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Author: Henry Murphy

Work as Unto the Lord: What to Do When You Feel Unseen

Are you in one of those seasons where you feel unseen?

One of those seasons where even your family and friends don’t see your potential? You’re grinding behind the scenes, investing in self-development, building something you know could change lives, and still, nobody seems to notice. Then that question creeps in:

What am I doing this for? Is it even worth it?

Trust me, you’re not the only one who’s asked those questions. And when those thoughts show up, it’s a signal to remind yourself of something deeper:

Work as unto the Lord.

I’ve had to learn this as an entrepreneur. My focus now is on the vision God gave me,  not the distractions. But I didn’t always have that perspective. There was a time when I wanted everyone to see what I was doing. I wanted the recognition. I wanted the proof that I was making progress:

“Look at what I’m doing this week.”

“Look how far I’ve come.”

“Look how many sales I’ve made.”

“Look at this launch.”

There’s nothing wrong with those things in themselves, the problem was the heart posture behind them.

I remember one time a close friend asked me:

“Yo bro, how do you stay so locked in,  even through the challenges of life?”

And I told him the truth:

“I work as unto the Lord. And I work with intentionality.”

Let’s go deeper into what that really means.

Work With Excellence, No Matter the Outcome

Whatever you do, do it in excellence. Whether you get three likes or three thousand,  show up with the same energy, the same storytelling, the same conviction every single time.

If you’re an e-commerce entrepreneur and you drop a new design that doesn’t perform, you go back to the drawing board with the same passion you had when you first dreamed it up. You don’t let the numbers dictate your consistency , you create again with excellence because that’s what God called you to do.

If you sell jewelry, clothing, skincare,  whatever it is, and the orders aren’t coming in yet, you still craft every product with care, serve your customers at the highest level, and move like it’s already a million-dollar business.

The Mindset Shift: You’re Not Just Working You’re Stewarding

This mindset is more than motivation,  it’s spiritual alignment.

God has been working since the beginning. He’s still working. And if He gave you something to build, it’s not just a hustl,  it’s an assignment.

Your job is to steward what He gave you with excellence, no matter who’s watching or not watching.

It’s not about perfection. It’s not about applause. It’s not about instant results. It’s about staying faithful with the little and trusting that God sees, rewards, and multiplies.

So the next time you find yourself asking, “Is this worth it?”

Remind yourself: You’re not just working,  you’re worshiping.

I pray this blog encourages you.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

Never Broke Again: The Power of Assets

I think the first time I heard about assets was from Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad. It was mind-blowing and it changed my life.

Like you, most of us were just taught to work hard, and that’s it.

But I knew there had to be more to it. Nobody around me was talking about real assets. The most I ever heard was “buy a home,” but based on my research, a home is more of a liability at first than an asset , unless it’s part of a business or helps offset taxes.

So let’s talk about what an asset actually is.

Let’s break it down:

An asset is anything you create once that can continue to generate income, even if it still requires effort to manage, market, or maintain.

It’s not about never working again, it’s about not having to start over every time.

➤ My first asset was Z180 Radio, something I created in 2009.

I built a platform that could bring in money month after month. It became an engine. I saw my salary double in just over a year, and that’s when I knew I had something.

I believed in it before I saw the proof, but eventually the proof showed up monetarily.

➤ Another powerful asset is an email list or text message list.

You already know my story: Facebook shut down my ad account,  something that should’ve been resolved easily, but it wasn’t.

But because I had over 10,000 people on my email list and 10,000 on my text message list, I was able to keep going.

Why? Because I had already built know, like, and trust with my audience.

I didn’t have to look far to introduce them to a new offer. That asset served me well in 2020, and I still own those lists today.

➤ Another asset I own, several, actually,  is trademarks.

And I plan to get at least five more.

If I own it and put my name on it, I’m trying to trademark it.

Trademarks aren’t just protection, they’re leverage. They’re legacy.

You can license them, partner with other brands, and expand your business model without compromising your ownership.

This is intellectual property, and it’s one of the smartest moves an entrepreneur can make.

➤ Courses are another form of intellectual property, and they’re powerful assets.

You can take your knowledge and skillset, package it, and serve people at scale.

If you’ve spent the time and effort to learn something that helps others, you’ve got something that can continue to print money, without trading hours for it every time.

