Faith Driven Entrepreneur

Our friend Frank Chen is the final guest in this 4-part series on the Faith Driven Investor. And he stopped by to talk about how he’s helping entrepreneurs change the World at the Silicon Valley Venture powerhouse of Andreessen Horowitz. As Frank describes it they are “helping entrepreneurs build software companies that are eating the world” (he’ll give you a little more info about what that means in our interview). Frank Chen is a self proclaimed former product and user experience design junkie with specialties in venture capital, artificial intelligence/machine learning, fund raising, product planning, product launches, product development process, enterprise software, UX design, Web hosting, and managed services. With a breadth of expertise like that, you can see why we were excited to have him on the show! But even after all of that, Frank let us in on what his heart as an investor looks like. He pulled aside the curtain a bit and let us see that investors aren’t so much the terrifying titans up on the hill as they are servant leaders who want to help others be successful. It was a fun, enlightening and engaging conversation. We hope you enjoy it, and as always, thanks for listening. Useful Links: Marc Andreessen on Why Software is Eating the World GDP/Capita over the last 2000 Years Frank Chen LinkedIn

We’ve got a good one for you today. Nathan Sheets is CEO of Nature Nate’s Honey, and he was also involved with I Am Second,and E3, and you’ll hear a bit of all of those stories. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. When we sat down to talk to Nathan, we had no idea how deep he was going to take us. Right away, he opened up about the ups and downs he has gone through with a level of candor that we couldn’t even believe. If you’re looking for what life as an entrepreneur looks like—and we mean, really looks like—Nathan Sheets has a no holds barred take on the entrepreneurial journey. Image management is a struggle that everyone faces, but it’s one that we rarely address. And for entrepreneurs, this issue is especially acute. Because as an entrepreneur, you have to look like you have it all together, right? You’ve got employees and shareholders relying on you—the leader. That type of pressure creates a situation where it’s all too easy to want to hide behind a manufactured version of ourselves. And Nathan Sheets told us exactly what that pressure looks like and exactly where it can take you. We’re so grateful that he was willing to open up and be completely honest with us, and we hope his story about the pitfalls of struggling alone—and the need for real, true community—will serve as both a warning sign and an encouragement to you on your journey. As always, thanks for listening. Useful Links How to Turn Honey into Liquid Gold Sweet Second Chances - Bonton Honey Nathan Sheets: Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Award Finalist Turning a Honey Hobby into a Business

Faith-Based Employee Resource Groups. This term may be new to you, or it may be something you’re already participating in. Either way, this episode is for you. Christeen Rico is leading the conversation around ERGs, and what she shared in our conversation was both informative and insightful. If you don’t know, ERGs are groups within companies that foster community and conversation among like-minded people. Companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, Toyota, and many more are creating these types of groups, so we’re grateful that Christeen dropped by to give us the inside scoop. If you’re an entrepreneur looking for ways to foster faith-based conversations within your business, Christeen will tell you exactly what it takes to form these groups. Or, if you’re an investor looking to get involved with companies that already have ERGs, Christeen will help you understand why these groups are important and how they add value. Apart from that, Christeen was also a fun person to spend time with, and we think you’ll find this episode one worth listening to. Enjoy! Useful Links: Christeen Rico LinkedIn Companies with Employee Resource Groups Work and Faith Workshop Faith and Work Movement

Imagine you’re walking into a car dealership to buy a new car. Now, most people don’t associate that thought with a pleasant experience—there’s negotiation, uncertainty, and the inevitability of a big purchase. But Don Flow and Flow Automotive set out to change this idea, and in doing so, they created a business founded on values and principles that manifest themselves in these words: exercise faith, live love, and bring hope. That sounds better! In this episode, Don Flow opened up a fire hydrant of business wisdom and counsel ranging from what it means to create a covenant with your customers, how you can be the type of business that causes others to rejoice at your success, and why you should show respect before you earn respect. We could go on and on about the things we loved from this conversation, but we think it’s best you listen for yourself. Enjoy! Useful Links: Driving Trust: Don Flow Video Story 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award: Don Flow In Search of Excellence Book

