Ray Edwards Show

What if you could run a company with no office, no staff, no inventory and no overhead? You can, and that is what this week's show is about.   Announcements: Wisdom Thesis Workshop coming up, June 25-28 JV Alert, July 26-28 NAMS Conference, August 9-11 SCORRE Conference, October 14-17 Platform Conference, November 3-5 Tip Of The Week NextIssue.com features a nap that allows you to read all your favorite magazines on your iPad for just $14.99 a month. Genius Scan turns your iPhone into a pocket scanner. It enables you to quickly scan documents on the go and email the scans as JPEG or PDF. Spiritual Foundations And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. John 1:16 If you are in a place where you feel the demands made on you are too much, I've got good news. You can stop working so hard, and watch God step in and supply everything you need. I frequently feel the demands of life. There are many expectations from clients, readers, listeners, and that's just on the business side of my life. If I let myself get caught up in thinking about the demands placed on me, it can feel like a heavy load. It's in these times that I turn to Jesus and simply tell him, “this is now your problem.” I know that sounds crass. But hear me out. Recently, I returned from about three weeks of continuous air travel, conference speaking, and intense activity. The day after I got back home, I was scheduled to meet with a small group of entrepreneurs that I mentor in our church. As I drove to the meeting, really unprepared, I said to the Lord, “God, I can't do this. I have nothing for them. I surrender this to you, and I can't wait to see how you're going to handle it.” As always, God showed up. He gave me just the right words to say, and more importantly he gave me just the right heart to hear what was on the minds of the people at the meeting. We had deeply rewarding time together. I was just as much nourished and refreshed as anyone else at the meeting. That's the kind of thing that happens when you set down the burden and leave it up to the Lord to carry it. When we are able to receive the abundance of God's grace, to give up on all of the work were trying to do, and simply rest in God's favor… The weight of demand is lifted from our shoulders and we are carried on the river of God's unlimited supply. Feature Segment: How to Run a Virtual Company Today, it is  stopno longer necessary to make a huge capital investment to run a company. There are many startups and even established businesses that generate millions of dollars in revenue each year-without having a building, employees, or even inventory. How do you run such a “virtual company”? And if the idea intrigues you, how do you transition from being a traditional business to “going virtual”?   The Virtual Company 10 Point Plan Run an “8020 analysis” on your business Get rid of the building Eliminate your employees Build a business system Own nothing, control everything Use proven tools: base camp, Google apps, GoToMeeting, Skype,  etc. Use off-the-shelf software solutions Realize you are an information marketing business Focus on direct response marketing only Commit to becoming a business owner and not just an operator.  “Great business owners get rich. Great business operators just get tired.” Keith Cunningham Want To Be On Next Week's Show? My topic for next week's show is “My Biggest Business Mistakes and What You Can Learn From Them”. If you have a question on that topic, you can ask by visiting my voicemail page (just click here to leave a message). This is a great way to promote your own website. First, make sure you have a great question, and then start off by saying your name and your website. If your question is used on the show, will even include a link back to your site in the show notes. Your Feedback Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me. Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.  