➤ Books are one of my favorite assets.

I wrote God Bless The Entrepreneur: The First Decade at one of the hardest points in my life.

Just a year earlier, doctors had declared me legally blind.

I had the idea for the book, but I didn’t know what I was doing. Still, I knew I needed to document that first decade of entrepreneurship.

So I voice recorded everything, and God gave me the grace to finish it.

I partnered with a dope editor, and now that book is an asset — and we even built our own publishing company, Murphy Madison Publishing, so we never have to wait on anyone else.

We can publish on demand, when we want, how we want.

Let me be honest though, I don’t want you to miss this:

Creating assets still takes intentionality and effort.

You might be broke when you first start building them.

But if you keep planting seeds, if you keep showing up, those assets can put you in position to never be broke again.

Why? Because you created it once,  and it can continue to serve you over and over again.

That’s the goal.

Ask yourself:

How do I work hard at something once, and let it continue to pay me long after?

That’s the power of assets.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

The Silent Millionaire: Why I’d Rather Build Than Boast

As I sit on the couch this morning tying my shoes, I realize I’ve been wearing the same pair of Jordan 1s for the last eight months. Maybe I switched them once for my blue Vans, but even then, I’m usually mismatched. I’ve learned something while building businesses, I’m not overly concerned with how I look. Not in a sloppy way. I stay clean, but I’m just regular. Give me some comfortable Jordans, one of my branded tees, and some jeans or shorts, and I’m good to go.

I’m not sure where this mindset came from, but I love it. Don’t get me wrong, I love shoes,  I have a good bit of them. Some I haven’t even worn yet. But as far as every day? That’s not really my thing. I guess I’d rather be lowkey. Maybe it’s my background. Where I’m from, flashy often attracted the wrong kind of attention.

I do believe in quality though. So yes, I’ll buy my wife a super nice car. But even that, still modest. This isn’t fake humility , it’s clarity. I understand a car is a depreciating asset. I’d rather invest in intellectual property, stocks, and maybe sink my teeth into some real estate.

And I’ll admit, there was a time when I wanted to prove myself. When I did things just to say “look what I did,” “look what I achieved.” But I’ve been done with that for a while now.

KB said it best:

“Got a taste of the fame, but the flavor didn’t intrigue me.”

That line hit me hard.

Then there’s this one:

“Ten M’s under 35, yeah that guy, but we gave jobs to the homies that we baptized.”

“Only fools brag, yeah I know that guy,  but I’m just tryna show you what winning looks like compared to that Guy.”

And in case it isn’t clear, that second “Guy” he’s talking about? He’s talking about God.

Man. That entire segment is a whole message.

These days, I’d rather have impact. I’d rather move in silence. I don’t need clout,  I need clarity.

I recently heard a framework I love:

Creation. Connection. Contribution.

That’s the legacy I want. That’s how I want to live.

Create something meaningful.

Connect deeply with people.

Contribute to the world, especially to the next generation.

To me, mentorship is a part of that contribution. It’s not always about money. It’s about helping others navigate what you’ve already survived. It’s about building something that outlives you.

You can keep the noise. I’d rather build.

God Bless The Entrepreneur ®️

Unraveled

I’m feeling a little vulnerable as I write today.

Sometimes you find yourself in a moment where it feels like everything is falling apart.

It was about 9  p.m., and I had just gotten off the train inside Atlanta’s airport , coming up the escalator, feeling the crowd press around me more than usual. You’d think after coming through LAX and then Dallas, landing in Atlanta would feel like arriving. Like I made it to my destination. But my mind was somewhere else entirely.

See, if you don’t know my story, you might shrug and say, “What’s the big deal?” But for me, being legally blind, navigating new spaces can trigger anxiety. Things like figuring out how to get to the rideshare pickup aren’t small tasks. They’re big ones.

I stepped off the escalator, trying not to assign difficulty to what I had ahead of me. But even though I saw the large “Uber” signs on the ground with arrows pointing the way, it didn’t calm me. I used to be too prideful to ask for help, but I’ve grown. So I started asking folks, “Do you know where the new rideshare area is?”

Eventually, I saw a woman in a white shirt, easy to follow. But she was walking like she was training for a speed walk race. I couldn’t keep up. I thought to myself, “Do I really walk that slow?” My wife has mentioned it before. I guess I was lying to myself.

