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

When I was restarting my business, here were the facts: I had no money in the business account I had no viable leads in the pipeline I had no clue where I was going to get my next check I had no idea how I was going to pay rent at the office Restarting my business didn’t come easy. I went through many times that tried my faith in myself and in God’s promises. Many times...I wanted to give up. We all get to a point where we look at the FACTS, and they are not looking good. In the natural, we think ‘how am I going to get out of this mess’? Here’s how: FAITH The facts say one thing, but faith takes our minds off of the facts and onto God’s promises. It turns a negative mindset into a positive outlook. In Psalms, we read “God is our mighty fortress, always ready to help in times of trouble. And so, we won’t be afraid!” (Psalms 46.1, 2a). Confidence in God’s promises for your entrepreneurial life overrides fear. Yes, our business circumstances are very real. But so are the promises of our God. In the book of Nehemiah, we see a man committed to rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. This is his calling in life, and he's confident in God's protection during the assignment. He chose to depend on God to give him victory. Nehemiah 4:15 says "When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work." So even in the midst of danger, Nehemiah and the builders chose not to focus on the circumstances but instead GET BACK TO WORK. And guess what? God intervened and the enemies backed off! What does this mean for you? It means...GET BACK TO WORK! Stop the pity party, stop the depression, stop the anxiety and worry, just stop it. You have one thing to do: REBUILD. What role does faith play in activating God’s favor in your business? God wants to see us have faith. He wants to know that he’s the king of our hearts, and for our own good…because he wants us to realize that we’re not alone in our entrepreneurial path. God is with you, he is for you and your success! Whatever difficulties you are currently facing in your business, turn them over to God, and leave him to determine the results. #SharpenLeadership #GainConfidence All my best, Alex Miranda Get to know me at www.alexmiranda22.com P.S. I did a Business bible study called 40 Days to Restarting Your Business, God's Way. Check it out: 40 DAYS TO RESTARTING YOUR BUSINESS, GOD'S WAY A business Bible study to help you rethink, reinvent, and restart your business, but this time, God's Way! We parallel Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall to your journey in rebuilding your business. Also, coaches and Christian business leaders, you can use, edit, and repurpose the teachings for your own tribe! Check it out.

I have some weak spots in my business life. Let me name a couple. I’m easily taken into new entrepreneurial ventures and ideas.  This can be bad if you’re already focused on building another. Also, I’m great at starting things but often not great at finishing and closing them out to completion. Instead of ignoring or giving into my weak spots, I’ve recognized them and put some things in place to combat them. First, I have a productivity planner I look at every morning to keep me on track with my main priorities. I meet with my project manager each morning and he holds me accountable to staying on track, not letting me venture too far into the "serial entrepreneur" mode. Second, I hired a business manager for each of my businesses.  They are diligent and detail oriented and can get things done. The enemy will come and try to attack us in our weak spots. He knows them, sometimes better than we do. If we don’t recognize our weaknesses - or worst, recognize them but not do anything about them - we’ll find ourselves and our team fighting an enemy that is well equipped to take us down. Nehemiah was going through attacks when he was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. But like a military strategist, he moved to fortify the areas.  And as the leader, he gave a pep rally and tells everyone not to be afraid. Nehemiah 4:14  says "After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” God is your commander in chief.  God leads you and your team. Hold a mental picture of God when you see the attacks coming. If God is for you, who can be against you? "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." (Colossians 3:23) The enemy won’t stop attacking, but neither will God stop being for your success. Imagine if all entrepreneurs visualized God leading our businesses.  Wow, what an incentive to help us keep going and growing through the good times and bad.  That should be our only incentive to keep us going. #StrengthenIntegrity #BecomeDisciplined All my best, Alex Miranda Get to know me at www.alexmiranda22.com P.S. I did a Business bible study called 40 Days to Restarting Your Business, God's Way. Check it out: 40 DAYS TO RESTARTING YOUR BUSINESS, GOD'S WAY A business Bible study to help you rethink, reinvent, and restart your business, but this time, God's Way! We parallel Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall to your journey in rebuilding your business. Also, coaches and Christian business leaders, you can use, edit, and repurpose the teachings for your own tribe! Check it out.