What if you could reduce the hours you spend working by 50%, and yet still be three times as productive? What if you could do that starting tomorrow? You can. And that's what today show is all about-how to triple your productivity tomorrow.   Announcements: Wisdom Thesis Workshop coming up, June 25-28 NAMS Conference, August 9-11 Platform Conference, November 3-5 Tip Of The Week Adobe Creative Cloud. Once upon a time, owning just Photoshop was a $500 investment. Now you can get every Adobe makes for about $50. Maybe less. Spiritual Foundations Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. Proverbs 13:20 (ESV) For a couple of years I worked in the insurance business. I was very young, and I was the newest agent in the office. Al, the seasoned gray-headed veteran of the business, decided to take me under his wing. “You'll get a lot of raw raw from management,” Al told me one day, “but I can show you how things really work around here. And you can make a lot of money.” Pretty soon, I had begun to hang around Al and his buddies more often than not, and had begun to adapt their attitude. Cynical, jaded, laced with lots of sarcastic comments. One day my manager, Frank, took me to lunch. As we were eating, he casually remarked, “I'm not sure hanging out without is in your best interest.” “But he's just trying to help me,” I said. I was a bit naïve in those days. “And after all, he's got 30 years of experience with this company.” Frank chuckled. “No, Ray,” he said. “He's got one year of experience, and he's repeated it 30 times.” Frank's comment had a real impact on me, because I instantly knew he was telling the truth. The next day, I decided to have my morning coffee with one of the younger agents in the office named Richard. Richard had been with the company only five years, but he was the top salesman in the office. Al's group of buddies regarded Richard with disdain, and now I knew why. Who we hang out with, and whose wisdom we listen to, determines the kind of person we will become. Feature Segment: Triple Your Productivity Tomorrow Have you ever noticed that when you're going on vacation, the week before you leave is incredibly productive? Somehow you managed to get a couple of weeks ahead on your work, a couple of weeks ahead on all of your bill paying and chores around the house, you get your itinerary planned for the two week shall be on vacation, plus you get all the packing in preparation for the trip finished. How do you do that? If you could harness that “magic”, you'd probably be three times as productive as you normally are. The good news is, I believe any of us can do exactly that. And on this show, I'm giving you a blueprint for how to wake up three times as productive tomorrow morning. Let's get started.   The 3X Productivity Blueprintt Do a mind sweep Identify tomorrow's “must do's” Put those on your task list, in order of priority Store your mind sweep safely Review tomorrow's appointments Plan the time required to accomplish “must do's” Go to bed early; get up early First thing tomorrow, drink 16 ounces of water Take time to connect with your creator, and your purpose Exercise for 30 minutes Arrive at work one hour earlier than normal Focus on live number one from your list Continue until complete; moved to next item Short circuit interruptions today Take a break, moved to the rest of your list Deal with backlog Have your “got a minutes” Get to inbox zero Deal with loose ends Delegate everything left over Make tomorrow's task list, plan tomorrow's schedule Simply repeat this procedure every day from now on. Want To Be On Next Week's Show? My topic for next week's show is “How to Run a Virtual Company”. If you have a question on that topic, you can ask by visiting my voicemail page (just click here to leave a message). This is a great way to promote your own website. First, make sure you have a great question, and then start off by saying your name and your website. If your question is used on the show, will even include a link back to your site in the show notes. Your Feedback Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me. Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.  

Imagine starting and running a business that has no office, no employees, no inventory, no overhead, and potential revenue in the millions of dollars. Every day you work from wherever you want-maybe one day from your house, maybe the next day from Starbucks, maybe the next day from the deck of a cruise ship.  Sound like a cheesy Internet ad? Maybe. But it's also reality for a lot of people I know. And it can be reality for you. That's what today show is all about-how to be a “minimalist entrepreneur”.  