Terence Lester, founder of Love Beyond Walls, has made a choice that most people probably wouldn't make even if they were getting paid. He has decided to live on top of a bus for 30 days to raise awareness and money for a unique idea to restore dignity to homeless people. His goal is to raise funds to retrofit a 30 passenger bus and turn it into a mobile barbershop, closet, and shower to serve homeless individuals in the city of Atlanta, and under resourced communities. So he started camping out on December 14 and he won't be coming down until January 14. 11 Alive News in Atlanta just did a story on him and this great initiative... If you're interesting in supporting Terence and this very meaningful project please visit his crowdfunding page: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mobile-makeovers One common denominator between current and aspiring entrepreneurs is the fact that marketing has to be one of your core focus areas. Without marketing, the greatest products and services will die on the vine, so to speak. That's the main reason why I spent of a lot of time dealing with marketing in my recently release book, Inc. My Dream: A God Inspired Process to Turn Your BIG Idea Into a Dream Business. The awesome thing is many Biblical principles relate directly to your marketing success as a purpose-driven entrepreneur. God's wisdom provides us everything we need to succeed in life, including our business ventures.
Well, there's more good news for you. On September 1st, Kingdom Business University will kick-off an online small business course focused on essential aspects of marketing that will equip you to significantly increase your sales revenues. This course, entitled "Love Thy Customers: And Other Radical Strategies to Grow a Flourishing Business," is based on content from Inc. My Dream and will provide you with breakthrough branding, marketing, and sales strategies to grow a booming business and become a leader in your industry that customers love to do business with. This course will help you to:
While some aspects of marketing may seem difficult, it really all boils down to knowing how to effectively engage people. It's not rocket science and it doesn't have to be something you shy away from. In this course you will learn how to extract practical skills and tools from Biblical principles in order to impact people in significant ways that transition them from unknown prospects to becoming loyal, paying customers. An added bonus is that I will coach you on how to apply these principles specifically to your business based on my long-time experience as a business consultant and entrepreneur. This will be a great learning experience whether you're a knowledgeable entrepreneur or just getting started in business. Learn more about this and other upcoming courses at www.kbuonline.com. Leave your comments below... This is an excerpt from a chapter of my soon to be released, highly anticipated book, Inc. My Dream: A God Inspired Process To Turn Your BIG Into A Dream Business. Learn more about this resource for business startups and those who need a fresh start in your business at www.incmydream.com. * * * * * * * * * * * * In the Kingdom of God and in business, relationships are the most important element. Broken down to its most common denominator, the Bible is a book about the eternal relationship between God and people, and how people are supposed to relate to one another. If you break business down to its most common denominator, the key success factor still comes down to building strong relationships. God passionately loves people. Therefore, we should passionately love people. God invested His most valuable asset to redeem humanity and reconcile us back to Him. (Side note: In our society we use the words redemption and reconciliation in financial contexts, which gives you an idea of how closely related the Kingdom and business are.). Kingdom entrepreneurs get the privilege and opportunity to love people through your business. As mentioned earlier in this book, your business is an answer to somebody’s prayer. But it’s not just that. Your business is also an answer to the call to serve. Love is not often associated with doing business. However, when you serve people through your creativity, ingenuity, quality, and excellence, you are demonstrating love through your business. God sees your investment of time, talent, and resources and will honor your efforts. Business gives Christians the opportunity to use your God-given gifts strategically and purposefully to help others. First Peter 4:9-11 reads, “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you… Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ…” When Kingdom businesspeople allow God’s generosity to flow through you as you exercise your gifts in the marketplace, you are able to have a positive impact on every life that you have the opportunity to touch. Even more, you become fulfilled in your purpose here on the earth when you enhance another’s life with your endowed uniqueness. In this day and time so many businesses seem to no longer value excellent customer service. The reality is they don’t understand the blessings promised by God when we love the people He created. When you serve people with a great deal of care and concern, you greatly increase the potential of them moving from just being customers to becoming raving fans. Don’t fall into this society’s trap of thinking that love has no place in your business. In fact it is absolutely essential to the success of your business. When you love people God’s way, your reward will be earthly and eternal. Loving your customers is not random or haphazard. It is very strategic. It is planned and executed through branding, marketing, and sales. ********** Coming in August Kingdom Business University will be offering a new marketing and sales course entitled, Love Thy Customers: Break Out Marketing Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Growth. This course will teach you how to:
Leave your comments below... "A man's heart plans his way: but the LORD directs his steps.." Proverbs 16:9 Today is the day we are celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And as is often the case on this holiday, in reflecting and commenting on his life many people are going to reference what he so eloquently articulated as his dream. This of course is a great thing. You know what else is great? When you discover God's dream for you and you live on purpose to accomplish it. However, I wonder how many people have chosen to live for something that is an alternative pathway compared to what God has intentionally designed for you? I suspect it's far, far greater than what most people would like to admit. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11 Many people live in pursuit of a dream that's different or far smaller in scope than what God has planned for them. His plans and expectations for us are so far beyond what we see for ourselves, but, unfortunately, many people settle for what they can see not what God has for them. Fortunately, we have a wonderful example in Dr. King of living a B.I.G. dream based on God's purpose for his life.