Finally, I reached the new pickup zone. Everything looked different from the last time I’d been there. The police officer said, “You won’t even recognize this place in five years.” I’m thinking, “I don’t even recognize it from last time.”

I asked a guy how the zones were set up, and while I caught some of what he said, not all of it stuck. Now it’s dark. I’m standing outside with the weight of the day and the stress creeping in. And at that moment, I became undone.

Normally I can hold it together. I go straight into prayer and lean into God. But this time my mind was racing. I felt unraveled.

After about 10 minutes, my shared ride showed up. The driver had a podcast playing, and surprisingly, it brought some peace. But when we got close to my destination, she wouldn’t take me to the gate. She dropped me off at the front office instead.

It was pitch black.

I had to roll my suitcase in front of me just to navigate the road, maybe a quarter mile. No streetlights. I used the wheels on the bag like a guide to stay clear of curbs and cars. I could barely see anything. And even then, I was trying to keep it together.

I told myself, “You got this close,  don’t fall apart now.”

Eventually, my wife met me at the gate. I came inside and tried to settle myself. My mind was spinning. I was grateful, but I was overwhelmed. In that moment, all I wanted to do was hide. Disappear for 30 days. Not talk to anyone. Just bury myself in work. I didn’t want to feel that feeling again.

But I had to remind myself , my foundation is built on the rock. On God. And He never leaves me. He was with me the whole time.

He’s the one who holds me together.

He reminds me of what matters.

He reminds me that He gives me the grace to do what I’m called to do.

There will be moments in your life when everything feels like it’s coming undone,  spiritually, emotionally, or in your business.

But lean into this truth: God is faithful.

He sees you.

He holds you.

He’s not going anywhere.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

Blind In The Valley

In 2021, I was declared legally blind.

In 2022, God told me to walk away from Unapologetic Urban Gear , a profitable business.

Then God said, “Move to Los Angeles, California.”

I didn’t understand it all, but I moved anyway.

Truth is, I really didn’t care how it looked to people. I’d rather obey God than please people , and honestly, I still feel the same way. I wasn’t chasing validation. I was chasing obedience.

Now normally, I would’ve questioned a move like that,  heavily. But I had been spending more consistent time with Him over the last three or four months than I had in the last two decades. This was different. This was definitely God.

OK God,  what are we doing here?

I was feeling lost for a few years. Not like “I failed in business” lost, more like “God, what is happening?” I was trying to understand. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? But you know how God is.. He doesn’t give you the whole story. He just says, “Trust Me.”

So here I was, legally blind, trying to figure it out.

And on top of that, my wife’s health was failing. She couldn’t even walk. That hit hard.

We were in the valley. Automatically. No question about it.

But even there, God kept us.

Provision showed up. Direction showed up. But it came day by day. Moment by moment. It was hard to plan. Hard to dream big. I couldn’t see five steps ahead, but I knew I was still being led.

And even though I didn’t fully understand, I became something new.

Something still being revealed. Something still becoming.

I’m not the same person I was, not even close. And the truth is, I don’t want to be.

Because in the valley…

There’s purpose.

There’s clarity.

There’s provision.

There’s direction.

There’s intimacy.

There’s stillness.

There’s transformation.

I used to dread the valley. Now I embrace it.

No matter how God uses me, no matter where He sends me, no matter how high the mountaintop. 

I’m going back to the valley to sit at His feet.

Everyone Gets 24: What Are You Doing With Yours?

Some days I like to throw on some music, and one of my go-to artists is Aha Gazelle. The first song that came up on shuffle today was 24, and I couldn’t help but pause when I heard it:

“Thank you Lord for that new 24.”

Man, it hit me different today. Now, I try to be intentional every single day — but I wasn’t always that way. I used to be lazy. Real lazy. My dad used to make me read Proverbs growing up, and Solomon didn’t hold back on how he felt about laziness.

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,  and poverty will come on you like a thief.” (Proverbs 6:10–11)

That was always in my face. And even with all that wisdom staring at me, I still had a two-year stretch of straight-up slacking. I wanted to shortcut everything in life. I wanted the bag without putting in the work. I wanted the harvest without sowing the seed. But deep down, I knew that’s not how any of this really works.

I wrote another blog titled Work As Unto the Lord, and it still rings true here. Because when we honor God with our work,  when we actually recognize that a new day is a gift —m, everything shifts.

Aha said it best:

“You got a new 24, what you gonna do with it?”

That lyric hit me like a challenge. Like a call to action.

So I’m asking you the same thing:

➤ What are you doing with that gift of creativity?

➤ What are you doing with that gift of imagination?

➤ What are you doing with that mustard seed of faith?

Every day, we’re given a blank slate. Another shot to show up. To keep your hand to the plow. I’m not telling you to grind seven days a week m, God Himself set the rhythm of rest. But what about the other six? What are you doing with them?

I believe we’ll be held accountable for how we used our time.

And here’s the thing about this “new 24”,  it’s not just a reset. It’s grace. Every morning you wake up is another opportunity to work as unto the Lord. To pursue purpose. To build with faith. To move with urgency.

Let me leave you with this:

Maybe, just maybe,  if we knew the exact date we were going to die, we’d try to game the system. We’d say, “I got 25 years left… I can chill for 10 and go hard for the last 15.” But that’s not how life works. We don’t know. That’s why every breath is a chance. Every 24 is a gift.

So don’t waste it. Don’t scroll it away. Don’t wish it away.

Do something with your 24.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®

Entrepreneur Bandwidth: How to Focus When You’ve Got Too Much on Your Plate

I just made a post on Facebook, Threads, X, and LinkedIn that said:

“I just clocked out, and it was the most productive day I’ve ever had as an entrepreneur.”

It’s about 9:35 PM on the East Coast, and I’m blown away by how much I got done today.

But let me keep it a buc, this day did not start off well. I woke up groggy. My eyes were baggy. My energy was nonexistent. I threw on one of my God Bless The Entrepreneur® tees and headed to the cleaners so I could prep for a full week of content.

Then I went to Starbucks. I’m sitting there with a hot cup of coffee, hoping it would do what it normally does, but nothing was happening. Still tired. Still unfocused.

So I did the one thing I always tell my students: just start.

I didn’t try to plan out the whole day in my head. I just picked a task and moved. Then the next one. Then another. Before I knew it, I was in a zone, stacking wins back-to-back. That’s when I started thinking about the word: bandwidth.

Yes today was super productive. But when I look at my calendar and my task list, I can clearly see that my bandwidth isn’t what it used to be.

I’m one of those people who tries to stick to doing no more than 3 big things a day. Sometimes it stretches to 5 or 6, but I don’t pile heavy tasks on top of each other anymore. Still, even the little things are starting to slide off the plate. Not because they don’t matter but because I just don’t have the bandwidth.

And that’s not a bad thing. It’s actually confirmation that I’m locking in on the right things.

Earlier today, the first thing I did was update my company budget. And when I looked at the line marked “payroll,” I gave it a huge bump because I’m finally ready to bring on two administrative assistants, not just one.

The more focused I become, the more I realize I can’t afford to be scattered. My bandwidth needs protecting.

As I close out this blog tonight, I’m smiling. Not because everything is perfect. But because I can see the growth. My schedule has shifted. My standards have shifted. And I know what season I’m in.

I’m in the Buy Back Your Time season. (Book by Dan Martell.)

I’m in the 10X is Easier Than 2X season. (Book by Dr. Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan.)

And it’s only up from here.

Delegate more. Focus deeper. Get clearer. And protect your bandwidth at all costs.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®

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Hope Is Not Dead: Why Delays Don’t Define Your Destiny

I remember the first time I got on a roller coaster at Busch Gardens, I think it was in Orlando. Well… maybe Tampa. Close enough. I was young ,don’t hold that against me.

My stomach flipped, I felt a little nauseous, and the whole thing was wild, but it was also exhilarating. Full of ups, downs, and unexpected loops. Honestly? That’s how entrepreneurship feels. That’s how life feels.

You’ve heard me say it before: Dreams take before they give. And that’s not just some catchy phrase. If you’ve ever tried to build something from the ground up, then you know exactly what I mean. It’s real.

But let me be clear, my hope is not in what I’m building. My hope is in God.

I believe when we submit our lives to a sovereign God, He sovereignly allows us to rule over the thing He gave us to do. And sometimes, that process takes us through situations that are uncomfortable, the kinds of delays that make you question everything.

But those delays? They don’t define you. They equip you.

