"How to Start a Business- God's Way + Up & Comers"

 People ask me ALL the time-- HOW did you start Pinky Promise??! I want to start a new business & I don't know where to start. Let's all be clear, I didn't mean to start Pinky Promise. I really didn't. GOD birthed this crazy passion in me years ago to help women and show them that their value and worth comes from Christ alone. I didn't set out to turn this into a business with a full store. I just wanted to help people. I've ALWAYS loved accessories and WWJD bracelets so I figured.. what a great idea to make a bracelets that shows our promise.. or vow to honor God with our life & body until we get married. I put one online .. thinking that nobody would care..

I honestly thought that maybe 50 or 60 people would buy bracelets-- but THEN.. so many people said they would wear it and that they wanted to purchase one. I saw the demand for people that need fun daily reminders of their decision.. but I still didn't think anything of it. Until I created www.heatherlove.bigcartel.com which is my online store. I put a few bracelets up.. and to date.. there's been somewhere around 10,000 plus orders in JUST a couple months! (It was birthed January 26th 2012.)

I was shocked! I'm like, LORD! Where did all these people come from?! Then, I decided to name the line Pinky Promise. It's a promise or a vow to honor God with your life and your body-- whether single or married. Ya'll know what I mean married folks-- the attacks don't stop after you get married. After I sent out thousands and thousands of bracelets, I went to the Lord to discuss ways to keep the movement going. He showed me how important it was to get people involved. If you can get people involved-- they will have accountability to KEEP their promises & vows to God! So, I started small groups and now we have over 1500 members and over 120 small groups ALL over the world! They meet twice a month (at least) and I teach once a month. During their meetings-- they go over a study that I prepare based on what we're studying that month. In May, we studied Salvation and in June we'll be studying Discontentment and how it affects our life. Each month we have a different study.. (emotions, health, purpose, etc)

If you want to join a group in your local area or to start one-- you can go to www.pinkypromisemovement.com and be sure to watch the Orientation. Since it's birth, we've started a journal challenge, started selling journals, No Randoms & Pinky Promise tees & so much more! We are also having a Pinky Promise conference (www.pinkypromiseconference.com) in January of 2013 (Jan 24-27) and we invite you join us!

Pinky Promise has been such a blessing to me!! It's been such a fun way outwardly to express the decision we made in our heart. We're going in stores soon, working with youth groups, public schools and so much more-- spreading the word that YOU are worth the WAIT and that you don't have to entertain unhealthy relationships! Now, I have tens of thousands of new sisters in Christ that have experienced what I've gone through & are pressing into Christ! HOW amazing!?! We ALL have ONE goal-- that is to HONOR GOD WITH OUR LIFE, for real.

So, I say all of this to say.. How do you start you own business?

1. Don't do it for money. We chase God-- not stuff. Please believe you'll be using ALOT of your OWN money so it betta be a "God-idea" so HE can fund it.

2. Do what you're passionate about! Not what you mom wants you to be passionate about.

3. Do your research! Find out what others are doing in your market

4. Time management is important! Pinky Promise is a FULL time job so I have been learning to balance everything which is a huge task at times. Pinky Promise has been added to my already full plate!

5. Spend crazy time with God daily. Remember that this is HIS business, you're just managing it. If your business is really God-- He will lead you.

6. Hang in there when things look rough .. as long as you know you have a GOD idea & not a "good" idea, hang in there. Sometimes, God allows dry seasons just to develop you & show you that HE is the only One that matters, not all this fluff.

7. Have purpose in your business. Everything at Pinky Promise has a PURPOSE.

8. Don't compare your portion to ANYBODY elses! Period. Yeah, they may be doing what you're doing but GOD told YOU to do it. So stay in your lane.

9. Customer service is important. Make sure you respond quickly to folks. Imagine having over 10,000 orders.. and dealing with changed addresses, lost orders, etc!

10. Don't get discouraged. Be prepared to front some of your OWN money at times to take care of your business. You will have long hours with no what seems like benefit. Just hang in there. Stay close to God. He leads & guides you.

11. YOU HAVE TO BE ORGANIZED. Pull on accountants or people that can help you keep the numbers right. You'll need a EIN (Employee Identification Number) -- you can just go to any bank and open up a business account and they will give you one.

