Author: Henry Murphy

While recording a voice memo on my iPhone about what I’m looking for in an administrative assistant, I found myself questioning something critical: should the person managing email flow and reporting also be responsible for leading the social media department?

It’s tempting to hire people with broad skill sets who can do a little bit of everything, but here’s the bigger question: Will we get the most impact out of them this way?

This thought led me to reflect on the importance of mission statements and values. Whoever runs social media for my business must fully grasp these principles. A clear mission statement ensures that everyone from administrative staff to marketing teams understands the direction of the business and how to make decisions that align with it.

I’m not against trends. In fact, I love incorporating trendy music, colors, and designs into our branding. But trends can’t come at the expense of the values we’ve built the company on.

For example, I love exploring new ideas and embracing technology, but I can’t allow a trendy song that conflicts with our core values to represent us on social media. The person in charge needs to understand that the mission and values always come first.

If you’re an entrepreneur, this should be your question too: Does my team understand and embody the mission of the business? If not, how can they effectively represent you?

A lot of people might not see the importance of this, and that’s okay. But if you want your company to move in a solid direction where everyone is aligned, you must have a mission statement and values in place. These tools will not only guide your decisions but also help your team stay consistent as trends and technologies evolve.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

There was a great shift in my life when I turned 48. I wanted to learn more not because I didn’t enjoy learning before, but because I wanted to go deeper. I wanted to understand more about business success, spend intentional time studying the Bible, and really focus on personal growth. I came across Rabbi Lakin’s book, 40 Biblical Truths for Business, and his teachings sparked something in me.

I heard Rabbi Lakin say something that hit me hard: “Stopping what to do is more important than your to-do list.” That simple statement has been echoing in my spirit for years. The same message is shared in 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy. Hearing it again reassured me because it’s exactly what I’ve been working on learning to simplify and prioritize.

I started looking over my schedule and focusing on what was really important. As I made progress, I began to notice the things I needed to remove from my calendar and it felt freeing. I couldn’t believe I had missed this before. But let me tell you, this process isn’t easy, especially if you’re an entrepreneurwhose income depends on your work. Cutting things out can feel risky because it might impact your livelihood.

Even so, I started looking at how to simplify further. I worked on budgeting better and living on less. I figured that if I could get used to living on less now, when more money starts coming in from my focused efforts, I’ll be in a better position to invest or give away the extra. It’s all about learning to focus on lessnow so I can do more later.

I won’t lie it’s hard. But it’s necessary. The books I mentioned earlier can help, but even after reading them, you’ll need to put these principles into practice every single day. I believe in you, and I promise that when you focus on less, it will change your life and business.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

I remember standing on a corner in California, speaking into my phone camera, recording a message for Instagram and TikTok. I said, “This is not the time to shrink back. This is the time to push forward. Your new beginning can start today.”

What I was saying to others, I was also speaking to myself. It was a reminder that we have to fight for what we believe in and for what we want out of life. Nothing will be handed to us on a platter. Success requires effort, persistence, and a willingness to press through challenges.

For me, that fight begins with faith. I stay grounded by staying in the Word of God. Exercising my faith is essential because the enemy often attacks the mind. Satan plants seeds of doubt and fear, but we have a weapon the Word of God—and we have to use it. Without it, we risk being overtaken by the weight of life. But with it, we can stand strong and push forward.

I also fight for my business. I believe that God blesses the work of my hands when I submit my will to Him. By doing business with integrity and a heart to serve, I know He’ll guide me in the right direction. Fighting for my business means constantly learning, growing, and understanding more about my craft, my audience, and what they truly need from me.

When I design clothing or create ad concepts, I think about the people I’m serving. I ask myself, “How can I best represent them? How can I serve them well?” That mindset fuels my work ethic and inspires me to keep pushing forward, even when things get tough.

The Bible says we must encourage ourselves. David reminds us in Psalms to strengthen ourselves in the Lord. When life feels overwhelming, that’s exactly what I do. I remind myself to keep going, to keep fighting. And as I fight, I hope to inspire others to do the same.

