Trudy Beerman on Personal, Financial, and Spiritual Stewardship
Trudy Beerman was a missionary girl who grew up in Jamaica. She is now on a biblical path to Profit. Here’s her story.
Wow Trudy! Thank you so much for doing this interview with me. As a Christian, I am excited to learn how Christianity and wealth work together without feeling guilty. So, let’s get started!
You were born and raised in Jamaica. What was childhood like for you, what did you want to do when you grew up, and what did your parents do for a living?
I grew up in the city of Kingston. My parents left top Corporate spots with International companies to become full-time Missionaries.
God continued to provide and I really did not notice a shift in our very comfortable lifestyle when they moved from earning an income to trusting God for their sustenance.
For all my growing up years, we had two live-in ladies to help with us kids and the house, and a young man living on property to take care of our large yard. I never had to learn home economic skills, and that was my biggest culture shock when I relocated to the USA later to live on my own.
I wanted to be a fashion designer, but my father insisted I do traditional college instead of technical school.
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Has God always played a role in your life, and was there anytime that you questioned your faith?
I have seen God’s hand too many times to doubt His existence, His participation in my life, and in this universe.
I would have said I was always a Christian because I knew nothing else, but later I understood God has no grandchildren, so I seamlessly and easily accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and savior when I was about 12 years old and got baptized.
While I would not say I ever questioned my faith; I did try to expand it to be inclusive of other belief systems.
During college, I dated a Muslim and we planned to marry. I tried to expand my belief with the ‘multiple paths to God’ theory. That never worked. Muslims do not see Jesus as Savior, and I was not prepared to challenge the integrity of the Bible where Jesus said, in John 14:6
“Yeshua said, “I AM the Way — and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” (CJB)
CJB – Complete Jewish Bible
I grew up in a Baptist Church to non-denominational parents who served as Missionaries through the global organization of Youth For Christ, International (YFCI) and at one time I worked there too. However, today I lean Messianic Jew.
I think Christians have lost the recognition of the Jewishness of Jesus. He came to us as a Jew. He lived and worshipped as a Jew. His disciples were Jews. He celebrated all the God ordained festivals as a Jew. Modern Christianity today is void of almost all things Jewish and that does not make any sense to me.
How does God and profit co-exist?
Ahhh! Now this is a conversation we could have for months and the space that I play in daily. It will be hard to be succinct but let me try.
In John 10:10, Jesus says:
“The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure.” (CJB)
Other translations say, life more abundantly.
Adam had an abundant life, that is what God intended. The thief appeared as a serpent in Genesis and as a result of sin, we lost it. Jesus came from heaven (a very grand place) to RESTORE that abundant life. Why do people think that abundance excludes profit? Profit is simply abundant returns on investment.
I also challenge the common understanding of the ‘prosperity gospel’ held by many. Here is a video that I think speaks to that. The video is less than 4-minutes long, but please fast forward to 30 seconds in for how I feel profit and prosperity is totally misunderstood by many believers.
When did you realize a 40 year career wasn’t a path you wanted to take?
I am now 50-years old. I have held two full-time jobs in my entire life, and the longest was for three-years. I have always been an entrepreneur. I think, seeing my parents give up top paying jobs to pursue their life’s purpose gave me permission to do the same.
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When were you introduced to online marketing, what did you do as far as internet marketing, and what were the first couple years like?
I stumbled onto online marketing. I was not recruited, nor did I know that what I signed on to was an MLM.
I purchased gold and silver bars as a hobby and as a savings strategy. I figured, selling gold would be a great side income and started online research for HOW I could get into that business.
I found the Jewelry option, the ETF (selling stocks and shares in Electronically Traded Funds), and retail options and the barrier to entry was incredibly high for these.
Then Google offered up a link to little company known as Numis Network.
Numis was pretty new at the time, about 2 years old. I saw a few links all leading to Numis and they all looked the same (the MLM sites of Reps).
