What Your Business Struggle Is Actually Training You For (And Why You'll Need It Later)

You think the struggle is the problem.

It's not.

The struggle is the curriculum.

And the reason you can't see that yet is because you're still in the middle of it—wondering when God will finally remove the obstacle that's been blocking your path.

But what if that obstacle isn't blocking anything?

What if it's building something?

The Question You're Asking Wrong

When your offer doesn't sell, you ask: "What did I do wrong?"

When your audience doesn't grow, you ask: "Why isn't this working?"

When opposition shows up, you ask: "Did I miss God's will?"

These seem like reasonable questions. Responsible even.

But they're the wrong questions.

Because they assume the struggle is evidence of failure—when it's actually evidence of preparation.

The right question isn't "Why is this happening to me?"

The right question is: "What is this training in me?"

What Joseph's Prison Taught Him (That Freedom Never Could)

Let's be brutally honest about Joseph's situation.

He spent years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Falsely accused. Forgotten by the people he helped. No timeline. No explanation. No rescue.

If Joseph were alive today, he'd be the woman in your Facebook group posting: "I've been faithful for YEARS and nothing is changing. How much longer do I have to wait?"

And here's what's wild: prison wasn't wasted time.

Prison was authority school.

Because here's what Joseph learned in that cell that he never would have learned in comfort:

He learned to lead when outcomes were invisible.
In prison, Joseph kept serving the cupbearer and baker even though there was no benefit to him. He interpreted dreams with no guarantee of freedom. He remained faithful when faithfulness seemed pointless.

That trained him to govern Egypt during a famine—when results were seven years away.

He learned to function under injustice without becoming bitter.
Joseph had every right to be angry. Every right to shut down. Every right to stop trusting God.

But bitterness would have disqualified him from authority.

By the time he faced his brothers in Genesis 45, he could say "God sent me here" instead of "You ruined my life."

That's not denial. That's maturity forged under pressure.

He learned patience when pressure demanded urgency.
Prison taught Joseph to wait when everything in him wanted to rush. To trust when clarity was absent. To endure when relief seemed impossible.

And when he finally stood before Pharaoh, he didn't panic. He didn't perform. He operated with wisdom, discernment, and calm.

That only comes from waiting without answers.

Prison didn't delay Joseph's authority.
Prison developed Joseph's authority.

And your current struggle? It's doing the same thing.

What Your Specific Struggle Is Actually Training

Most Christian women think their business struggles are random obstacles they need to overcome.

They're not random. They're targeted.

God isn't allowing struggle to punish you. He's allowing specific struggles to prepare you for specific authority.

Let me show you what I mean.

If You're Struggling with Visibility...

What it feels like:
You're creating content consistently. You're showing up. But no one seems to care. Your posts get crickets. Your offers don't sell. You feel invisible.

What you think it means:
"I'm not good enough. I'm doing something wrong. Maybe this isn't my calling."

What it's actually training:
Faithfulness without applause.

You're learning to obey when outcomes are invisible. To create when no one is watching. To build when recognition is absent.

This is training you to steward authority that will come with criticism, misunderstanding, and resistance.

If you need validation to keep going now, you'll crumble under the weight of leadership later.

Visibility struggles train you to operate from calling, not applause.

What you'll need this for:
The bigger your platform gets, the louder the criticism becomes. You'll need the strength to keep going when people misunderstand, misquote, and misconstrue everything you say.

Women who built their confidence on likes will quit when the hate comments come.

You won't—because you already learned to move without external validation.

If You're Struggling with Slow Growth...

What it feels like:
Everyone else is scaling fast. Their launches are successful. Their audiences are growing. Meanwhile, you're stuck at the same income, same following, same impact—month after month.

What you think it means:
"I'm behind. I'm failing. I'll never catch up."

What it's actually training:
Stewardship without shortcuts.

You're learning to manage what you have faithfully before God gives you more. You're learning systems, sustainability, and depth instead of hype and quick wins.

This is training you to govern growth you can actually sustain.