Whatever your dreams are, don’t shrink back. Don’t let fear or failure stop you. Fight for what God has placed on your heart, and trust that He will bless your diligence.

Keep going. Keep fighting. Your fight will inspire others to step into their calling.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

There’s a saying that you never truly know what someone is going through, and in my experience, that’s been so true. It’s one of the reasons I feel it’s important to talk about pain in this blog—because, in the end, we all experience it. Your story might be different from mine—maybe not as serious or maybe way more serious—but one thing I’ve learned is that we all have our struggles. It’s not always visible to others, but it’s real.

I’m in one of those seasons right now. It’s been a tough one, but full of grace. And I want to be transparent about it. At this point, my wife, Shay, and I are technically homeless. We’re staying with my brother right now, and that part of the journey is tough. I remember when making $2,000 a day was a bad day in our business. That seems so small compared to what we’re facing now.

But no, this is way deeper than money. We found ourselves in a place where my wife, Shay, could barely make it around. The walker was barely helping her. Her blood was dangerously low, and she needed a transfusion. She’s also dealing with perimenopause, and at the time, we were in California pretty much alone, trying to figure things out. And I’m dealing with my own issues—my eyesight is only about 40%, and I’m still doing all the grocery shopping, washing clothes, and keeping the house in order. Man, it’s been tough.

I don’t want to overwhelm you with all the details, but I’ll share this: I grew weary. I don’t know if I ever fully reached the point of giving up, but I was circling around it. It can make you feel hopeless. But here’s the one thing I’ve learned to hold onto: Hope. The scripture says, “Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”(Galatians 6:9)

We have to keep going because we have a purpose. And I always remind myself that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. That truth is so powerful. Think about it: we don’t have to be strong. God doesn’t expect us to carry the weight alone. He reminds us not to grow weary, to keep going, to lean on Him, and to put our burdens on Him. That’s how I’m able to keep going, and my hope is that this will help you, too. You have a purpose. You have a mission. You’ve been called to complete it.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

It’s one of those things where you tell yourself, “I’ve got this down.” And in that moment, on that day, in that week, in that season, it can be true for your life. However, you might be reading this and not even know how to recognize a self-sabotaging thought.

I’m not a very deep person. I’m a practical one, so I’ll say it like this: when you start setting goals for your life, for your entrepreneurial journey, anything that comes against those goals in your mind is a self-sabotaging thought.

These thoughts come so quickly—almost in an instant—and a lot of times, they appear when we’re feeling low. Let me tell you something: sometimes it feels like someone is throwing 10 rocks per second at your glass house, which is your mind. You have to protect it. You have to protect yourself.

Let’s look at something practical, like writing blogs. I can write a few blogs a day, schedule them, and write a few more the next day and the next. But then, a thought might cross my mind: Why are you doing this? This is pointless. No one is going to read that.

That’s what I call a foreign object in my mindset. It doesn’t belong there. It doesn’t go with my plans. It doesn’t align with me being obedient to God and why I am supposed to be writing. It just doesn’t belong.

I love the scene from Transformers: Dark of the Moon (yes, I’m referencing it). You just knew that red cup didn’t belong. It was so out of place, so jarring. And that’s how you have to look at self-doubt, unbelief, negative self-talk when it pops up in your head. Cast it down. It doesn’t belong there.

I don’t know if you follow Jesus, but I believe in the Word of God, and I cast down every thought that doesn’t belong there, just like the scripture says:

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”— 2 Corinthians 10:5

I hope this helps. I just realized this: it’s going to take practice. It’s going to take consistency just to notice it. But when you notice it, you’ve got to do something about it. My hope is that you stay on task with your plans and keep going.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

It’s one of those things where you tell yourself, “I’ve got this down.” And in that moment, on that day, in that week, in that season, it can be true for your life. However, you might be reading this and not even know how to recognize a self-sabotaging thought.

