Divinepreneur Set Free

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 Cor. 7:1 says, "Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." 

When it comes to communications, we should do so graciously and truthfully. 

• Col. 4:  6 -  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
• Prov. 15:1 - A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

In employee conflict resolution, communication is crucial.  In investigating any allegation of employee misconduct, we must verify accusations (1 Tm 5:19 - Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.)

We must also listen to all sides.  (James 1: 19  - My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry) 

Running a business also requires keeping up with our financial and legal obligations. 

Rom 13:6-8 reminds us that "This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."

The Word of God also addresses the employer's responsibility to care for his/her own family as well as for the poor and weak. 

• Rom 12:13 - Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
• Gal. 2: 10  - All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.
• 1 Tim. 5:8 - Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Finally, we would do well to be reminded that we are managing our business for God.  We should be mindful of the long term implications of our decisions.  Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Prov. 29:18)

Blessings,

Shiuyaright

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, and the higher the lid the more effective that leader will be. The converse would be true.  In the end, when an organization fails, or sustains systemic and chronic problems it is ultimately the leader's responsibility to fix it.  It behooves the leader to be able to identify those blindspots, or at least seek wise counsel, and recommendations to offset his/her inability to see through a situation. Again, the good news is that a leader can work on his/her "lid" factor through self development and mindfulness. 

Blessings,

Shiuyaright

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 ever reread your own email only to be puzzled by the very words that you yourself typed?  Have you ever read a reply to your communication and it made no sense? We can all fall into this trap from time to time.  But don't be discouraged, there are ways to improve our communication right now. 

Here are some tips you can practice today: 

• Be a listener
• Be aware of personal bias
• Ask questions first; ask for more data BEFORE you answer
• Know your audience 
• Break down what you are trying to say….

• Be BRIEF and SPECIFIC 
• Be more explanatory
• Wait and think over your response (if possible) before you get back to the other person
• Word the same concept in two different ways to ensure that the OTHER person knows what you mean
• Be clear

To avoid misunderstanding, and confusion, it is best to repeat and confirm that has been discussed.  In high stakes communication, this is crucial to the final deal.  

How we come across, and what we say are so important as Divinepreneurs.  People are constantly observing us and watching our acts, and speech.  We have every opportunity to communicate effectively and for the Kingdom of God. 

Blessings,

shiuyaright 

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 bravely left that aspect of podcasting (and the secure income that it brought) and leapt again to coach individuals who may or may not have their own podcast in their online business.  Cliff offers one-on-one coaching, as well as a group Mastermind.  Check it all out at the URL above. 

In this episode, Cliff also shares his struggles during his evolution, but which ultimately culminated in a desire in him to hold stadium sized conferences.  It's not a dream no more!  In 2018, Cliff and his awesome wife, Stephanie, launched "Free the Dream 2018!"  IN 2019, yours truly is flying to Franklin, Tennessee to be a part of "Free the Dream 2019!" 

In episode 24, I talked about the importance of personal development.  And to walk the talk, I will be a willing student (as always) to learn new things and execute them to keep improving. You should, too!  Don't hesitate.  If you can save 10  years, 5 years or 1 month of work/time, by learning even one truth, would you do it? What dream are you trying unlock inside of you?  Go to www.freethedreamconference.com today and register.  Invest in yourself because you are worth it.  

Blessings, 

#shiuyaright

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 that were never addressed.  

It can be a time to refresh and renew. 

Personal development can also be rocket fuel that boosts you into the next level.  Maybe you hit a plateau. You need a break-through! 

Don't forget that developing yourself can improve focus and effectiveness in your work.  We are distracted constantly.  There is so much noise in the marketplace.  But the proper information can put us on track to a single focus so we can move forward with our work.

When we invest in ourselves with updated information, we can increase our resilience.  Storms will come.  Can we withstand the winds of change?

We need to develop our adaptive muscles also.  The ability to ADAPT to evolving situations is a skill, and an art.  

Finally, when we develop others we can develop others.  We can pay it forward; mixing your experience with learning, which is wisdom that can be priceless.

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).  We are simply sons and daughters of the Living God who has given us favor.  

There are other practical things we can do to ensure that we aren't blown off course by the enemy's tactics.  Check in with like-minded Christian Entrepreneurs whom you can share you issues with and air your concerns.  Join a mastermind group where these issues can be honestly dealt with. 

We can also consume nourishing content daily during down time such as podcasts, videos, and other media to help strengthen our understanding and core in Christ. 

Make no mistake, the enemy is at this game day and night. He does not take a holiday. And we can't either.  The good news is that we have God on our side.  Be bold and take hold of your rightful place and identity, firmly planted in Christ. 

Blessings,

#shiuyaright

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 is not a sin; however, debt is unwise as Proverbs teaches us.  Imagine if you had no car payment, or a Visa payment.  The money you would have could be better used and stewarded. 

After all, we are all stewards of God's money and resources.  

And when we are financially responsible personally we will be better equipped to launch our business.  You will be able to save more cash with no debt in order to bootstrap your business. Remember, if you can't service that small business loan we can act in desperate ways in our business just to meet those financial obligations but which are unsound for our business.

In both personal and business finance, it is crucial to do a budget.  I, personally, do one every 2 weeks.  I know where everything is going and what is coming in.  When we take control of the income that God has blessed us with he will bless us (not necessarily financially but in all aspects of life). 

Take control, and set yourself free with God's principles in your finances so that you can do the redemptive work that you are called to do! 

Blessings, 

#shiuyaright 

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 launch that next product.  Hence, emotions run hot.  How do we manage our emotions?

Everyone needs a coach.  As I mention in this episode, I recently got some coaching from my good friend Kris Pavone (www.krispavone.com)  No one is exempt. We all need a tune up and have someone objective call out our blind spots. 

And being a Dad can certainly hone in our communication skills. When our kids are small, we talked to them in "baby" language or in ways that are simple and clear.  We don't talk "baby" to our team members or clients. But, there's a lesson.  Writing and speaking clearly with logical and coherent thoughts remain coveted skills.  Think about all the times that an email did not sound clear to you.  Exactly! 

We hope you enjoy this episode.  Email me at [email protected] with your thoughts on the Big Box retailer issue! 

Blessings,

#shiuyaright 

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, avoiding embarrassment, etc.

Above all, we should seek counsel so that we can become more wise so that we can improve on our decision making skills.  

Thank you for listening!  As always, I want to hear from you.  Email me at [email protected] and share your hack on dinner!  Or, just email me about the episode!  Check us out at www.divinepreneursetfree.com

Check out my drawing on Instagram of Captain Picard )(https://www.instagram.com/p/ByOEiICDQVP/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet)

Blessings! 

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 [email protected] for more free resources on what we'v covered.  And you can always email me at [email protected]

Blessings!