They shape your character. They prepare you for the calling. They train you to steward the gift. They bring you into contact with the people you’re supposed to serve and the places you’re supposed to go.

I know the delay can feel like forever. I’ve had seasons where it felt like everything was on pause, and nothing was moving forward. But I’ve learned,  you have to keep your eyes on God and keep working.

I once heard it said:

“All work works. It’s either working on you or it’s working for you.”

So work until the work starts working for you.

Be encouraged today. God has already given you what you need — your measure of faith, your imagination, your creativity, and the power to get wealth.

Whatever that dream is, use it to serve people. Trust that everything God said it would do,  it will accomplish.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

When You Don’t Feel Like It, Show Up Anyway

It’s about 74° in Los Angeles and I’m sitting on a bench, trying to get my life together. I just left Starbucks with some coffee in hand. Man, I love this city. You can’t beat a one-minute walk with a breeze like this.

But I’m foggy today. Like,  heavy.

I had all these great ideas a couple days ago. I knew exactly what kind of content I wanted to create and how I wanted to lay it out. I was excited about it. But today just feels,  off.

Honestly, I wasn’t even going to write today. But I told myself what I usually tell myself when I hit this place: Just start. Don’t worry about how it sounds, how it looks, if it’s polished, just start writing.

So that’s what I’m doing right now.

Yeah, there’s a couple of factors. I’m on a new health journey. My body is switching energy sources and I haven’t been hydrating the way I should. I drank some dandelion root tea and instead of helping, it actually made me more dehydrated. So today I feel a little better, got about 10 hours of sleep last night, but I’m still not fully me.

I’m pushing through this fog.

And it reminds me, this is what it’s like sometimes in entrepreneurship. Some days we feel on fire. We’ve got vision, clarity, motivation. And some days? We’re just trying to pull it together and show up. No matter what you’re building or where you are in your journey, you’ll hit this fog too.

But even as I’m writing this out, I feel a shift. My energy is starting to come back. That’s the power of our words. I had to switch my language. I was literally telling myself “I don’t feel like doing anything today.” But once I flipped that? Everything started changing.

So if you’re in a fog today—mentally, physically, spiritually, switch your language.

Start where you are.

Say something different.

Push anyway.

It might not come out perfect. It might not come out polished. But it doesn’t matter.

Show up for yourself, and when you do that, you show up for others too.

Push through the fog.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

The Power of Black Fatherhood and Entrepreneurship

I saw something the other day that impacted me deeply.

I was over at a friend’s house in LA when his son called. I couldn’t hear the whole conversation, but I caught something that moved me: his son asked him to pray for him. I knew this because I heard my friend say “Right now?” and then immediately begin to pray. And all I could think was , wow.

His son is 14 years old.

That moment made me smile, and honestly, it stuck with me. My friend is a single father raising his son, and right now, his son is visiting his mother for the summer. A few days before he had to start his new job, he called his father,  not for money, but for prayer. Man. That still gets me.

A Black father and a Black son.

We don’t see enough of that. And I know the scene well,  my dad primarily raised me, so I can relate. But it’s not something you see often enough, and it deserves to be highlighted.

After he got off the phone, I had to ask,  “Did your son just ask you to pray for him?”

He said, “Yeah.”

I said, “Man, that is so dope.”

Then I asked, “Where’d he get a job?”

And what he said hit me just as hard: “Somebody who owns a business. His mom helped him get it.”

Entrepreneurship.

Can you imagine what happens when a 14-year-old gets a taste of entrepreneurship that early? Especially if he fully embraces it and understands what it is,  that somebody took an idea from their imagination, walked it out in faith, and made it real. Now, because of that idea, this young man has a job and is earning money.

That’s wild. That’s purpose. That’s legacy.

For me, it always comes back to this:

God gives us the power to get wealth.

He gives us the ability to imagine and create.

He gives us vision, faith, and the principles to walk it out.

So now, I’m praying for his son too,  not just that he makes a little money, but that God stirs up whatever He planted in him. That he dreams something up. That he writes it out. That he starts planning and thinking and imagining. That it begins to consume him in the best way.

To all my entrepreneurs out there:

Be encouraged.

You are the innovators. The go-getters.

One day, someone will work for you.

And what you create might just change the entire trajectory of their life.

Keep going.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️