Then I found Ray Higdon’s blog about gold and silver and figured, this guy knew what he was talking about, and I reached out to him and told him I wanted in.
So I was not recruited and I had no clue that I had signed up for an MLM. It did not matter, I was finally able to sell gold and silver and had a whole turn-key operation to do it with. I was in in entrepreneurial heaven (or so I felt, and have not stopped feeling that way).
Of course, Ray Higdon was at the top of the MLM game even back then so I stumbled on to a fantastic opportunity with an awesome leader. There was no turning back.
Learning curves take time, I understood that. I knew this was what I wanted to do, so I took every hurdle, delay, or setback as simply part of that learning curve. I am still in Network Marketing even though Numis no longer exists.
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You survived the Recession and teach others how to become debt-free and build wealth through a biblical methodology. Is this correct?
A better explanation of what I do is,
I help Christian income earners create, manage and distribute profitable legacies through the instruction and application of Biblical Stewardship strategies.
I did survive the recession by the grace of God. We were actually quite financially comfortable before the recession but although we were practicing Christians, we were not good Stewards of what God had put under our control. I bought into the world’s view of debt as leverage – the put little down to hold a high ticket asset. We were more in the accumulation of stuff than focusing on NET-worth.
Stewards are not owners but managers. That shift helped to see I had to give account one day, and up to that point my husband and I had done a poor job.
God was gracious. During the recession when others were boo-hooing and whining, I dived into the Word of God and emerged with books to share what I learned.
I wrote The Bible on Business and The Creditors Are Coming during that era. There is no way to get that close to the Bible and not come out with the answers I wanted. My life, and career have been permanently changed, and charged with purpose.
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I love your blog! How old is it, how many posts are on it, and what is the daily traffic like to it daily?
I have been a professional, published writer since 1994. However, I learned blogging as a result of my involvement with Network Marketing.
I own two blogs, with a total of 201 published posts. I have been blogging for five years. I also have almost 600 videos on Youtube which I count as vlogging, and I have 306 podcast shows. I create a lot of content.
Daily traffic? Honestly, I have done a poor job of promoting my blog with a traffic goal, however, I did check with my host site to one of my blogs to be able to answer your question. These numbers for one blog is all organic. I do zero paid or even deliberate push. I blog because I feel compelled to share.
Your question has challenged me to do a better job going forward.
According to my site stats to date:
I get work from my blog and videos so I really should be better about promoting it and I will do so going forward. Thank you, Erik.
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Do you recommend everyone blog, and if so, what type of platform should they use?
Blogging is simply one way to put content out into the world. I do recommend entrepreneurs put content out into the world. Not everyone likes writing or typing for that matter. Vlogging or even audio blogs (podcasts) are also valid ways.
I am a strong advocate for content creation. If you asked the question, “Who the heck is Trudy Beerman?” Google will be able to offer up multiple answers.
People work smarter these days and shop for information online before they make purchase decisions. If you are not online with value-packed content, you will lose out to those who are.
You have over 500 videos on YouTube. How has video marketing helped your online business and should everyone do video?
I have gotten new clients and faster turn-over of prospects because of video. I LOVE VIDEO! Video is two steps away from meeting in person, I say two steps because I think things like real-time video contact like Skype and Zoom are one-step away.
Video allows a person to ‘meet me’ without meeting me. There is something about SEEING me say something. Sincerity is more easily conveyed through a person’s eyes and body language than it can be through words on a page.
Video also shortens my work time with clients. I refuse to say the same thing more than twice. The second time I am asked a question, you bet I will create content (usually video) and offer that to the person asking. I am very busy. Video is a time saver.
You recently wrote a great looking book, entitled: “The Bible on Business: Inspirations from my Personal Devotions.” Can you tell me about it and who is it for?
I actually have five published books on the market.
I think the title, The Bible On Business, will define the target market and give them a clue to the content inside. Christian leaders will benefit the most from this book.