The idea for this week show sprang from a series of blog posts written by my friend Ryan Lee. If you haven't read those posts, I highly recommend them. Announcements: Wisdom Thesis Workshop coming up, June 25-28 NAMS Conference, August 9-11 Platform Conference, November 3-5 Tip Of The Week BaseCamp Mobile App for IOS. While there have been many attempts to create a mobile app that allows you to access your Basecamp account, this is the official 37 signals app. And it works flawlessly, just as you would expect. Spiritual Foundations Put it in writing, because it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed. Habakkuk 2:3 (GNB) Does it ever seem that God  is answering your prayer by saying “no”? Let's assume that what you're asking for in prayer is consistent with God's will, as it is revealed in the Bible. And let's assume that you even feel, for one reason or another, that you have heard from God in this area and that you felt his answer was yes. Yet the thing you're praying for doesn't seem to come through. Just remember what Robert Schuller said: “God's delays are not God's denials.” Sometimes God answers our prayer for an oak tree by delivering us just exactly that. An oak tree. That's called a miracle. Other times, he delivers us an acorn, and we have to cultivate it and care for it as it grows. And while you are waiting for the fulfillment of your prayer, you might ask God who he wants to be to you, in that interval. “Don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed.” (James 1:4, Msg)   Feature Segment: The Minimalist Entrepreneur Matthew is a friendly, unassuming, and very likable guy. But he doesn't have a job. He started his own business a couple of years ago, has no employees, has no inventory or storefront, and runs that business from his laptop. He sometimes works from Starbucks, sometimes from home, in sometimes uses a tiny office he rented a few months ago. In that office it's just him, and the bare minimum of furniture required, and a lot of quiet. And in that quiet, Matthew rakes in an average of $150,000… Per month. Now Matthew is a real person, a friend of mine, and I've changed his name just to protect his privacy. He is a minimalist entrepreneur. I too am a minimalist entrepreneur. In the old days, before the Internet, starting a company that brings in the kind of revenue our company does what it meant a huge capital investment. Perhaps a dozen employees. A lot of overhead, and a great deal of risk. But today, because of the leverage offered by the Internet, I have a global business that I operate mostly from my laptop. And while there are a dozen or so people who make my company run, all but one of them are virtual workers, scattered all over the globe. You, too, can operate a minimalist enterprise. In this episode, how explain the advantages of doing this, and provide a basic outline of how to pull it off.  Advantages Of The Minimalist Entrepreneur Zero startup cost Close to zero operational cost Peace of mind Low stress Big payoff  The Minimalist Entrepreneur Blueprint  Strategy over tactics. No facility. No employees. No inventory. Minimal fixed expense. Virtualize the enterprise. Systemize the enterprise. Globalize the enterprise. Fight feature creep. Define culture. Don't lose money. Want To Be On Next Week's Show? My topic for next week's show is “How to Triple Your Productivity Tomorrow”. If you have a question on that topic, you can ask by visiting my voicemail page (just click here to leave a message). This is a great way to promote your own website. First, make sure you have a great question, and then start off by saying your name and your website. If your question is used on the show, will even include a link back to your site in the show notes. Your Feedback Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me. Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.  

A spiritual business or job gives you excitement and a sense of purpose. It makes getting out of bed every day a real joy! Any job can be a spiritual job. This episode will show you how! Coming up on this week's podcast episode: Magic words that change your life. How to know God is on your side. Plus, our feature presentation…  How to  Turn Your Business Around Tip Of The Week What you say is what you experience. Change your language Spiritual Foundations “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 Is God really on your side? How can you know for sure? Feature Segment: How to Have a Spiritual Business Peter Drucker shared a story of three stonecutters who were asked what they were doing. The first said, ‘I am making a living.’ The second kept on working while he said, ‘I am doing the best job of stonecutting in the entire country.’ The third one looked up with a visionary gleam in his eyes and said, ‘I am building a cathedral.’ These workers were building the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. That third man had found the secret of spiritual business. The difference between the first and third men is vast. The third is fulfilled, fueled by passion and meaning. Yet they have the same job. How can you have the same experience, no matter what your job might be? Inverted Life Pyramid Faith Fitness Family Finance 7 Tactics For a Spiritual Business Know what you believe. Know why you believe. Do no meaningless work. Speak no meaningless talk. Create massive value. Practice forgiveness. Profit! Your Feedback Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me. Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.  

