Author: Henry Murphy

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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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®️

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®️

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®️

There was a time at Unapologetic Urban Gear® when I was scheduling photoshoots almost twice a week. We had our own in-house photography studio in downtown Atlanta, and we stayed booked. We were locked in, pushing content like clockwork,  getting sharper and more consistent with every shoot.

On the cinematography side, we were regulars at Studio Space ATL — so much so, they knew me by name.

I was proud. It felt like we were finally doing it right , producing professional visuals, representing the brand well, and staying consistent. But then reality hit…

I didn’t own any of it.

That’s right,  I had paid for the photoshoots. I paid for the videos. But I had no copyright release agreements in place, and that meant none of it was technically mine. If I ever wanted to repurpose that content for ads, packaging, or long-term campaigns, I could run into serious legal issues. And that moment reminded me:

We don’t know what we don’t know, until it costs us.

It’s not just about photos. Cinematographers count, too. Whether you’re just starting out or have been in the game for years, this is a non-negotiable: if you’re not getting a copyright release agreement from your creatives, you’re putting your brand at risk.

That’s exactly why we include a Copyright Release Agreement in the Ground Up Academy Proof of Concept Starter Kit , to help you start smart.

Here’s what you get with the Starter Kit:

•► A professional copyright release agreement

► Free brand mockups

► 3 months of Shopify for just $3

► And more foundational tools to help you launch with clarity and control

Don’t let your visuals become a liability. Learn from my early mistakes and build smarter.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®

I know what it’s like to be all over the place.

Man, I always had good ideas m, actually great ideas. and some of them, actually, most of them, did well. And when I say well, I mean six figures. So when you think about creating something from the ground up, six figures is not bad at all.

But think about what would happen if you put that same effort into one thing consistently.

I’ve created some amazing companies, ones I’ve laid the groundwork for, even got trademarks for,  but I had to leave them where they were for a season so I could focus on one thing.

Most people won’t tell you this, but multitasking isn’t a flex.

The people who build multiple brands successfully? Nine times out of ten, they get one brand going very strong, then build a team around it, and then they use that momentum to launch something else, with a new team backing that, too. Think about that for a moment.

If you know me, then you know I don’t talk to side hustlers, I talk to real brand builders.

If you’ve made the decision to start a brand, I’m proud of you. For real.

And if you’re still on the fence? That’s okay too. But when you do make that decision, focus on that one thing. Give it everything you’ve got.

You’ve got to show up every day and be consistent. This journey doesn’t reward half-effort.

Everything that’s in you can still be accomplished , but not all in one season.

So bring it in. Lock in. Let’s build.

Nothing but up from here.

God Bless The Entrepreneur ®️

Can you imagine what would happen if we just stay curious? If we really just wanna go deeper and ask, “What does this mean?” And then once I get it, how do I put it into practice? I didn’t always think like that. When I think about being an entrepreneur, it’s been well over a decade. And being a believer, well, that’s been over two decades. The first thing that comes to mind is that man, things take time,  nothing happens overnight. But sometimes you can get complacent just because you’ve been doing something a long time. That don’t mean much. But the question is, do you wanna get better? Do you wanna know more? Do you wanna actually do more?

In business and in your walk with God, ask yourself,  what does this scripture really mean? How do I put it into practice? What does this word mean in Hebrew? When it comes to business , and I’m speaking o e-commerce because that’s my wheelhouse,  how does my why connect to my customers? How do I get better at understanding my analytics on social media?

I was talking to my social media strategist the other day. We just finished 30 days straight of content and I think I put out 54 posts in those 30 days. I was proud of that. It was a lot of work, but I wanted to see how the numbers stacked up, what people were really looking for from me. Turns out, people on YouTube wanna hear me talk about God, faith, and entrepreneurship. But people on Instagram? They wanna hear about business. When she sent me her thoughts on it, the first thing I thought was, “Man, I gotta do more work.” But that’s what this journey is,  it’s all about the process. I had to remind myself to stay curious. To want to get better. When it comes to God’s word, I wanna know more, understand more, and actually live it out. So I think we gotta stay curious as entrepreneurs and believers. Don’t do things just to do them,  do things to get better at them.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

I know a thing or two about imperfection. I feel like everything I’ve ever started was never perfect. The more I did, the more I realized: if you wait on perfection, heck, you’ll never start.

So I started a lot of things, maybe too many things, but even the things I didn’t do my best at shaped me, molded me, made me who I am today. The reason I can even call myself a coach is because of what I know, what I’ve been through. Things I got right. Things I got wrong. I had to figure it out.

