Author: Henry Murphy

I’m sitting on my cousin’s porch in Stonecrest, close to where they’re building the new Black Wall Street, an inspiring project fueling Black entrepreneurship and community growth. I’m sipping coffee and eating a few pieces of a small Hershey’s chocolate bar with almonds while listening to my new Audible book, Never Eat Alone.

Every few minutes, someone drives by blasting loud music, drowning out the voice coming through my iPhone speaker. It annoyed me, and honestly, I don’t know why, because that used to be me.

Am I becoming one of those older men that just sits on the porch? Ha ha, maybe.

I like to work in the quiet.

Speaking of work, I love my work.

I tell myself, I love working. I know I love it because it connects me to people and purpose. I’m happiest when I’m doing it. And I carry this attitude: I know this is going to work. And if it doesn’t? No worries, I’ll find a way to figure it out.

See, I’m in love with the journey of entrepreneurship. Myron Golden said something the other day: There is no there there. At first, I was like, What is this man talking about? Then he made it clear, it’s not about the destination, the journey is the destination.

I literally almost threw my phone down because it hit me so hard. It’s something I always believed but never heard put into words like that. He made it real for me.

Enjoy the journey. Start a business,. Take risks, make mistakes and grow from it. Do something great. We only get one life to live.

God Bless The Entrepreneur
®️

I won’t give you the exact time or season but I will give you the setting. I had just left the barbershop, feeling fresh. My wife picks me up in the truck, no AC, and it’s about 93°and humid  in Atlanta. We’re on the east side, near Decatur, sitting in summer heat that felt personal. I swing by Church’s Chicken. Don’t ask me why, I hadn’t had it in a while.

We’re getting ready to hop on I-20, and I crack open the mashed potatoes,  and realize they didn’t give me a spoon.

Now, here I am, sweating, hungry, and frustrated. But I’m resourceful, so I take a chicken bone, scoop up the potatoes, and make it do what it do. Yeah, you heard me right: I was eating mashed potatoes with a chicken bone.

But while I’m sitting there in the truck, water bottle warm like tea, I had a moment.

A thought slid into my mind, “How did I get here?”

And for a quick second, I felt like a failure.

That’s the part nobody talks about.

The moments in your journey where the inconvenience of life tries to label you.

Where your current season tries to tell you who you are.

But I snapped out of it.

I imagined one of those loud red Xs from The Price Is Right, like a buzzer in my mind.

WRONG.

This is not my end. This is not my definition.

I am not a failure.

You are not a failure.

A temporary circumstance does not define you.

You are made in the image of God, and that alone is enough.

Sometimes, that’s the jumpstart you need: to remember who you are before you ever made a dollar, posted a product, or closed a deal. That identity, rooted in God, is where real confidence starts.

Shift Happens Fast, Be Ready for It

We have to be willing to shift our mindset in an instant. That’s why I stay in the Word. That’s why I keep reading. That’s why I protect what I see and hea, because the wrong content will shape how you think, but so will the right content.

If I let that moment get to me, I could’ve spiraled. But instead, I remembered:

“All work works.”

It’s either working on you or working for you.

This season is working on me.

It’s teaching me patience.

It’s teaching me perseverance.

It’s teaching me consistency.

It’s teaching me to stay locked in on the vision, even when the conditions don’t match it.

So yeah… mashed potatoes and a chicken bone.

It was a moment.

But it wasn’t the end.

And that’s what I want to remind you today.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

I really believe with all of my heart that I was always a big dreamer. I just never could find the motivation to move from where I was. I didn’t have the habits, and honestly, I didn’t have the mindset. I had the desire, but not the movement.

Then one day, I heard a phrase that hit home:

“Nothing motivates you to start that business like a job that you hate.”

And even though I’ve been an entrepreneur for well over a decade now, I still think about how I used to feel when I was clocking in.

From the Breakroom to Breakthrough

I remember being at Checkers, staring out the window, dreaming.

Saying to myself, “I’m going to do this. I’m going to do that.”

But talk only takes you so far.

Eventually, I got tired of talking.

Tired of saying “one day.”

That’s when intentionality became my best friend.

I had to look at my situation and be real with myself. I couldn’t just quit. I had a family. That wasn’t an option. But you know what was?

Being intentional.

Intentionality at Work and at Home

I decided I would be intentional while I was at work.

I would be intentional with my family.

And I would be intentional after work hours, even if that meant sacrificing sleep to build my business.

That job I hated? It became my motivation.

Every time I wanted to slack off or slow down, that building reminded me why I had to keep pushing. It reminded me to stay focused. It reminded me to be faithful.

If You’re Still on the Job

There were times when I slacked off at work, thinking it didn’t matter.

But I was reminded quickly:

If you’re not faithful in someone else’s business, you won’t be faithful in your own.