What do you do if business is not so good? Do you blow a pile of money on standard media advertising, like radio and newspaper, and hope for the best?  Do you drain your retirement account savings to keep the business afloat? Do you close down the shop, and stick a sign in the window that says, “the economy did it”? Or do you use a proven, reliable formula to turn your business around? Seems to me that last idea is the best. And that's what this week's episode is all about. How to turn your business around, in any economy. Please subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. On this week's podcast episode: The power of storytelling to grow your business. Why your level of faith doesn't matter. Plus, our feature presentation…  How to  Turn Your Business Around Tip Of The Week You can change the quality of your life by changing the quality of your stories. Decide how you want your life to be, and tell that story. Even before it's a fact. Spiritual Foundations All things are possible for one who believes. Mark 9:23 Most modern Christians have been taught this verse means if we have more faith, that all things are possible. In other words, if we can believe, God will intervene on our behalf. He will bring our miracle. If we can't believe, then were out of luck and God is not going to help us. I don't think that's what this verse means at all. Let's look at it in context, and let's also look at how the original language (Greek) is structured. First, what's the context of this verse? A boy is brought to Jesus who is possessed by a demon. The boys father says to Jesus, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us.” Jesus points out that the family, and even his own disciples, have very little or no faith. He calls them “faithless”. Then he goes on to say, ” If you can! all things are possible for one who believes.” So just from the context of the story, it seems that Jesus is talking about himself when he says all things are possible for the one who believes. He's the only one present who has any faith. Pastor Joseph Prince points out that if you study the Greek structure of the verse, it’s actually saying, “Can you believe that all things are possible to him who is always believing?” it's not about how much faith you have. It's not about what you believe, it's about who you believe. Believe Jesus, whose faith is always constant. If you can believe that all things are possible for Jesus… That he makes all things possible for you. Have faith in the one whose faith is perfect on your behalf. Feature Segment: How to  Turn Your Business Around Business success, in any economy, consists of about 20% technical skills, and 80% psychology. What you believe about your business, your ability to generate profit, and what is possible determines whether or not you will be successful. You can't ignore reality, but you can intentionally influence it. Four Required Steps to Turning Your Business Around Decide it's possible See the situation as it is See the situation better than it is Do what is required to make it the way you see it Nine Business Saving Tactics Contact previous customers Improve the physical environment Improve the sales conversation Generate referrals Generate fresh leads Follow-up relentlessly Measure everything Control expenses Increase marketing Want To Be On Next Week's Show? My topic for next week's show is “How to Have a Spiritual Business”. If you have a question on that topic, you can ask by visiting my voicemail page (just click here to leave a message). This is a great way to promote your own website. First, make sure you have a great question, and then start off by saying your name and your website. If your question is used on the show, will even include a link back to your site in the show notes. Your Feedback Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me. Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.  

What if you could  become smarter as little as 24 hours? What if you could remember more, come up with more ideas, and think more quickly than ever before? This is eminently possible, and I've got the “get smarter recipe” coming up in today's episode. Please subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. On this week's podcast episode:  A new process for better copy.  When you feel separated from God… what to do. Plus, our feature presentation…  How to be smarter! Tip Of The Week Read Copy Logic for a new and better system of improving sales copy. This simple book lays out a system for improving the results you get from your sales copy. And copywriters will love it. When this book was first recommended to me, I was skeptical. It sounded like a book about how to critique copy. I have written lots of copy for clients, and endured many “critique” sessions. Usually, those critique sessions result in weaker copy. They are often a vehicle to stroke the client's ego. Rarely do they result in better sales copy. This book is different. It lays out a step-by-step, easy-to-follow system for improving your sales copy that is both humane and effective. And nobody gets their ego wounded or inflated. Every piece of copy I turn out from now on will go through the Copy Logic system. It just makes sense. And you can't argue with the million-dollar results it has produced. Spiritual Foundations I was talking with a friend of mine, we began to speak of God. My friend said, “I don't think I'm on such good terms with God right now. I'm not sure he would answer any of my prayers.” This made me very sad, because it is the result of poor understanding of the Bible. Too many of us have this picture of a “fire and brimstone” kind of God. In reality God is all loving, and he himself has declared that he will not hold our sins against us. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Hebrews 8:12 Thoughts that make us feel condemned or cut off from God don't come from heaven. Those kinds of thoughts come from the devil himself. You may call him the adversary, or the enemy, or even “the resistance”. Whatever you name him, he's real, and he would like nothing better than to cut you off from your father in heaven. Once you have accepted the gift that Jesus offers-full payment for all your sin-the deal is done. There's no more need to confess, or to keep a running list of your sins. Why would you keep a list that God has promised to forget? Be conscious of the fact that he himself has made you perfect, and watch his blessing flow into your life. Feature Segment: How to Be Smarter The first proposal I make is that you are neither “smart” nor “stupid”-but you can easily enter into either state. The real question becomes, how do you optimize yourself to be in “smart” state more often, and to be in “high smart” most of the time? “Inner Game versus Outer Game Of Intelligence” Nine Ways to Be Smarter Tomorrow Sleep Better Drink More Water Eat Only Plants Breathe More Move More Ask Better Questions Increase Inputs Write Down Your Ideas Become a Noticer Want To Be On Next Week's Show? My topic for next week's show is “How to Turn Your Business Around”. If you have a question on that topic, you can ask by visiting my voicemail page (just click here to leave a message). This is a great way to promote your own website. First, make sure you have a great question, and then start off by saying your name and your website. If your question is used on the show, will even include a link back to your site in the show notes. Your Feedback Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me. Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.  