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

I read somewhere that your day really starts at night. Now, I’m very productive in the morning. I wake up ready to go after my day. I get a lot accomplished! But what you don't know is that I set myself up for ultimate morning productivity the night before. Dishes are done, the gym bag is packed, coffee is set up, and I’ve checked my calendar and planned my next day. Another thing I do at night is I'm moving any of my major projects forward. I use the nighttime to catch up on tasks and blast some emails for my team to read in the morning. That's been my nighttime routine for years. However, if I'm not careful, burning the midnight oil can also be a time of major distraction. Some things that distract me are my side projects, a game of Mario Kart, watching the news, late-night snacking, or social media snooping. Normally, these activities would be considered as relaxing and unwinding from a hard day of work. But when you're rebuilding and relaunching your entire business, there needs to be a refocusing of our most prized commodity: our time. Nothing on this list is part of the plan of getting the task at hand done - restarting our business, God's way. For those of us taking on the task of rethinking, reengineering, and relaunching a business or project, the nighttime is when the enemy wants to attack. He knows that during the day you're pumped and focused. It's at night when he plots his attack. We’ve all been preconditioned to “relax” at night and take it easy. While I believe in turning the lights down lower to wind the day down in our brain, I don’t agree that it’s a time to go to sleep on our rebuilding project. A commitment to rebuilding a God-first business is sacred time - we were ordained to do this!  It’s our duty and responsibility in this season to stay focused. In the Bible, we see that Nehemiah had the insurmountable task of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. And during that rebuilding project, he was under attack by haters. And not just words, but the threat escalated to a potential physical confrontation.  But Nehemiah didn’t get scared.  He knew God had his back, he knew he had a purpose in what he was doing, so he did what great leaders do:  move forward in the face of adversity. Nehemiah 4:6-9 says "So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.  But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat." Nehemiah and his team posted guard....day and night. I heard someone once say "white space in the calendar is the devil." He’s right!  And if your nighttime calendar isn’t filled with something to-do (even sex and time with your wife should be on the calendar), then you’re giving way for the enemy to come in and attack what you've been rebuilding. As we're rebuilding our businesses or relaunching a project, we need to realize that anything done in God's name is going to be attacked. We need to keep watch - day and night. Be expecting the attack, it's coming. And keep praying for God to give you the strength to thwart or endure that attack. Pray today that you’ll also guard your nighttime and that God would cover you and give you the wisdom to be the best leader possible - day and night. #WorkLifeBalance #TimeManagement All my best, Alex Miranda Get to know me at www.alexmiranda22.com P.S. I did a Business bible study called 40 Days to Restarting Your Business, God's Way. Check it out: 40 DAYS TO RESTARTING YOUR BUSINESS, GOD'S WAY A business Bible study to help you rethink, reinvent, and restart your business, but this time, God's Way! We parallel Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall to your journey in rebuilding your business. Also, coaches and Christian business leaders, you can use, edit, and repurpose the teachings for your own tribe! Check it out.

I wasn't a guy that gave a lot of praise to my team. It didn't come naturally for me to recognize people’s efforts. I did it because I read in books that it’s good for team and relationship building...but it always felt forced. However, when I did praise my team, it felt great! And I also noticed that giving praise and appreciation to my team did magic in keeping the fire and passion lit of any ongoing project or initiative. What would happen if all we did was work our team to exhaustion and never say thank you or give credit for their role in the rebuilding? What if the opposite was true - What if all we did was praise our team for their amazing talents, recognizing we couldn’t do this alone? In the book of Nehemiah, we see a leader who has gathered a team to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. And if you pay attention to what's going on in chapter 3, you'll see the author devotes almost the entire chapter to listing the names of the people that are helping him build the wall. The New International Version titles chapter 3: Builders of the Wall. 1 - Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. 2 - The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zakkur son of Imri built next to them. 3 - The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah 4 - Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. And the list goes on for all 32 verses. Nehemiah was praising his team by giving credit to where credit was due. Talk about an amazing leader! God gives an example of a leader that praises - while rebuilding! What can you do to praise your team along the way? Sending handwritten notes? Private messages? WhatsApp them something fun! Tweet publicly. Post something on their Facebook wall. What can you do RIGHT NOW? Stop, pull out your phone, and text someone on your team. It's going to feel great! I’m glad that I’ve changed - and now it's becoming natural for me to give recognition. If we recognize those helping us build (or rebuild) our business, it will encourage them to continue the fight, encouraged and motivated by a charismatic entrepreneur! #HiringtheRightPeople #IncreaseEnergy #HumanResources All my best, Alex Miranda Get to know me at www.alexmiranda22.com P.S. I did a Business bible study called 40 Days to Restarting Your Business, God's Way. Check it out: 40 DAYS TO RESTARTING YOUR BUSINESS, GOD'S WAY A business Bible study to help you rethink, reinvent, and restart your business, but this time, God's Way! We parallel Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall to your journey in rebuilding your business. Also, coaches and Christian business leaders, you can use, edit, and repurpose the teachings for your own tribe! Check it out.

