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- Why Your Character Defines Your Success in Business
This article explores how Christian entrepreneurs can approach personal development from a biblical perspective, emphasizing the Holy Spirit's role in producing Christ-like character traits and the importance of forming Christ-like habits through sanctification. Back in the 90s, I used to watch a show called "The Real World." Seven to eight young adults are picked to temporarily live in a new city together in one residence while being filmed non-stop. In the first episode of each new season, these perfect strangers would all meet for the first time. Everyone was polite, happy, well put together, and well-mannered. However, as each new episode came out, everyone's "true colors" started to shine. As the show's tagline famously said: over time, people stop being fake and start becoming real. The same thing happens to us in business. Partnerships always start out amazing, then someone's true character comes out, the relationship is tested, and most of the times, it dissolves. New employees begin working and everyone's on their best behavior at the beginning, but after a few months, big character flaws start to show up and one or both sides become dissatisfied. How come the behaviors exhibited at the beginning of a relationship don't always match up with the true character of a person over time? When author Stephen Covey wrote his best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he was on a quest to truly understand the nature of success when he came upon this same behavior vs character phenomenon. He discovered that, generally speaking, there are two ways to strive for improvements to your life: Change a Behavior Experience a Character Change The first method is to work on the skills necessary for the behavior you desire. For instance, if you want to win more clients or have greater influence over employees, you might work on skills like memorizing people's names or remembering to show more appreciation. The author calls this method the "personality ethic." Despite its sounding like a solid path for growth as business leaders, it’s actually just a shortcut. The personality ethic lets us avoid working on the fundamental character traits that are holding us back in our business growth, promising that some easily learnable technique will be the silver bullet for all our problems. Unfortunately, this promise is usually empty, and it almost never results in lasting personal growth. The author stresses that the second method is far more effective: working on your character – that is, the fundamental habits and belief systems that form your view of the world. Only behavior stemming straight from your character will endure over time, because, sooner or later, your true character will shine through. Mr. Covey calls this the "character ethic," and it emphasizes things like courage, integrity and the golden rule. For example, if I have a problem with always being late to meetings, dropping the ball on projects, and never finishing what I start, then people aren't going to trust me and I'll have a difficult time succeeding as an entrepreneur. I can try techniques like setting my alarm for meetings or the Pomodoro technique for working on projects, but my real problem is that I have integrity issues. Unless I work to become a person of more integrity, I'll always suffer from certain personality flaws. The personality ethic vs character ethic answers the question of how entrepreneurs could start out being so nice and perfect in a relationship, and then become jerks over time - it's because, eventually, a person's true character will show. The author concludes if we really want to change, we need to work from the inside out - we must focus our personal development work on our character. What Does this Mean for Christian Entrepreneurs? The good news for us Christian entrepreneurs is that this is exactly how God designed transformation to come about in us. God isn't interested in a few temporary behavior changes, he's looking for us to make total character changes - a transformation of the mind. It is not through our works, our goodness, or our own self-righteousness that we are reconciled to God (Ephesian 2:8-9). We cannot clean ourselves up (behavior ethic), thinking somehow our works will earn us favor with the Father. The Pharisees tried, but Jesus condemned them (Luke 11:37-44). So how does one go about working on character changes? How do you improve integrity, dependability, kindness, empathy, or courage? How long does this take? When do you know you've changed for sure? First, let's be clear that it's the Holy Spirit's job to produce Christ-like character in you. The Holy Spirit produces character traits that are representative of Jesus. The apostle Paul referred to these characteristics as the fruit of the Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23, NLT) This process of changing us to be more like Jesus is called sanctification. You can't reproduce the character of Jesus on your own or by your own strength. New Year's resolutions, willpower, and best intentions are not enough. And it doesn't happen overnight and there is no magic pill. It takes faith alone - for the rest of our lives. So how does God use the Holy Spirit to work on our character? You do it by forming Christ-like habits. Over the next series of posts, we'll explore this through the author's identification of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Stay tuned.
- Children's Devotional: Employee vs Entrepreneur
Parent Instructions: If you're teaching your child entrepreneurship or doing a business together, read this devotional to them. I wrote this to teach my son, Aiden, about budgeting. Aiden and I have a snail shell air plant business together. Employee vs Entrepreneur Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Aiden who loved to collect snail shells. He enjoyed painting them and using them to make cool decorations from scratch. As he grew up, Aiden had to make a decision about his future. He could either become an employee, or he could become an entrepreneur. One day, Aiden went to visit Papa Jose, his wise old grandfather who was known for giving good advice. Aiden asked his papa, "What should I do with my life? Should I be an employee or an entrepreneur?" His papa smiled and said, "Aiden, both being an employee and an entrepreneur are important in their own way. As an employee, you can learn to be responsible and follow instructions, like me and your grandma. And as an entrepreneur, you can learn to be creative and take risks, like your Dada." Aiden was a little confused, so his Papa continued. "God has given us all gifts and talents to use for His glory. It doesn't matter if you are an employee or an entrepreneur, you can always serve God and help others. The Bible says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."God has special plans for you and wants to see you happy and successful. So, why don't you pray and ask God what He wants you to be?" Aiden prayed and thought about what his Papa had said and decided to become an entrepreneur like his Dada. With the help of his dad, he started his own business and used his love for collecting empty snail shells to make unique and beautiful creations. His business was a great success, and he used his profits to save money for Nintendo games, give to God, and help those in need. Years went by, and Aiden became known for his kindness and generosity. People would often ask him how he was able to be so successful, and he would always answer, "God's plan for me is to serve God and use my gifts for His glory." And so, Aiden learned that it didn't matter if he was an employee or an entrepreneur. What mattered was that he served God and used his talents to make a positive impact in the world. The end. PRAYER Dear God, thank you for loving me and having special plans for me. I trust in You and know that You want me to be happy and successful. Help me to have hope and a bright future. Thank you for always being with me and guiding me. BIBLE VERSE "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) BIBLE APPLICATION God has special plans for you and wants to see you happy and successful. He wants you to have hope and a bright future. Just like a loving parent who has a plan for their child's future, God has a plan for you too, and it's always good! You can trust in Him and know that He loves you and wants the best for you. #childrensdevotional #kidpreneur Follow me and Aiden here: Etsy TikTok @aidenjamils Instagram @aidenjamils