From the perspective of his life, here are five key characteristics to assess whether you are living your dream or God's:
So do you need to reevaluate your dream? I look forward to your comments below... Recently CNN.com posted an article, 'The Demise of Guys: How Video Games and Porn Are Ruining a Generation', in which two researchers concluded:
"The excessive use of video games and online porn in pursuit of the next thing is creating a generation of risk-averse guys who are unable (and unwilling) to navigate the complexities and risks inherent to real-life relationships, school and employment." This outlook doesn't bode well for a society that is desperately in need of genuine, effective male leaders who love God and the people He has positioned them to be in relationship with, including wives, children, co-workers, congregations, and communities. One thing that screamed loudly at me from this article was the concern that men and boys who are consumed in the lifestyles of porn and video game addiction lack the understanding and embracing of their life purpose. They yearn for artificial intimacy and intelligence, and neglect the life-giving pursuits, including relationships, that we all need to sustain a healthy, whole, and fulfilling life. Proverbs 29:18 tells us that without a vision, people die. Those who have no perspective of the future, or how they should be living their lives for something greater than the continual pursuit of momentary gratification, eventually die from the inside out because they stop nourishing healthy hopes and dreams. The discovery of one's purpose - as we pursue God - becomes one of the greatest treasures that we can receive in this life. However, it can also be a great factor that leads to one's downfall if they go through life without ever finding "that thing" that drives, guides, and directs them to a productive, prosperous, and satisfying life. Without knowing our purpose (and the Giver of our purpose), how else do we know how to optimally utilize our thoughts, times, talents, relationships, and resources to produce a life greater than what we currently experience? I am committed to helping reroute the trajectory of our culture from what we see now to an environment that helps men cultivate a healthy life perspective that's centered on their purpose. The book God inspired me to write, Dream B.I.G. in 3D: How to Pursue a Bold, Innovative, God-Inspired Life!, is for those who are unaware or confused about the awesome destiny God has planned for them. It helps people identify and confirm the reasons God gave them life, i.e. their assignment in the earth. This was written as a workbook that guides people through a practical, introspective process of uncovering the person God created you to be, while also providing the inspiration to achieve the greatness for which you were born. If you have a husband, father, son, brother, cousin, friend, neighbor, or any other man in your life who you know needs help with finding direction in his life, please purchase this book for them. This weekend is Father's Day, so it's a great time to help them, especially if you feel you need to be inconspicuous about it. If you want to learn more about Dream B.I.G. in 3D, please visit www.dreambigin3d.com. An ebook version is also available at www.dreambigebook.com. I refuse to be part of the generation that stood around and let the "demise of guys" happen on my watch. How about you? "Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see." ~ "Amazing Grace" by John Newton When we allow sin or the cares of this life to dominate our thoughts, we become spiritually blind to the love, blessings, favor, and breakthrough ideas that God has already provided to us. However, when God's LOVE dominates our thoughts, our eyes are opened to the beauty, possibilities, and opportunities that surround us every day. When fear dominates our thinking, it is extremely difficult to receive new revelation and insight from God to take your life or business to the next level. However, when His LOVE completely consumes your mental focus, creative concepts flow freely to you and from you.
If God desires to give you every good thing (Psalm 84:11), has lavished you with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), and has given you everything as it relates to life in godliness (2 Peter 1:3), why is it that people still walk around feeling confused, anxious, fearful, and bitter? It's because their thoughts are not dominated by His LOVE. His perfect LOVE casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). When you realize and fully embrace the truth that God loves you passionately and you can't do anything to change that, all thoughts of fear, doubt, hopelessness, and any other forms of unhealthy thinking are separated far from your mind. When your mind is freed from that junk, your blindness is cured and your thoughts become a clean canvas for God to paint some extravagant ideas. As your eyes are opened you are now able to see the amazing things God has already given to you that were previously hidden from you by all the things that were clogging your mental pores. I know this to be true, because until recently I struggled with self-condemnation and fear for a long time due to some business and financial failures. But when I finally got the picture that God wasn't punishing me for my failings - so I needed to stop doing that too and forgive myself - I was able to see His vision for Kingdom Business University. Actually, the idea had been sitting in front of me for a long time, but I couldn't see it because I was consumed with those unprofitable thought patterns. It wasn't an overnight process. But I can definitely say that once I allowed God to correct my thinking, my eyes were opened and my mind has been blown away with all that He wants to do through this new entrepreneurial Kingdom venture (trust me, our web site doesn't even come close to fully describing all that God has shown me that KBU will become). New ideas are coming every day, people are catching the vision, doors of opportunity are flying open, and resources are coming quickly. I am more excited than I have been in a looooooooong time, because I am able to see again! Allow God's LOVE to dominate your thinking. The benefits are amazing and the results will be miraculous. You will begin to see life like never before, and fully experience the practical power of His LOVE. ***Reminder: The Open House for Kingdom Business University is this Saturday, March 31st at 10 am in Atlanta. Click here for more info. |
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