And I had to ask myself, “Do I want people to treat my business like I treat this job?”

I didn’t get to live that out in the workplace as long as I wanted to, but if you’re still at your job, please hear me:

That frustration?

It’s not random—it’s a signal.

But don’t just react.

Be intentional.

Nothing Motivates You to Start That Business Like a Job That You Hate

Use this season to sharpen your skills.

To prepare mentally, spiritually, and practically.

If you’re checked out at your 9 to 5, ask yourself:

Am I being faithful here?

Because how you show up here is how you’ll show up there.

Every delay. Every detour. Every dull moment.

It’s building you, if you let it.

So don’t waste it.

Be intentional. Be faithful. Build with purpose.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

All Platforms. Every Day. No Excuses.

Entrepreneurs, especially e-commerce entrepreneurs, should be on every platform.

Here’s the thing: most people are loyal to their preferred app. Instagram folks stay on Instagram. YouTube heads live on YouTube. TikTokers? You already know they’re not going anywhere.

As a brand owner, you can’t afford to be picky, you’ve got to meet people where they are.

That means showing up on every platform, every day. Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, LinkedIn… and yep, we might even be sliding back to Snapchat.

And while you’re there? Make sure you’re actually talking to your people.

Don’t just pos, connect. Speak directly to your target audience.

Here’s the challenge:

Commit to a year.

That’s your minimum, not your maximum.

You need that kind of time to really see the data, build the muscle, and learn the platforms.

And please, don’t underestimate the value of even 25 views.

When’s the last time you commanded the attention of 25 people in a room? Think about that.

Analytics Check-In:

I’ve dropped 10 posts over the last 10 days. My views ranged from 150 to 1,900.

The highest I ever reached on Shorts was about 5,000,  so trust me, I know I’ll be hitting that and beyond again soon.

Simple goal: At the end of 30 days, I’ll ask:

• Which posts got the most engagement?

• Which ones got the most comments?

• What flopped and why?

• What content should I double down on?

Then I’ll create more of what works and tweak what doesn’t.

Takeaway:

The goal isn’t just more views. The goal is to get better:

• Better at storytelling

• Better at communication

• Better at consistency

• Better at reading analytics

Don’t compare yourself to anyone else.

Your journey is your own. No shortcuts. Put in the work.

The algorithm owes you nothing, but the results will come.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

Most people are chasing shortcuts.

But the real advantage, the unfair advantage, isn’t loud or flashy. It’s quiet. It’s uncelebrated. It’s called discipline. That’s the cheat code most folks overlook while they’re chasing hacks. But if you’ve been following our journey through The Ground Up Academy, you already know better. We’ve been stacking wisdom, one book at a time, and the next one in the lineup might just be the one that changes everything.

We started this journey with The Power of Broke by Daymond John, learning how hustle, creativity, and grit can birth something out of nothing. Then we tapped into The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, understanding that small, consistent actions done daily build massive results over time. After that, we locked in on our money with Profit First by Mike Michalowicz, shifting the way we manage business income to actually pay ourselves first and build sustainability.

Now, it’s time to level up again.

We’re moving into The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

This one’s a game changer. Because let’s be real, uccess ain’t just about what you know. It’s about what you do consistently.

Here’s a few things this book will do for you:

Teach you how habits are formed, cue, routine, reward, and how to hack the loop to change bad ones into powerful ones.

 Show you how businesses and brands use habits to influence buying behavior (and how you can use the same psychology in your business).

Help you build a personal and entrepreneurial rhythm that supports long-term success, not burnout.

And most importantly, it’ll help you master yourself before you try to master the market.

Systems are extremely important, ut the right habits are what make those systems work.

Without the discipline to follow through, systems just sit there.

That’s why reading books, listening to others, and learning from entrepreneurs who’ve been in the trenches is essential. Your next level is usually locked in somebody else’s testimony, failure, or blueprint. So remain a student, always.

Oh, and about your asset?

YOU are your greatest asset.

Fixing that starts with discipline. With mindset. With making better moves habitually. Not occasionally.

Nothing but up from here.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

Blog Series on Residual Income

“You need to finish your book. Is that your Lord?”

I said it jokingly, but the Spirit of God was pressing on my heart to get it done.

God Bless the Entrepreneur: The First Decade was in me, and it was time.

But the timing was strange.

God had just told me to shut the business down.

Now He wanted me to write a book?

It didn’t make sense.

But I’ve learned that obedience doesn’t always make sense, so I said yes.

As many of you know, in 2021, doctors declared me legally blind. That meant I had to get creative with how I would write the book, let alone record the audio version. So I leaned all the way into audio, dictating chapter by chapter, having it transcribed, reviewed, and built from the ground up.

To this day, I still don’t know how we pulled off the Audible version.

Let’s just say Rob Hooper of Love Work Studios is a genius, and my brother Anthony Dallas made sure we brought it all home.

And because I’m an entrepreneur, my mindset was:

I’m not just publishing a book. I’m launching a publishing company.

And just like that, Murphy Madison Publishing was born.

It was legacy from the beginning, built with my granddaughter Arie in mind.

That book is done. Ready. Out in the world.

And it will create residual income for the rest of my life.

That thought alone is wild.

You do the work once… and it pays you again and again.

But the vision didn’t stop with me.

Part of the reason I started Murphy Madison Publishing was to create a space for my wife to publish her own books. I knew she had something to say, something powerful, but she was going through a tough season.

I kept the faith. I knew her time would come.

And just the other day, I was sitting in Starbucks watching her write.

She didn’t even know I was watching.

But I smiled.

Because the time… had come.

Books. Journals. Devotionals. They’re all coming, and they’ll all run through the company we built.

Residual Income Through Books

The first time I heard about residual income was from Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad. He broke it down like this:

“The key to wealth is not just having a high income. It’s owning assets that generate income even when you’re not working.”

Books are one of the clearest forms of that.

You write it once. You publish it.

And every time someone buys it, you get paid.

Every. Single. Time.

My mentor Myron Golden talks about this often.

He has books, one written over a decade ago and another maybe five years back, that still bring in $500,000 a year.

Let that sink in.

A one-time effort.

Ongoing income.

Every time I hear Myron say it, I just smile.

Because I get it now. I see it.

Residual income isn’t a fantasy, it’s a formula.

And books are one of the best vehicles to make it happen.

My hope is that you walk away encouraged today knowing this:

Yes, hard work is required.

But when you complete something that can pay you again and again, 

That’s how you win.

That’s how you stop trading time for money.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®

I can hear the melody in my head as I write this, 

“Don’t hit my line, I’m working.”

It’s one of my favorite lines from Aha Gazelle. And it hits home every time.

Now, I don’t say this with arrogance, but when I’m locked in, really locked in, it’s hard to pull me away. I’m deep in work mode. Focused. Intentional. Honestly, my wife is probably the only one who can cut through that zone. And I’m okay with that.

We need those moments of deep work. We need uninterrupted time to dive into the process, to evaluate what we’re doing, where we’re going, and why we’re doing it.

Because the truth is, clarity doesn’t just show up. You have to make room for it.

There’s something powerful about rhythm, once you find that groove, it’s intoxicating.

I love the days when I wake up with a clear mind and knock out three blogs back-to-back.

Usually, that comes after eating clean, spending time with the Lord, asking for wisdom and direction, and asking Him to fill me with His Holy Spirit.

And if the weather’s nice with a breeze in the air? That’s just perfect.

I love getting in my groove and staying consistent. Yeah, I might peek my head up and scroll through social media for a few minutes, see what people are talking about, especially the ones I follow (because I only follow people who speak life into me). I’ll check my messages, respond to tags, or text someone God puts on my heart.

But still, when I’m working, I’m working.

We’ve got to be locked in with our time. There’s too much at stake to waste it.

And no, it won’t always be balanced. I was talking to a good friend the other day who said,

“Man, I’m just trying to find balance.”

And I told him straight up: Good luck with that. What you really need is intentionality.

When you’re building something, there won’t be balance, but there can be focus.

Be intentional when you’re working.

Be intentional when you’re resting.

Be intentional when you’re with your family.

The key isn’t balance, it’s purpose.

So I wrote this for the entrepreneur who’s trying to navigate it all.

Be intentional. Be productive. Stay consistent.

You’re going to need it in this world.

Don’t hit my line, I’m working.

God Bless The Entrepreneur.®️

It was late Sunday evening after a great day with the family, just laughing, vibing, and being present. At some point, I stepped out on the porch to finish writing the copy for a landing page. The internet was acting up, so I was pacing back and forth, trying to get a signal. Nothing was happening.

Frustrated, I came back out again, and in the process, I kicked over my coffee by accident. That just added to my irritation. Right as I was heading back into the house, my phone rang. It was my speaking coach, Sean.

We were catching up like we usually do, just talking about life. Then he shared something that stopped me in my tracks.

He was telling me a story about his wife. She had been sick for a while but was finally feeling better. She had a job interview that day, and after her appointment, he tried calling her but couldn’t get through. That moment triggered something in him. His mind went straight to the worst-case scenario.

His wife has a history of seizures, so naturally, he feared something had happened. But then, one of their mutual friends said something that hit different:

“Why is the first thing you think of something negative? The least you could say is she got the job and her phone just died.”

That hit me. Hard.

Some might say his thinking was logical. That he was just being realistic. But why does our first instinct always lean negative? Especially in business.

Why don’t we lead with hope? Why don’t we assume the best?

Why don’t we bring back a good report?

It made me think about the Israelites. God told them He had given them the land. All they had to do was scout it and come back. Instead, most of them returned with fear and doubt. Only Joshua and Caleb brought back a good report, and because of their faith, they were the only ones from their generation allowed to enter the promise.

Here’s the truth:

You have to see yourself there before you get there.

You have to speak life over your business, your vision, and your future, even when it doesn’t make sense yet.

You can’t stop life from life’ing. But what is in your control is how you choose to see, speak, and respond.

The Least We Can Do Is Bring A Good Report.

Even when things look uncertain, speak life. Faith moves differently.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️

I just pinned a blog called See It Working, and it got me thinking about The Ground Up Academy.

I’ve been building it for a year now, and right at the time of this writing, we’re approaching the exact moment I launched it last year.

What’s crazy is that as soon as I hit the 11th of this month, I saw a whole new level.

A new way to elevate the entire course.

A fresh approach to content.

A smarter way to collect data while giving value for information.

I saw how to build new systems.

I even saw how many people would sign up each month, at minimum, and I made a decision:

No more capping the top. No more limiting the possibilities.

But I also knew: this would be a process.

And that’s what you eventually realize, anything worth building is a process.

But you won’t ever experience it if you never start.

One thing I constantly remind myself of is this:

If I live to see tomorrow, it’s still coming.

Next week is coming.

Next month is coming.

Next year is coming.

The question is, what did I do with the time?

What work did I put in?

Because nobody wants to look back a year from now thinking, “Man, I could’ve been so much further…”

Or worse, seeing someone else doing the very thing you said you were going to do.

That’s why beginning is everything.

I’ve always loved that quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

That first step, that’s the beginning.

And after that? It’s intentionality.

Whatever comes up, stay intentional.

That means if you need something in your business, people, resources, money, ideas, ou’ll find it.

Why? Because you started.

Because you committed.

Because you said: I’m going to finish this. I’m going to see it through.

So wherever you are right now… start.

The win is in the beginning.

God bless the entrepreneur®️

Introspection, Faith, and Entrepreneurship)

You know what I love most about business? The more I do it, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I discover. The more I walk this path, the more rocks I overturn, and with each one, I find something new.

Just the other day, I was in the kitchen cooking some vegetables and thinking about one of the clients I coach. She’s a stylist by nature, and she’s dope at what she does. But more than that, she’s a creative at heart. She’s already put in the work, and the work is already in her. Now she has something to teach others, something that can take them to another level.

So I texted her these four things to think about today.

1. What Do You Want to Be Known For?

Even when asking this question, you have to consider the market. It’s not just about what you want to do, it’s about whether there’s a need for it. And if there is, it fits within these four key elements.

Think about what you want to build, what levels you want to hit: first, second, and third. You may not know all of them at the start, and that’s okay. But start with at least two, and the rest will come as you walk this journey.

If we keep using my client as the example, she could speak directly to creatives, encouraging them, pouring into their mindset, helping them improve what they already do. That alone is gold.

2. How Will You Serve?

If we want anything out of life, we must realize it starts with serving people. We solve problems, we add value—and from there, we build a system. Service has to be at the heart of everything we do.

And not just service, but excellent service. Think about how you feel when you walk into Ruth’s Chris for a steak. You’re not just paying for a plate, you’re paying for the experience. The way they greet you. The attention to detail. The feeling of being seen and served.

That’s what your service should feel like.

Jesus modeled service. It wasn’t beneath Him, and it’s not beneath us. We’d do well to model that too.

3. How Can You Build Content Around It?

Content is digital real estate. You can put it on every platform, and here’s the kicker: it’s free. Let me say that again, IT. IS. FREE.

It doesn’t cost you money. It costs you time, consistency, and authenticity.

Show up on every platform you can, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. Learn your analytics. Pay attention to what’s working. Then go back and make it better. Keep showing up. Keep growing.

4. How Can You Monetize It?

Now we’re getting into the bag. 💰

Cash flow is currency.

You’ve found your audience. You know how to serve them. You’ve created content that speaks to their problems. So now what do you offer when they want more?

This is everything. This is the goldmine. You have to create something valuable—something layered. The content is free, but the next step should offer deeper help, more transformation, and real value.

Start with something free that gets them into your ecosystem. Then give them something that helps them level up. Is your offer shifting mindsets? Helping them get past pain points? Is it giving constructive feedback and helping them move forward?

If it is, you’re on to something.

If we can get this, we can change our lives forever. Take your time. Build it right. Think it through. And as you go forward on your journey, you’ll see that there are levels to this.

As always, submit your plans to God. Ask Him to direct your steps. He’s the one who gives us the power to get wealth.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️