middle of a storm. They thought they were going to die both times. They were in trouble, and not because they were doing things wrong. They were in trouble because they were doing things RIGHT. They were following Jesus. They were obeying what He told him to do. They were following His directions and His directions lead them right into a storm. Think about this: if the disciples had not been in those storms, they would never have discovered truths about Jesus. There were things that they say about Him they had never seen before. They could never have learned these miraculous signs any other way except by going through the storms they experienced. Always look for God in the way things are and not in what you hope they will be. Look in the way things are. See, God's not waiting for you on the other side of the trouble. He's not waiting for you to figure it out and eventually find your way through. No. Psalm 18:2 says the Lord is your shield, the power that saves you. God, in the middle of your storm, is walking with you, shielding you while working His way and His will. But you’ve got to trust Him in it. So, when God says, "do you trust me in the storm of your business situation," well, then, you have a decision to make. Will you allow him to do what he wants to do and not fear the outcome? Because to fear the outcome says, "Lord, I don’t quite trust you." Will you allow God to do what he wants to do in the storm and not fear the outcome? Finding Stability During the Storms During turbulent times in business, it's important to find stability by focusing on what never changes. Don’t focus on what's changing because we don’t know where everything will end up. So, on what unchangeable truths are you focusing? Well, focus on these Biblical truths. God sees everything you're going through in your business (Proverbs 15:3). God cares about everything you're going through on your entrepreneurial journey (Luke 12:6); God sees, and he cares. God has the power to change what you're going through in your ventures (Numbers 23:19); leaders have been holding on to that truth for thousands of years. He has the power to answer prayers (1 John 5:14); that’s unchangeable no matter how toxic your business partnership has gotten. God always acts out of his goodness to me (Psalm 34:8). That’s never going to change, no matter what the financial situation is in your business. God is always going to act good to me and see me through it. God’s plan is always better than my plan (Jeremiah 29:11); I may not see it, but it’s better because he’s a good God. God will never stop loving me (Zephaniah 3:17). That’s never going to change in your life. These are things we need to focus on while in the darkness of despair that we sometimes find ourselves in as entrepreneurs. Stay locked in on the things that never change: God’s love for us, God’s grace for us, God’s goodness for us. Godpreneurs, remember this: no matter what I go through, God will go through it with me. Every failed venture, every critical phase of business development, every HR crisis. No matter what I go through in my company, God will go through it with me. You will never be alone in Godpreneurship; God is running the business with you. He’s in the trenches with you right now. God has never been closer to you than He is right now. He'll never be further away than He is right now. And remember the great promise of Isaiah 43 verse 2: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." (Isaiah 43:2 NLT) That’s what you want to focus on! Maybe a little less listening to your fears and a little more listening to God. This will give you confidence in your company. This will provide you with stability in your sales. This will replace your financial panic with prayers of provision. This will replace your worries with worship. This will replace your anxiety with adoration. You have to believe that God knows what is best for your business and that he will not abandon you. He will not let go of you during this slump. This trouble will not destroy you. You have to take Him at His Word when He says, "I will never leave you or abandon you." You have to take Him at his Word when He says, "I take all things and work them together for your good." The seed of spiritual faith planted in the soil of entrepreneurial adversity, under the watchful eye of the gardener, will bring forth life and beauty in its season. The Bible says that God makes all things beautiful in their time. Your business is no exception. The trouble that you are in will not last. The turbulence will not last. It is light and momentary compared to the eternal glory that awaits you. It's all about your perspective; how you see your business’s trouble is how you will face the trouble. If you see it in fear, you’ll face it in fear. If you see it in doubt, you’ll face it in doubt. If you see it in faith, you will face it in faith. So don’t see terrible times as the end. See it as the beginning. You have to look through the eyes of faith, through a lens of expectation. Remember this: it's not the end of the story for your business because we don’t know what the future holds! However, we do know who holds the future. We don’t know how it will go ahead; however, we’re not frightened by it because we know the end of the story. We know that God is in control of our entrepreneurial journey. We know that God is not surprised by this situation, that God is bigger than this, and Romans 8:28 is still true: all things work together for the good of Godpreneurs who love God with a business calling according to his purpose #TrustOnGod