- Children's Devotional: Writing a Business Plan
Parent Instructions: If you're teaching your child entrepreneurship or doing a business together, read this devotional to them. I wrote this to teach my son Aiden about budgeting. Aiden and I have a snail shell air plant business together. Business Plan for Success Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Aiden. Aiden loved to ride his bike with his dad to a secret lake to find and collect snail shells. They would bring the shells home and spend hours painting them all types of cool colors and doing different arts and crafts with them. One day, Aiden decided that he wanted to start his own business finding and selling snail shells. He was so excited to get started, he went out and collected a whole bunch of shells without giving much thought about how he was going to make it happen. As he began to work on his snail shells, he realized that he needed a plan. He didn't know how much to charge for his shells, where to sell them or even how to ship them to people who lived far away. Aiden felt overwhelmed and didn't know what to do. He remembered a lesson his Sunday school teachers taught him about Proverbs 16:3, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." And he knew he needed to pray and ask God for guidance. Aiden sat down and wrote a business plan. He listed out his goals and objectives, the supplies he would need, and the steps he would take to make his business a success. He also set aside time to pray and ask God for His guidance and wisdom. With his business plan in hand, Aiden was able to organize his thoughts and put his ideas into action. He was able to make beautiful snail shell air plants that people loved, and he was able to sell them at fair prices online and through stores in his neighborhood. His business was a great success, and he was able to give back to God, his community, and save up for stuff he wanted. Aiden learned that just like a roadmap guides us on a journey, a business plan guides us on the journey of growing and managing our business. And with God's guidance and wisdom, we can make our dreams a reality. PRAYER Dear God, Thank you for giving us the ability to think and create. Thank you for the gift of writing and the ability to put our thoughts and ideas into a plan. We are grateful for the opportunity to work hard and be successful in our business ventures. Help us to use our talents and resources to bring good to the world and to those around us. Amen. BIBLE VERSE "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." (Proverbs 16:3) BIBLE APPLICATION If we pray and ask God for guidance in whatever we do, he will help us with the plans and help us achieve our goals for our lives and make our dreams come true. With God's guidance, we can make our plans a success. #childrensdevotional #kidpreneur #proverbs Follow me and Aiden here: Etsy TikTok @aidenjamils Instagram @aidenjamils
- Children's Devotional: Budgeting, God's Way
Parent Instructions: If you're teaching your child entrepreneurship or doing a business together, read this devotional to them. I wrote this to teach my son Aiden about budgeting. Aiden and I have a snail shell air plant business together. Budgeting, God’s Way Aiden loved to buy Nintendo games and candy, but he always seemed to run out of money from his business before the end of the month. His dad noticed this and decided to teach him about budgeting. First, he showed Aiden how to make a list of all his business and personal expenses, such as toys, candy, Nintendo games, business supply costs, and giving to God and charities. Then, he helped him figure out how much money he had coming in from his snail shell business. Next, he taught him to separate and save for his expenses by making an envelope for each item on his list. Like, he had an envelope for God, for charity, for vacations, for toys, and Nintendo games. Finally, he showed him how to make sure he put money in each envelope and save up enough money until he had enough to buy what he wanted. From then on, Aiden always made sure to budget his the money coming in from his business. He was able to give to God, buy the things he wanted, and save up for vacation money! He learned that budgeting is important because it helps you make sure you save up money for the things you need and the things you want. Just like Aiden, we all need to learn how to budget our money so we can make sure we have enough for the important things and still have some left over for the things we want. PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for the blessings of money from our businesses and all that it can provide for us. Help us to be wise stewards of all that you have given us. Amen. BIBLE VERSE: Luke 16:10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” BIBLE APPLICATION: Talk to your kids to explain that budgeting is taking care of the money that comes in so that God can trust us with more! Follow me and Aiden here: Etsy TikTok @aidenjamils Instagram @aidenjamils
- The Cure for Selfishness in Entrepreneurship
Have you ever had an incredibly selfish business partner? I have, and it's a terrible relationship to experience. This person only lived for himself. Whatever decision was made for the business, it was made with only his interests taken into consideration. The very few times he "seemed" to help someone else, it was because he had something to gain from it. To him, every relationship and move was transactional, and I was sitting front row to experience it all. Imagine being a Christian entrepreneur like myself and getting into business with someone like this. The entire time I thought about how self-destructive his behavior was and how opposite we are in business. I would see how he talked to contractors, employees, vendors, and even his business partner, and I would cringe. It was the opposite of a peaceful working environment. Ultimately, the business fizzled away in less than four months, and we went our separate ways. After dismantling the business, I saw this person sink into the darkest depression and extreme debt. It was painful to watch because I truly have a love for this person. I genuinely wanted to see him grow and succeed as an entrepreneur. He has great potential. We've all experienced someone like this in business. Whether it was a client, employee, or business partner, we've come face to face with this kind of selfishness, and it's terrible to be around. Some of us have even been this selfish person. I know I used to approach business selfishly. We all fall into one of three categories. Like my business partner, we operate a completely selfish entrepreneurial lifestyle, A growing Christian that is leaving a selfish lifestyle and the Holy Spirit is taking over, or A mature Christian who walks a Holy Spirit-led entrepreneurial journey alongside Christ for the glory of God. How do we change from putting ourselves first to becoming the loving, Christ-centered Godpreneurs we are created to be? I believe we all start selfish until the true work of the Holy Spirit begins to change us. God's word holds the key to achieving selflessness in business relationships: we must serve one another as if we're serving Jesus. The Bible says "Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21) Ephesians gives several practical ways Christians can express being filled with the Spirit. In verse 21, Paul brings out another, which is mutual submission. Submission in the context of a Christian's business relationships includes the idea of putting others, and their