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

At the very beginning of the rebuilding of my company, I had a good friend come to see me and ask what I was up to.  We had done business together and she knew I was going through a major mid-life identity crisis within myself and the company. At the point that she came, I had already heard from God that I needed to REBUILD Creative Complex, but the steps weren’t totally clear yet. When she quizzed me on my strategy, I was stuck. She sensed my hesitation and said the words that no entrepreneur ever wants to hear: Alex, have you thought about closing the company up and getting a JOB? I nearly fainted. I stared blankly back into her eyes. For a moment I doubted myself and thought how nice it would be to quit and get a job. After she left, anger built up inside of me at the audacity she had to diagnose me as needing to get a job. To be honest, I’m still hurt.  I pray for that person and try to not hang out with people like that as far as I can control it. We’re all going to have Haters come alongside to try to derail us. They can’t stand the fact that you have grit and determination to REBUILD your business. How do you combat the Haters?  What do you do in the face of opposition?  What does God say about your enemies? As we continue to chronicle Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the wall, we meet him in Chapter 4 as the Haters begin an attack campaign. A hater named Sanballat shows up on the scene to hurl insults and incite others to wage an attack on the team Nehemiah had formed.  This compelled Nehemiah to take time out to pray… a curse on them! He didn’t retaliate, he didn’t render evil for evil, he used the arsenal he had—prayer! Are you aware of “haters” in your circle? They will usually be close to you. What can you do to deflect their influence? Do you need to stop hanging out where this person hangs? How can you pray for them?  Have a list of “enemies” that you pray for. Don’t think that your enemies are going to stand back and watch your progress in your business. Whenever you do anything to further God’s kingdom, the devil will be waiting for an opportunity to attack you at the point at which you are most vulnerable (which is usually when you’re financially down). As Godpreneurs we can make a concerted effort to focus on the tasks of rebuilding our businesses and ask God to let us not become distracted by those who are against the work we do for God’s kingdom. Pray: Lord, guard my lips that I will not become embroiled in petty arguments even though my feelings may be hurt. Keep me steadfast in the work you have called me to do. ACTION: Take your phone and delete any haters on your phone. Delete them from your social media too. All my best, Alex Miranda Get to know me at www.alexmiranda22.com P.S. I did a Business bible study called 40 Days to Restarting Your Business, God's Way. Check it out: 40 DAYS TO RESTARTING YOUR BUSINESS, GOD'S WAY A business Bible study to help you rethink, reinvent, and restart your business, but this time, God's Way! We parallel Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall to your journey in rebuilding your business. Also, coaches and Christian business leaders, you can use, edit, and repurpose the teachings for your own tribe! Check it out. #AttractingRightClients #ShareYourTestimony

I do a lot of planning in my company. When creating an identity or website, a lot of work goes into it. I wouldn’t start a project without a plan, and you wouldn’t start a business without a plan. As entrepreneurs, we have a tendency to jump right into new projects. We’re visionaries, we love to create.  This is a double-edged sword.  People that over-plan don’t like guys like us because we are fast action. But we also envy the planners because we fail in the planning area many times. Furthermore, we like to talk to others and tell them our plan, hoping that by saying it, we’re writing it down in our heads and maybe this other person is too.  But telling people your plans before they come to life can be a major mistake.  It’s like bragging and being prideful.  I’ve done it, and likely still do it. Instead, we have to shut up, plan the entire thing out, and when the time is right, God will have us reveal our plan. In Nehemiah 2:11-12, the bible says, “I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.” Nehemiah did some more recon work before finally spilling the beans as to why he was there in the first place. Notice that Nehemiah is going in phases. His first plan was to hit up the king for permission. He didn’t know the damage that had been done in Jerusalem, he couldn’t have known. The main goal was to REBUILD the way, but little victories needed to happen along the way to get there. What are the little victories that will take you to the final goal? Write them down and don’t tell others until it's time to execute. All my best, Alex Miranda Get to know me at www.alexmiranda22.com P.S. I did a Business bible study called 40 Days to Restarting Your Business, God's Way. Check it out: 40 DAYS TO RESTARTING YOUR BUSINESS, GOD'S WAY A business Bible study to help you rethink, reinvent, and restart your business, but this time, God's Way! We parallel Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall to your journey in rebuilding your business. Also, coaches and Christian business leaders, you can use, edit, and repurpose the teachings for your own tribe! Check it out.