I think we’d do good to look at ourselves as flawed, but not in a negative way. It’s something you should know so that you don’t stop yourself from starting. The business plan won’t be perfect. When you first show up on social media, it won’t be perfect. The website won’t be perfect. How you communicate your why won’t be perfect. But here’s the takeaway: fall in love with becoming. Embrace the journey.

There is no “there” there. Yeah, I know that sounds crazy,  but I wrote a whole blog about that a while back. It’s not about reaching some magical destination of perfection. It’s about showing up consistently. It’s about showing up imperfectly, and still being impactful.

When I was starting my first business, Z180 Radio, let me be real with you, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I had this one show, and the goal was to build up to seven shows. I didn’t know where the DJs were going to come from. I didn’t know how we were going to broadcast it on the website. I didn’t really understand much of anything.

I remember thinking about the concept while driving back from Tennessee. When I got home, I went straight to Best Buy and bought some headphones that worked with my phone, just so we could start doing interviews. That was it. Just one step at a time.

And that’s what I want you to take away from this: it’s about starting.

You don’t have to wait until it’s all figured out. You don’t have to have every resource in place. You just have to be willing to start. Keep showing up. Stay open to becoming. Your imperfection doesn’t disqualify you,  it qualifies you.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

You’re gonna learn toda,  or better yet, you may ask what you’re gonna learn today. You’re gonna learn something about entrepreneurship.

See, entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. You hear that all the time, but let’s keep it a buck l,  it gives before it takes.

It will kill the weaker version of you.

But in doing that, it’ll pull something out of you that you never even knew was in there.

Something amazing happens when you don’t quit.

When you don’t give up.

When you don’t walk away when everything in you is screaming for ease.

Yeah, you’re gonna feel it.

You might throw everything off your desk.

You might shadowbox the air like Tre from Boyz N The Hood.

You might even punch the wall.

Because this thing gets real.

I know it’s tempting to only tell the glorious part of entrepreneurship, the wins, the screenshots, the milestones, but that’s not the full picture. And this isn’t to scare you. This is to prepare you. To tell you the truth.

It’s hard for me to follow people who haven’t been through anything.

Because when adversity hits, I don’t know how they’re built.

Listen, if everything you do wins right out the gate and keeps winning?

That’s not the norm. That’s an anomaly.

The real journey feels more like an MMA fighter punching you in the face over and over again.

His weight class? About 230.

Yours? 145 pounds soaking wet.

That’s how it feels sometimes. But you keep going.

Because when discipline starts to build, 

When consistency kicks in, 

When diligence becomes your norm…

When you stay focused on who you’re here to serve (not just what you want to earn), 

That’s when it starts to pay off.

See, the money comes, it comes with the job.

But the real reward is becoming the version of yourself you were always meant to be.

The one who didn’t quit.

The one who kept building.

The one who focused on the mission.

So yeah, entrepreneurship will break you.

But if you let it , it’ll build you into something powerful.

Keep going.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

You’re gonna learn toda,  or better yet, you may ask what you’re gonna learn today. You’re gonna learn something about entrepreneurship.

See, entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. You hear that all the time, but let’s keep it a buck l,  it gives before it takes.

It will kill the weaker version of you.

But in doing that, it’ll pull something out of you that you never even knew was in there.

Something amazing happens when you don’t quit.

When you don’t give up.

When you don’t walk away when everything in you is screaming for ease.

Yeah, you’re gonna feel it.

You might throw everything off your desk.

You might shadowbox the air like Tre from Boyz N The Hood.

You might even punch the wall.

Because this thing gets real.

I know it’s tempting to only tell the glorious part of entrepreneurship, the wins, the screenshots, the milestones, but that’s not the full picture. And this isn’t to scare you. This is to prepare you. To tell you the truth.

It’s hard for me to follow people who haven’t been through anything.

Because when adversity hits, I don’t know how they’re built.

Listen, if everything you do wins right out the gate and keeps winning?

That’s not the norm. That’s an anomaly.

The real journey feels more like an MMA fighter punching you in the face over and over again.

His weight class? About 230.

Yours? 145 pounds soaking wet.

That’s how it feels sometimes. But you keep going.

Because when discipline starts to build, 

When consistency kicks in, 

When diligence becomes your norm…

When you stay focused on who you’re here to serve (not just what you want to earn), 

That’s when it starts to pay off.

See, the money comes, it comes with the job.

But the real reward is becoming the version of yourself you were always meant to be.

The one who didn’t quit.

The one who kept building.

The one who focused on the mission.

So yeah, entrepreneurship will break you.

But if you let it , it’ll build you into something powerful.

Keep going.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️