needs, above yours. This is not for personal benefit but somewhat out of "reverence for Christ." When you serve employees, clients, and business partners, you serve the Lord (Matthew 25:35–40). It's a mutual submission because you submit to both simultaneously. This approach, however, stands in stark contrast with worldly marketplace wisdom. I suspect because money is involved, the principle is often taught to put ourselves first or help others so that you can benefit. Yet Paul offers us, Christian business owners, a higher and better way, noting that our service to others is service to the Lord. This is an essential principle in Godpreneurship. This is an integral part of kingdom-driven leaders following the example of Christ, who submitted to the will of the Father and gave Himself as a sacrifice for us. Imagine if we all accepted the open invitation to have Christ's attitude towards others in the business world - LOVE! Prayer for Today Lord God, we thank you for sending your son Jesus to save us. Jesus is the example of life, and we want to lead our businesses with the same attitude that He did. We want to empty ourselves and humbly obey You until the end. Fill us with Your love, Lord. Give us Your eyes to see our employees, clients, vendors, business partners, and even competitors the way you do. Give us Your ears to hear them. Give us your heart to love them. In the name of Jesus, amen. #DifferentiatingMyself
- 3-Part Formula to Becoming a More Grateful Entrepreneur
Today, I want to talk about how important it is for entrepreneurs to develop an attitude of gratitude. Many of us think naturally grateful people were born with it - like it's a DNA trait. That's wrong. Gratitude is something that is cultivated over time through the Holy Spirit, and I'm going to explain precisely how it happens. I was always jealous of people that were cheerful, joyful, encouraging to others, and outwardly grateful in life. Usually encountering them in church, I had convinced myself that they were born with this, that this is THEIR spiritual gift, and I'm just not wired that way. For me, I had to set reminders on my phone to remember to show appreciation to my employees. Yup, I'm that guy. However, as I grow deeper in my relationship with God, I become more grateful to God and appreciative of those around me. It's becoming more natural for me to be thankful. As entrepreneurs, we're part of many communities, and as Christians, our public testimony must reflect God to others. It's our responsibility to live and operate well in our work atmosphere, industry circles, and social environments. Becoming a grateful Godpreneur is not only a good idea; it's BIBLICAL. How did I go from not showing gratitude to waking up every morning and starting my business day in gratitude? The Bible says Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20) In verse 18, Paul instructs believers to be controlled by the Spirit. He frames this in contrast with being controlled by alcohol, naming drunkenness as something Christians are to avoid. Verse 19 offers several expressions of being spiritually filled. Verse 20 now adds another expression: an attitude of universal thanksgiving. Being controlled by the Spirit includes gratitude. The Spirit-filled Christian entrepreneur is a person who is regularly thankful for what God has done in his or her business and personal life. There's a 3-part formula to becoming a consistently grateful entrepreneur. COMMUNITY: Recognizing you don't operate the business in a silo. Instead, you work and transact in a community and recognize that your overall attitude affects others positively, negatively, or neutrally. HOLY SPIRIT FILLED: Realizing that what you fill yourself with will eventually pour out into that community. For example, if you fill yourself with alcohol, your attitude and behavior will change however alcohol affects you. In the same way, being filled with the Holy Spirit would change your behavior in a more Christ-like way. It's your responsibility to choose wisely. GIVING THANKS TO GOD: Develop a habit of praising God for everything He's doing in your business. I underline habit because we have to attach it to things like waking up in the morning or going to be at night. The habit mechanism is key. When we are grateful to God for all things along our entrepreneurial journey, we always remember in our hearts the benefits He has given us. As business leaders influencing others, when we appreciate each other, we reinforce the value of gratitude. When we share our gratitude to God with employees, clients, business partners, and other entrepreneurs, we glorify His name, and this is a testimony for others to come to know the God of wonders in whom we believe and serve. Imagine if all of us Godpreneurs glorified God through our thanksgiving. Just as kindness breeds kindness, gratitude breeds gratitude and improves business life! Prayer for Today Lord God, how grateful we are to You for everything. You present us with business and teach us how to operate it well. We want to make the most of the time you give us on our entrepreneurial journey, always with our hearts grateful because great things YOU do for us, Father! We praise you, Lord. In the name of Jesus, amen. #DifferentiatingMyself
- The Role of Wisdom in Christian Entrepreneurship
My branding agency does brand management for charter schools. We have year-long contacts with schools to do all their graphics and help with marketing. During our monthly meetings, they tell us all the things that have been planned, and my team helps them bring those visions to life. Meeting clients to learn about their needs and asking questions about their community helps give us insight and wisdom in helping guide their brand's growth. We business owners need to frequently meet with our clients or customers to gain wisdom and knowledge about their needs and wants. Having a relationship like this with our customers feeds us the ideas we need to innovate and provide better solutions for the marketplace. In the same way, God wants us to meet with him frequently so that He can give us the wisdom and knowledge to be better business owners in this world. How often are you meeting with God? How often are you stopping to analyze how you're living your days here on earth as an entrepreneur? Ephesians 5:15 warns us, "Look carefully, then, how you walk!". The Bible not only warns us but also guides us on how business owners should live: "not as unwise but as wise." You may ask yourself, "What does it mean to be a wise business person? What does it mean to live and operate our company as a wise man?" The Bible has a clear answer: "understand what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:17) In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul urged readers to recognize God's will. He speaks about God's will throughout the letter. Paul saw himself as an apostle by the will of God. All believers are adopted as sons through Jesus by His will (Ephesians 1:5). God's revelation contains the clear will of God. Those who study God's Word will become familiar with God's perspective on life's issues (2 Timothy 3:16). For Godpreneurs, this shows that when we seek to understand the will of God for ourselves and the companies we start, we seek to live and operate like wise businessmen or women! God is the creator of wisdom. When we know God and have a relationship with Him, it's natural to invest time in learning His teachings and seeking to know and practice His will for our entrepreneurial journey, which is good, perfect, and pleasant. Today, the invitation remains: Be intentional in how you live and operate your company. Ask God for wisdom and seek to understand His will for your business life. Prayer for Today Lord God, we thank you for being so generous and deliberately giving me the wisdom I need to live a good business life. Today, we choose to live as wise Godpreneurs, and we ask for Your wisdom. We want to know and live Your will for us because I know it is good, perfect, and pleasant. In the name of Jesus, amen.
