Divinepreneur Set Free

Do you feel like God is calling you to a new thing?  A new direction?  To do something totally out of your comfort zone?  Maybe it's your business, or even your career? As we approach the end of 2019, take an inventory of the past months to see if God has been pushing you into new ground.   There are signs that God may be talking to you.  First, you don't have peace in your heart.  In the context of work, maybe you feel uneasy.  You are always thinking about that "other" thing.  Second, you may be feeling stagnant at your job, or in your business.  There's no growth.  You can't see beyond your current situation.  Third, others have been talking to you about new projects, a new career, or a new venture.  Fourth, are you struggling with your communication with God? If you fid yourself unable to focus on your time with God, then it may be a sign (combined with others discussed here) that you may be called to a new thing.  Fifth, are you daydreaming about something?  Something big? You then shrug it off as a "not

Do you get along with everyone?  Is there a co-worker, a colleague, or maybe your peer that you just can't click with? Is it you?  It is her?  Maybe both?  Well, understanding one's personality profile may just be the key in helping you and your team understand and work with each other in a smoother way. Recently, my wife and I took the DISC profile assessment. It's sort of a check up to where each other is at.  The goal is to learn about each other in a way where we understand the other's way of thinking. We are all wired a little differently.  I am a high D and C.  This just means I like data, details, and I am a typical hunter and gatherer. I like to execute; I value order, and parameters. By contrast, someone who is a high I and S, like my wife, she is more inclined to make peace, and talk about things. Now, this does not mean that I have none of the other traits, and same for my wife.  This just means that we come from two different viewpoints. Perhaps the most famous personality test is the Myers Brig

In this episode, I interview my good friend Sid Mofya.  Sid is the Director of Partnerships at Draper Venture Network by day; by night, he is a budding creative generating soulful/folk-inspired music. Sid shares with us that in his early days he had ambitions of becoming a doctor.  Born in Zambia, his dream was to study abroad.  While medicine was not the ultimate calling, Sid did land a full ride in the UK to study engineering.  He later pursued a business degree in Houston, Texas, but not before he got married to his lovely wife- Becky. Together, they traveled to Africa, UK, and the states, but eventually found the Bay Area as home.  Today, Sid is busy putting deals together, but he is also putting lyrics to paper.  He picked up the guitar and later piano no doubt due to his upbringing.  Sid was brought up pretty much Christian you could say.  He was exposed to music from family, and church early on.  Today, he writes his own songs.  The dream is to connect people with his music, but in a way that's customi

Do you suffer from Isolation-itis?  "Isolation is the enemy of excellence." (Aaron Walker; https://www.viewfromthetop.com) In this part two series on "Free The Dream Conference," we look at one of my big takeaways - upgrading your peer group. If you're like me, a proud introvert and type A personality, you may have a high tendency to seclude yourself in your work, projects, thinking, and problem solving? Why? It's likely largely rooted in hubris, and a sense of pride.  For me, I tend not want to bother anyone.  But there's a cost to this way of operation.  Isolation-itis, can cause us to think narrowly.  We may not appreciate all options that are available to us.   It can harbor a deeper sense of pride because we have "gone too far" so why ask for help now?    Upgrading our peer group, or creating one, such as a mastermind group, can provide many benefits.   First, it can provide us with community.  People are social beings.  To thrive in your business, ministry, or any endeavor building a community increases

in this week's episode, part one, we talk about our dreams.  Almost all of us have a dream that we want to unleash. For some of you, you are already living your dream.  Congrats!  For the majority of us, however, I am guessing that we have something bottled within that we have been harboring for years, and at times, decades.  But it isn't going away.  At this year's Free the Dream conference (www.freethedreamconference.com), I was so blessed to have been able to attend the 2.5 days extravaganza.  The speaker all spoke against the theme that we can all free our dream.  But we have to be ultra-intentional.  One of the key reasons that we keep our dreams dormant is because of our belief system.  All beliefs have consequences. We have told ourselves (or have been conditioned to think) that we need be responsible, and go the straight and narrow.  That's fine.  But at what cost?  How many of our friends do we know who have great professions but who are miserable in their career?  Maybe that's you even.  When we exa