This book came out of my darkest moments during the recession. To not have much and lose it is one thing. To have a lot and lose it is another. Kinda like, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
I believe the Bible is a practical, relevant guide to success – so I went to the Bible for a practical, relevant guide to my success.
The Bible is a fantastic manual for all things human, from the human Creator. Just like most equipment manuals, we rarely read them. We simply dive in and figure things out as we go, and only check the manual if we need a trouble shooter. I was no different.
I read the very same verses, year after year – but I read for reading, not for application. Today, I am an avid implementer of anything I decide to read. I pause in many books, courses, and videos to immediately implement what I have learned.
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You help people in many ways through your brand and blog. What are the 3 core areas you help people with, and how can they work with you?
Before I will even work with someone, I need proof they are implementers. If they are not, the timing is not right for us to work together because they will exchange their money for RESULTS and are quick to point the finger when they do not get it.
I have anyone I work with closely to complete my free, online Prosperity Game. Access that here: http://prosperitygame.gr8.com
Fail to complete the game, the discussion ends there. Complete it but cheat to do so, the discussion ends there. They are welcome to connect with me at less personal levels until they are ready.
So the first core thing I work on is FINISHING! Starting is great, but finishing is better. I empower everyone to not need me from day one. I am no Baby Sitter for adult income earners, but I will be a catalyst, a muse, and offer support through my E.A.S.Y. system ©
The second core thing is to move the Christian income earner’s mindset from being an owner, to Stewardship. We handle things that own differently from things that we manage for others. When we can look at the things under our control as simply Managing them for God, that is a paradigm shift in thinking and moving. This is HUGE! A major focus of my work.
The third core thing is feeling at peace with profit and prosperity. Many Christians have a very wrong idea that they are supposed to be broke. The see that Jesus came to a poor family, lived without owning any property and was buried in a borrowed tomb.
You would be surprised how they have not understood that that is representation or OUR condition outside of the Garden of Eden.
Jesus came to restore us to God. Christians really struggle with being in prosperity and have a lot of false conceptions around it. When they do gain any kind of wealth, many go into self-sabotage, or fall away from the faith rather than give up the wealth – because they do not feel OK to have it.
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What is your favorite book right now and why?
Blue Ocean Strategies, by Renee’ A. Mauborgne.
Because I named my Podcast show, Debt-Free Wealth Radio, people heard the debt-free before they heard the wealth part and assumed I offered credit repair services.
Branding is an amazing space and I was tweaking mine as I got feedback. What was both an honor and a problem, was being lumped in with Dave Ramsey, a well-recognized leader in the Christian Finance space.
The fact is, my work is very different from Dave Ramsey’s and it was clear I needed to do a better job of differentiation.
Blue Ocean Strategies speak to this direction.
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What are your goals for 2017?
To create my cable TV show.
To complete and market another book I am writing now.
Thanks to your earlier question, deliberately push targeted traffic to my blogs
Expand my digital course offers
Create an Affiliate program for my content and courses.
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What is your favorite quote and why?
“Money has an answer for everything.” Ecclesiastes 10:19 (CJB)
This is my favorite because there are too many ‘broke’ Christians in line for a handout instead of being in a position to give a handUP and give generously to the things that move their heart. That needs to change, and I am working with God to help change that in His people.
Thank you so much for this interview, Trudy. Wow! Incredible insight. I know our readers are blown away by this one!
For more information on Trudy, please visit her Empowering Stewardship Blog HERE.
Other Awesome Interviews:
Jordan Adler on a Beach Money Sequel
Bill & Michelle Pescosolido on Social Media Branding
Tom “Big Al” Schreiter on 44 Years Building MLM
Hrvoje Horvat on 20 Years of Network Marketing & NLP
Elisha De Jonge on Creating Freedom Through the Internet
Christian Carpeso on Affiliate Marketing Success
Andy Atsugah on the Gospel and Building a Brand
Sincerely,
Erik Christian Johnson
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