- How Do I Know If My Business Pleases God?
I want to talk to you today about running a business that pleases God. In business, we're taught to constantly be testing products, examining customer response, and measuring profitability so we can please others. We know what pleases our investors is more return on investment. We know what pleases our social media followers by measuring the likes, comments, and views. We know what pleases our customers by their willingness to buy more and pay more. So often, measuring and testing, and examining business initiatives allows us to make wise decisions and so to run healthier, more flourishing entrepreneurial lives. However, when we are so focused on measuring and testing everything in business, we end up valuing the things that we can easily measure - and not valuing what we don't measure. The danger here is that we could be so focused on getting the numbers right that we forget about the most important kind of test: does this decision please God? This happens to me with this blog, Daily Godpreneur. In the monthly operations of this business (yes, this is a business), my team and I can easily place a high value on those things that are easy to measure and see. How many website visitors did we get this year versus last year? How many blogs did I write this month? How many minutes do I spend writing each day? How many people took my YouVersion devotionals this month? How many followers do we have on our social media platforms? How do I appear to others around me? Do people look up to me and praise me? These things are easy to test, and so my team and I value them. The danger is that if I get into the routine of measuring these numbers, I might not pay attention to something else the Lord wants me to see. We all have metrics to measure our effectiveness and success in various ways in our businesses. However, we must ensure those numbers don't become the idols that could lead us instead of God leading us. What we should do is start the other way around. We should first work out what matters and then test our businesses against what matters. But that’s the challenge. What does matter? What are the standards we should test our God-first businesses by? In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul tells us Godpreneurs to test our Christian walk. Paul gives us a standard - a measure - to use when doing that testing. But the measure he gives us is not something we might naturally use in our day-to-day business operations. The Bible says Test to see what is pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:10) Paul brings up two themes in this brief verse. First, a Godpreneur is to be discerning. Romans 12:2 says, "that by testing you may discern what is the will of God." Second, a Godpreneur is to please the Lord. Christian business owners can't be "people-pleasers," though we are to serve the marketplace well. We are to live to uplift and serve others. However, the Kingdom entrepreneur's ultimate aim is to please God, not people. Do your products or services please the Lord? Does your social media please God? Do your operations please the One who allows you to run a business in the first place? Will hiring that potential employee please God? Does that new revenue stream opportunity please the Lord? “What is pleasing to the Lord”: this is the standard and mindset you run your business by. This is the measure that gives value to everything in your God-first business. And this is what you need to scrutinize and examine your decision-making by — not what is easily seen or even measured in your accounting or marketing reports, but what is pleasing to the Lord. WHAT IS PLEASING TO GOD? How, then, do we know what pleases the Lord in our business today? Paul always instructs his readers on how to live out the Christian faith. Ephesians 5:1–21 has priceless instructions on how we Christian business owners can operate in a God-first manner in our respective marketplaces. Rather than imitating the business world or being controlled by worldly success, Godpreneurs are to be filled with the Spirit. Specific flaws like sexual immorality, crude speech, and wasting of time are discouraged (we've all seen publicly what it looks like for a celebrity or successful business owner to have his or her entire business life fall apart by some kind of scandal). Instead, believing business owners should submit to one another out of respect for Christ, providing a powerful witness to the world. In a nutshell, this is what will please God. However, I'm going to apply the Godpreneur Method to Bible verses so you can do your own research on what will please God in your business. Again, I've edited these verses to apply to MY business life, and you can do the same for yours: These verses are examples of the standard of what is pleasing to the Lord in the day-to-day operations of our business. HOW TO TEST EVERYTHING In light of the standards that please God laid out by Paul, we are also instructed to TEST everything about our business ways and leadership style. We don't just test ourselves by what people can see or easy to measure; we test things by what is pleasing to God in all areas of our business. And my blog is called DAILY Godpreneur because the testing we must do is….DAILY! Every morning, I'm in the Word, thinking and deliberating and scrutinizing my entrepreneurial walk. I'm reflexing on myself and the way I lead, and I'm asking the hard question: what does the Bible say about (insert problem here)? How do you think I've written over 800 blog posts? I'm deliberate about testing. I'm committed to operating my business under God's will - what is pleasing to Him. We all need to understand that reading the Bible every morning has a very important result relevant to Ephesians 5:10 - we're testing what is pleasing to God in our businesses and not letting these things remain unexamined. And our search isn't just about whether things are effective or productive for our business, or even whether they are personally fulfilling. The questions to ask are: Are they good? Are they right? Are they true? What is pleasing to the Lord? Imagine if we all had the confidence that God would work in our business lives, helping us to become more and more who we are in our respective marketplaces: a new creation before him. And as all of us are changed and transformed along our entrepreneurial walk, there’s something we're all doing collectively and daily: testing to see what is pleasing to the Lord. Questions What areas of your business life are pleasing to the Lord? What areas are not? Bring these things before God. How can you arrange your life so that you are regularly taking time to examine your life and to test to see what is pleasing to the Lord every morning? What needs to happen so you can become a daily Godpreneur?