In this episode, we explore the three traits in an ideal team player in any organization.  Let's face it: Top talent is hard to find.  They are even harder to keep (that's for another episode).  In his famed work, "The Ideal Team Player," Patrick Lencioni argues convincingly three tops traits that an employer should identify in their team members.  In honor of this work, we dive into the three traits and discuss their implications when they are present, or missing (or a combination of them).  The three key traits that an employer would want in any team member are humility, hunger, and intelligence (including emotional intelligence.  Ideally, we want all three traits in any single team player. Some will have one while others will have two.   The combination of any two are important to look at.   For example, those who are humble and smart, but not hungry will be ones that typically slide on by.  They are under the radar.  They are often times pretty quiet. They will draw very little attention to themselves.  H

Have you ever had a bad customer service experience?  If you have, did you ever tell someone about it?  Chance are the answer is a resounding yes!   So, how do we up our game when it comes to client relations and customer service? In this episode, we discuss five essential skills to serving customers, and doing authentically.  People are emotional beings.  That is why when we experience bad customer service we tend to tell our friends and neighbors; it hits a nerve.  We want to avoid that type of experience.  With this understanding, we can then construct a superior experience for our clients.  First, be empathetic.  There is a big difference between being empathetic and being sympathetic.  You can certainly be both. However, having empathy simply shows that we care about the customer predicament.  Customers don't want to talk to robots and people who read off scripts, which in turn come off as robots.  We've all experienced this before.   Second, avoid using negative language at all cost.  We must not confus

If you've purchased your favorite Iced Latte, or a Boba drink chances are you've used Fivestars (www.fivestars.com).  Why wouldn't you? In this episode, I got a chance to interview Matt Doka, CTO of Fivestars.  Matt is blessed with being an engineering wiz, and a financial ninja.  At McKinsey, he worked in the investment sector, where he would meet his co-founder and CEO, Vic Ho.  Both Christ followers, they capitalized on their youth, enthusiasm, and faith to give starting a company a shot.  Matt and Vic went through Y-Combinator.  With a little experimentation, and the expected pivoting, Matt and Vic set their sights on serving local and small businesses.  Through the customer loyalty framework, Fivestars' mission is to turn every transaction into a relationship! By offering a powerful marketing platform for businesses and rewards for their customers, it's a match made in business heaven.  Matt shared in this episode the influence he had while growing up in a mission-filled household.  At a young age, he go

In this episode, we conclude our discussion of the employment relationship by focusing on what the Bible has to say about what a Christ following employee should consider when it comes to his or her interactions at the workplace.  First, I think it's important to be an exceptional worker and team member.  Focus on your internal brand so that people look to you for excellence.  Be mindful, project-oriented, and ready to help.  Col 3:23 says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."  After all, we are working for God, and our workmanship should glorify God.  At some level, we are all artists or artisans in some way.  We should be proud of our work. When we work on a project, or a task we can think like an artist and be proud to "sign off" on our final product.  In that way, your company and co-workers will notice that you're someone who does great work and provides a unique proposition.  Second, we should respect authority meaning our superiors.  This doe

Aloha! In this Maui edition of the Divinepreneur Set Free podcast, I am super thrilled to be recording from the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii.  This week, my fam' and I are with the kiddos vacationing.  We are so blessed and ever GRATEFUL to God for the opportunity.  This week, I didn't want to pass up the chance to record from this awesome place - bringing you guys some island love.  And appropriately, this week's episode is about rest and relaxation.  Many of us have a hard time truly resting and relaxing.  Yes, a lot of us take vacation. But guess what, a lot of us don't.   I never used to take a vacation.  NEVER.  I didn't grow up with that brand of experience so it was never on my radar.  As an adult, I think that mindset carried over (well into adulthood). I remember I would work years without taking a real vacation.   Today, I have learned that we all must break from our hustle.  Even those who are in ministry, and certainly those who are in business.   Psalm 116:7 says "Return to your rest, my soul