If God gave you rapid growth right now, it would crush you. The systems aren't ready. The character isn't ready. The leadership capacity isn't ready.

Slow growth is protection, not punishment.

What you'll need this for:
When growth finally comes, it will come fast. And women who skipped the slow season don't have the infrastructure, emotional maturity, or operational discipline to handle it.

They scale to six figures and burn out in six months.

You won't—because you built slowly, deeply, and sustainably.

If You're Struggling with Betrayal or Opposition...

What it feels like:
People you trusted turned on you. Former friends became critics. Your vision is being resisted by the very people who should support you.

What you think it means:
"I must be doing something wrong. If this were God's will, people would support me."

What it's actually training:
Discernment and emotional independence.

You're learning who to trust and who to release. You're learning that God's approval matters more than people's applause. You're learning to carry vision even when it isolates you.

This is training you to lead without needing everyone's agreement.

If opposition makes you shrink now, you'll never survive the resistance that comes with authority.

Joseph's brothers resisted him—and he was still right.

Your critics might be wrong about you too.

What you'll need this for:
The higher you go, the more resistance you'll face. Leaders attract criticism. Visionaries attract skepticism. Authority attracts opposition.

Women who need everyone's approval will compromise their message to keep the peace.

You won't—because you already learned to stand alone.

If You're Struggling with Financial Pressure...

What it feels like:
You're doing everything "right" but the money isn't coming. You're investing in your business, creating offers, showing up consistently—but your bank account doesn't reflect your effort.

What you think it means:
"This isn't working. I should quit and get a real job."

What it's actually training:
Trust in God's provision over your performance.

You're learning to obey when outcomes lag. To believe God's promises when your bank account screams otherwise. To stay faithful when the "evidence" says it's not working.

This is training you to lead from faith, not fear.

If financial pressure makes you quit now, you'll make fear-based decisions when stakes are higher later.

What you'll need this for:
When you're managing team payroll, making big investments, or navigating business risks, fear will whisper: "You can't afford this. Play it safe."

Women who never learned to trust God financially will make small, fear-based decisions.

You won't—because financial pressure already taught you that God provides when you obey, even when it doesn't make sense.

If You're Struggling with Transition and Uncertainty...

What it feels like:
Everything is changing. You don't know what's next. The path isn't clear. You feel displaced, "in between," or like you're in limbo.

What you think it means:
"I must have missed God's will. If I were in the right place, I'd have clarity."

What it's actually training:
Stability inside, not outside.

You're learning to trust God when circumstances are unstable. To remain anchored when everything around you shifts. To obey without knowing the full plan.

This is training you to lead through change.

If transition destabilizes you now, leadership will crush you later.

What you'll need this for:
Leaders navigate constant change—new team members, shifting strategies, pivoting in real time. If you need external stability to feel secure, you'll panic when things shift.

Women who need certainty to move forward will freeze when circumstances change.

You won't—because uncertainty already taught you how to stay anchored when nothing else is stable.

The Pattern You Keep Missing

Here's what Joseph's story reveals:

Every phase of suffering prepared him for a specific aspect of authority.

His brothers' betrayal taught him forgiveness under power.
Slavery taught him stewardship without ownership.
False accusation taught him integrity when no one was watching.
Prison taught him patience when outcomes were delayed.

And when authority finally came? He had everything he needed.

Not because he avoided struggle.
Because he extracted what struggle was building.

That's the difference between women who endure and women who pivot.

Pivoting women see struggle as evidence of failure.
Enduring women see struggle as authority training.

The Shift That Changes Everything

So here's the shift you need to make:

Stop asking: "When will this struggle end?"

Start asking: "What is this struggle training in me that I'll need later?"

Because the moment you reframe the pain as preparation, everything changes.

You stop resenting the process.
You stop rushing the timeline.
You stop pivoting every time pressure appears.

And you start extracting.

You extract discernment from betrayal.
You extract patience from delay.
You extract faith from financial pressure.
You extract stability from transition.
You extract leadership from servanthood.