- Why Copying Successful Entrepreneurs Can Make You Worst Off
I want to talk to you today about being careful who you imitate in business. It's natural for us to imitate. We've been imitating our parents since birth. We have our parent’s nature, their behavior, and their actions. Chances are you walk, talk, and do things like your parents. Imitating is a survival mechanism we can't unlearn; we'll always imitate. The question becomes: once we leave our parent's home and start to do life on our own, who will we imitate next? When I started my first business in 2005, I imitated some of my "seemingly" successful clients in their leadership styles and ways of doing business. My parents weren't entrepreneurs, so I was learning to do business alone. As social media grew and access to content on YouTube and online courses became more prevalent, I started imitating entrepreneurs worldwide and learning from their tips and tricks. Then, in 2008, I started going back to church and deepening my relationship with God. As I grew in my faith, I noticed that some of the things I learned from so-called business gurus weren't always in line with God's ways. Even strategies and tactics I learned from clients and associates that I admired turned out to be somewhat contradictory to the ways I was learning in the Bible. As success-driven entrepreneurs, we're always looking for an edge in business, so we're out there at conferences and webinars learning the latest in sales, marketing, leadership, and every other topic in business. And while most of it is practical information we can apply in our businesses, we must be careful to separate the content from the person and not fall into the trap of idolizing and imitating the teacher. As followers of Christ, we are to become imitators of God alone. Our parents did their best to be an example because they knew we would be imitators of their ways. And now that we don't live with our parents - by design - God is now in their place to become the example of how to live and run our businesses. In his letter to Ephesians, Paul calls on the children of God to be imitators of Christ. The Bible says Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; (Ephesians 5:1 AMP) Paul commands those who follow God to imitate Him. This means striving to do as He would do. Paul also explains the mindset which ought to motivate Christians towards obedience. Believers in Christ enjoy a Father-child relationship with God. A child naturally seeks to copy what he or she sees in a loving father. Believers in Jesus are to likewise copy what they learn about God. Your entrepreneurial journey is meant to bring you near your Heavenly Father so that you might learn His ways and become more like Him. How do you learn His ways? You can’t imitate a person you know nothing about, so you must learn all you can about the Lord from His word. As you run your day-to-day business operations, you must put into practice everything you continue to learn about Him. You are to do the things you see Him doing, and you are to avoid the things He avoids. You are to be like God in every respect in your respective marketplace. In reality, God is commanding you to do something impossible on your own. Left up to yourself, you could never be an imitator of God. You simply cannot imitate God through your own power. While we Kingdom-driven leaders can’t be holy on our own, as redeemed children of God, we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to live like Him at the office, act like Him in meetings, walk like Him along our entrepreneurial journey, and talk like Him to all the people we do business with. God has empowered us and enabled us to live holy lives and operate God-first businesses for His glory. We aren't imitators of our parents or some New York Times best-selling business guru; we are the sons and daughters of God. We have been redeemed by His grace, adopted into His family, and partakers of His very nature. If you’ve been idolizing or imitating someone else in your business life, pray to God that you will learn to become an imitator of Jesus Christ - like beloved children who are ever near the parent, learning, observing, and growing. Imitators of Christ can turn the business world upside down for His glory!
- Why I Decided to Stop Drinking with Clients and Employees
As a former nightclub promoter, I'm well aware of the culture of alcohol as a social lubricant. Not only was I a party promoter, but my branding agency also serviced nightclubs, bars, and strip clubs with graphic designs and websites. However, when I came into a relationship with God, I realized that alcohol had a way of changing someone's mindset to the point of total disregard for sober decision-making. I had to flee from everything where alcohol was involved. I couldn't take my employees out to the club. I had to cancel my yearly trips to Las Vegas. I didn't want to promote that lifestyle to my friends, family, co-workers, business partners, or clients. In short, I didn't want to influence those around me to drink and party anymore. Instead, I wanted to be Jesus to those around me and promote a Christian lifestyle free from alcohol. How can we operate as Christians in a business world that promotes happy hours, trips to Las Vegas, and alcohol-induced outings as we network and strike deals? As Godpreneurs, we can't say that we do not care what others think about how we operate our businesses and live our personal lives. That would be rather selfish on our part, as we do not exist alone in this world, but we share our lives with employees, clients, business partners, and the marketplace around us. As followers of Jesus, we are called to love our neighbor. Our intention should be for God to think good things about how we conduct ourselves as Christian business owners, but there is no way to please Him without loving people. How do Christian business leaders living in the world show the most love? God's word says we must learn how to live well in our business communities. Paul's letter to the Ephesians has guidelines for living a wise life in our community. The Bible says: "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart." (Ephesians 5:18-19) Paul's intent is not merely a reference to alcohol. Anything that can control, harm, or hurt a Christian needs to be handled with extreme care. Paul's positive alternative to being drunk is to "be filled with the Spirit." Just as drinking a great deal can cause a person to be controlled by wine, focusing on the Spirit can cause a person to be filled or controlled by the Spirit. What does being filled by the Spirit look like? It doesn't seem to be some highly charismatic display of emotion. Instead, Paul says to share psalms, sing, be thankful, and submit to one another. Ultimately, being controlled by the Spirit is living in a manner worthy of God's calling. Godpreneur, it is far better for you to enjoy God's presence than earthly pleasures. Instead of taking clients out to drink or getting drunk with co-workers at happy hour and doing what leads to depravity, you should come together to enjoy God's presence to bring God's love. What does this look like in the practical sense? I went with my partner to pray over the new construction of a client's building I prayed over an employee's move to a new country I ministered to one of my employees about her marriage I went to the movies with the men from church (which included clients of mine), and we enjoyed ourselves without alcohol As Christian leaders, we need to be filled with what brings life and strengthens our faith. The Holy Spirit will help us walk our entrepreneurial journey with Christ and lead those around us to walk with Christ. #DifferentiatingMyself
