Photo courtesy of Stewart Butterfield.

Darren Shearer is the founder and CEO of High Bridge Books, which offers professional book publishing and author consulting services for inspiring thought leaders. Darren is the author of three books himself, including Marketing Like Jesus: 25 Strategies to Change the World and The Marketplace Christian: A Practical Guide to Using Your Spiritual Gifts in Business. Darren is also the podcast host and lead blogger for Theology of Business, a training organization that helps marketplace leaders to partner with God in business to transform the marketplace and make an impact for eternity.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• [3m 24s] Tell us how God has directed your career. Attended seminary with intent to go into business. Served in military (Air Force). Started a book publishing company after the military.
• [5m 15s] Worst career failure? Started a technology-related business due to pressure from his peer group. Started a tech startup in the fitness arena. Failed due to a bad technology partner. Lesson: When faced with adversity, go back to The Lord to get your next marching orders. Does He want you to continue the path, or pivot to something else?
• [11m 08s] Biggest career success? The tech failure forced him to reevaluate how God made him – for what kind of work. Understood that he loved writing and desired to help others do the same.

SECOND SEGMENT

• [18m 52s] How are you using your career as your ministry? Makes disciples through his own business via his own books and by helping other authors get their messages out.
• [20m 55s] Top three business tips? 1) Make it easy for people to taste what you are offering, i.e., free content. 2) Identify the top 2-3 vital signs that you need to track to gauge your company’s health. 3) How does my business make disciples for Jesus?
• [25m 01s] Recommended book: Our Unfair Advantage: Unleash the Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Business by Dr. Jim Harris
• [26m 53s] How connect? darren@highbridebooks.com. HighBridgeBooks.com, TheologyofBusiness.com

BONUS SEGMENT

• [29m 35s] Biggest weakness? Lack of empathy.
• [30m 46s] Biggest strength? Administration.
• [32m 08s] More about Darren’s services: 1) Darren does work with authors who have Christian living messages, but his focus is on publishing books, written from a Christian worldview, that would appeal to and make disciples of a non-Christian audience. 2) Darren works with authors who have complete or nearly complete manuscripts. He also interviews authors who have no manuscript and then helps them create manuscripts from the interviews.
• [35m26s] Darren’s podcast: Helps people learn how to make their business their ministry.
• [37m 22s] Ever had a challenge to your faith? Not a direct challenge. But, while in the Air Force, felt alone (like Elijah, and Paul at Corinth). God revealed to him that his Air Force base was his ministry and that there were other believers at the base. Started a Bible study that drew other believers into a fellowship. So, the challenge was to overcome a self-imposed, self-limiting belief that he was alone.
• [41m 39] Ever been confused about which career path to take? How did God clear the smoke? Had been trained in business school to either make money on Wall Street or create a start-up that investors would pump million of dollars into it. The idea of bootstrapping a business was just not a mindset he had been trained in. But, bootstrapping is what God showed him that he needed to do with High Bridge Books.
• [43m 27s] Number one personal habit? Family prayer time.
• [44m 39s] Number one business habit? Seeking the Lord’s will for each step in the business. Also, uses Google Docs to create and monitor a checklist of to-dos. (Robbie mentioned Workflowy)
• [47m 06s] Productivity tool? 1) Google Docs, 2) Rescue Time 3) (Robbie mentioned Workflowy)
• [48m 45s]  Advice to high school seniors? Find someone already doing what you think you want to do and see if they will mentor you.

Resources Mentioned:

• Our Unfair Advantage: Unleash the Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Business by Dr. Jim Harris
• Marketing Like Jesus: 25 Strategies to Change the World by Darren Shearer
• The Marketplace Christian: A Practical Guide to Using Your Spiritual Gifts in Business by Darren Shearer
• Workflowy
• Rescue Time
• Get a free audio book with a free trial of Audible.

Sponsors:

• Knights of Siena Fencing Academy
• Amazon.com. Shop Amazon.com via this link and a portion of each purchase will go to support the Career Callings Radio Show.
• Samaritan Ministries If you apply, please list Robbie Romeiser as your referrer to support the Career Callings Radio Show.
• Hostgator.com
• Amazon Prime (Free Trial Offer)
• Audible.com

Killer Resources:

• Get a FREE audio book at Audible.com.
• Daily devotions from Robbie Romeiser at TodaysQuoteFromGod.com.

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Robbie Romeiser is a commercial real estate broker, real estate instructor, and author of the daily devotional Today’s Quote From God (www.TodaysQuoteFromGod.com). Desiring to help his own children follow God’s calling in their lives, Robbie founded Career Callings (www.CareerCallings.net) to help people find, prepare for, and pursue the work God has called them to do. To have Robbie speak at your church, business, professional association, or civic club, please email Robbie at robbie@careercallings.net.