When I restarted my business in November of 2014, I let go of more than 3/4 of my staff. The ones I kept were essential to the new direction I wanted to go in. One person, in particular, helped me through this ‘restart’ phase. I remember thanking God for her and praying for God to show her favor and success in growing her career. She blessed my business tremendously in the transition, and I know why. When we pray for others and intercede on their behalf, God finds favor in you AND them. In Nehemiah 1:10-11, we find Nehemiah in prayer to God, however not for himself, but others that will help him build. “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” Do you want to restart? You can’t do it alone. There are people around you that God also wants to bless using your business. Do you realize that the success of your business could put someone else’s kid through college? Do you realize the opposite is true as well: if you don’t succeed, someone else isn’t moving forward. Take a moment now to write down 3-5 people that you know are going to be instrumental in you Restarting your business. These can be employees, contractors, vendors, clients,  consultants or a friend that loves to help. Pray for them and their success. They have goals and dreams too, pray that God grant you favor in your business so that many can benefit from its success. All my best, Alex Miranda Get to know me at www.alexmiranda22.com #RestartYourBusiness #HiringtheRightPeople 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.

From January to March of 2015 I spent a lot of time in prayer.  The identity of my company had changed, I wasn’t sure where money would come from, but I remember having a vision of what I wanted, setting some financial goals, and praying God’s favor. From May to June I had my best quarter EVER!  My accountant couldn’t believe it.  The turnaround was incredible.  We were totally out of debt and finding our groove! When we declare our vision and write down out goals to meditate on daily, God see’s that we’re doing the right things to prepare for His favor.  I didn’t make any more phone calls than I normally did.  I didn’t spend money (that I didn’t have) on advertising and marketing.  I didn’t positioned myself as any kind of authority in anything.  I was just declaring the vision and goals. Despite our greatest efforts as entrepreneurs, our authority, wealth, and power cannot compare with receiving favor at the hand of God. In Nehemiah 2:4-6 we see Nehemiah finding favor as well. “The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”   Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.” First off, Nehemiah knew what was coming.  He had a plan.  You could say this was all premeditated. Second, Nehemiah even said a quick prayer in between answering the question to the king.  Next time you’re pitching a big contract, say a 2-second prayer in your head, that brings God into the negotiations. Third, we see Nehemiah had a vision and goals set way before this encounter.  Did you see how detailed he was in his request?  This was the biggest meeting of his life, and he was ready for his one shot. What do you want for your business?  What are your vision and goals? Sometimes we are afraid to voice our request…out of fear…out of seeming greedy…out of feelings of unworthiness…out of feeling our request is beyond God’s capacity to deliver. Never doubt God nor limit his ability to bless your business beyond comprehension. The Bible tells us that God’s “power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3.20, 21) if we would ask, seek, knock (Matthew 7.7, 8). Take the time to evaluate the needs of your business. Do you have a written down business plan?  When you pray, if God were to ask, “What do you want me to do?” are you prepared, as Nehemiah was, to give an answer? When your business receives favor at the hand of God, remember to acknowledge both the gift and the giver. Pray: God, thank you for your favor over my entrepreneurial career… a priceless gift that can only be obtained from you. Let me be a grateful receiver, and let me seek to share what you have given me with other business owners. Your Entrepreneur Compass, Alex Miranda #FindMyCalling #WheretoStartFirst Let’s write down some goals.  I have an easy entrepreneur compass goal sheet for you to download. P.S.  Share this series with other business owners that could use a restart button on their business lives.