Today’s episode takes us to Silicon Valley to connect with Trae Stephens. You may have seen Trae on CNBC, or you may know him as one of the Partners at Founders Fund. It was an honor to have Trae on to share about his experiences—everything from his time in politics working for Congressmen and in Embassies to now working alongside Peter Thiel. Trae also shares about his life as a Christ-Follower and how it shapes his view of the investing world. In particular, Trae outlines what it means for an entrepreneur to be an outlier. He describes the difference between business ideas that fit into a certain pre-existing category and those that break every mold out there. He also shares cautionary advice about what not to do as an entrepreneur. His perspective as a venture capitalist is helpful to listen to for both investors and entrepreneurs alike. But this podcast doesn’t stop there. As you know, we’re always approaching the conversation of entrepreneurship and investing from a faith-driven perspective. Trae is no exception. In this podcast, he talks about the different areas of theology and philosophy that inform his worldview. Specifically, he goes into detail about the innate tendency of all human beings to imitate something or someone. Here, he reminds us specifically of Ephesians 5:1, “Be imitators of God…” When Trae talks about his relationship with God, you’ll hear both his personal faith journey—what it means to imitate Christ as a venture capitalist and how Silicon Valley opens the door for him to share his faith—and what he thinks about the global Christian movement. He invites listeners to consider what it would look like to be co-creators alongside God, with references to how God and Adam interacted in the Garden of Eden. Our team had a blast catching up with Trae, as it felt like he covered dozens of topics with the fluency of an expert. His intellect and skill are on full display in this interview, but so is his spirit and heart behind what it means to be a faith driven entrepreneur and what faith driven investors can do to create value, not only for themselves, but for the world. We hope you enjoy this episode and pray that it encourages you on your journey! Useful Links: Rene Girard Explains Mimetic Desires Founders Fund Trae Stephens Interview with Fortune

Today’s guest, Sanyin Siang, is the executive director for the Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE) at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and a professor with its Pratt School of Engineer. She is an advisor for Google Ventures (GV), Sports Innovation Labs, Duke Corporate Education and author of The Launch Book: Motivational Stories to Launch Your Idea, Business, or Next Career. If that list isn’t enough to get you to press play on this episode, you should also know that she has over 1 million followers on LinkedIn. Yet, while that is something we felt eager to point out, she shared how she has had to learn to hold on loosely to that following, which was some advice all of us in this busy social-media-driven world needed to hear. In our conversation, she shared why she recently took some time to write her own obituary. Turns out she realized that what she wants to be remembered for isn’t her professional success, or even her number of followers—it’s something bigger and more important than both of these... Listen in to hear the difference between enabling and chasing greatness, what Coach K does to inspire both 19-year-old college athletes and the superstar NBA players on Team USA, and why planning your life with the end in mind might give you some clarity you didn’t even know you needed. Happy listening! Useful Links: How Coach K Wins Consistently 3 Lessons From Sports for Effective Storytelling LinkedIn

When we first learned about Apartment Life it sounded too good to be true. The work they do in apartment complexes improves their overall financial performance, grows their online reputation, and strengthens their resident retention rates. With benefits like these, it’s no surprise that they’re taking off, now serving over 3 million residents from coast to coast. In this episode, Pete Kelly explains just how they do it. We believe this podcast is especially valuable to you for two reasons. One, you get to hear about an incredible business venture in Apartment Life. There’s no doubt you’ll be hearing more about them in the future, and we’re glad we get to share about them early on in this podcast. And two, you get to hear the heart behind the business. Pete Kelly is one of those business leaders who puts his heart into what he’s doing, and it shows in this interview. We’re excited for you to hear about Apartment Life and the potential they have in the real estate market. But even more so, this podcast gives you the opportunity to hear from a business leader about how his values affect his business and how everything he does serves other people. Tune in and enjoy! Useful Links: Apartment Life Best Resources for Real Estate Investing Interview with Pete Kelly Neighborliness on Faith Driven Investor

