By mid 2014, my consulting business had begun to take shape as a publishing agency too and I had helped about 20 business leaders plan, write, and publish a book to grow their business.

It was the early years of Amazon self-publishing and short strategic books beautifully solved a number of my clients' marketing challenges. These were good books with solid strategy behind them.

But as we were gaining traction, so was a hot new trend of becoming an “Amazon Bestselling Author”.

I had no idea how to help my clients achieve that status, and I knew I’d better learn fast.

I did some online research and found a 3-day conference in California that was helping people become a bestselling author.

If attendees wanted, we could triple our conference investment to get advance access to the online training and become a Certified "Publish & Profit" Coach.

I called the team to see if I’d be a good fit. "Rob", the guy who took my call, was thrilled. "If you can complete the certification training, write, and launch your own bestseller before the event," he said, "I'll put you on the coach's panel discussion too."

I had just 5 weeks and 3 days.

I also had no book idea and certainly no notes or drafts.

Just my promise to Rob that I'd find a way to get it done.

As I pondered possible topics, I knew I'd better pick something my audience might want to read.

Coincidently, three different clients had approached me in the previous weeks with a similar dilemma:

"I feel like God is asking me to come out about my faith, but I don't know how to do that in business."

Finding an answer to that question became my bestseller project. I dove in, researching and interviewing reputable faith-driven entrepreneurs to find an answer.

The book took shape over the next month... but not the title.

Stressed and under a lot of pressure, I remember loosely praying one morning as I made the bed, "God, I'm out of time. This is your project too and we need a good title for this book."

Immediately I heard a reply. Not an truly audible one, although it was to me. “Closed Sundays”, the voice said.

Hmm. Although it struck me as dangerously legalistic, I wasn’t about to argue. 👀

I added the subtitle to clarify: "The Remarkable Ways Christian Entrepreneurs Do Business Differently."

The message became about living and leading in full alignment with your values. Doing it in such a way that your behavior speaks louder than words and labels.

Five weeks after I’d started, with time for just a light edit (and only my husband as the proofreader), I launched the eBook and hit bestseller status just as I’d learned in the course.

Two days later, I hopped on a plane to California for the event. I didn’t even have my own print proof yet, so I had one shipped by Amazon Prime directly to the venue.

I hunted down my friend Rob at check-in. No sign of the book yet.

Day two, seconds before I went on stage, UPS tracking showed the box had arrived.

Rob sprinted to the hotel front desk and claimed the delivery as I took the stage. (At this point, we both had a reputation to uphold.)

I took a seat with three other author coaches. As the microphone made it’s way to me, Rob, grinning ear-to-ear, brought up the sealed Amazon box and handed it to the host, Mike Koenigs.

I sat and watched cautiously as Mike unboxed my brand new bestselling book. I had paid to have it wrapped too. The audience waited to see if my fortunate timing would end in success.

It did! But the real moment came later that afternoon.

The co-host of Publish & Profit was a former Top Gun fighter pilot and instructor, Ed Rush.

Midway through day two, Ed took the stage for his third round of teaching. He was smart, witty, and genuine. I vividly recall deciding he was clearly a man of integrity. I liked that about him.

As Ed wrapped up his talk, he closed by saying goodbye a day early. "This is my last contribution to the event,” he said. “I won't be here tomorrow because it’s Sunday, and I don’t work on Sundays. That's my family time."

It felt like divine confirmation.

To me, Closed Sundays wasn’t about what day to work or not work (sometimes we need doctors, entrepreneurs, and fighter pilots on Sundays) but a principle of what it looks like when leaders lead from their values, not society’s.

When Ed stepped off stage, I ran to catch him at break.

I fumbled to find the right words, excited just to meet him. I congratulated him on his day off, and asked if we could take a picture together with my aptly titled book.

He chuckled, took hold of the book, and allowed me to capture the moment.

“Someday,” I said before I let him go, “I want to work with you.”

I don't recall his exact response, but I'm pretty sure he said he'd like that. 😉
​

On September 10, 2025, the world lost Charlie Kirk to a senseless act of violence.

I have good friends who align with Charlie's message, and some who don’t.

But one thing's for sure: A lot of people are waking up to discover that the world wants more courageous, mission-driven leadership.

Not faux authority with ‘big business cards’.
Not AI messages.
Not better optics.

Mission-driven leaders who align their business and their beliefs to change people's lives for good.

That's what Closed Sundays was really about, and that's exactly the spirit Ed Rush is bringing to a special Zoom meetup we’ve been planning for a few weeks.

Suddenly it’s more important than ever.

Join Ed Rush and me for a live webinar next week:

💯 Wealth Creation and The Power of Imagination

⏰ Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025

Details here: www.winyourniche.com

Ed's going to talk about what it means to ask God for greater vision, not just for your business, but for the future He wants to build with you.

You'll hear amazing stories. You'll be challenged.

And you'll be invited to see wealth, creativity, and leadership through a whole new lens.

If you're ready to lead with purpose and imagine what's possible when you co-create it with God, this is your moment.

Register now: www.winyourniche.com

- Nicole

P.S. I was able to get Closed Sundays to bestseller status one week in 2015, and then never really promoted it much after that. It's actually a pretty good read if you're curious. Get it here.

P.P.S. One day I got an email from a professor at a Christian University in Southern California. He wanted to congratulate me on my good book and said he'd made it required reading for his Master's level class on faith and business. 😳

​P.P.P.S. In 2023, my team edited and published Ed's 6th bestseller, God Talks, and two books for his co-host Mike Koenigs. ⭐️ God's funny like that.