Step Up & Stand Out . . . For Such a Time as This

As a Christian entrepreneur or influencer in business or ministry:

• Do you believe God cares if you're successful or not?
• Does He want you to love your work?
• Does He want you to be visible in the marketplace so you attract more customers and sell more products and services?

You bet He does!

If He created you to be an entrepreneur, then He wants you to be a good one! Afterall, you represent Him in the marketplace. And He's in the attraction business!

He wants you to stand out, be attractive, thrive and gain influence for His glory. To have influence means that people are following you and listening to you.

Are you worth following?

How are you standing out to the people you want to serve? Do you see a bigger purpose for your work beyond the service you provide? Are you going all in? Or playing small?

Obviously, you can’t have a thriving business or ministry without paying customers. And in my experience as a brand impact strategist and designer, I see many business owners and platform builders just string together a bunch of random tactics, hoping they’ll somehow lead to a customer.

But tactics without strategy leads to bright shiny object syndrome, overwhelm, confusion, poor results and a low bank account.

Are there processes and templates and strategies that are proven to work?

Absolutely. The question is, how do you figure out what is going to work for YOU?

Information Galore!
There’s plenty of information on the internet about how to market yourself and your services. There are lots of online courses that teach you how to package up your knowledge and expertise. Maybe you’ve bought some but haven’t completed them or implemented what you learned. (Guilty!)

There are lots of seemingly successful gurus that say you just have to do and be and believe a certain way to align with the universe and attract abundance like a magnet…

Give me a break.

The number one thing you need is CLARITY. Once you know exactly who your ideal client is, what particular problems you solve and how you can uniquely meet their needs, your marketing strategy and the tactics to implement it will become clear. If you consistently execute the critical few tasks and strategies that most support your success, you will become unstoppable!

That’s it. That’s the “recipe,” which I’m sure is no real surprise to you.

So what is stopping you from becoming unstoppable?

What is getting in your way?

I’ve been asking myself these same questions lately as God is calling me out from behind the scenes to build my own platform. I certainly know what to do, but I am my own worst client.

Limiting beliefs. Self-doubt. Fear. Perfectionism. Procrastination. Not wanting to put myself out there. Fear of rejection. Fear of not being “enough”. Afraid to “plant my flag”, do less, get really focused and go all in and serve at a higher level. It’s disabling and it’s kept me stuck, continuing to do what I’ve always done, just staying in my comfort zone with my comfortable and fairly predictable business, just getting by.

Can you relate?

Here’s what I’ve learned...

Aside from circumstances outside of our control, the life we have today is the result of our cumulative decisions, actions and habits. The fear, uncertainty and discomfort of growth and change isn’t going to go away. We have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable! If we want things to be different, we have to become different. In order for things to change, we have to change.

Steven Pressfield in his book, The War of Art, says “Most of us have two lives: the life we live and the unlived life within us.” The unlived life is driven by the optimal you, the best you, the confident you, the healthy you. The you who shows up with your best stuff, making things happen, making a difference and living a life of significance.

The Unlived Life Within You

I want THAT life. I want to be the optimal me. I want to be and live as the amazing woman God made me to be. I want to get out of my own way and use my gifts, talents, experiences and life lessons to make a difference and help people in a deeper way. I want to live out my purpose and calling to impact this crazy world we live in for Jesus!

But, as Andy Stanley says in his great book, Visioneering, “Everybody has a mental picture of what could and should be for his life. But not everybody will pay the price to turn that mental image into reality.” Will you? Will I?

The Power of Vision

What mission or dream has God put in your heart?  Do you have a compelling vision that creates passion and pulls you to something bigger? One that just won’t go away and almost feels like you have a moral obligation to take action on it?

Is there something that makes you frustrated, brokenhearted or angry that you believe you should do something about?

That’s no accident. Lean into it. God has placed you and me in this time of history for a unique and specific purpose for such a time as this. He wants us to be leaders in the marketplace—both Christian and secular—to have influence with the people. You see, it’s not about us. It’s about the people we are supposed to help. It’s about what God wants to do in His Kingdom through us.

All throughout the Bible, God used random, imperfect people to accomplish His purposes—not based on their titles but based on their hearts. 

“But I’m not ready. There are other people who can do it better than me. I’m not ‘enough.’

I don’t know what steps to take. I don’t have enough money. What if it doesn’t work?

What will people think of me? Who do I think I am?”

Stop with that thinking! Our thinking creates our experiences in life. Proverbs 23:7 is true. As a man thinks, so is he. Our thinking drives our beliefs, actions and results. If you’re not getting the results you desire, look at your beliefs. Examine your vision. Uncover your true gifts. Pray and ask God to reveal His calling and the path He intends for you. Then trust Him and step into it. He will equip you.

The Power of Purpose

I have a client who helps people figure out their purpose in just two words through his unique Jailbreak Leadership framework. I discovered that my purpose is Empowering Potential and I do it every day—whether it’s creating the marketing and design for a national franchise convention or helping an entrepreneur with a big heart and a big vision show up to the right people with the right message at the right time. The latter is my passion.

Our work and our business should be a vehicle for Kingdom impact. We should shine like a city on a hill so that people pay attention and God gets the glory.

Let’s start a movement of entrepreneurial influencers and world-changers who love Jesus, see things differently and feel a burden for our generation!

I want to see them equipped and empowered to do what they’re called to do with excellence, serve people well and create real value in the marketplace. Then and only then will we be worth following and have the influence to impact the world for such a time as this.

So I’m stepping out of my comfort zone. I’m planting my flag.

My social media platforms aren’t up to date. I don’t have professional photos yet. I'm just starting a blog. I’m not doing all the things I have my clients do yet, but I’m taking imperfect action today. Very difficult for a perfectionist like me who strives for excellence.

I want to encourage you to plant your flag!

Stand for something.

Become someone worth following.

Be strategic, wise and bold and see what God does.