Christian Biz Owners On Fire

Distance used to be a hurdle for most with all kinds of business and personal connections, including romantic ones.  Business owners are wise not to get too sucked into working too much at the expense of investing in personal relationships. With so many communication apps available now, distance may no longer be an obstacle to having a long distance relationship (LDR). Staying in touch has never been easier; however, actually connecting with someone living a few hundred — or thousand — miles away is still no easy feat. Add that to the normal ups and downs of being in a relationship it's no wonder that LDRs don't work for everyone. However LDRs can and do work — it just takes some creativity, communication, planning, and sometimes, even mentoring. Our guest in this episode is the founder of Undivided, a professional mentoring business specially made for people in long distance relationships. Undivided focuses on personal development, mutual growth, and unlocking for their clients, a rock-solid bond with thei

In this age of infinite choices, small business owners need to be creative in finding ways to stand out in a crowded marketplace. But how do you do that? One way to do so is via brand photos. Photography can help you represent yourself to the world in a way that’s positive, genuine and, most importantly, unique to your business. After all, you and your business are more than a logo.  You as the business owner are the face of your business. It’s important to have a visual brand that presents you in the best light, with an up-to-date look that you feel fabulous about. Needless to say, how a brand is perceived affects its success! Our guest in this episode spends just as much time identifying your brand as she does behind the camera. Stephanie Simpson, owner of branding photography company Simpson Portraits, has years of experience in marketing, image making, and visual storytelling. That combination of skills makes her uniquely qualified to help you to build your business and your brand. Stephanie helps peo

Personal branding used to include nothing more than a simple business card with your name on it. But with the development of social media and an increasingly individualized society, the brand you build around yourself is perhaps the single most important way to stand out in your spheres of influence. If you’re interested in becoming a leader in your field or landing your dream job, you need to set up and maintain a digital presence and in person presentation that tells people who you are and why you’re special. But for some reason, many of us aren’t comfortable with developing our personal brand. For some, especially for beginner entrepreneurs, it could feel forced. Or some don’t want to put themselves out there. Or they feel like they’re selling out. What exactly is personal branding and how do you establish an awesome personal brand?   Our guest in this episode, JuliAnn Stitick, is a Personal Brand Strategist with over 22 years of experience working with trusted brands such as Lexus, Nordstrom, Disney, L

It doesn’t matter what products or services you offer. In this age of countless options, being able to differentiate yourself from your competitors and position yourself as the person or business most suited to serve them is vital to your success. The secret to getting noticed is authority. When you have authority, people will pay attention. When you are perceived as an expert in your industry, people will naturally want to work with you. They will seek you out instead of you chasing them. Our guest in this episode talks about the importance of first and foremost establishing yourself to be an authority figure in your industry rather than focusing on generating leads and converting those prospects into clients. Weston Lyon is the author of 19 books and one of the only authors to ever write nine books in eleven months. Weston also founded Plug & Play Publishing, a Pittsburgh-based authority-positioning company that teaches coaches, consultants, speakers, and other education-based service providers how t

Lacking the “grit”. Silencing the inner critic. Procrastination. Beginner entrepreneurs are very much guilty of these self-sabotaging roadblocks that drive them further away from their goal of thriving in their business. You may not be aware of it but some of those are inherited roadblocks and patterns that once recognized and released will lead to awakening of your life. Our guest in this episode is an intuitive life coach and transformational energy healer. Lisa Thomas has had the privilege of working with talented people from all walks of life. She empowers individuals to reach their full potential by removing inherited emotional blocks such as fear of success, fear of failure, anxiety, procrastination, fear of public speaking, false money beliefs, relationship drama and business stagnation. Lisa's expertise in removing inherited patterns within the epigenetics empowers people to get their gifts, talents and bright ideas out into the world, confidently and in alignment with their Soul's purpose.  

This episode focuses on a specific niche, which is dancing, but make sure to tune in as we discuss everything involved in owning a commercial venture that requires capital and business savvy. Our guest in this episode owns a dance school that helps instructors set up classes on-site in schools. Jeannette Sermak-Proulx  has been teaching since 1981. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from California Institute of the Arts, a Bachelor of Arts in English/Dance from Loyola Marymount University, and a Polish Folk Dance Teaching credential from Bursa Szkol Artystynych Lublin, Poland. Jeannette has built her business from the ground up by mastering cold calling.  She is in the process of writing a book teaching others how to have cold calling success.  

The strengths approach says that when it comes to developing people, there is more to be gained by building on their existing strengths than on trying to correct or make  good their weaknesses. Too many people focus on fixing what's "wrong" with themselves, instead of appreciating and leveraging the unique, innate talents they already possess.   Our guest in this episode, Brea Roper, is a coach who uses the  power of CliftonStrengths. Learn more about this type of coaching in this episode.  

Have you heard of the adage that says, “Leaders aren't trained, they're developed”? This is a subtle yet very important distinction lost on many. In this episode, our guest David M Robertson explains the distinction between leadership coaching and leadership development and how one is better than the other.   David M Robertson is a Leadership Development Practitioner with GrassFire Industries LLC in Wichita, Kansas. He developed and continues to refine the several programs now being taught at GrassFire and has been teaching leadership development in various roles since 2009.  

In last week's episode, we talked about tithing and how doing so can actually lead you to a six-figure income. This week, returning guest Michael Holmes, founder of tithehacker.org shares with us the stories, patterns, and strategies employed by wealthy Christian entrepreneurs and how everyday business owners like us can learn from those habits.

An old saying goes, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”. But what if you are told that you do not just give, but to give a percentage of what you are actually earning? The first ten percent, to be specific. This is called tithing. When it comes to topic of tithing, many Christians want to rationalize. For those who find themselves in financial trouble, tithing doesn’t make sense from an economic standpoint. One person who found himself questioning the Bible teaching of tithing led him to an experiment that changed the course of his life.   Michael Holmes, founder of tithehacker.org, shares how a ”tithing experiment” took him from unemployed, broke, and in debt to a six-figure income in a matter of 2 years.

If you watch any of my Facebook Live videos, read my blogs, or are a regular listener to Christian Biz Owners on Fire radio show, you've heard me invite you and others to do a Manifesting Your Vision session with me.  So what the heck is that and why is it a good investment of your time and money. Some of my decisions to do a "strategy session" with others over time have literally changed the course of my lfie. Tune into today to see how doing a Manifesting Your Vision session with me could be the game changer for you!

Don't 3e the best kept secret in town.  Learn ways to communicate your advantage to your clients with humility and grace.

The road of an entrepreneur is a bumpy one.  Almost everyone loves the idea of the perks of running your own business. You control your own time and schedule.  You decide the kind of work you will and will not do.  And you determine which clients and environments you will be around. No one is capping yoru income. Real business owners live the other less-than-fun side of entrepreneurs.  Successful entreprenuers must possess grit to make a business work.  They have to learn to ride the waves of uncertainty and change.   Wtih time you figure out the cycles.  Seasoned business owners recognize patterns.  Often it is after the breakdowns that the breakthroughs come, if we learn to continue to trust that God has a plan for us and take the next step he puts before us. Tune in for three ways to you can respond to turn your breakdowns into breakthroughs!

These simple tips can help you make sure you absolutely love the business and life you are creating.  So many people are short-sighted.  They don't consider the impact of their business models on their lives.  They compartmentalize rather than look at a global view. But by being a Christian Biz Owners on Fire radio listener, you can avoid these common pitfalls and enjoy your journey as much as the end result.

Selling isn’t for everyone. Some people, including executives and entrepreneurs, panic at the thought of “putting themselves out there,” especially when that means asking colleagues for referrals or reaching out to past clients to drum up new business. Is this you? Our guest in this episode is passionate about changing the negative stigma around sales and helping women in business become confident in bringing on new clients and asking for what they deserve. Ryann Dowdy is a 15-year veteran of the advertising industry. She moved from individual contributor to sales trainer, to territory manager, to Director of Sales. Today, Ryann helps entrepreneurs, consultants and corporate sales team overcome their fear of sales to grow their business.    

In the previous episode, we talked to Pam Hopman, creator of The Money Profile and author of the best selling book, “Wealth Amplified. Pam talked about money mindset and the money style diagnostic tool she has created.  In this episode, Pam gives recommendations for sound financial management as a business owner.  Having a strong advocate of women and finances, Pam has recently launched her video course, Wealth Amplified. The course is a series of guided conversations through important financial topics. Pam created this program as a fun and powerful way for women to view their behavior around finances and money. The women who have participated in her programs have made major breakthroughs in making more money, keeping more money and loving their lives. As Pam often says, every dollar has a job. Are your dollars working hard enough for you?

Unhealthy money beliefs can destroy a successful business. Some of the warning signs of an unhealthy money mindset might be excessive discounting, a strong need to be all things to all people and operating in a constant state of fear, including fear to spend money or spending most of your money the minute it hits your checking account.   While there are certainly emotional components associated with this, most important of all is the mindset you maintain around how you make and spend money. With a scarcity mindset, you'll find yourself always focusing on never having enough. How then do we shift from scarcity to abundance? Our guest in this episode is a strong advocate of women and finances. Pam Hopman, the creator of The Money Profile and author of the best selling book, “Wealth Amplified”, has recently launched her video course of the same name. The course is a series of guided conversations through important financial topics. Pam created this program as a fun and powerful way for women to view their be

Thought leaders are the informed, go-to people in their fields of expertise. For small business owners, becoming a thought leader within one’s industry can open up the doors to numerous opportunities for business growth. But while many strive for thought leadership, few actually know how to achieve it. Especially these days when being heard is tough enough–what more being heard online? Our guest in this episode shares some tips on how to be a thought leader in your industry. Mitchell Levy is the AHA Guy & CEO at AHAthat who empowers thought leaders to share their genius. He is an accomplished Entrepreneur who has created twenty businesses in Silicon Valley including four publishing companies that have published over 800 books. Mitchell is a TEDx speaker and international bestselling author with fifty nine business books. He’s provided strategic consulting to over one hundred companies, has advised over five hundred CEOs on critical business issues, and has been chairman of the board of a NASDAQ-listed c

We’ve recently talked about mindfulness, so this episode might come as a surprise to you. How come we’re discussing about being angry this time? At its worst, anger can be incredibly frustrating and vexing, and it can become a tremendous obstacle to our success. At its best, however, anger is an emotion that can fuel us to great success–and ultimately, even happiness–so long as we control the anger we feel, and don't let it control us. In this episode we talk about how being angry sometimes can help you take those steps you need to move forward in your business.

Our guest in this episode is the CEO of a company that has created innovative solutions addressing the number one reason why businesses owners sell their companies: sailing into the sunset of retirement bliss. Nobody plans to get sick, but the number one reason businesses get put up for sale is a health scare suffered by the owner. Illness of the owner or another crisis can lead the owner to sell the business only getting pennies on the dollar.  Small business owners have to manage their funds to stay in business. With the daily challenges of making a business work, putting plans in place to protect the company and owner from potentially fatal events in the future often is not a current day financial priority. Luis Beeli helps educate business owners on the real risks while providing an affordable means to protect the business they are building.   Being too tight with money to the point of restricting and sacrificing the potential growth of your business or ignoring or minimizing future risks can do more h