- How Christian Business Owners Make the Best Use of Their Time
Today, I want to talk about how we should operate in our businesses, making the best use of our time. If God (your CEO) came to you every hour of your business day and asked what you were doing, what would be your response? Trivial pursuits or Kingdom building actions? Sometimes I catch myself in the middle of the day checking my social media for fun or reading the news. There's nothing wrong with the technology of catching up with friends or current events. I had to ask myself: what's my purpose for checking into these platforms? Am I going into "zombie mode" and escaping my work, or do I have a Kingdom purpose for checking into my phone? We all have certain "time-wasting" habits that we've baked into our business days. Whether we recognize them or not, they are there. Some of us are working to eliminate them; others struggle to know where to start. The opportunity to waste time versus making good use of our time leaves us with a choice: we could choose to disconnect from God's mission and purpose for us, or we could spend time on personal development, building our Kingdom businesses, and/or developing relationships with others. The Bible says, "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.(Ephesians 5:15-16) After Paul instructs us to live a life of wisdom, he continues with a command regarding how we utilize our time. This could be thought of as "making the most of every opportunity." Paul was familiar with the perspective that each day could be his last. He had been beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, and imprisoned, not knowing if he would live to see another day. In addition, he taught Christ would return at any moment. He felt believers should live holy lives and share the gospel in preparation for our inevitable departure. Paul also notes another purpose for believers to make the best use of time: the time he lived in was rampant in sin. Just as Noah lived a godly life before judgment, Paul urged his readers to live holy lives in obedience to the Lord, knowing the evil days they lived indicated that judgment could come soon. In those days, invaders could have destroyed your city overnight. The brains of the people back then were in uncertainty mode. The fact that Jesus could come any day was very real because that's how life operated back then. Today, we don't live in so much uncertainty, so our brains aren't programmed to think, "Jesus could come tomorrow, and my life on earth could end." This makes it a little more challenging for today's developed societies to "make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." However, despite the times changing, Paul's point is still very applicable to becoming a successful Godpreneur. As a Kingdom business owner, you have a clear orientation to take advantage of every opportunity and use your time best. You are called to be productive with your time at the office, not with trivial things, but in the way of God and with things that are important for the Kingdom of God in your marketplace. You are called to use your business days for eternal purposes, not for the earthly nor the things which pass. You must intentionally make the most of every opportunity for God's glory and manifest His Kingdom to your employees, clients, vendors, competitors, partners, and business relationships. Your brand must be….Godpreneur….and you have to live it out full time. Going back to wasting time on social media, I can take a different approach to the platforms. For example, I have a private group on Facebook for Godpreneurs where I interact with my followers and provide Bible-based insight and wisdom on business topics. In this case, checking my social media is a good use of my time because it's what I feel God has called me to do. The same goes for my checking of the news. Instead of checking Fox News, I can spend time getting updated on the news from my industry, which helps me become a better branding guy and entrepreneur. We all have the invitation from God to make the most of our business days, make the best use of our time at work, and live out the will of God for our entrepreneurial journey, in His way, for His glory! #DifferentiatingMyself
- How to Free Yourself from the Day-To-Day Operations of the Business
As a true entrepreneur, I love starting new businesses. This means that I'll dedicate a certain amount of time to starting and growing a new venture, then I'll hand it off to someone to manage, so I'm FREE to start a new company. At one of my companies, I challenged myself to stay for only one year. I told everyone on the team that I had 365 days left of work and that everything that needed my personal touch needed to be created and handed off within that year. This mindset of "numbering my days" working in the business helped me tremendously in creating systems and processes, hiring the right talent, and creating the financial mechanisms to support the company on my departure. Knowing that I would be leaving also helped my team think differently about their own positions and the value they would need to be when I'm gone. If we want to be true entrepreneurs, create jobs for others, and be free to innovate and grow our businesses, we have to take on the attitude of "my days are numbered working inside the business" so that we gain the wisdom and knowledge needed to make this happen. If we don't number the days we're working in our businesses, then we stay stuck in the day-to-day grind of the business, never freeing ourselves for true entrepreneurship. The Bible says "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) Moses, the author of Psalm 90, asks God for wisdom to account for our time. It's important to value the moments and days He has given us. By valuing and dedicating today and every day to the Lord, we gain the wisdom to live sensibly and with a purpose, one day at a time. As a Godpreneur, you should seek divine wisdom for the best way to manage your business throughout each day, considering that your days are numbered. If you considered every business venture launched as something valuable God has temporarily entrusted to you, you would faithfully dispense your moments in ways that honor Him. Each business day is important, and the time you have working in your business must be well spent. Maybe, right now, you're the chef in your kitchen, and God has an opportunity to expand your business, but you're busy cooking. By "numbering your days" as the chef, you are changing your mindset to begin praying for and training a new chef to replace you so God can use you in new ways. This is the power of "numbering your days." All of us entrepreneurs have a time determined by God with our businesses. We can do something to operate them BETTER - hiring employees and implementing new software, for example, that frees us up to innovate and serve our clients better. We must always remember how precious our time in our business is and seek our Creator to operate wisely. Today, I leave the invitation for you to find ways to number your days. Prayer for Today Lord God, You are Almighty and have the world in Your hands. We know that You have given us entrepreneurs the precious gift of owning a business, leading others, and solving problems in the marketplace - and that each day is important. We want to use the time that You give us in the best way, in Your way. Teach us to number our days so we may get a heart of wisdom. In the name of Jesus, amen.
