Author: Henry Murphy

Obeying God often sparks a profound internal struggle, questioning what it truly costs to follow His will. Yet, with the passage of time and the grace of God, the realization dawns that the challenges were not mere losses but a refining process.

Understanding God’s character is paramount; He is the good Shepherd guiding us along the path He has set for our lives. Despite the pain and apparent losses, it’s crucial to see beyond human perspectives tainted by past hurts. God, being faithful and incapable of lying, has a purpose for each life. Obedience unveils His plan, a journey marked by both joy and challenges.

Reflecting on personal experiences, such as the journey with Unapologetic Urban Gear, underscores the importance of surrender. Sacrificing what seems thriving and prosperous can lead to resurrection beyond imagination. Realizing that obedience aligns with a greater purpose, even in the face of external skepticism, speaks to the essence of a genuine relationship with God.

The story of laying down a flourishing business in 2021, despite financial success and external validation, exemplifies the challenges obedience may pose. Choosing to trust God’s guidance over worldly logic is a testament to a deep, unshakeable connection with the Divine. It challenges the notion of what is considered wise or foolish by societal standards.

A true relationship with God, marked by trust and obedience, becomes a compass navigating life’s pivots. Transparency about the struggle in making such decisions is a reminder that the external world may not always understand the internal callings of the spirit. The journey of faith is often solitary, filled with moments where one’s obedience seems perplexing to onlookers.

Ultimately, the narrative emphasizes the necessity of obedience, urging individuals to discern God’s voice amidst the noise of the world. Testing the spirits becomes a crucial step, ensuring that the call to surrender and obey is indeed inspired by God. The story serves as a compelling reminder that, in life’s intricate design, obedience to God is the thread that weaves purpose, faith, and ultimately, the joy of the Lord into every season.

I spent today having a series of conversations with my wife about the idea of resetting. We talked about being real about the journey we’re all on. Yes, you may be doing big things in business, hitting goals, and pushing forward, but let me remind you—it’s OK to reset.

Lately, I’ve been speaking a lot about the Sabbath. It feels like God has been shouting at us, saying, “I made the Sabbath for you to reset.” I want to establish from the start that hitting reset is important. But what’s truly on my heart today is how important it is to let people know when you need that reset. We live in a time where social media shows us all the highlights. It’s amazing to see people pursuing their dreams and going big—trust me, I’ll applaud you if that’s what you’re doing. But where is the vulnerability in showing that sometimes, you don’t have it all together? That sometimes, you get weak and need to step back?

Showing the human side is necessary. People need to know that it’s normal to feel tired, overwhelmed, and in need of a break. When we only show the highlight reel, we mislead others—and sometimes, we mislead ourselves. That’s how we end up living double lives.

I love when my wife comes across someone on YouTube who’s out here doing big things, but then the next day, they share the real emotions they’re battling. They’re laying it all out there. They’re not trying to be some kind of superhero who never gets tired, never grows weary, and never needs to reset. There’s power in that honesty.

So, let’s get comfortable with transparency. Let’s be OK with admitting when we need to reset. Let’s be OK with asking for prayer, with being vulnerable. I know some of you might be thinking, “I could never let anyone know when I’m weak or struggling.” But we were built for community—we were never meant to do any of this alone.

Maybe you’re not in the spotlight of social media or business yet. But if you continue to build, you might be one day. As your influence grows, it can take on a life of its own, and that’s when you’ll need to be OK with hitting that reset button, or at least having a close circle that understands when you need it.

Do me a favor—consider it. Maybe you’re not there yet, but you might be one day, and when you are, don’t be afraid to reset.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

Lately, I’ve been speaking a lot about the Sabbath. It feels like God has been shouting at us, saying, “I made the Sabbath for you to reset.” I want to establish from the start that hitting reset is important. But what’s truly on my heart today is how important it is to let people know when you need that reset. We live in a time where social media shows us all the highlights. It’s amazing to see people pursuing their dreams and going big—trust me, I’ll applaud you if that’s what you’re doing. But where is the vulnerability in showing that sometimes, you don’t have it all together? That sometimes, you get weak and need to step back?

Showing the human side is necessary. People need to know that it’s normal to feel tired, overwhelmed, and in need of a break. When we only show the highlight reel, we mislead others—and sometimes, we mislead ourselves. That’s how we end up living double lives.

I love when my wife comes across someone on YouTube who’s out here doing big things, but then the next day, they share the real emotions they’re battling. They’re laying it all out there. They’re not trying to be some kind of superhero who never gets tired, never grows weary, and never needs to reset. There’s power in that honesty.