I’m constantly cheering my son on, praising him for his accomplishments, and even cheering him up when he fails. I’m not naturally a cheerleader, and my father wasn’t a cheerleader, so I didn’t have it modeled in my life. It wasn’t until I read books on parenting that I discovered that I needed to constantly be letting my son know that I’m proud of him. It does something for his self-esteem. What’s fascinating is that my mom was a huge cheerleader in my life, yet something was missing because my father didn’t. It’s almost like it didn’t matter who else praised me – if my father didn’t, then anywhere else would fall short of filling that need. Listen, we also need to hear praises in our business and marriage. It fuels the business; it gives passion to the marriage. Praises are a powerful source of energy that we all need. But our earthly dads are no longer in the picture. Sure, they may still be alive, but that need for praise and approval we get from dad was in our early years. Now…now it’s time to seek the praises of our heavenly father. We entrepreneurs often go about our days checking how many likes our post got, how many people opened the email, and how many new signups to our business. And then we get home, and we want our spouse to tell us how proud they are of our accomplishments and for our children to come up and thank us for laboring all day to bring the food to the table and keep the lights on. Or even worse, we seek approval from people we don’t even like! How many of us dream of the day that we make more money than that competitor that always seemed to beat us for contracts? If we want to experience breakthroughs in our business and marriage, we should seek the praises of our Heavenly Father only – not our spouse, children, employees, vendors, contractors, or competitors. The bible says Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God. (John 12:42‭-‬43 NIV) Even the biggest religious leaders at the time of Jesus were caught up in pleasing others. You’re not alone. This is part of the enemy’s plan to take you off your game, distract you from your calling and have you living a life that doesn’t follow God’s will, but instead the world’s will. And this is precisely why you’re in the situation of needing a breakthrough in your business and marriage. But we’re going to fix that… TODAY! So the formula is for us to get our praises from our heavenly father, right? So how do we get His praises? We start by seeking and implementing what His will is for our business and marriage. We have to uncover the purpose of it all. We have to understand that our business was allowed to be created because the creator of the universe wants to use it for His purpose. We have to know that the marriage to our spouse was meant for more than just sex, companionship, and sharing of responsibilities. When we discover what our business and marriage was born to do, and we live and live doing just that, we are implementing God’s will for our life, and the praises come down from above! But we must let go of any idols we’ve brought into the office or bedroom. The business or marriage itself can become an idol we’ve placed above God! Our children and employees can become idols that we worship more than God. When we put God first in our business and marriage, and follow His will, we will not only have a fulfilled life, but we will obtain the praises of the Heavenly Father – praises that our earthly father was only supposed to give in our youth while we couldn’t comprehend what God was…but now we do. Now it’s on us, not on our parents’ past shortcomings. God expects us to be doing what He created us to do. Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” I rest my case. If we’re not doing what God created and designed us to do, then this Bible verse is wrong, and the whole Bible is wrong. We know this isn’t the case 😉. Godpreneurs, let’s start today by listening to our hearts, asking God how our life can be used to give Him praise. We need to stop living a self-fulfilled life seeking the praises of man, and let God begin to use our businesses and marriages for His purpose! Then we’ll receive God’s praises, and we’ll begin to experience the breakthroughs we’ve been seeking in this season. Godpreneur Rule: Godpreneurs constantly ask God to reveal how we can be used by God and receive His praises in our businesses and marriages. #BusinessBibleStudy #MarriedEntrepreneurs 21 Days of Breakthroughs in Business and Marriage This course provides needed strength and faith, in the truth of God’s holy Word, for breakthroughs in both your business and marriage. 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

When I went to college, I learned to account like this: Revenue - Expenses = Profits What does this mean? You go out and sell a bunch of stuff. That's your revenue. Then, you deduct your expenses. You pay your employees, your bills, and all of that stuff. Once you've gone out and sold stuff and paid everything off, there's money left over for ME! YEAY! The only problem was....many times there was no profit left over for me. Everyone else got paid, but I didn't. So then, the next money I would try harder - Sell more, pay everything off, and hopefully this month I can pay myself. This went on for years...and years...sometimes paying myself, but most of the time not having enough. Those of us that are "college-educated" in accounting are left wondering if owning a business is actually worth it. And when there's no money left over, we're thinking "man, I'd rather be the employee