I’m not a very deep person. I’m a practical one, so I’ll say it like this: when you start setting goals for your life, for your entrepreneurial journey, anything that comes against those goals in your mind is a self-sabotaging thought.

These thoughts come so quickly—almost in an instant—and a lot of times, they appear when we’re feeling low. Let me tell you something: sometimes it feels like someone is throwing 10 rocks per second at your glass house, which is your mind. You have to protect it. You have to protect yourself.

Let’s look at something practical, like writing blogs. I can write a few blogs a day, schedule them, and write a few more the next day and the next. But then, a thought might cross my mind: Why are you doing this? This is pointless. No one is going to read that.

That’s what I call a foreign object in my mindset. It doesn’t belong there. It doesn’t go with my plans. It doesn’t align with me being obedient to God and why I am supposed to be writing. It just doesn’t belong.

I love the scene from Transformers: Dark of the Moon (yes, I’m referencing it). You just knew that red cup didn’t belong. It was so out of place, so jarring. And that’s how you have to look at self-doubt, unbelief, negative self-talk when it pops up in your head. Cast it down. It doesn’t belong there.

I don’t know if you follow Jesus, but I believe in the Word of God, and I cast down every thought that doesn’t belong there, just like the scripture says:

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”— 2 Corinthians 10:5

I hope this helps. I just realized this: it’s going to take practice. It’s going to take consistency just to notice it. But when you notice it, you’ve got to do something about it. My hope is that you stay on task with your plans and keep going.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

Have you ever heard the saying, “Everything is figureoutable”? Entrepreneurs figure it out. If there’s a problem, if there’s something that needs to be solved, we can figure it out. This mindset has to be in place.

Now that we’ve established that, let’s get into it.

When I first started in my brand, Unapologetic®, I really didn’t know what I was doing. But then, I got an amazing opportunity to go on tour with a promoter. Here’s what you need to realize about touring: it can be an amazing opportunity—not that it will be.

Let me say that again: it can be. But for me, “can be” was all I needed.

I knew there would be risks involved, but I was willing to take the chance because I told myself, Even if I don’t sell a single shirt, I’ll have the opportunity to talk to people about my brand—people I wouldn’t otherwise have a chance to meet face-to-face. That was my mindset. If I could just cover gas, hotels, and the cost of being on the tour itself, I was good. I even went so far as to say I’d sleep in my truck if I had to.

I’ll be honest: it was hit or miss for a while. Some shows were amazing, and some weren’t. And when you’re on the road back-to-back, you have to stock all your merchandise upfront, so your costs are loaded on the front end. Then you’re working to make it back on the backend. Still, it was a chance I was willing to take.

Stepping out into the unknown is risky. That’s why I’m so passionate about my shirt: Faith got me living risky. I really live this.

It reminds me of that scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade—the one where Indiana comes to a deep chasm that looks impossible to cross. He’s standing there, faced with what looks like certain failure, but he’s told to take a leap of faith. As he steps out, what looked like nothing suddenly becomes something. A hidden bridge appears beneath his feet, carrying him across to the other side.

That’s what faith is like. You don’t always see the path ahead, but you step out anyway, trusting that what you can’t see will show up when you need it most.

I wish I could tell you that becoming an entrepreneur comes without risk. But if I told you that, I’d be lying. Even when you reach a point where the risks are more calculated, they’re still risks nonetheless. But here’s what I want to say: believe in yourself and go for it.

If you never try, you’ll never know. And honestly, that’s the thing I can’t live with—not trying, not knowing.

God Bless The Entrepreneur.

I could not wait to be a full-time entrepreneur. Give me the risk, give me the uncertainty, give me the possibilities. That’s what I fell in love with—the creativity of it all.

If I am honest, this became my life. It became who I was, and it was hard for me to identify myself outside of an entrepreneur. I was many things at this time: I was a husband, a brother, a cousin, a father, a grandfather, and a friend to quite a few people. I became hyper-focused, and I didn’t apologize for it. I was literally unapologetic.