Waiting in business is like the weight room in a gym. You hit the weights to grow muscles to be stronger in the future. Leg days are painful, even for a few days after. But after some time, you are more physically fit. Similarly, we Christian entrepreneurs need to stay in our wait room: the W-A-I-T wait room. In the waiting season, we need to keep a good attitude. Keep growing spiritually and dig deeper into our business gifts and talents; learn something new. And after some time, you are more spiritually fit. You need to keep passing the "wait test" of what God has for you. It could be taking longer because the vision is much bigger, and the outcome is much more rewarding than you thought. You'll look back and see what God did in and around you, and you'll say it was worth the wait. When you see the right business partner come into your life or a better client than you could have dreamed about, you’ll say it was worth the wait. Psalm 37:3 says, "Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Verse 7 continues, "Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act." The Lord will give you the land when you’re faithful in the waiting room. As you don’t get impatient over past-due accounts receivable, and you don’t get frustrated by investors closing their doors. When you don’t live jealous of other entrepreneurs because you’re traveling steady and honoring God, it means that you don’t have to make things happen with your strength. We don’t have to manipulate vendors or try to force the doors to open a potentially lucrative client. God will give us the contract. God will bring us the employees. I pray this message encourages you to keep on waiting for God to move that mountain; he’ll do it again for you. God is working. #WaitingOnGod

Have you ever wondered why some entrepreneurs become successful, and others don’t? Well, who hasn’t? The problem is, we often assume that successful business owners have something we lack, be it extraordinary talent, money, and connections, or simply a lot of luck. And sure, these things might help – but they’re not what success is made of. Instead, success in entrepreneurship is the result of resilience: the ability to face criticism and rejection in the marketplace when pursuing your goals. So if resilience is the key, then for us GODPRENEURS, what does the Bible say about resilience? Resilience is the biblical norm for Christians. The Bible contains many admonitions to press on (Philippians 3:13–15), overcome hardship and temptation (Romans 12:21), and persevere in the face of trials (James 1:12). It also gives us numerous examples of people who suffered greatly but continued to follow God’s plan for their lives. Proverbs 24:16 could be seen as the theme verse for the resilient: “Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” For GODPRENEURS, we have an unfair advantage because we're already taught to choose to trust in the Lord rather than rely on what we understand. This is the best way to practice, perfect, and stay resilient. 💪 #DifferentiatingMyself #EnhanceFocus

When I’m doing a job for a client, sometimes I hire subcontractors to speed up the process and get the work done by a specialist. These contractors are, mostly, partnering with me for a short period of time on a project. They would be considered temporary business partners. There have been a few times that I haven’t been satisfied with their work. I take responsibility for things I didn’t do, and I try to move on so we can keep doing a great job together. But I don’t always entirely move on. A little piece of the mistake they did lingers inside of me and carry it on to the next project. Partnerships are hard because we’re stubborn people and we like to hold on to grudges, past hurts, and mistakes, even after a sincere apology. Genuinely forgiving an apologizing business partner is hard work. Why is it hard for us entrepreneurs to move on when we’ve been wronged in the past? Here’s a short list of maybes We think the apology isn’t sincere, probably because we, ourselves, have been insincere apologizing to someone in the past Since this probably isn’t the first time the partner wrongs us, we see a trend, and we’re wary of the sincerity Are we enabling more of the mistakes when we forgive? Let’s be honest, staying angry gives us a Dog I the next big showdown. We can bring up the past hurts as evidence for negotiating things the way you want them. Your hurt becomes an asset. But God says there’s a better way for us. The Bible says “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). When you hold on to anger, it poisons your soul and the soul of the business. You end up telling other partners or employees, and it begins to create a culture of hostility. The toxins marinating inside of you will even affect your own roles and responsibilities to the partnership. I know when I hold on to anger, I’m not able to see the very gifts and values for my business which I hired that subcontractor for, and it keeps me from seeing his efforts to make things better and grow in his craft. So, how do we break it? How do we let go? We remember the massive debt that Jesus paid to forgive us. It pales in comparison. If we are unforgiving, we risk God doing the same on something for us. In His holy sanctification, God will do whatever He needs to do to make us more like Him. Godpreneurs let unforgiven go and let God change our hearts so that our businesses can grow. #BusinessPartnerships #BusinessBibleStudy Finding Purpose In Your Business Partnership Instead of reading the blog posts, take the video course!  I personally teach you the method.  You get: Workbook 3-Video Teachings Access to dozens of courses in the Godpreneur Academy! Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

The business partnerships I’ve been in were hard because it involved two selfish people trying to build something together. At some point, when the new car smell wears off from the partnership, either my partner or I would begin to feel the sting of not getting something our way. My partnerships became especially harder the closer I drew to God. My partners weren’t on the same spiritual growth path. As I learned about being less selfish over time, their human nature was to continue to look out for themselves. Nothing terrible ever happened, but nothing good was happening either. Lucky for me the partnership dissolved in peace and we’re all friends, but I still wonder what we could have been if we all were a little less selfish. We entrepreneurs don’t need to read a book about being selfish. We were born with that, and our good parents were supposed to lovingly (hopefully) guide us towards a life of sharing, caring for others more, putting others first, being sensitive to other people’s needs, etc. But when our parents leave, and we’re on our own, who’s there to continue to guide us away from the software that’s forever installed in our brains? If we don’t get the selfishness under control, the natural stresses of business will cause such a great pain of loss and rejection that partners quit with the attitude of “I have to take care of me for a change.” “It’s my time now.” “I need to be looking out for number one.” This is precisely the opposite thinking that we need. So how do we remove selfishness from ourselves? The Bible says: "Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others". (1 Corinthians 10:24 NLT) You and your business partners will drive each other crazy because you don’t notice the things that are important to one another. What you do and don’t do can make blood boil inside. You’ll be fighting a natural software installed in your mind. You’ll have to uninstall the software daily, only to realize the next day that the software has automatically established itself again. It’s a virus, and there’s no cure for viruses. We can only suppress a virus. We Godpreneurs do it by choosing to draw closer to Jesus daily. It’s not that we need to be less selfish in our business partnerships, it’s that we need Jesus more in our own lives. This will suppress the virus to the point where it could possibly lie dormant for the rest of our lives if we get really good at making Jesus first always. When we draw closer to Jesus, His ways rub off on us, and we begin to show Christ-like-behavior: “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24). We Godpreneurs can triumph on our partnerships even when the other partner isn’t showing the same level of Christ-like behavior. We just have always to be thinking, “What does he or she need?” instead of, “Here’s what I want.” It is part of the awesomeness of putting God first in your business that when we put our partners first, our own needs get met too. #BusinessBibleStudy #BusinessPartnerships Finding Purpose In Your Business Partnership Instead of reading the blog posts, take the video course!  I personally teach you the method.  You get: Workbook 3-Video Teachings Access to dozens of courses in the Godpreneur Academy! Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

The business partnerships I’ve been in are hard. Looking back now, I can see that a lot of the problems stemmed me coming into the venture full of pride of ownership and pride of the gifting and/or financial contribution I was bringing to the table. So when things didn’t go right, my pride would puff up and I would begin to criticize, point fingers, play the blame game, and deflect the conflict back at my partners. Oh, and forget about me ever saying “I’m sorry.” (laughing out loud). Now I’m different. I’m a Godpreneur in various business Partnerships with other Christians and non-Christians. I’ve learned that apology is the cure for pride. Apologizing to our business partners is hard work. Saying I’m sorry and changing our business behaviors is even harder, and what makes it so hard for us is pride. Being in a partnership always to some degree involves each person fighting for control. It’s like being in the longest game of tug of war where the only way to stop struggling is for someone to fall. When our behaviors in the business partnership are driven by pride, we want to win every argument about money, always be right about a client. If we see difficulties in the operations is our partner’s fault, we bring up our partner’s admitted shortcomings of the past, and explain away or deny our own sins and weaknesses that we brought into the partnership. We need to change our mindset entirely on this partnership dilemma. Partnerships can be the very thing that God’s put into our lives to continue to mold and shape us into the likeness of Christ, thus becoming the best Godpreneurs possible. We need other people’s input and critique to know how we sound, how we look, how our actions affect other people in the business. In humility, we need to realize that we aren’t quite as brilliant and tough as we think we are. The Bible says: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you” (Romans 12:3). When your business partner has an issue with something you did or didn’t do, develop the habit of stopping for a moment and asking yourself “How did I contribute to this issue?” The golden nuggets you’ll discover will propel you and your business to heights you could have never imagined. Then, just say “I’m sorry, you’re right, I could have done XYZ different, and I’m taking responsibility for that.” Easier said than done, but imagine if we all operated from this mindset of self-reflection and personal responsibility? Wow! Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs say I’m sorry and take responsibility to grow in our partnerships. #BusinessBibleStudy #SharpenLeadership #BusinessPartnerships Finding Purpose In Your Business Partnership Instead of reading the blog posts, take the video course!  I personally teach you the method.  You get: Workbook 3-Video Teachings Access to dozens of courses in the Godpreneur Academy! Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

As a Cornell graduate, I held myself to a high standard in business. Admitting that I did something wrong would be counter-intuitive because…well…Cornell guys don’t get things wrong. Right? This is precisely the attitude that landed me in problems with my partners. My pride and self-righteousness led me to believe that I had it all together, and this was the picture I wanted everyone to see. Why would any of us openly admit our wrongdoings in business, especially the ones we can hide? We confess because denial thwarts transformation. If we value the appearance of success and wholeness over the real deal, our image becomes everything. But if we’re serious about wanting to have a dynamic business partnership, we have to move through that resistance and become transparent truth tellers. The Old and New Testaments communicate that God hates lying (Exod. 20:16; Prov. 11:1; Eph. 4:25; Col. 3:9). In James, we read "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." James 5:16 NLT I wasn’t taught this value when I was growing up. Instead, I was shown that you avoid conflicts at all costs, retreat and hide when arguments arose, and come back together later when cooler heads prevail and forget things happened. This is why early on in my partnership, I felt no conflict by denying that I didn’t have the accounting all figured out when confronted by my partners. I wasn’t stealing, I just had no clue how to read and interpret financial statements to help guide our decision making.  As a Cornell graduate, I couldn’t admit that. Truth is, I hated my financial management classes. I’m confessing this now…but back then I was singing a different song. Regardless of why we choose to dodge the truth, lies are lies. They deaden our consciences, prevent our partners from knowing us, and provide no impetus to stop sinning. Confession takes truth-telling up a notch. Rather than waiting for your partners to ask if you finished the accounting reports, spent several hundred dollars out of the budget on an unnecessary expense, or not follow up with a big potential lead and subsequently lose the business, you forthrightly admit it—humbly and nondefensively. It’s really quite simple. As the apostle James advises, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). By design, confessions mortify us. We hate having others see our less-than-perfect selves. When we openly confess our broken thoughts and actions, we allow God to create a crack in the false images that we’ve worked so hard to perfect. This crack ruins the veneer but also allows forgiveness and grace to seep in. #BusinessPartnerships #BusinessBibleStudy

When I first stayed my agency with my partners, the agreement was to split the company 3 ways. We’d each get 33%, which in all of our minds meant that we’d each put in equal parts work. Seems fair, right? The problem is that we each have a different definition of work and value, therefore there is no equal scale to evaluate sweat equity work put in. This expectation isn’t real, and it led to many disappointments and struggles in my business partnership. When we experience disappointment in business and it’s no one’s fault (such as a hurricane or loss of contract due to a client closing their business), we generally get upset and figure out how to move on. It’s the disappointments that point back to our unrealistic expectations for each other that tend to be stickier. These hard-to-shake disappointments can sometimes be described as disordered attachments—misplaced desires that compete with God for our heart. By following the thread that runs through our disappointments and our persistent anger, we can uncover their origin. My business partners and I have had our share of sticky disappointments; that’s part of what broke us up in 2013. When we got together to create our agency, naïve optimism overshadowed the reality that one of them was ambivalent if we grew or not, the other had a very short fuse, and neither liked doing the sales. That same optimism obscured the reality that I struggle to need them, I am too quick to judge, and prefer doing the selling! These partnership speed bumps were definitely not marked with fluorescent orange paint or signage of any sort. After we twisted and turned and experienced whiplash on the roller-coaster of entrepreneurship more times than I care to admit, it began to dawn on me that perhaps I needed to find a more productive, less destructive path through my disappointments. I asked probing questions such as, What if rather than blaming each other for our disappointments, I confessed my failures and owned my areas of weakness? What if I looked at the disappointments to discern if they revealed any egocentric expectations, disordered attachments, or misplaced hopes? Once I stopped avoiding these seemingly problematic feelings and started investigating them, something shifted. We’ve all been to weddings and heard 1 Corinthians 13 over and over. Did you know that this verse was not written for husband’s and wives. It’s for all of us. You love your business partner, right? I do. Not the same love as my wife, but brotherly love. Now read this verse with them in mind: "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance". 