What if instead of chasing after business, you could have business chasing after you? That's exactly what happens for me, and in this week's episode am going to tell you how to build a system that helps you attract business. May I ask for your help? Please subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. Here are some other reasons to keep listening to this week's podcast episode:  What are your success rituals?  My update on “The One Thing”. Plus, our feature presentation…  How to Attract Business Tip Of The Week From The ONE Thing by Gary Keller, Jay Papasan… “What’s the ONE Thing you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?” So how is this working out for me? Listen to the podcast audio to find out. Spiritual Foundations Recently, I was reading a book called Business for the Glory of God. I began to wonder, just what is the “glory of God”? Guess what? There is an answer, and it is important for us to know it. Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Exodus 33:18-19 God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:5 Do you not know that youare God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 1 Co 3:16 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. John 17:22-23 Feature Segment: How to Attract Business Value Positioning & Authority Hub & Spoke Traffic, Lead, Conversion Systems Path I am conducting a webinar training that details how to do all this two days from now. Click here for details. Want To Be On Next Week's Show? My topic for next week's show is “How to Be Smarter”. If you have a question on that topic, you can ask by visiting my voicemail page (just click here to leave a message). This is a great way to promote your own website. First, make sure you have a great question, and then start off by saying your name and your website. If your question is used on the show, will even include a link back to your site in the show notes. Your Feedback Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me. Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.  

What if you could consult with God himself about your business? What if you could ask him questions, and get divinely inspired answers? What if you could ask God to introduce you to key people, or even to send you business? I believe all these things are possible, and in fact I practice them in my own business. And today, I'm going to show you exactly how you can do the same. I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. Here are some other reasons to keep listening to this week's podcast episode:  An update on the “five things” productivity tactic (hint: five is too many).  An alternative to BaseCamp that works. Plus, our feature presentation… How to Consult With God Tip Of The Week Update on “5 Things”… it's now “1 Thing”. From The ONE Thing by Gary Keller, Jay Papasan… “What’s the ONE Thing you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?” While I do love (and use) BaseCamp, I am trying out a new tool for managing projects that could be even simpler. Meet BizPad. Spiritual Foundations If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5 Sometimes we think God is only interested in “spiritual things”. That he has no interest in the material world, and neither should we. This is not a Judeo-Christian idea. It is an idea that sprouts from Greek thinking, and specifically is at the root of a heresy known as Gnosticism. The Gnostics believed, among many things, that the material world was evil and that only the spiritual world could be pure and unsullied. This led them to believing that Jesus was a ghost, and not an actual man. The truth is from the beginning God wanted to partner with human beings to comp is his purposes. This is why Adam and Eve were put in charge of the garden. They were given assignment, and this was before the fall. So work, and the material world, are not evil, and are not results of the fall. What's my point? When God created the world, he looked at his creation and said it was good. We should relax and enjoy the fact that we can have fun while working, that we are interested in what we do, and celebrate the fact that God made us the way he did. I think he enjoys what we enjoy. And thus, I think he's interested in every aspect of our lives. That he longs to give input, supply answers, and help us out. Just as we long to do the same for our own children.  