Now honestly, I’m not mad that in certain seasons you become all in with what you’re doing. I think that is necessary. But I look back, and I looked around, and so much has happened. So many people passed away, and I wish I spent more time with them. I had some great experiences doing my work and traveling, but I wish I would’ve just traveled more with my wife—independently from my work schedule.

I should’ve taken more lunches with friends. I should’ve checked up on my brothers and sisters more often, especially my grandmothers and my mother. And I can go on, but I think you get the picture here.

We are more than just what we do. While this is good, we have to find a way to be everything we are.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

If you’re just getting started in the e-commerce space, then you’re probably trying to figure out, “How am I going to make this happen?” I don’t have two pennies to rub together right now, but I have a dream. I know what that’s like, so I’m going to give you some things to think about, some things that you can be doing while you’re waiting on the season of execution.

When I’m having a coaching session with someone and they tell me, “I have all these ideas, but I don’t have the money to do anything,” the first thing I ask them is, “If I gave you $100,000 right now, what would you do with it? What would be the first place that you invest?” I usually get silence because they didn’t think about that. Most of us don’t, and some of you reading this, you may be past that stage, but I think you should still ask yourself this question.

I don’t want to overwhelm you, but let me give you some practical things to think about outside of listening to entrepreneur books and podcasts and writing down information—but not just writing it down, but actually putting some things into practice. Practice is your friend on this journey.

So let me give you a few things to think about. Have you developed your why? What is your brand mission? What are your values? These things are important because they help you make decisions on your journey. Since you’re a brand in the e-commerce space, how many designs do you have? Do you have a great graphic designer? Do you understand the files that a graphic designer creates? Do you know what a DST file is? Do you have an understanding of embroidery and screen printing? Do you know if you’re going to do shipping yourself versus distribution? Have you vetted any distribution companies? What manufacturers are you going to use here in the U.S.? Do you understand the process of manufacturing overseas and where you should start? Do you have your brand trademarked? Do you understand what email flow is and how important it is to take someone on a customer journey?

I can go on, but this is just enough to ask. Do you understand these things in a way that you can execute them and explain them? If not, you’ve got more work to do, but don’t worry—because this is a game of patience. Take your time. You’re building something great.

If you’re not ready to answer those questions with confidence, that’s okay. It just means you’re still in the preparation phase. But the good news is, preparation is the key to success. Don’t rush to the finish line without laying the foundation first. You’ve got to put in the work now, so when the money does come, you’re ready to execute without hesitation. Remember, this is a journey, and it’s not a race. Take your time, keep learning, and keep building. Stay focused on what’s important, because every step you take now is getting you closer to the dream you’re meant to fulfill.

God Bless The Entrepreneur.

Many people express a desire to build wealth, which is honorable, as God placed us here to work. We build wealth by serving others. When you create a business, your primary goal is to serve. For instance, if you are an apparel brand owner, serving effectively means offering quality apparel, ensuring high-quality printing, delivering a clear brand message, providing great customer service, and ensuring fast delivery. By doing so, people will exchange their hard-earned money for what you offer. This is one of the most honorable actions we can undertake. We inject money into the economy, create jobs, serve people, and utilize the creativity God has given us.

Do you remember that campaign that the brand Staples ran? The easy button? Trust me, that is not entrepreneurship. It’s not as simple as pressing a button and having everything fall into place. Entrepreneurship requires hard work, dedication, and resilience. You must desire it, possess grit and tenacity, and avoid juggling too many tasks simultaneously. I promise that if you focus, even if it takes two, three, or five years, you can set yourself up for the next 20 to 30 years and future generations. Isn’t that worth it?

Consider this: ask yourself, “What have I learned this week?” If you can’t identify at least three things you’ve learned pertaining to your business, you might not be as serious as you claim. I aim to be straightforward in this message, but I also encourage you not to waste the creativity God has given you. Be comfortable with discomfort and willing to invest in yourself.

God bless the entrepreneur