So, let’s get comfortable with transparency. Let’s be OK with admitting when we need to reset. Let’s be OK with asking for prayer, with being vulnerable. I know some of you might be thinking, “I could never let anyone know when I’m weak or struggling.” But we were built for community—we were never meant to do any of this alone.

Maybe you’re not in the spotlight of social media or business yet. But if you continue to build, you might be one day. As your influence grows, it can take on a life of its own, and that’s when you’ll need to be OK with hitting that reset button, or at least having a close circle that understands when you need it.

Do me a favor—consider it. Maybe you’re not there yet, but you might be one day, and when you are, don’t be afraid to reset.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

I used to ask God this question, and it felt a little strange at first: “Why did You give me so much vision?” It reminds me of Superman—he’s got these powerful beams coming out of his eyes, but if he doesn’t control them, he’ll destroy everything. That’s how I’ve felt at times about the things God shows me. It’s powerful, and I can see the potential, but without the proper control and growth, it can lead to chaos.

In my book God Bless The Entrepreneur: The First Decade, I talk about starting a lot of companies. Many of them were born before the full vision had time to develop. I saw the potential, I saw what they could do, but I didn’t give myself enough time to grow. I didn’t give myself enough time to get better in the areas that truly mattered. I value that time now more than ever. These days, I slow down, reflect, and think things through on a different level.

Every week, I create content for social media. It’s part of the rhythm of what I do. I like to go back and watch my own videos and read my posts. But it’s not just for the sake of review—I watch them to see how I can be better. Not just saying it for the sake of saying it, but because I know there’s more in me than I’ve imagined. When I rewatch my teaching videos, I ask myself, “Did I explain this clearly? Did I make this simple enough? Could I have told a better story—either my own or someone else’s?”

I’ve started thinking about the person on the other side of the screen, the one consuming my content. Did they walk away with everything I was trying to communicate? If not, then that means I could’ve done a better job—explaining better, telling the story better, and ultimately, connecting better.

This process of striving to improve is a lifetime mission. It’s the difference between good and great. Good is mediocre. Great is when we reach the fullest potential of the gifts we’ve been given. And this isn’t about comparing ourselves to others; it’s about asking, “How can I get better? How can I be better?” It reminds me of the concept of an audience of one—God. The One who gave us these gifts in the first place.

So, I encourage you: take your time, reflect, and strive for excellence in all that you do. Go back over your work, your projects, and your passions. Make them the best they can be. But in all of that, stay diligent, keep going, and never stop. You’re working for something bigger than yourself.

God Bless The Entrepreneur.

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine, and we were talking about running ads on Facebook and Instagram, tracking performance, and adding more money incrementally to give the platform time to find the right audience. I kept thinking, man, that’s the power of recalibration, taking time to analyze everything.

Recalibration refers to the process of adjusting or correcting something to improve its accuracy, effectiveness, or performance. It’s all about making the necessary tweaks to align with your goals better.

I started thinking about my own journey as an entrepreneur on social media and my goal to put out at least one piece of video content a day, sometimes even two. The power in it is that I get to look at the analytics and see what’s doing well and what’s not. It gives me the opportunity to recalibrate and make it better.

I can’t lie; sometimes it can be discouraging. What do I mean? There might be a week when my YouTube Shorts hit 400 views for three days in a row, then suddenly drop to zero. That is heartbreaking, and I can’t lie about that. However, you’ve got to keep going and remember why you’re doing what you’re doing in the first place. You know I always preach about having a ‘why,’ because moments like these are why they keep you grounded.

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been posting on social media. The goal is to get better. The goal is to track your efforts and adjust anything necessary to improve. When you find something that works and people respond to it, that’s what you double down on.

Keep going, because it takes time to build momentum.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

fitting that I write this blog at a time like this. I created The Ground Up Academy, and in my life right now, I’m in a rebuilding phase. It’s amazing that I get to teach people how to build a business from the ground up while simultaneously building a new one myself. It allows me to organize my thoughts, reconnect with people I’ve built relationships with over the last decade, and bring others into the space—not just to make my students better, but to make myself better as well.

We cover topics like your story, your brand, identity, trademark, business structure, tax planning, personal credit, and so much more before we even get to printing a T-shirt. Why? Because the foundation is key. When it’s done right, it becomes unshakable.

But that’s not why I started writing this blog. I began writing to talk about the fear of missing out.

FOMO, or fear of missing out, is the feeling of anxiety or concern that others are having rewarding experiences from which you are absent. It can create a need to stay constantly connected, fearing that you’ll miss an exciting opportunity or event.