And when authority finally comes, you're ready.

Not because the struggle stopped.
Because the struggle trained you.

What to Do With This Right Now

If you're reading this and thinking, "Okay, I get it—but how do I actually do this?"

Here's what you need:

First, you need to identify which phase you're in.

Because you can't extract what a phase is building if you don't know what phase you're in.

Are you in Identity? Resistance? Transition? Servanthood? Imprisonment?

Each phase trains something specific. And if you don't know where you are, you'll keep treating preparation like punishment.

Second, you need to stop pivoting and start completing.

Most women restart every time resistance shows up. But every pivot resets the clock on your preparation.

You need a framework to help you endure instead of escape.

That's why I created The Joseph's Blueprint: How to Stop Pivoting and Trust the Process.

It's not a motivational workbook. It's a phase identifier.

Inside, you'll get:

✅ A detailed breakdown of all 6 phases Joseph went through (including Authority—the phase most women aren't prepared for)
✅ Extraction questions that help you identify what each phase trained in you
✅ A phase identifier tool so you know exactly where you are right now
✅ Specific commitments for each phase to keep you from pivoting prematurely
✅ The clarity to see your struggle as curriculum, not punishment

This is for the woman who's tired of restarting. Who's ready to complete what God started. Who's ready to trust that the struggle isn't blocking her—it's building her.

Get The Joseph's Blueprint here →

But You Can Start Here First (It's Free)

I know you might be thinking: "I've invested in so many things that didn't work. I'm not ready to buy something else."

I get it.

That's why I want to invite you to something free first.

I run a private Facebook community for Christian women entrepreneurs who are serious about building Kingdom businesses without the toxic hustle or endless pivoting.

It's called The Faithful Entrepreneur Community, and inside you'll get:

✅ Free resources on becoming your own Faithful Entrepreneur CEO
✅ Monthly training on building with biblical principles instead of worldly strategies
✅ A community of women who understand your unique struggles as a faith-based entrepreneur
✅ Real conversations about resistance, preparation, and authority—not just surface-level motivation
✅ Accountability without judgment
✅ Support from women who are committed to finishing what God started

No sales pitches. No MLM recruitment. No toxic "boss babe" energy.

Just women who are done pivoting and ready to trust the process.

Join The Faithful Entrepreneur Community for free →

Come get the support, resources, and clarity you need to stop running and start completing.

The Truth You Need to Hear Today

Your struggle isn't evidence that you're off course.

Your struggle is evidence that you're being prepared.

The financial pressure? It's training trust.
The slow growth? It's training stewardship.
The opposition? It's training discernment.
The uncertainty? It's training stability.
The invisibility? It's training faithfulness.

And when authority finally comes—and it will—you'll have everything you need.

Not because the struggle stopped.
But because the struggle trained you.

So stop asking God to remove what He's using to prepare you.

Start asking: "What is this building in me that I'll need later?"

Because I promise you—you'll need it.

Joseph needed every single year of those 13 years.
The prison wasn't wasted time. It was authority school.

And your current season? It's the same.

Trust the process.
Extract the training.
Stop pivoting.

Your authority is coming.

But the preparation? That's happening right now.

Ready to identify your phase and extract what it's training?
👉 Get The Joseph's Blueprint →

Want free support and resources to stop pivoting?
👉 Join The Faithful Entrepreneur Community (Free) →

Stay faithful. Stay creative. Stay loyal.

You have been given a gift and purpose only YOU can do.

Now stop pivoting and wait out the storm that'll lead to your authority.

Stay faithful, stay creative, and stay loyal.

With love and fire,

V.S. Beals

Writer. Watchwoman. Woman of the Word.

V.S. Beals is the founder of The Faithful Entrepreneur and author of The Joseph's Blueprint. She helps Christian women entrepreneurs build Kingdom businesses without burning out or compromising their faith.

Connect: valerie@thefaithfulentrepreneur.store | www.thefaithfulentrepreneur.store