that gets the money first than the owner who pays himself last." If you can relate to this, then I'm about to blow your mind. In 2018, I read a book called Profits First. The author had a different formula for accounting. It went like this: Revenue - Owner's Pay - Profit - Taxes = Expenses That's odd...why are the expenses the LAST thing? The answer is GENIUS...and it's the way God wants us to manage our money. In the profits first method, you go out and serve the marketplace with a great product or service, and you collect revenue for that. Then, pay yourself first. Next, you save some money. Then, you pay Uncle Sam (your government taxes). Now, whatever is leftover from that, this is what you have to pay your rent, employees, and the cost of running your business. But wait, Alex, what if there's not enough to cover rent, pay employees, and pay all the bills? Well...then that means YOU'RE RUNNING THE BUSINESS INCORRECTLY. You're mismanaging the business. Things you need to consider are your prices are too low your rent is too high you've got unnecessary expenses you need to let go of some employees See, if you keep paying for all of these things first, then you'll always think YOU are the problem because there's no profit at the end. No...you aren't the problem. Your heart is in the right place. You have a great product or service. The problem is the mismanagement of what God has entrusted you. God has given you money and resources, and you're not managing it all correctly. That's the issue. The reason we need to change our accounting formula is that we need to rule money, not have it rule us. We need to tell the money where to go, or it will grow legs and walk away on its own. In a nutshell, when money comes in, you automatically send a percentage to separate accounts you’ve set up for profits, your pay, taxes, and operational expenses. The bible says: Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, [be diligently active, make thoughtful decisions], for you will find it after many days [be richly rewarded]. (ECCLESIASTES 11:1) As a business owner, you must make diligent decisions with your money. The same way I wouldn’t let my 2-year-old son make his own decisions, you shouldn’t let your money come in without a plan behind it. Taking the ideas from the Profits First method, I’m going to share exactly how I divide up money when it comes in. I highly recommend you read the book for yourself so you can build a customized plan based on your revenue and goals. Like I mentioned before, when money comes into my account, I automatically divide it up into operational expenses, taxes, my pay, and profits. (Amazon Link to Book: https://www.amazon.com/Profit-First-Transform-Cash-Eating-Money-Making/dp/073521414X/) Here’s the plan. Operational Expenses (55%) This is the money needed to run the business. This is your rent, employee Pay, vendors, software, utilities, etc. If you can’t run your business with 55% of the revenue coming in, you likely aren’t charging enough, or your costs are too high. You need to make some adjustments. Taxes (10%) A percentage of your money will go to taxes. It’s better to put the money away each month than to be left with a big bill at the end of the year that you’ll have to scramble (or cheat) to pay. Owners pay (30%) I pay myself 30 percent of the money that comes in. What’s the point of owning a business if I’m not going to have money to pay my bills? And if you can’t pay yourself this much, then once again, something is wrong with your pricing or business costs. You must keep your formula the same and instead look at your revenue and expenses and begin to make changes. Don’t sacrifice your pay! Then what’s it all for? Profits (5%) This is my favorite account to watch grow. This money forms the backbone of my company and helps me make purchasing decisions for cool new upgrades I want to make for my business. Money here goes towards the future of my business. I’ve shared a system that I use for my own business that has helped me get out of debt and be excited to own a business. I was excited before, but now I’m excited because I’m the best financial manager for God that I can be. Once we all start getting in the habit of telling our money where to go, we open up God’s financial blessings over our businesses. Imagine if we all were great stewards of the money coming into our business? How much more would God bless us if we were diligent with our finances like he commands us to be? Godpreneur Money Rule #18: God wants us to develop systems in our business of dividing up money so we can experience financial freedom and wealth. #BusinessBibleStudy #WorkLifeBalance #Pricing The 19 Rules of Money Management for Christian Entrepreneurs This course will help you develop a better sense of money management in God’s way. Heard of the Godpreneur Academy? Grow Your Business, God’s Way! Bible-Based Video Courses for Entrepreneurs Putting God First In their Businesses Click here to create a Free Account