When you’re building from the ground up, you have to stay focused. How you spend your money and time must be intentional. I have friends traveling all over the world—places on my own travel list: South of France, Thailand, Paris—and the list goes on. I’m happy for them, and honestly, I can’t wait until I can travel internationally too. But that’s not my season right now, so I must stay focused.

I can’t dwell on what I’m “missing out” on because, in truth, I’m not missing anything. I’m in the process of building. It doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun, but maybe you can’t take that international trip right now. Maybe you hop on a train from Los Angeles to San Diego to enjoy La Jolla Beach for a day. You can still have fun, but how you budget your time and money matters because the foundation is everything.

FOMO is real, especially when you see others doing what you want to do but can’t in your current season. But remember, you’re doing what you’re doing for a reason. This feeling comes up more often than we realize, and that’s why it’s important to ground yourself. There is a time for everything. When it’s not your time yet, you have to be okay with that.

Keep dreaming. Keep putting it on your vision board or to-do list. Imagine yourself there—bags packed and ready to go. Know that if you build your business the right way, it will afford you everything you want to do.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

In a world filled with activity, the paramount importance of intentional productivity constantly echoes in my thoughts. This realization propels me to reflect on the creations I leave behind, not just for my lifetime but for generations to come, including my cherished granddaughter, Arie.

Contemplating the legacy I wish to bestow upon her motivates me to be deliberate in crafting content that transcends time. I envision Arie reading my words long after our direct conversations are no longer possible, finding solace and wisdom in the lessons imparted.

As I traverse this journey, I draw inspiration from the timeless work ethic of King Solomon, who wrote 3,000 proverbs. Blessed with extended life, I embrace the responsibility to contribute meaningfully and redeem the art of content creation. Join me in this mission – let’s move beyond mere information, inspiring and uplifting in the digital age.

Together, ladies and gentlemen, let’s shape a legacy that stands the test of time, just as I peer into King Solomon’s wisdom daily. This is what I call being Amazing Kent—a deliberate pursuit of a legacy, not only for family but for the world.

It’s interesting how we often reflect on life and say, “If I only knew what I know now.” As we grow, life reveals new lessons, and for me, one of those lessons was the importance of mentorship. While I had spiritual mentorship in my life, I never truly had business mentorship. I had inspiration from my uncle, an entrepreneur, when I was younger, but no one to specifically pour into me in that area.

I didn’t really begin tapping into entrepreneurship mentorship until I became an entrepreneur myself. At that point, I was so consumed with building the business that I didn’t prioritize being poured into. Eventually, I turned to books for guidance, but it took time to realize that I needed to learn from others and not just rely on myself. It also took time to understand that I had a responsibility to teach others what I knew. I hadn’t yet grasped that mentorship is a cycle—learning from others and passing on that knowledge is a beautiful process.

There came a moment when I realized that success isn’t just for yourself. True success comes from pouring into others and seeing what they can achieve, then watching them pass on what they’ve learned. Mentorship, by definition, is the act of advising or training someone, especially someone less experienced.

Mentorship is essential. If you can find someone in your city, on the phone, or through a program where you have access to consistent guidance, take that opportunity. It’s about having someone who pours into you and holds you accountable.

As John Wooden once said, “Mentoring is your true legacy. It’s the greatest inheritance you can give to others. It should never end; it’s what you get up every day to do—to teach and to be taught.”

I cringe when I think of the concept of going solo, because entrepreneurship wasn’t meant to be done alone. We were designed to be surrounded by people who can educate and elevate us. So, don’t go through life without a mentor, whether it’s spiritually, financially, in marriage, or in entrepreneurship.

God Bless The Entrepreneur.

I remember one day practicing in the theater, performing in front of an empty room. It was just me, the stage, and the silence. No audience, no feedback—just me. That might sound strange to some, but for me, that’s where the real work happens. Practice isn’t about showing off; it’s about preparation. The performance comes later, but the true success is born in those quiet, unseen moments.

While I was rehearsing, a thought hit me: “The mind can hinder you or take you from glory to glory.”

It made me pause. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how our minds work to protect us—but sometimes that protection can feel more like limitation. You know, your mind will stop you from taking risks or pushing beyond your comfort zone because it’s afraid of failure or rejection. But here’s the catch—what we allow into our minds is what determines how far we go. It’s like what we eat. You can’t expect your body to perform at its best if you feed it junk, and the same goes for your mind.

I’ll be real with you—I love sitcoms. They’re my guilty pleasure. But after I’ve been watching for a few hours, something shifts. My mind feels drained, almost like it’s crying out for something more meaningful. Don’t get me wrong, downtime is important. We all need to unwind, but when two hours of entertainment turns into eight, that’s when I realize I’m in dangerous territory.

For me, it’s better if I turn on a documentary or listen to something that feeds my mind in a different way. Every day, I have a reminder on my calendar: Audible and YouTube. It’s a little nudge to myself that no matter what’s going on, I need to dive into a book or listen to a teaching from someone I admire. I try to make this a daily habit because I know how easy it is to let your mind coast on autopilot.

The truth is, your mind is like a sponge. It soaks up whatever you expose it to, and eventually, that’s what comes out. What we put in matters—because the input determines the output.

And it’s not just what we consume through media; it’s also about the people we’re around. I’ve realized how the conversations I have, the words spoken by those close to me, can shape my own thinking. If I’m around people who always speak doubt, who are quick to give up, that stuff rubs off. You start replicating that behavior without even realizing it.

That’s why I’m more intentional now about who I spend my time with and what I let into my mind. Protect your mind. Control the input. Because what you feed your mind will affect your creativity, your drive, and your inspiration.

I’ve learned that the mind can either be your greatest asset or your biggest obstacle. It can protect you, but it can also limit you. So, I challenge you—feed it the right things.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

I find myself almost self-sabotaging so many times. Recently, I came across a guy who was teaching about T-shirts, and he was very good—so good that it inspired me to be a better teacher. There were things he was teaching that I’d never done with my brand, and I realized I wanted to implement them in one of my other brands. I decided I was going to pay him to learn those techniques.

Let me get back to it. I’ve been going hard, always trying to get better. One morning, I woke up with this idea to do 30 days of teaching. The mistake I almost made? I wanted to stop creating content to prepare for this teaching series. I had to stop and ask myself, “What are you thinking, Henry? Continue doing what you’re doing—taking small, consistent steps and being faithful. Just add this to the mix. You can do both.”

Instead of stopping, I went down to the conference room, pulled out my whiteboard, and got to writing out 30 days of teaching. Honestly, I think I could make it almost 60 days. The goal is to get better at explaining things in simple terms. To take complex ideas and break them down, you need practice—you need to become a better communicator. And while striving to improve is honorable, it doesn’t mean I have to stop. It doesn’t mean I have to kill the momentum I’ve been building.

I just had to learn how to add to what I was already doing. Whatever you’re working on, stay consistent. Small, consistent steps win in the end because those steps never stop. They always improve over time. I wanted to be transparent about my thought process during this period and what I’ve been going through.

One more thing: for some reason, I was averaging over 600 views on TikTok, and suddenly, it dropped to about 250. I have no idea why the algorithm stopped pushing my content out—I’m still teaching the same things. That dip made me want to slow down and figure it out. But I don’t think that’s the answer. I think the answer is to stay consistent while I figure it out.

So that’s what I’m saying: keep doing what you’re doing, and find ways to improve as you go. On this journey of entrepreneurship, you’ve got this.

God Bless The Entrepreneur

Imposter syndrome is a real struggle for many, and for me, calling myself a coach was one of the hardest things I had to do. I never saw myself that way. It wasn’t until a good friend of mine, someone who worked closely with me at the compound, pointed it out. He said, “I’ve been watching you for years, and all you do is coach other people.” I hadn’t even realized it. I guess I never put a title to what I was passionate about.

I’ve always loved talking about entrepreneurship. It excites me—my whole demeanor changes. My voice goes from calm to fired up in about 2.3 seconds. I remember starting my podcast like it was yesterday, just sharing what I knew, hoping someone would learn from my experiences.

When I walked away from everything in obedience to God and moved to Los Angeles, coaching became my full-time job. That’s when the imposter syndrome hit. I didn’t feel qualified, even though deep down, I knew I had the experience. Imposter syndrome is that internal struggle where you feel like a fraud, even when you’re more than capable.

As I kept going, I realized I needed to narrow my focus. I didn’t want to be a jack-of-all-trades in business coaching. Yes, I have insights on a variety of topics, but I wanted to hone in on my niche—what I knew best. If you’re talking about running a print shop or running a brand from scratch, I’m your guy. That’s what I’ve done, that’s what I do, and that’s who I am. And along the way, I’m going to teach you the values and lessons that most people overlook but are essential to building a solid foundation.

Recently, I came up with an elevator pitch that sums up what I do:

“I empower entrepreneurs to build and grow apparel brands from The Ground Up, providing insights, strategies, and support to elevate their ideas into thriving businesses.”

I’ve come to realize that you’re only an imposter if you’re teaching something you haven’t lived or experienced. We don’t teach from theory; we teach from what we know. I wrote this to encourage you—coaching is valuable, and people need someone to lean on. And as you’re teaching, you’re also learning. So the next time imposter syndrome tries to creep into your life, remember: you are enough.

God Bless The Entrepreneur.