- 5 Ways Entrepreneurs Limit God in our Businesses
Today I want to talk to you about taking the limits off of God in your business. Christian entrepreneurs: quit tying God’s hands and take the limits off of what he can do along your entrepreneurial journey. Your current circumstances are not too big for God. The thing you're dealing with, God has seen it before. There’s no recession that God hasn't brought us out of. There’s not a business partnership that he can’t restore. There’s not a contract he can’t give favor to. However, you have to trust him and take the limits off of him. Limits are things that are bound or restrained or confined. A machine that can only produce 100 widgets in a day has reached its limit. A person that can only make 100 phone calls in a day has reached his limit. However, I want to tell you that there’s no limit to what God can do in your business. People and things have limits, but God doesn't. He’s able to do whatever you need him to do in your company. Whatever problems you face in sales, marketing, human resources, operations, or finance, he knows the solution to that problem. The Bible says Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20 NLT) There is no limit in God when it comes to any industry, any marketplace, or any facet of business management. Think about the biggest problem you're dealing with right now. Think about the biggest opportunity you have in front of you. You don't see a way, but God is able to do whatever you need him to do. There’s nothing too hard for God, but you have to take the limits off of him; that's when miracles can take place. If you made God first in your business, and you trust him, then take the limits off of him and expect great awesome things to happen in your entrepreneurial life. Here are 5 Ways that business owners limit God on their entrepreneurial journeys. WORRYING LIMITS OUR GOD God doesn’t give you what you want; he gives you what you believe. The "how-to" is none of your business. How God is going to fill up your event is not your business. You keep getting in the way of the blessing because you're worried about the "how-to" part of it. Show me a Bible verse where God says to go figure it out. He doesn’t ask you to "how-to" anything. You just need to focus on reading the Word and applying it to all areas of your business. When you do this, the holy spirit can inspire marketing ideas. When you take this approach, the Lord can bring opportunities that you weren't expecting. You know why? Because he promised to never leave or forsake us. God always comes through. SMALL THINKING LIMITS OUR GOD The Bible says Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power— the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, (Psalms 78:41-42 NIV) Do you see what's happening here? They limited the holy one of Israel. Now how is it possible that we can limit God? Isn’t God limitless? Isn’t God bigger than we ever could think or imagine? Doesn’t he want to do exceedingly and abundantly all above and beyond all that we can ask or think? Absolutely! God is bigger than your wildest business dreams, yet we limit him. All of us put limits on God. We might have an idea of what God is capable of. We may have a box that God fits into. We have a part of our business plan where Jesus fits nicely. However, we have to get rid of a small God in our business. We have to let go of a small Jesus on our entrepreneurial walk. We have to stop worshiping a small savior. He is the conquering King. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is bigger for your business than you ever believed. He is more in your marketplace than you ever imagined. OUR LIMITED ABILITIES LIMIT GOD God is able to do so many things in our businesses but we limit him because our faith is a factor of what we are able to see and do, not what God is able to do. We limit him because of our natural human experience and abilities. We limit the holy one of Israel, however, God is unlimited. In Matthew, chapter 9, Jesus was being followed by two blind men. They came to him and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe that I’m able to do this?” The blind men said "yes," and they could see again. Now, notice that Jesus said "do you believe I'm able to do this," and not "do you believe you can see again?" This is important because if we're going to take the limits off of God, we have to give 100% credit, authority, and ability to God who is able to do what we can't humanly do on our own. Do you believe Jesus is able to do that thing you're praying for in your business? I hope you say, "YES!" Our faith is not in our faith, our faith is in him. It’s not your faith, it's who you have your faith in. NEGATIVE SELF-TALK LIMITS OUR GOD A lot of times, entrepreneurs are limiting their business success in what they say about themselves: being down on themselves about finances, feeling like you’re not good enough, like you're less successful than others. This voice can come to us in a lot of different ways. The world is going to tell you what business you can’t start. Satan is going to tell you what course you aren't qualified to create. Even your own family will tell you what plans won't prosper. Christian entrepreneurs: you don’t also need to be in agreement with those voices! Instead, you need to agree with what God says about you. If God approves you, then approve yourself. If God chose you for entrepreneurship, then choose yourself. If God believes in you and your product or service, then you should believe in yourself. I had to learn to stop the negative voices and start to recognize, "I’m still a work in progress. My entrepreneurial journey is the Lord's, and I am staying the course." So often, we look at the mess our business is in and we don’t look at the progress. David had a different kind of voice. He said: With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. (Psalms 18:29 NIV) Did you see that? David is saying that because of God, he can do it. We need to take on the same kind of phrasing in our business lives. This same kind of belief system; because of God I can. Not: I can’t. I’ll never be enough. I’m not smart enough. I don't have the money. My contract got rejected. My event flopped. I had a bad business partner, Alex. No! David didn’t do that. David said, “because of God, I can." Even your spouse may say stuff to you to try to limit you, but don’t limit yourself. You got enough against you in the marketplace for you to be against yourself. If God is for you and your business, then why would you want to be against yourself? Take off the limits of what other people try to put on your entrepreneurial life. They say you can’t do it, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do it. They didn’t create you. You see, God will take the unique things about you and use them to promote you and elevate you in your respective industry. Sometimes, the same leadership quality you don’t like about yourself is the same thing God wants to use to show you greatness and promotion. What's our job? To stop being mad about ourselves and putting ourselves down; to stop being so hard on ourselves. Quit telling yourself all the reasons you can’t accomplish that dream business God put on your heart. Stop focusing on the employee you don’t have or the contract you didn’t get. RELYING ON YOURSELF LIMITS GOD Business success is not going to happen just by your ability, your talents, your connections; it’s