I have several businesses and brands that produce my revenue. I also have some books on Amazon and online courses that sell without me having to do much. A few years back I learned something important in business: Don’t have all your eggs in one basket. My company’s revenue was 90% dependent on nightclubs, bars, and lounges. When I decided to leave the nightlife altogether, my entire paycheck left with it. I had to start over from scratch. It’s good for us entrepreneurs to stay focused to develop roots in our businesses, but we also need to understand the most important rule of Money Management – Diversification. Don’t take my word for it. "Give a portion to seven, or even [divide it] to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth."(Ecclesiastes 11:2) Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, said it himself – diversify 7…no, even eight different ways! We Godpreneurs can receive three types of income: Portfolio – Income from investing in the stock market or having a 401K Passive – Cash coming in from rental properties or the sales of a book or online course Active – Money we work for like providing a service or selling products in our businesses You are likely earning an active income. Some of you are earning passive income. Fewer of you are earning portfolio income. But the Bible says you need to be involved in all of them. Personally, here is what I have going on so you can learn from: My Portfolio Income I don't have any of my money in stock market portfolios, bitcoin, or a 401K. My personal preference is to invest in my own companies and ideas. Therefore, I have a portfolio of brands that I invest my time, money, and resources into. I'm creating my own portfolio of companies to invest in. My Passive Income I have a company I started back in 2018 called www.vaLocator.com. It's a virtual assistant staffing agency. I started the company, then hired a CEO to replace me. I get on a call once a week to go over branding ideas and I'm a primary driver of business through referrals. And at the end of every month and 4 times a year, I receive passive income from this venture. I'm not involved in the day-to-day operations. I also have this Godpreneur Academy. People buy my business Bible studies and business courses. That's passive income I receive from creating a product once and being able to sell it many times over. My Active Income I'm very active in my business at the beginning. I start businesses with the goal of turning them into passive investments. I add them to my portfolio of businesses. However, from its inception until I can hand it off, I'm very active and I pay myself a salary during those times. In this case, I receive active income. God is overseeing the way we manage the money and funds he sends our way, as long as we manage these correctly, he will bless us with more. As Godpreneurs we must prove to Him that we can have the ability to manage money. I hope this post provided you with the insight you needed to develop a better sense of money management, God’s way. Continuing to learn how to find the perfect balance between money management and God’s blessings is key in order to make money the RIGHT way. Don't stop at this post. Keep going. Every time you feel there’s not enough money coming in, it’s probably because you haven’t been managing it correctly. God is testing you and your ability to please Him, only this way will you hit your goals. Here are some other studies you can take inside of the Godpreneur Academy about money: Secrets of the Millionaire Mind (FREE) Attracting Money In Your Business, God's Way Removing The Stress of Money in Your Business 5 Lies of Money and Business Leave a testimonial below on how this post has helped you out. Praying for your success in money management moving forward! #BusinessBibleStudy #MakeMoreMoney #AccountingHelp #RaisingCapital The 19 Rules of Money Management for Christian Entrepreneurs This course will help you develop a better sense of money management, God’s way.

I’ve learned over the years that if I don’t go “all in” on something, I might as well not make any commitment to it. The problem with going halfway in on something is that my mind and heart are also only halfway in. My level of focus is cut in half, I’m halfway in, halfway out, I’m doing other things, and I’m not fully confident. It ends up showing. Take CrossFit for example. If you've followed me long enough, it’s obvious I love CrossFit. I don’t step into other gyms. I don’t subscribe to other ways of working out. I’m 100% committed to the philosophy, the training, the culture, the events, and the people. And guess what? It shows in my level of fitness performance and athletic ability (not so much in my stomach, I still eat terribly… Pray for me!) Also, take my marriage for example. When I first got married, I thought I was 100% committed, but I wasn’t. Theoretically, I was. But deep down, I had baggage. I had hurt from my past and doubt about my future. It wasn’t until I went all in, erased the notion of divorce, and committed myself fully to the institution of marriage when I began to reap the benefits God had for me all along. And the same happened to me in business. Once I decided to stick to one niche, one target market, with one message, and one overall plan of service, I began to reap the rewards of entrepreneurship. My commitment to one niche helped me serve that group the best way possible – the way God designed me to serve…the way He would serve them. We married entrepreneurs need to ask ourselves, are we 100% committed to God and His plan for us? Many of us may think we’re giving God our best. We think it’s good enough to God if we pray, go to church, and attempt to be a good person. The reality is that if we want to receive the fullness of marriage and business and the breakthroughs God promises He will deliver, then he needs our 100% commitment to Him. God wants all of your marriage and business, not part of it. Jesus said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30 NIV) Like with any new diet, new business, or a new relationship, if