Join us outside of Austin, Texas where we are connecting with Mark McClain. Mark likes to refer to himself as an accidental entrepreneur. He didn’t grow up as the lemonade stand kid but has since gone on to start two different companies. Today, he leads SailPoint, an identity management business started in 2005 that is publicly traded with a market cap around $2 Billion and 1,200 team members across 33 different companies. Today, you can hear Mark share his powerful story of being an “Accidental Entrepreneur” and find out how that path might be more common than you think. Mark McClain’s entrepreneurial journey is a unique one. But if you find yourself in a startup or new venture that you didn’t anticipate starting a few years ago, Mark’s story will be both helpful and encouraging. He will be the first to tell you that he didn’t envision himself as a creative entrepreneur. Yet, when he found himself frustrated by the difficulty of creating change in mid-size and large organizations, his desire to create sparked a shift in his career and his life. Mark has some great lessons for entrepreneurs. On this episode, he shared about struggling with the idea of control, and he also talked about what happened when he realized he couldn’t be the expert at everything. His humility and vulnerability set the stage for a great interview, and we really hope the story of his journey encourages you along your own. Useful Links: SailPoint It’s Not All Fun and Perks: What Company Culture Really Means Why SailPoint? With Mark McClain, CEO and Co-Founder Books Mentioned: StrengthsFinder The Ideal Team Player Top 50 Books for Faith Driven Entrepreneurs

We’re so excited to finally launch the Faith Driven Investor podcast. Over the next several weeks, we’ll feature episodes tailored for fund managers, investors, business owners and pastors that believe God owns it all and who care deeply about how we steward our investments for financial return and gospel-centered transformation. If that sounds interesting to you, tune in today! This week’s episode features Henry Kaestner of Sovereign’s Capital and Aimee Minnich of Impact Foundation. Together they discuss the faith driven investing movement, what God has been and is doing, and what the future of this movement looks like. As you listen, we hope you get as excited about the launch of the new Faith Driven Investor website and podcast as we are. Our hope is that both of these resources will help you on both your spiritual and professional journey. Check out the link below to see the new FDI site and don’t hesitate to let us know what you think! As always, we’re relying on you, our community, to make these resources the best they can possibly be. Useful Links: Faith Driven Investor Website FDI Executive Summary FDI Asset Map

Is it possible to have a healthy family while building a successful business? That’s the question at the heart of this week’s episode with Ben and Liz Bohannon of Sseko Designs. Their business began as a way to generate income for high-potential, talented young women in Uganda to continue on to university. Since then, it’s grown rapidly from a Shark Tank phenomenon to a global success. Hear how Ben and Liz are navigating the world of global business while still managing to focus on their home, their marriage, and their family. So many times we hear the story of a business being started by one person. But beneath it we know that any business is a tremendous effort and is a family adventure. That’s certainly the case of Sseko designs. The story of Sseko closely follows the story of Ben and Liz’s relationship. From meeting in college, to Liz’s move to Uganda, everything they’ve experience has happened together. So, how do they balance building their business and strengthening their marriage? And what boundaries do they put in place to keep both areas of their life healthy and growing? You’ll find the answers to both these questions in this week’s episode, along with some fun stories and a sound that every marriage thrives on—laughter. Useful Links: Every Moment Holy The Sseko Story Video Beginner’s Pluck by Liz Bohannon

Join William and Henry in the Mile-High city as they talk to Jeff Haanen from the Denver Institute for Faith and Work. His article, God of the Second Shift, made waves in the faith and work world, and we’re excited to have him on our podcast today to talk more about how we can move this conversation around theology and business from the corner office to the manufacturing floor. Tune in to hear what Jeff has to share about what a theology of work means for those in the working class. As you’ll hear, Jeff asks and answers the same questions he posed in his article for Christianity Today. Have we been blind to the “daily humiliations” of those whose work we depend on each day? Have we been interpreting Scripture through our own professional class bias and failed to ask how working-class Americans think and feel about their work? The honest answers to these questions may provide the exact conviction we need. Listen to hear what a whole new side of the conversation around faith and work might sound like. Useful Links: DIFW Website Jeff Haanen Website The Faith and Work Podcast Articles/Books Mentioned in This Episode: God of the Second Shift - Christianity Today Working by Studs Terkel Our Kids by Robert Putnam An Uncommon Guide to Retirement by Jeff Haanen The Pinkerton Papers