going to happen by the spirit of the living God. He’s breathing life into your business right now. His favor is surrounding your entrepreneurial journey in a greater way. There are business breakthroughs already in route: new contracts, new employees, and new partnerships. The right marketplace opportunities are already headed your way. However, don’t talk yourself out of it. Receive the blessing, now! Take the limits off of God and take the limits off of yourself. Christian entrepreneurs, I believe we have an advantage over normal business owners. You see, most people have a fatalistic mindset - that means that they think things just randomly happen, things are what they are, situations are fatalistic, there’s nothing you can do about it, and there isn't a God that's going to come down and magically help you, so just deal with what you have. However, us Godpreneurs, we know this is absolutely untrue. We believe God has a perfect plan for our business life here. We trust that God has good thoughts for us and His plans for our entrepreneurial life are awesome! This mindset is what gives God-first business owners the step-ahead in the marketplace. Every one of us business owners has something special that God wants to accomplish through us in our respective industries, however most people are ignorant of this and they have bought into the lie of this world that there’s nothing special about them. Every one of us is special. Every one of you is unique. Every one of you can do or create something that others can't. God has a purpose for your entrepreneurial life and most are limiting what God can do because they just aren’t challenging themselves. God made you for something great in the marketplace. God has taken ordinary business owners (what the world calls entrepreneurs) and, time after time, has transformed them into Godpreneurs and has used us to touch other people and change things in our industries. When you put God first in business, I guarantee you He will transform your life.
- The People We Left in Place Aren’t Doing Their Job. What do Christian Entrepreneurs Do?
In the business of branding, there are lots of steps to completing a job. There are many places the project can go wrong. There are a lot of areas where the customer can be displeased. When you’re dealing with someone’s identity, a lot is at stake and you have to make sure the job is done perfectly. I spent a lot of time on my systems and processes. I wrote out training manuals, and scripts for customer service, and invested in making sure my team knew how to complete jobs. One day, I get a call from a client towards the end of the project and it was to tell me about the horrifying experience she had had with my company. I was devastated, angry, frustrated, and determined to fix it. I made some drastic changes including letting go of some people. The point of being an entrepreneur is to be able to build a business the way we would run it, put the right people in place that will duplicate our ways, and hopefully be able to walk away and have a steady profit coming into our bank accounts each month. When we come in, it should be to check in, put out fires, and contribute more ideas that could help turn a better profit for yourself. But what happens when we come back and the system is bad? The people we left in place aren’t doing their job and the product or service we thought our customers were receiving is not something we would approve of? Nehemiah experienced the same thing when he returned to Jerusalem after 12 years (I don’t suggest leaving your business for 12 years….or even 12 months….maybe 12 days MAX). When he returned, the city had fallen back into sin. The Sabbath wasn’t being honored and systems and processes weren’t being followed according to the law of the book. Needless to say, Nehemiah was upset and acted harshly to fix things. Nehemiah 13:19-22 reads When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day. Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. But I warned them and said, “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you.” From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love. Can you see how disobeying God’s laws, even in the simplest ways, will eventually lead to committing a full-blown offense? It’s the same in our businesses. You’ve spent all of this time creating a God-first business, why wouldn’t your team continue to do ‘business by the book’? The sins of entrepreneurship can easily come back into play: pride, envy, greed, sloth. My recommendation is have a systematic weekly meeting to check in with your team and make sure systems and processes are being followed make sure that you keep your relationship with God intact, always reading in the mornings and praying for your business, clients, employees, vendors, and contractors make harsh changes when you feel the spirit leading you We Godpreneurs have a blessing to be able to carry out businesses for God. But like Jerusalem, they can fall if unattended. And like our own spiritual walk, it can fall if unattended. My prayer is that building a God-first business helps you grow more spiritually than as an entrepreneur. 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. #BibleStudy #nehimiah #restartyourbusiness
- How to Experience Joy in Business, Even When Forced to Restart
I felt great joy when I finally paid off my personal and business credit cards. The joy wasn’t the act of paying it off, but instead, came from looking back at all God had done to get me to that point. The joy came after covenants, thanksgiving, commitments, and dedications I had made to the process of restoring my finances. What a feeling! I felt the same joy as I completed the rebuilding of my branding agency. I now have a clear direction, I’m focused, the team is with me, and we’re all on the same page. Also, we’re profitable!! That’s a great feeling! This is the joy we can all have and continue to carry on forever after restarting our businesses, God's way. It's not the end of problems; problems come with the entrepreneurial journey. However, restarting things because God says so is the beginning of joy in your business, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the do-over. If God was able to restart your business once, he can do it again, and we need to remember that! Nehemiah 12:43 says "And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away." God’s restoration of the ruined walls of the city, and God’s restoration of the hearts of his people, brought an indescribable joy. The people showed a renewed interest in the Word of God and his commands, and the desire to follow God’s Word. Their celebratory worship was truly a fellowship between God and man. It began with the prayer of one man, Nehemiah, and ended with the prayers of hundreds of families. When you and your business have been restored to right standing with God and seek fellowship with him, everything changes and joy enters our personal lives and entrepreneurial careers. Such expression of wholeness can permeate through your entire organization and reach far into the future of your business ventures. Attempting to start great businesses for God often starts with a small step of faith and the knowledge that God is with us, Godpreneurs, always. The text says God had given them great joy. Do you feel the joy? You deserve it! 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. #GainConfidence #FindingMyPurpose