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:13 Feature Segment: How to Consult With God If you separate God from any part of your life, you are not having the full experience of God, nor of that part of your life. Business is no exception. These days, if I am asked if I personally have a consultant for my business, my answer is yes. I have the very best consultant available. God. Now, most people probably assume that I mean I run my business according to godly principles. Principles that I find in Scripture, or that I am taught by pastors and teachers. While this is true (to the best of my ability, and as God enables me), this is not really what I mean. Or rather, it is not all that I mean. I mean that I consult with my father in heaven every day about my business. I’m in constant dialogue with him about what things to work on, what to write, even how to solve specific challenges and problems I encounter along the way. So how do you do it? How do you ask God for answers? How do you ask him for help? Here are five steps I have found useful Know that God is interested, willing, and able. From Scripture we know that he has even counted the number of hairs on your head. We know that one man came to Jesus with the problem and said Jesus could heal him “if he was willing”… And another man came to Jesus and asked for help, “if you are able”… And the answer Jesus gave to both was yes. He was willing, he was able. He healed everyone who came to him. Realize that you are qualified for God’s help. Jesus stepped into the gap between us and God. He solved the “sin problem” once and for all. So just place your faith in him, and know that you don’t have to “clean up your act” or “make amends” before he will be willing to help you. Be intentional about what you are asking. If you are asking for an answer, be specific in your question. If you are asking for help, be specific in your request. I suggest writing down what you are asking for. Offer thanks immediately. In Philippians we are told to make our requests known to God, with “prayer and thanksgiving”. Notice how many times Jesus thanked his father… before the miracle happened. There is a unique opportunity to thank God after your request has been made and before you've seen the answer with your eyes. Expect and look for the answer. Whether you have asked God for an idea, a connection with a person, or just a miraculous infusion of money, so you can meet payroll… be looking for the answer. Have hope. What if God doesn’t answer? Or what if he says no? First, I think the number of times God says “no” is much lower than we believe it is. For instance, when we pray for physical healing, it is clear from reading Scripture that it is always God’s will for us to be healed. He paid a high price so that this could be the case. So if the healing doesn’t come, there is some answer other than the one that puts God in the position of being a liar. I believe that when we pray, something always happens. Always. Maybe we don’t see it, maybe we don’t see it yet, or maybe it comes in a form that we don’t recognize. It’s helpful to remember that God’s delays are not necessarily his denials. A useful question that has helped me navigate these waters is one I learned from Graham Cook. When faced with a difficult situation, and no apparent answer from God, I ask him, “Who does God want to be for me in this situation?” I have received some of the deepest answers to my own prayers by asking God that question. You can ask for God’s help, for answers, and even for direct assistance. And he will answer you. Try it. Listener Questions We heard from these listeners this week: Sonya Ramsey asks  how to avoid making your business into an idol. Anette Bone wants to know how we can be sure we are in God's will. Summer Alexander asks if the changes she made to her business were really God-inspired. Mary Rose Macguire wonders if she's really hearing God's voice, or her own. Pam McCall has a great testimony of God's provision for one of her clients. Laura Viviana when you ask God for something, but it hasn't come yet, how do you deal with it? Rich Bradfield  asks how we keep ourselves an alignment with what God is doing. Tony Policci  asks how we pose a question to God and get a specific answer. Laura McClellan  wonders how we know when we are motivated by profit, as opposed to being motivated by the spirit. Ilene Saidel asks for my favorite scripture to pray for new customers. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17) One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.  Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.  The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it. (Proverbs 11:24-26)   Want To Be On Next Week's Show? My topic for next week's show is “How to Attract Business”. If you have a question on that topic, you can ask by visiting my voicemail page (just click here to leave a message). This is a great way to promote your own website. First, make sure you have a great question, and then start off by saying your name and your website. If your question is used on the show, will even include a link back to your site in the show notes. Your Feedback Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me. Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.  

