The Dream of Your Own Business

Moe Altamura always knew he was destined to be his own boss. "I saw people that I knew that ran their own business. I wanted a piece of the success, freedom, and peace that they had in their business," remembers Moe. Throughout his life, he started several businesses. Though he enjoyed some success, they all failed. "I was only around 19-years-old when I started my first business. I had Italian ice wagons -- four of them. And when I moved to the Pocono’s, I started a Moe’s Real Carpet Care. I did a carpet cleaning business, upholstery, and steam cleaning. It really didn’t go anywhere." In 2004, he pursued a lifelong passion for music by starting Moe’s Everything Muse. So what gave him the idea to start a music store? "I started spending my money on instruments. So I had gathered a lot of instruments and a friend of mine who was also involved in a church band had been working at this little knick-knack shop. I said to him, 'You know, I have some guitars and stuff sitting at home. What do you think about me putting three of them outside on a little guitar stand, and we'll see what happens.' " Moe’s latest venture had some success, but it didn’t quite get rolling. Then Moe and his wife, Eileen joined a local church where they heard a message that changed their lives. When Moe's church first started teaching about tithing however, he laughed. He remembers thinking, "Do you want me to give you money? I don’t have any. What am I going to give you? What am I going to give you if Iwork for myself, and I don’t know if I’m going to make $50 this week or if I’m going to make $1,000 this week. How am I going to commit to giving you anything?" His wife Eileen agreed, "I was always concerned with not having or making enough. Could we afford to give 10%? Could we afford to give anything?" Despite their fears and uncertain income, they began to give. "I just made the commitment. I said, 'Alright, I’ll give you $50 a week,' and it started coming without any problems. People were coming in and they were starting to buy stuff," says Moe. "It was brilliant and unbelievable how this was working.” As Moe continued to give, God was faithful to meet his needs. Then Moe decided to give even more, and that’s when his business really took off. "The first check that I wrote to The 700 Club was amazing because that week alone the business grew. That week alone people came in and made amazing purchases. I’d never had that kind of week before. I had to call my wife up and said, 'This is amazing. You wouldn’t believe what happened this week. We made $2,000 this week.' When we first started, we didn’t make that in a month." As their income increased, so did giving. Moe and Eileen Altamura are now CBN partners and give through Pledge Express. Eileen sees that her husband's life proves the BIble verse, Give and it will come back to you. "So everything I have belongs to God. That’s how I feel, so I’m going to keep on giving to the Lord. Until my dying day, I’m going to keep on praising God and giving Him everything I can. My music and my ministry ... everything I could do is going to be to glorify God. My Almighty Father in Heaven, I thank for everything," says Moe. David Hall saw the rewards of applying the Law of Reciprocity -- "Give and it shall be given to you" -- by giving to CBN. Here is your chance to give to the Lord and see your dollars bring truth to hurting people, feed and clothe needy children, keep The 700 Club Prayer Counseling Center phone lines operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and provide medical care to those who need a tangible touch of God's love. Become a CBN partner today!