Every once in a while we like to take a break from interviewing guests to give our hosts a chance to riff on what God is doing in their lives and what they’re learning through the process. In this episode, you’ll hear about William’s upcoming move to Atlanta, Henry’s journey to India, and some wisdom Rusty has recently picked up from a book he’s reading. Pull up a chair and join our hosts around the table to enjoy a chat about life, God, and entrepreneurship. In the first section of this episode, William shares about how he has been prayerfully considering a move for a long time, but he has never felt the “peace” that so many Christians seem to talk about. Well, now that he’s decided to make the leap and move all across the country, hear what he has to say about this whole idea of finding peace before you go where God has called you. Next, Henry shares about a trip he recently took to India where he got to teach students at a school about the lessons of entrepreneurship and why creating—specifically in a culture that views business as a dishonorable career—is one of the ways we can honor or Creator God. Henry’s trip is a living testament to what God is doing through Faith Driven Entrepreneurs worldwide, and we’re excited to share this with you. And finally, Rusty speaks into the idea of what it would look like to work with our hands and live a quiet life—inspired by 1 Thessalonians 4. Although it may not sound like the typical entrepreneurial dream, there may be something to it. He also closes our conversation by sharing what he’s learning from Thirst by Scott Harrison. This podcast may feel a bit different from our usual show, but we hope it provides a chance for you to relax with our show hosts during this holiday week!

It’s common to think of corporate values as a concept that has always been around, but Lake Lambert, President of Hanover College in Indiana, is here to educate us and show that this isn’t actually the case. Lake is the author of Spirituality, Inc—a book that examines the history of religion in the American workplace—and he joins Henry, William, and Rusty to share what he’s learned about workplace spirituality from the past and what we might expect for the future. In this episode, you’ll hear from a professional academic. Lake Lambert is clearly an expert on the subject of corporate spirituality and the different forms it has taken over the years. In this episode, you’ll hear him talk about the influence of religion on work, the value of meaning making and creativity in the workplace, chaplaincy, and the theological movements that have shaped the history of the faith and work conversation. As always, we’re looking for the voices that speak to faith driven entrepreneurs—people who intertwine their faith and work in a way that unmistakably reflects the God who made them—and we’re so grateful that Lake joined the show to contribute to this conversation. We hope this episode encourages you on your entrepreneurial journey! Useful Links: Spirituality, Inc Lake Lambert’s Hanover Inaugural Address: Education for a “Tough Mind and Tender Heart” Hanover College Mover of Men and Mountains

We are always looking at how faith and entrepreneurship go hand in hand, and generally, we speak to entrepreneurs about their work and how their faith is involved. On this episode, Tom helps us look at this same topic from the other perspective—he explains first about his faith and then how it affects his work. What he shares in the process is a helpful theology of work, reminding us that we serve “an entrepreneurial God.” Even while providing a theological framework, Tom also shares what it was like starting a church from the ground up—an entrepreneurial journey all its own. He shares how this experience shaped him and how it informs the way he interacts with entrepreneurs as a pastor. He introduces us to the idea of workplace visits and what it means for us to be willing to step out of our own comfort zone to meet someone where they are. As he says himself, “It’s important to be conversant in the world of others.” In this podcast, you’ll see that Tom not only believes that, but he lives it out as well. What Tom shared with us on the podcast was both illuminating and exciting. His work has the potential to impact the way churches approach work, and it also helps entrepreneurs understand how work and worship can intersect. We hope you enjoy this episode and pray that it encourages you on your journey! Useful Links: Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work Made to Flourish The Gospel Coalition