Hosting your own live event can be risky. I posted about this recently, and I posted my reasons for hosting live events anyway. Now, I'm offering five crucial steps you must be aware of if you want to successfully market your own live event. Ignoring the steps could mean the loss of a lot of money, sleep, and peace of mind. Here's what else is up in this week's podcast episode: The “five things” approach to productivity. The Word that heals. Plus, our feature presentation… 5 Crucial Steps To Marketing Live Events Tip Of The Week The curious case of Dr. Canoe, props to Alex and Robert, and the simplest productivity tool I know. Spiritual Foundations He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Psalm 107:20 As Christians, we sometimes fall into using the Bible as a talisman. We hold it like a good luck charm. We pull it out in times of trouble. The power of the Bible-God's word-is released only when you receive it as truth, and then speak it out loud. When God wanted to save the world what did he do? He sent the word. When God wanted to heal his people, the Bible says he sent his word. There is no “your part” that you need to do to receive God's goodness, except this: you must receive it. We help ourselves receive it when we confess it out loud. Feature Segment: 5 Crucial Steps To Marketing Live Events The biggest risk you take when you sponsor a live event is the most obvious one: the risk that nobody will show up. The next biggest risk is not so obvious, but perhaps more commonplace. This is the risk that people will show up, the event will be great, and you will lose money like crazy. Here are five crucial steps you can take to ensure against both of these problems. Be intentional about the model. Identify your attendees carefully. Remember the 5P's. Watch them chickens. Market early, market often, and market using different media. Your Feedback Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me. Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.  

Maybe the best way to grow your business if to do less. I'm not encouraging laziness, but rather suggesting something very different. It's time to speed up… by slowing down. Here's what else is up in this week's podcast episode: Scrivener is my new writing tool of choice. The value of comrades in arms. Stu McLaren is back from a dog sled adventure with a talk on sprinting. Plus, our feature presentation… 5 Ways To Simplify Your Business Tip Of The Week Scrivener is a powerful content-generation tool for writers that allows you to concentrate on composing and structuring long and difficult documents. While it gives you complete control of the formatting, its focus is on helping you get to the end of that awkward first draft. Spiritual Foundations But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God… For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:12,14 It's about time we stopped confessing our sins. Why are we so caught up in the idea that we need to remind God of something he has said he has forgotten? You don't need to become more conscious of your sin. You already know when you sin. What we need to become conscious of is our righteousness. Being conscious of how imperfect we are is not humility. It's a failure to understand what Christ has extra done for us. In fact, the Bible tells us that being conscious of our sins means we haven't “evil conscience” (Hebrews 10:22). God sees us without spot, without imperfection, and he sees us wearing his own robes of righteousness. We are righteous, not because of anything we have done, but because of what he has done. Lifestyle Business Segment Stu McLaren,  superstar entrepreneur from WishList Products And RhinoSupport, brings us our Lifestyle Business Segment. This week, Stu tackles the subject of sprinters vs. marathoners. Feature Segment: 5 Ways To Simplify Your Business From last week's podcast, here are 3 good reasons to simplifying your business. Simplifying helps you to focus more on the most profitable elements of your business. Simplifying helps you get paid more for what you sell. Simplifying helps your customers feel as if they are clear on what you do. The question this raised was, how do we do that? Here are five ways to simplify your business. Eliminate 80% of what you are doing. Renegotiate your agreements. Increase output, decrease input. Build intentional constraints into your schedule. Ruthlessly practice “The Art of No”. Your Feedback Do you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear? Do you have a question that you like to ask me? Please contact me. Call in your questions or comments to our new, fancy “request line” at (509) 713-2679 or click here to leave a message on my Voicemail Page And if you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the podcast. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher.