3 Things Christian Entrepreneurs Should Understand About True Success

For Christian leaders that are doubting their ability to become successful in business.

Entrepreneurship can be a daunting word for a lot of Christians called to be leaders. There’s this huge misconception that becoming an entrepreneur and making money equates to not being God driven or Christ-like. Each of us in life crave success, we have ambitions, and our desires to grow is engraved in us from the beginning of time by God. Unfortunately, growing up in some Christian churches, we are brainwashed into thinking that we don’t need to push ourselves to be successful or to have money, as all we should focus on is a life in Jesus. One thing you should know is that a life in Jesus is also a life of prosperity, as God is the owner of all riches and through our faith in Him, we inherit it all. In the Bible, God references prosperity nicely. In Proverbs 10:4, it states the following, “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Meaning God calls us to work, and not to be indolent so that we may acquire riches. Here God is providing us with words that indicate what we need to do to become successful.

I remember always shying away from anything with the word’s entrepreneur, boss, etc. I’ve always loved to serve so my main concern was to be a Christian loving human being, and to one day become a medical professional, as I’ve always loved the field, and the ability to help people. These desires were always in my mind and heart, and I never had the thought of the possibility of owning my own business one day. When I thought of a wealthy Christian, I had an immediate question of “Are they really Christian?” “They must glorify money more than God.” These were such judgmental thoughts and because of those thoughts, I never thought I would reach a high level of success as my own boss.

Then came the realities of a true Christian walk as the leader that God has called me to be. I have recognized that reaching high levels of success only means that God is bringing to life my purpose creatively fulfilled in Him. I can tell you firsthand what it is like to have God shift things around, change your thoughts, and gear you in the direction you never thought you would gear into. Here’s what Christians aiming to become entrepreneurs should understand and strategies they can use to equip themselves to be God has called them to be.

1. Getting rid of the misconceptions in your mind.

When thinking of becoming an entrepreneur, the illusion of it fills our minds with hope for a bright future, but the misconceptions of not being able to fully bring glory to God because of the possibility of having a lot of money one day, dominates the mind. Some Pastors and Christian church leaders lead their sheep down this path of negativity, not because they don’t want to see them succeed, but because they too lack true understanding of what God requires of us. God calls us to work here on earth as if we are working for Him. God wants us to succeed, and He wants us to live a comfortable life, that glorifies Him in every way. God has a calling for each one of us, and that calling maybe to be a missionary, to work for other people, but His calling will never lack resources. Many times, people find themselves in a position where there is a lack, because of their lack of pursuit, and their lack of faith. God has so much in stored for us, and all that He has, he wants us to have. God wants to adorn our lives with the very best, but often the opportunities are missed because of the misconceptions that drive our minds into a hole of negative thinking without God’s guidance.

I have learned throughout the years that money is not sinful, that success is not emotionally detrimental, and that I am allowed to be ambitious in my pursuits if those pursuits align with God’s word and his purpose for my life. As I was driven to start Galilee Life Marketplace, I remember battling mentally with the finance aspect of it and I wanted to give everything away for free! You heard that right! God then allowed me to see that free wasn’t the option for that business and that there were many things that I can give for free that did not involve the actual business membership model. I began to understand that Galilee Life was not just for me, but a legacy for my family as well. In the years I have been in business, this has not been an easy thing to figure out, but the more I put two and two together, that a profit does not equate to not being Kingdom entrepreneurship minded, I began to feel more and more at peace and Galilee Life has grown like never before. Still my heart remains growing steadily in using my God given talent which is to love and encourage at no cost, and we do that with devotionals and inspirational posts.

2. Fighting through discouragement fiercely.

Discouragement is real and there is no one in this world that has not experienced such an emotion. Whether that be in your personal life, a project, a new idea, new business venture, or seasoned business. Discouragement comes in my many sizes, as I call it. It can pass by quickly and you may not even notice that you just experienced it, or it can be as strong as a tree trunk. Have you ever paid attention to an actual tree trunk? There is no way that our human strength will ever be able to muster up the courage or the idea of moving it or relocating it. There is just no way. I equate discouragement as strong as a tree trunk at times. In business I see this a lot, and it is both debilitating and paralyzing. Many businesses start and expect success rapidly, because of the businesses they have already compared theirs to, or just because of the vision they have already placed in their minds of the money they will make vs. the life they will live. When I first started my journey, discouragement was debilitating, and I was almost in the paralyzing stage where I wanted to give up everything I was doing because it was just too hard. I recall crying on my desk in my office, crying myself to sleep because I felt like such a failure. Nothing I did seemed to work. There were times when I believed that the end was near and that the journey was probably not mines to be on. I wanted to give up, but I reminded myself of my vision, who I was doing this for, and what my purpose was. Doing these things allowed me to see things in a different perspective. I knew in my heart that I had to keep fighting, but I also knew even more strongly that the fight could not be fought with my strength alone. I learned to give God the baton, the Leadership role, and most of all the steering wheel. Only then was I able to find true rest knowing that He was with me every step of the way. I fought discouragement with prayer, daily talks with God, and reading the bible to begin my day with a clear mind. The closer I got to the Lord, the better I was able to grasp on to my vision and purpose.

3. Discovering your identity in business vs your personal life.

I used to think that being in business had nothing to do with my personal identity, but little did I know that whether I tried to or not, it played a huge part. I used to believe that a business could be a business and have nothing to do with who I am. The journey in building Galilee Life has helped me realize that it is the complete opposite. I have learned in this journey to be more loving towards myself, to give myself grace through mistakes, and to understand that I was called to do what I do, not only because of my capability, but because of who God created me to be. In business self-worth and self-esteem truly matters. The way you view yourself and how you live your life, comes alive in your business. If you don’t feel capable, intelligent, and worthy, that will trickle down in the decisions that you make and the culture that you create in your business. The more you work on yourself, get the therapy you need to work through past issues, the more space you will have to be who you are loud and proud and bring that same energy to the way you run your business. I had to go to therapy even before the thought of being an entrepreneur came to mind, and I have realized over time that therapy was what I needed to give my mind and heart space to open to a venture I would’ve never thought for myself years ago.

True success comes from ridding your mind from misconceptions, fighting fiercely through discouragement, and knowing that you need to be well personally before you can be well in business.

With Love,

Neivis Paulino

Galilee Life

All Author Posts