you don’t fully commit to the plan, you won’t get the results. That’s why I don’t have a six-pack stomach yet… I’m not committed to an eating plan. (Well, I am committed to a plan, just the wrong one!) And with God, commitment to His plan the same thing. Being partially obedient to God in your business or marriage is pretty much disobedience. You might be holding on to a part of your business that God’s trying to get you out of. Stop clenching your fists and let it go. It takes trust and faith to do that. However, that’s the kind of obedience that gets rewarded. Remember the story of Abraham and his son? God asked Abraham to sacrifice (kill) his son. Abraham obeyed. And seconds before the final act, God stops him abruptly and says “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12 NIV). Abraham was more committed to God than holding on to his son. I’m not even sure I have THAT level of commitment myself! The Bible is full of people committed to the cause. It’s also full of people not committed to God - but then turn their lives around, make the commitment, and become the heroes we read and talk about today. You might be putting things, people, money, or your success before God. And just because you’re obedient in some areas, drop a little money in the bucket at church, and read a blog or two of mine, you’re good and that God’s still going to bless you. If He does, it’s because He’s showing you grace and continuing to give you chances to turn around, make the commitment, and give yourself to Him. But He won’t give you the full breakthrough you so eagerly desire until you give yourself fully to Him. Some people think this act of giving ourselves up in obedience makes them feel like they are jailed up and unable to be free. Let me tell you:I have more freedom now than ever before. I’m free to do what I was born to do. I’m free to love my wife unconditionally. I’m free to run my business the way God intended and to reap the rewards of that. I’m free to love my child, employees, vendors, contractors, clients, and even competitors the way I’m supposed to love them. Now I feel like I’m OUT of the jail I was in before. My mind is free, my heart is alert, and I’ll never go back. The irony is that the more you give up your old self to God, the more freedom your new self has. When we Godpreneurs give all of our business and marriage to God, that’s an act of surrender and sacrifice. Like Abraham, we might not know what God is up to, but even when it doesn’t make sense, we need to obey. If we give our marriage and business fully to God, he’ll return them to us restored, reunited, and ready to break through to new levels. When Abraham thought the act of sacrificing his son was going to please God, God revealed that the commitment was greater than the sacrifice. That’s when the angel told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. One commitment to God turned into all the stars in the sky. Do you see it? The bible says If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; (Isaiah 1:19 NIV) The formula for success in marriage and business is right there. It’s called commitment to God. It’s called going all in for Christ. It’s called taking off our old self and putting on our Godpreneur self. God is no different today than He was back in Abraham’s day. He’s looking across all of the earth picking out Godpreneurs who are committed. The moment we follow Him, surrender, and let go, God promises He will bless us with the breakthrough. We have to trust God knows what’s best for our business and marriage. If a business plan isn’t working, give it to God. If the marriage retreat high is fading away, give it to God. When we surrender our plans to Him, it might hurt for a moment, but God will turn that sadness into strength. Once you get to the level of commitment I’ve gotten to, you’ll wonder why you didn’t take it to this level much sooner. My prayer and hope... are that my own experiences would help you find your breakthrough much faster than I did. Mine took nearly ten years. It didn’t have to take that long. If I only had some good teaching like this, I could have saved myself a lot of heartaches…and money! I promise that if you commit to this Christian walk, you will obtain peace, which the business world or your spouse cannot give to you. If you want to make that commitment as I did years ago, I want you to repeat this prayer out loud. Say “Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. I say I’m sorry. I commit all of my mind, body, and soul to you. I make you my Lord and savior.” Godpreneur, if you just prayed that prayer, I believe God heard it, and you’re exponentially closer to your breakthrough! Get connected to a great church take your relationship with God to the next level. I pray this time we’ve spent together has blessed you. I want to invite you to get plugged in and stay connected to me and my teachings. I’m gathering a group of us Godpreneurs in the Godpreneur Academy. I’m teaching business and Bible lessons, we’re growing in our faith and finances, we’re being held accountable to our calling, and we’re staying plugged into the spirit that wants to guide us to growth both personally and entrepreneurially. Click www.godpreneur.com/academy #BusinessBibleStudy #MarriedEntrepreneurs #LaunchingMyBusiness 21 Days of Breakthroughs in Business and Marriage This course provides needed strength and faith, in the truth of God’s holy Word, for breakthroughs in both your business and marriage. 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