12. Figure out what type of business you have-- Non-Profit? LLC? Do your reasearch and plan to spend money. Can be upwards to $1,000 plus depending on what you plan to start.

13. Get your stuff TRADEMARKED. I compared & contrasted between a ton of attorneys and I went with Legalzoom.com as it was recommended by a TON of attorneys. They filed for me & it worked out perfectly. Plan to spend about $1,000+ to get your trademark. You don't want someone to come in & steal your idea or logo.

14. If you're a non-profit-- get some grant writers to give you GRANTS to do what you're doing.

15. File your taxes. Get a 1099 & file!! Don't try to get around it because you may end up in jail. If you sold some stuff or made a profit, you gotta pay taxes on it. Period. They somehow will find you.

In lieu of this blog, I wanted to share one of my favorite bracelets.. the "Linda Cross Bracelet" that is named after my mother. If you place your order within the next week (until June 1st)-- you will receive 20% off the Linda Cross Bracelet. Just type in: LINDACROSS1 for the discount on www.heatherlove.bigcartel.com

Ok, I always want to HIGHLIGHT some up & comers. So, I've compiled a few people that I personally recommend & LOVE. These folks are totally in love with Jesus & they have some amazing gifts.

First up:

Hope Ballenger

Company: Hope Ballenger Photography

Hope was working at AT&T and was a bit frustrated with how she spent her days working for someone else. One day, she went into Best Buy & somehow ended up with a professional camera. The light went OFF! SHE fell in love with Photography! I had no idea that my friend, Hope did photography-- she kind of just sprang it on me & I saw some of her work! I was blown away. So, I had to book a photoshoot with her! I was blown away by how easy it was to work with her & her beautiful ideas. She's officially the Pinky Promise Photographer so she'll be at the Conference in January! HOPE has such a beautiful GIFT. Honored to work with her.
Hope Ballenger Photography
Contact number 864-650-7375
Email address: hopeballengerphoto@gmail.com
www.hopebphoto.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/hopeballengerphoto

Some of our photoshoot! :)

Terry-Ann Phillips

 Company: Designer/Stylist of Thierry Couture

I have known Terry Ann for a few years now from my days in New York City! I had NO clue that deep within her was this amazing eye for style & designing! When Terry first told me that she wanted to make a dress for me, I have to be honest-- I was nervous! I didn't even tell her what I wanted-- I just told her to go at it! I really wanted to see her talent! So I gave her my measurements (over the phone!) and she went to work! Two days before my trip to go out of town.. arrives this dress. I was SHOCKED! IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! I put the dress on and the material was SO high END I was blown away! It was like.. the dress was mad perfectly for my BODY. Every detail was handcrafted.. I was in love! This dress was so slimming and I would HIRE TerryAnn to make ANY special occasion dress! Seriously! She also made this amazing yellow feather piece below that I wore in San Juan, PR last month. Again, FIT like a glove and a one-of-a-kind piece. Kudos to you Terry. You're amazing & God has gifted you!

Website www.thierrycouture.com
Email address: Thierryann.com@gmail.com
Instagram: Terryann64
Twitter: terryann333

Last but not least...

Ali North

Company: Sweet Expectations Certified Baby Planner

As you know, I don't have any babies yet (thank God-- that in due season, He will grace me with babies & TIME to take care of them with my work schedule!) but my PR company told me about this-- and I just had to look into it! You know how you have.. an event planner, wedding planner.. all that good stuff? What happens if you have a baby for the first time & you don't have a CLUE where to start?! That's where Ali comes in! She is a BABY planner! I think it's such a smart idea! She's totally knowledgeable about all those things you don't even think of! I would "like" her page on facebook and check out her site! She also started this business to help women that were considering abortion.. as a way to say, "I'm here to help you, you aren't alone." AMAZING!!!!!!

www.sweetexpectationsbabyplanner.com
www.facebook.com/losangelesbabyplanner
Twitter: @BabyPlannerAli
Cell: 310-922-6682


I hope these ideas have inspired you to be & do EVERYTHING that God you to do. Remember that there's a TIME for everything under the sun. At times, we can step out and do things that God told us wasn't the right "time" for us to start. So be patient if you have an idea in your heart. God will bring those things to pass in DUE time. WHEN you're living for GOD-- HE will organize it, network it, introduce you to the right people by setting you up.. over & over again. You don't have to do stupid things for success.. SUCCESS is FOUND in obeying God. Period.
God loves you like crazy,
Heather Lindsey

A Friend Reminder: Got Friends?!