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7 NLT Again, this verse was written for all of us. We just have been acclimated to attach it to married couples. Rather than continuing to blame my partners for my disappointment, I started asking God to help me do three things: repent of any unfair expectations appreciate my partner’s strengths, and develop reality-based expectations. Of these three objectives, developing reality-based expectations has been the most difficult. My unrealistic expectation of everyone working equal amounts died a slow death because I clung on to it. Clinging is a form of denial that masquerades as hope. We persist in clinging because it gives us something to hold on to and allows us to sidestep the hard work of changing what we have control over: ourselves. You are learning to let go of your unrealistic expectations by choosing an internal posture of holy resignation. Practically speaking, holy resignation means accepting and loving your business partners without demanding that he or she change, resisting the vortex of despair and blame, and standing in faith that God will complete a good work in the business—regardless of current circumstances. Imagine if everyone in the partnership had this holy resignation? Businesses that we do business with would produce a great experience because there would be this culture of love and respect that would start at the top, permeate through the employees, and make it down to me and you – the consumer. #BusinessBibleStudy #BusinessPartnerships Finding Purpose In Your Business Partnership You and your business partner are unique individuals and God is creative in the way He wants to use both of your gifts together. 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*

Three years into our business, we had one of the biggest fights of our partnership. Though we were not conflicted rookies, the intensity and stickiness of our anger unnerved us. It was as if this single event somehow epitomized every deficit in our partnership. Month after month, we hunkered down in our workstations and shot nasty emails at each other. This unproductive and childish behavior went on for much of our partnership until we finally went our separate ways. It’s only in hindsight, and with the wisdom, I’ve picked up from years in the bible, that I now know where we went wrong. Without being aware of it, we had been minimizing and avoiding our disappointment and anger. As a result, we never learned what these feelings were trying to teach us and endlessly looped around the same half-dozen fights. Sound familiar? In the context of business partnerships, if we find ourselves disappointed and angry, we have four options: divest and/or quit, pretend that everything is fine (which is dishonest), try to change our business partners (which never works), or ask God to use the anger and disappointment to transform us so we can love our business partners independent of their behavior. If we want our partnerships to thrive, we really only have one choice. How do we arrive at that final option? The bible says: "Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs". (Proverbs 19:11 NLT) First, you need to make a paradigm shift. We often assume that disappointment and anger indicate there’s something wrong with us, our partners, or our businesses. Such conclusions may cause you to feel shame and to pull back from the full intensity of the partnership, to get along with only the basic requirements. In order to give more of yourself rather than pull back, you need to reframe anger and disappointment as holy invitations rather than dire pronouncements. When we can look at our business partnership and see that it’s really there, as iron sharpens iron, to make us holy, not happy. It’s another way God consecrates us to himself. Partnerships are preparation for our face to face with God. If all Godpreneurs had this mindset, then, as we press into these disquieting feelings and conflict in business, we can accomplish three important objectives: discern what drives them, decipher the message they intend to communicate, and develop reality-based expectations. #BusinessPartnerships