In this week's episode, we dive into one of a two-part series about how God expects us, the Christian Entrepreneur, to carry ourselves as an employer/manager.  Business is a full contact sport. Many issues arise, and in multiple areas.  We look at just five areas where God has something to say in terms of how we may show up in the world as an employer-divinepreneur.  In the area of employee relation, we are charged in 1. Cor 9 to pay our employees fairly.  In a highly competitive marketplace, we must not only pay fairly but likely more than fairly to entire, and keep talent.   Col. 4: 1 says, "Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven." We should aim for holiness in every business transaction. Business is hard enough.  But we must separate ourselves from any wrongdoing, sneakiness, or malfeasance, or even the appearance of such because we work for an awesome God! Ultimately, we are a testimony through our labor.  And people can tell.  2 Co

In this episode, we dive right into the meaning of leadership and why it's important to increase our leadership ability.  Every organization needs leadership.  Leadership, according John Maxwell, is influence (Law of Influence).  Influence just means the ability to cause people to do things. In a business setting, we of course want to influence people in a positive way and through positivity, encouragement, and empowerment.  When we show people we care, we slowly earn loyalty.  When we, as Christian Entrepreneur leaders, show that we have been through the fire, or are willing to go through the fire, we gain legitimacy among our team members, industry, and peers.  As Christian leaders in the marketplace, I argue that we have to be even more mindful than our counterparts because we have the honor of displaying Christ and glorifying God in all that we do.  We can't all be great leaders. But, the good news is that we can work on it.  Maxwell's "Law of the Lid" stands for the proposition that each leader has a lid

What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?  This famed line is from the 80's sitcom, Different Strokes.  We talk every single day (most of us), and when we do we are communicating.  When we email we are of course doing the same thing.  We all communicate differently.  Do you have people tell you that you’re “easy” to talk to?  Or, do people always ask you to clarify what you just said. In this week’s episode, we dive into learning our communication style and how to improve our communication.  The world knows what we are the minute we speak.  So, it's important to sharpen our communication skills. Communication can be a superpower.  That’s good news!   In Sally Hogshead’s “How to fascinate?” at www.howtofascinate.com she teaches that we all have a style of communicating (or advantage).  Some may have the advantage of “Trust” while others come across with “Power.”  Check out her website to take a brief and free survey to learn your advantage.   Whatever you style is, we can all improve our speaking and writing.  Have you

In this episode, I am thrilled to interview my good friend, and life coach Jedi, Cliff Ravenscraft (www.mindsetanswerman.com).   In case you have not heard of Cliff, he's a down to Earth Brother in Christ who started out as an employee in the marketplace and evolved (not without pain) to being 100% self employed in the on-line space.  Formerly known around the world as "The Podcast Answerman" God has opened door after door for him and now, rebranded as the Mindset Answerman, Cliff coaches individuals and small businesses to living the life they are most called to live.  Cliff sits down with me in this episode as he explains his origin.  Cliff started in the insurance business and was super successful. But then he got hooked on Podcasting. In the early days, there were but a handful of podcasts.  Cliff saw a niche and because of his love fo the craft excelled in the technical and art of delivering content through this medium.  He would offer multiple online courses teaching folks how to podcast.  Today, he bra

in today's world, business and life are accelerating at a rapid rate. Can we as Christian Entrepreneurs benefit from personal development? Or do just simply rely on God for "everything?" There are multiple benefits for Christian Entrepreneurs to develop continuously and better ourselves.  Throughout scripture, God allows and even waits for man to act.  For example, God asked Adam to name the animals.  It's not as if God got tired or couldn't come up with names; rather, God wanted man to act and partner with God. In the same way, we are to act to "work out our own salvation" we are told Philippians 2:12.  And throughout scripture, we see the men and women of God working. We have to keep moving forward.  Personal development starts with Self awareness - designing the life  you are meant to have.  What are your gifts?  What are you good at? Through personal development, we can gain a sense of direction. We all need a tune-up from time to time.  We may have blind spots that we have either developed unknowingly or