                                     (me & my best friend, Delan of 13 years!)

So, it's heavy on me to clear up this whole friend thing. I did a blog on best friends, but I want to just get really raw & uncut in this area. I think we've been bamboozled.

WHO told you that LIFE was all about you?! We go through friends like we're drinking water-- while running from the first one who offends us. YES, I believe that everyone cannot rock with you. YES I believe that GOD sets you apart but I ALSO believe that YOU throw away friendships that ARE good because of your skewed vision. If I cut off every person that hurt me, I would NOT have a single friend! My two best friends of 13 years each & I have gone through SOME stuff together. We've argued, had quiet seasons, didn't talk, talked, yelled, screamed, fought, you NAME it. But we've stuck it out over the years and the relationship got better. A friendship is like a marriage. YOU WORK THROUGH IT. They are both covenant relationships. I cannot expect my friends to be "PERFECT" & neither can you.

The KEY to a healthy friendship is "acceptance." It may be hard for you to accept your friends in their current state but you ain't God & you cannot be GOD over their life. YOU cannot change them. IF they wanna sleep around & act a fool, you get on your face for them & pray for them! As I said above, there's some amazing relationships that GOD placed you in and at the FIRST sign of trouble-- you RUN. Then you call it a closed door by God.. but GOD didn't really close that door, YOU & your emotions did. Are you serious?! There's times where my friends were disobeying God and I knew it! I didn't throw them away because you know what-- I aint perfect either. I have ISSUES & things I NEED to work on. What if God threw us away everytime we "missed it"-- we wouldn't have made it past 2 years old.
The next time you are tempted to be "mad" at someone-- slow down, check your emotions & SEE where you're involved in the equation. Our past hurts, pains & struggles PLAY a part in how we respond to people. Sometimes, we're overly sensitive, touchy, easily angered & guarded because of everyone else before them. So, instead of throwing the next person away that "irritates" you-- check yourself first. No friendship is perfect & every relationship has growing pains. Remember that it cannot possibly be "everyone" else and if it is them.. give them some of the grace that God gives you daily. ♥

So today, I challenge you. Do you say "all girls the same?!" Do you NOT want to hang out with anyone or open up to anyone because you think everyone is going to hurt you? It cannot possibly be all of those people you meet. You HAVE a part to play somewhere in there and it's time to take responsibility of pushing everyone away. Then, go to Christ & let HIM heal your HEART. Stop holding on to every baggage from your past. Vent, cry, get it all out & then BE a good friend to those around you. GRACE people. LOVE them with the love that Christ has given you. Treat people how you want to be treated. STOP gossiping about your friends as if you don't have a backyard. You are hurt when others talk about you-- so why would you talk about others?

Let's DO our part.

GOD loves you like crazy,

Heather

"Making your Relationship WORK 101: God's Way"

Soo, you finally met your "Adam"-- your boo! And you looooove him so much! So much.. sometimes, you want to EXPRESS it physically by kissing, rubbing, cuddling.. or maybe even sex. YOU want to feel close to him ...BUT deep down, YOU want your relationship to glorify God. YOU don't want your relationships to mirror your past relationships but you can't quite figure out how to "court" or date .. God's way. You KEEP taking your past ways of thinking from the world.. into your courting relationship and you find yourself having to choose between GOD and your man, often. So you both have sex, repent and give that area to God.. OVER & OVER again. You're TIRED. You WANT to live for GOD for real but you aren't convinced that you should break up with your boo. YOU want to make things work but you just cannot figure out how to turn off that switch. You could be engaged and SO close to the wedding day-- HOW do you abstain?!?

Well, this post may be for you if any of the above applied to you. And trust me sisters, I have BEEN there & DONE all that. I dated as a Christian but was STILL all up in the world & I courted God's way-- where my husband and I didn't kiss until our wedding day. We courted for 1 year and 8 months and kissed for the first time on 8/14/2010. I blogged about it here. SO, let's first quickly break down the difference between courting & dating.

Dating vs. Courting 101

Before we even get into that-- let's just make sure that we're ALL on the same page. YOU don't get into a relationship with an unbeliever. (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). SOOO, if he says he's a Christian, but he wants to be a drug-dealing, thug rapper that curses every 5 minutes-- he aint the one. OR to bring it closer to home.. if he goes to "church" but tries to screw you every 5 minutes, HE aint the one. A tree is identified by it's FRUIT. FRUIT of your salvation is a changed life. You can't just "say" you're a Christian cuz you go to church. Demons can do that.

Courtship:

• Takes the position that the two people have no physical contact at all (no touching, no hand-holding, no kissing) until marriage. 
• Many in a courtship relationship will not spend any time together unless family members, preferably parents, are present at all times.
•  Courting couples state up front that their intentions are to see if the other person is a suitable potential marriage partner. 
• Courtship allows for the two people to truly get to know each other in a more platonic setting without the pressures of physical intimacy or emotions clouding their view.

Dating:

• Spends a ton of time alone which presents a ton of temptations
• Family isn't as involved
• Foreplay, not going all the way, going all the way, "test driving each other"
• No clear purpose-- just a lot of conditional dating & confusion on "where is this relationship going??!)
• Plays house. Calls each other wifey & hubby & does husband & wife like things but has no commitment
• There's still a option to date others, ya'll aren't totally sold & still "trying each other out"

My husband and I courted ALL day. We STAYED out in groups with people and family & we were rarely alone in our almost 2 year courting process. It was great for him and I to see how each other interacted with others in large groups. Was it hard?! UM, YES. It wasn't EASY but if it was EASY, everybody would do it. But as a wife, I see the FRUIT of it. It's pretty amazing. Beyond amazing. Mind-blowing amazing.

Ok, let's get to the nitty griddy! 

HOW to make sure your relationship GLORIFIES God 

1. STOP having sex. If you're having sex & ya'll aint married. JUST STOP IT! HAVING sex is SEPARATING you from GOD! God may be trying to speak to you concerning that guy.. but you can't hear because your vision is all clouded because you're in "love"-- you aint in love, you're in lust. LOVE waits until marriage. So first step-- go to God-- MAKE sure that God is ok with you even staying with that person. Real talk. HE is JEALOUS for you. If God is cool with you staying with him (and BOTH sides have repented and made a decision to honor God) then start this journey on the same PAGE (amos 3:3). Meaning you SET up some boundaries. STOP cuddling, rubbing, putting yourself in 1:1 situations and if it's late, you shouldn't be at each others house! My now husband and I didn't hang out LATE at each others house! There was NONE of that. We were never at each others home late at night PERIOD. And let's clear this up-- if you cannot STOP having sex-- lasciviousness has crept into your relationship. NOW you cannot find the breaks or STOP having sex. BUT you can. YOU will desire whatever you put in front of you & give your attention to.. so tell your little flesh to shut up & be determined to obey GOD. Remember, that man didn't PAY the price for you. Christ did. So he should keep his paws off your body that doesn't belong to either one of you until you get MARRIED.
And for those of you who are smiling as you read this & thinking.. "we haven't had sex.. we have messed around but haven't gone the whole way"-- well, babygirl, I'm talking to YOU as well. Do you think that God doesn't look at ya'll playing around with the SAME destest?! It's a MINDSET. .. "BE HOLY as HE is HOLY"- 1 Peter 1:16

And if you don't believe me that it's wrong to have sex outside of marriage, it's clear here: "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body." - 1 Corinthians 6:18

2. Guard your heart. (Proverbs 4:23) STOP watching stupid reality TV songs, going to clubs, love-sex songs, pornography or blogs. DO you know that those things plant seeds in  your heart. Then, you wonder why you want to live it out & be sexual with  your guy! SO stop being all sexual as you sing & dance a beyonce song to your guy. Even IF you're joking. Men are visual & their APPLIANCES work. WHY test it out?

3. Actions. Are you super sexual? Do you dance in front of him a ton? Do you change in front of him or wear low-cut shirts? Do you wear bikinis around him at the pool? JUST STOP. My now husband didn't see me in a bikini until the HONEYMOON. I didn't wear low-cut things, showing my goodies. I VALUE myself, thus, I cover up. Plus, Cornelius didn't pay the price for me yet called marriage, so he didn't get to see my body. Period. I mean.. why by the milk if you're getting to see EVERY part of the cow for free.. 

4. Tell your emotions to shut up. So of COURSE you want to lay up, kiss, cuddle and do all of those things but at SOME point, you just have to tell your emotions to calm DOWN. When you finally take a stand & obey GOD in your relationship-- the flesh won't have a foothold in your heart-- THEN you'll be able to pass some tests. WHEN you honor God-- he will OVERWHELM you with honor. I'm watching the Lord do that in our life. It was HARD not to kiss as we grew in love with each other but we developed emotionally & I'm seeing the fruit as a wife. SO, take ya tail home at night. Tell each other NO. LOVE God more than you love each other. 

5. GOD has to be first. This is so cliche. But it's the truth & this will never change. the above 4 reasons won't happen unless GOD is really first in  your heart. Spend DAILY time with Him, apply what you learned, serve in your local church, walk in love, pray earnestly for your guy, forgive whoever hurt you-- DO your part. When TWO believers come together with their hearts committed to Christ.. YOU both turn into a POWER COUPLE.

6. Spend time with God. THIS will be included in EVERY blog that I do. THIS will never change. When you stay connected with God.. you won't WANT to sin. YOU will WANT to please GOD. YOU WANT what you put IN front of your face. I blogged about the Journal Challenge. Get on board. Like now.

If you wonder why jealousy, envy, and being controlling is involved in a relationship, it's evident of WHO you let into your relationship. When you have sex outside of marriage it introduces feelings & unhealthy emotions. WHY even open yourself UP to statan? YOU belong to whoever you obey. Sounds kinda harsh right? ... Well, I didn't say it-- Titus 1:16 "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good." & John 8:44: "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire"

I'm not saying this to beat you down-- I'm trying to CHALLENGE you to change your LIFE & chose GOD over a piece of non-committed meat.A relationship can either be a distraction that leaves you stuck in a ditch-- hurt, confused or frustrated-- or it can be a bridge that PUSHES you towards Christ. If you've messed up in your relationships.. make a decision to start new! Don't think.. oh, we messed up & God can't use us and we won't have the story that "we waited"-- DO what GOD is instructing YOU to do.

In my own personal life, I knew if I had sex with my little boyfriends (when I was single)-- I KNEW I wasn't going to marry them. I remember thinking one time afterwards.. well, another one bits the dust. Aint it homie. That may sound weird to you, but I KNEW that I was going to wait with my one-day husband. Of course, I clearly played a role in the above but I KNEW that my one day spouse would have the standard of honoring my body until we got married. I KNEW that the Holy Spirit wasn't pleased with my yo-yo Christianity life while I was at church on Sunday and staying the night with my little boo on Monday. Like, did I NOT hear what the preacher was saying??! HOW many days was I going to SIT up & IGNORE what I know to be true?!! WE know what to do in our relationships, we just won't DO it. So today, I challenge YOU to make it RIGHT. I challenge you to take ya tail home at night and to STOP putting yourself in situations where you're not honoring God. It's time for us to stop going to God every 5 minutes and begging him for our purpose and direction when we have a pair of thighs up in our bed that didn't pay the price for us. Step 1: Obey God Step 2: You'll get the next instructions.

Oh yeah, and God just placed this on my heart before I posted this. I'm not saying this to make you feel you guilty but I gotta write it. WE all can see if you & the guy had sex. Your affection & chemistry & lusty spirit is CLEAR & it's ALL on you. DO you not know that what you PUT in YOU illuminates OUTSIDE of you?!? Put in God's word, study, prayer--we can see your heart.. filled with purity and a "glow" about you. If you're sleeping with your guy.. we can see it in  your eyes. So change. Not for people. But for YOU & GOD. You're so valuable. So beautiful. Start living, thinking& acting like  it.

Let's do this right.

God loves you like crazy,

Heather Lindsey
(hubby & I in San Juan, PR this past week)