The year was 2007 when I started my “revolution of the mind.” This was when I became aware that personal development was an integral part of human living. I was learning so many fascinating things about myself and the fact that I could change certain thought patterns and be a different person through the transformation. I was so excited that I tried to bring my business partners alongside the personal development track with me. I figured out that if we all did it together, we could be better people and thus the company would also grow. Makes sense, right? The problem was that they didn’t agree with me. It didn’t hit them the same way it hit me, and by them rejecting it, I felt they were rejecting me. This rejecting led me to treat them bad, look down on them with disdain, and snap at them in anger for anything they did wrong. We all have expectations of being on the same page when we get into business with others. But what happens when our expectations are shattered and what we thought would go one way, goes the opposite way. Our wounds, personal preferences, and internalized cultural values not only inform our beliefs and actions, but they also become the foundation for many of our expectations. As we enter into business partnerships, we have dozens of unspoken expectations for the small, seemingly incidental details of business together (e.g., who cleans the bathroom?) as well as the major, significant components of business (e.g., who will be in charge of accounting?). Sometimes we’re not even cognizant of our expectations until our business partners fail to meet them. Sometimes an expectation emanates out of our wounds, which makes it more difficult for us to identify the expectation, let alone discern what drives it. Though I had legitimate reasons to be frustrated at my partners’ ambivalence towards personal development, their offense was a level three (out of ten—not that big a deal) and my response was a level eight (in other words, out of proportion). This disparity clued me into the possibility that maybe this dynamic was uncovering a historic wound. When we have the same conflicts over and over again with our business partners, it’s likely that there’s something deeper going on that will provide an opportunity for healing if we can stop reacting and start exploring what’s driving our broken patterns. That was certainly true regarding our ongoing discord about personal development. When I was twelve, I remember my mother listening to tapes of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I don’t remember my dad listening to it. I do remember my dad reading his Bible when I was small, but that stopped. What I remember was my mom wanting to grow and my dad just focused on doing his job in the military. During my middle and high school years, I saw my dad slip into a fixed mindset while I saw my mom showed me about having a growth mindset. There was an obvious connection between what I saw as a child and my strife in business. My business partner’s uncaring attitude with personal development uncovered my unresolved pain and amplified my unprocessed anger. My response replicated my family of origin’s patterns and certainly did not help my partners feel good about being in business with me or grow in their personal development skills. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. Today, I would do things differently. The bible says: "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you". (Ephesians 4:31‭-‬32 NLT) "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you". (Philippians 4:8‭-‬9 NLT) "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love". (Ephesians 4:2 NLT) When you don’t feel like doing any of the above bible verses, that is a sign that there’s something deeper. You need to be aware of this and start jotting down some notes on your phone or in a journal about what’s going on. Try to remember something related in the past. We all WANT great partnerships, and most of us are willing to put in the work to make it right, especially since our lively hood and financial stability is at stake. If we can all become aware that our expectations could be trip wires, and if we can train our minds to react as Christ would in a business partnership, we could be one step closer to experiencing great business partnerships. #BusinessPartnerships #BusinessBibleStudy Finding Purpose In Your Business Partnership You and your business partner are unique individuals and God is creative in the way He wants to use both of your gifts together. 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 have a vision board that I look at almost every day. I love this exercise because I get to envision what I want my life to look like. I can add, remove, rearrange, and re-engineer my life whenever I want. This board fuels me. I get to see where I want to go visually. Sure, it gets frustrating sometimes when I haven’t achieved something on my board yet, but its purpose is really to FUEL me to become a better version of me. Envisioning our ideal business partnership and God’s purpose for it can also fuel us to become all He intended for us and our business. As partners, we must ask ourselves what we really want for our partnership. What’s the perfect vision of our joining together for this venture we’re in? It’s an easy question to ask, but difficult to honestly answer. Why? Because the answer is often buried under a whole bunch of other fake answers. Here’s what our vision is NOT: what others expect or desire for our business partnership what our parents, kids, or pastor wants for your venture what we want to want what we know we should want what we feel obligated to provide for our partnership Now that we know the answers we DON’T want to cloud our minds with, we can approach the question with an open and prayerful heart: what does God want for our partnership? The Bible lets us know that it’s possible for us to know what God thinks. And yes, even though his ways are higher (Isaiah 55:8-9), we see a counterbalance back to let us know we can get the vision too. The Spirit of God guides and empowers our business thoughts to align with His (Romans 8:11). God’s Spirit convicts and corrects us when our businesses get off track (Psalms 32:8; John 14:26). Godpreneurs have the mindset of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and when we seek Him first in our business partnerships, He gives us the desires of our heart (Psalms 37:4)—the things our business is passionate about when surrendered to our Creator, actually come from Him. Those passions and the goals you already envision for your business partnership reveals His purpose. The most important question you and your partner need to sit down and ask yourself to be successful is: As partners, what do we really want for our season in business together? Imagine where business partnerships would be worldwide if we all started with asking ourselves what the ideal partnership would be and God’s purpose for it. If we did this, the vision would help fuel our partnerships to become all He intended, and the marketplace as a whole would have better products, services, and people. Godpreneur rule: Godpreneurs intentionally set aside time to dream together as partners. #BusinessPartnerships #BusinessBibleStudy Finding Purpose In Your Business Partnership You and your business partner are unique individuals and God is creative in the way He wants to use both of your gifts together. 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 business partner and I have great chemistry together because we both are on the same page about a few critically important areas of our business. First, we both give to the church. Second, we both have the same calling of helping people and companies figure out what God created them uniquely to be and do in the marketplace. Third, we believe every business has a way to put God first in the way it operates. If we’re going to succeed in a business partnership, finding and maintaining common ground will be paramount to the success. It’s ok to be different in so many areas, but how we approach the business spiritually, financially, and emotionally needs to be in common. When entrepreneurs can’t agree on financial principles together, like where you cut cost and where you spend money, it can be a significant source of frustration. When the two partners don’t see the importance of each other’s spiritual growth as paramount to the entire business, then the business won’t grow as fast as it could. God wants us as Godpreneurs in business partnerships to make a commitment to build on a shared vision and move toward a common purpose. When we do this, our businesses embrace God’s big purpose for our joining together in the venture. The Bible says "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil". (Ecclesiastes 4:9) When you and your partner start a business together and share common goals, the reward is better because you’ve built your business on the common ground. When the forks in the road of business success come, you guys won’t be easily divided in the direction you’re headed in because you’ll share a fundamental common ground. Do you want to experience perfect oneness in your business partnership? The more of these “common ground examples” you share, the better the partnership’s purpose can shine You do most important things together like big meetings, tradeshows, and networking events. You share traits in common, like cultural or past experiences You both teach and instruct together about your services, products, and the brand message You impact others together so greatly that you gain respect and favor from everyone you guys meet Do you want to grow together, spiritually, with your business partner? Then each of you needs to: Individually decide to connect with God every morning Go to church (doesn’t have to be the same church) so you each can keep knowing God more Make time to connect with God, together. My business partner and I have lunch 2-3 times per week, and we purpose to take the conversations to God and let Him speak to us at this time. Do you and your business partner want to know the secret to being on the same page financially? This one starts with realizing the entire reason the business exists is that it’s a gift from God. When you walk around your business with a mindset that everything comes from God and belongs to God, you’re able to make wise decisions in the direction of your purpose. What this mindset does is alleviate the pressure of ownership and positions us as caretakers over God’s property. He’s the CEO, you’re both co-Presidents that have been hired to run the business His way. It’s His purpose, His mission, His vision, and you both steward the financial profits towards His desires. Just ask your partner: “God, what do You want us to do with Your profits?” We’re all busy. Entrepreneurs especially. There’s a lot we do and oversee. We have packed calendars. But as Godpreneurs in a partnership, we need to connect together and commit to fellowship. Our families should be hanging out together, we should be growing together. If we want blessings, significance, purpose, and connection in our partnerships, we need to build on common ground—spiritually, financially, and emotionally. If we can, we will indeed see that two is, in fact, better than one. Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs build on common ground with our business partners to better expand business and influence together. #BusinessBibleStudy #BusinessPartnerships Finding Purpose In Your Business Partnership You and your business partner are unique individuals and God is creative in the way He wants to use both of your gifts together. 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