Knowing our true identity as a Christian Entrepreneur is not necessarily an easy thing.  We are constantly under attack by the enemy who seeks to destroy us.  The enemy has been at this for a long time.  He knows our pain points and our weaknesses.  He can question our abilities, our heart, and our motives.  He accuses us day and night before God of all our shortcomings.  And he does. But we can equip ourselves with a daily practice of digesting the Word of God.   Romans 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Romans 5:1 - Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Gal. 5:1 - For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. We can be sure in our identity in Christ (not our success, failure, or any other thing).

As Divinepreneurs, how we show up in the marketplace is so crucial because it is an opportunity to be a witness to Christ and a testimony for his grace, love, and overall sovereignty.  In business, we are constantly bombarded with different types of pressures and demands.  The enemy knows exactly how to hit us and try to derail our efforts in serving our team members, and customers.  One of the central areas where the enemy can attack is our finances. Our financial health is an integral part of so much of what we do both personally and in business. Personally, if we don't have our own financial house in order, it is likely to bleed over to our business (or our attempt to launch a business).  To realign our personal finance, we should audit our own views about money.  Do we submit our finances to God or do we still play Lord? On a practical level, we should rid all unsecured debt, i.e., credit cards, car payments, student loans, so that we have the margin (as opposed to paying everyone else) in our lives. Debt

Being a Dad is a joy but it's hard work.  There are a handful of Dad traits I think that apply directly to running a business.   In today's episode, we explore a handful of these traits: being patient, resourceful, emotionally fit, coachable, and communicating effectively.  Our kids sometimes test our patience; but so do clients and team members.  Sometimes, we run short on this resource because maybe we are not organized, or are not clear on our own time management. Carving out blocks of time and reworking our own organizational system may reduce stress, and hence increase patience when dealing with both child and business.  An entrepreneur is born to be resourceful typically. No one can ever have all the resources she needs, but we can be resourceFUL. Making things work and using what you've got are age-old edicts but they ring true.  Fathering children also takes a lot of emotional energy. Being emotionally fit may be the next craze.  With super busy lives, ew are constantly on the move, and trying to laun

Have you ever gotten stuck on making a decision? I've been there; I think we all have experienced it.  Maybe you are stuck now! Well, don't miss this episode as we deconstruct ways to make informed decisions and go over pitfalls to avoid.  We humans make a ton of decisions every day.  Some studies suggest that we make as many as 35,000 decisions a day (2,000 per hour) (https://go.roberts.edu/leadingedge/the-great-choices-of-strategic-leaders) In making any decision, we of course need first to know what we want.  We must then also count the cost first.  (Luke 14: 28-34)  This necessarily means that we need to accumulate as much relevant data as possible before deciding.  Sometimes, it helps to visualize the decision we want to make by making a decision tree. Check out this article in this link to learn more  (https://medium.com/greyatom/decision-trees-a-simple-way-to-visualize-a-decision-dc506a403aeb) We should also avoid making decisions for the wrong reason, i.e., emotions, keeping up with the Joneses, avoi

Do you practice compassionate leadership in the marketplace?  How do we do it? In this episode, I get to interview an HR Professional of over 20 years specializing in mindfulness, compassionate leadership, and emotional intelligence.  Jennie Hoady-Shiu, my wife, gives us four practical ways that we can implement today so that we can be salt and light at work.  We get into the mind, subconsciousness, intentionality, and conflict resolution.  [Shout out to my friend and a leader himself, Cliff Ravenscraft (www.cliffravenscraft.com), on his teaching on the subconscious mind.]  At the heart of it, it's about being an intentional leader with an open heart and mind ready to connect with team members in an authentic way.  Don't miss this episode!  Subscribe, like and share this podcast.   As promised, feel free to reach out to Jennie directly at JHoady@yahoo.com for more free resources on what we'v covered.  And you can always email me at johnny@divinepreneursetfree.com Blessings!