Today we’re on the road, connecting with Jeff and Ally Davidson down in Austin, Texas. They’re the founders of Camp Gladiator, a Fitness Franchise that has over 3,500 locations across the country with 1,000 trainers and 100,000 members. They have a remarkable story of how God used a unique experience in the early days of reality TV to propel them in their entrepreneurial story. Just to give you a little taste, it started when Ally decided to try out for American Gladiators on the morning of their wedding. It’s an origin story unlike any other! As you listen, you’ll find that not only is their beginning remarkable, but the way their faith interacts with their work is as well. They know the value of community and of running a business on Biblical principles, and in this episode we get to hear them talk about both! Listen to find out more about their entrepreneurial journey, how it started, the hard decisions they’ve faced, and how they’re using their business to glorify God and serve others. Useful Links: Ally Davidson Inc Profile The Camp Gladiator Mission Camp Gladiator’s Ally Davidson: “Our Competition Is Netflix. Our Competition Is a Sedentary Lifestyle.” - Texas Monthly

Today the team took a trip deep into the heart of Texas to hear from Drayton McLane, the visionary business leader behind McLane Company and former owner of the Houston Astros. Drayton is widely known for his leadership within Walmart, as well as his generosity toward his two alma maters—Baylor University and Michigan State. On this episode, you’ll hear a list of lessons that we were able to glean from Drayton’s extensive experience as an entrepreneur, business leader, and philanthropist. The stereotype of today’s entrepreneur centers around young, sleek tech startups. If you’re reading about the new and popular businesses, you’re likely to hear about twenty-somethings who have come up with market-busting ideas. And maybe you’re one of those people—if so, great! This podcast is for you too. Drayton McLane provided a look at entrepreneurship over the past 50 years. His scope is immense and so is all the wisdom he has learned during that time. While McLane Transportation was anything but glamorous, Drayton shared the mindset that made them successful. He discussed what it looks like to create a working environment that makes sure everyone is winning and how to make work, and starting a business, fun. He also tells the story of how Sam Walton of Walmart eventually bought his business—it involves a phone call from Sam to Drayton’s wife trying to convince him to sell—and brought Drayton and his team on board as their grocery supplier. At the time, Drayton may have referred to supermarkets as a ridiculous idea, but now he’s pretty glad it worked out the way it did. What makes this podcast special is the story-telling. Talking with Drayton McLane was like sitting on the front porch of a seasoned veteran who knew the lay of the land better than anyone. With 37 years of experience as a CEO it’s no surprise that Drayton has his fair share of stories, all of which can help entrepreneurs of any age along their journey. Whether you’ve been an entrepreneur your whole life, or whether you’re in the midst of your very first start-up, Drayton McLane has wisdom, counsel, and a story or two just for you. We hope you enjoy listening to this episode! Useful Links: Drayton McLane Bio History of McLane Group—How a Small Grocery Business Grew Into One of the Largest Foodservice Distributors in the World. Local Businessman Helped Lay Foundation for Houston Astros World Series Win

Today we’re connecting with Matt Bird, who is based in the United Kingdom. Matt is the author of several books, including Relationology, The Secrets of Story, and Freedom: How to Live Your Life for Jesus Free From Anxiety and Worry. Another one of his books, Transformation, takes a look at how God is connecting churches across communities, cities, and countries to bring about social, political, economic, cultural, and spiritual transformation. This book is the product of Matt’s work with business and churches in helping them both improve one another as they increase their impact, which is the subject of this episode. In addition to writing books, Matt runs a company called Cinnamon International. What they’re doing is looking at how cities and churches can work together to increase their respective impact. In this episode, Matt breaks down what churches and businesses are good at and how they can help each other. All you have to do is listen to just the handful of stories he shared with us today to see that that venture has been extremely successful in both its growth and impact. Matt’s work gives him a very unique perspective on how movements begin in a city, and then what it takes to see something grow beyond our immediate sphere of influence to catalyze much bigger change. When we spoke with him, we got a chance to hear how entrepreneurs and business leaders can work with their churches to drive this kind of change. We were all encouraged to find out how Matt sees entrepreneurs using their skills of measuring impact to help churches become “bilingual.” What he meant was churches are so often great at telling stories about how their work changes lives, but when it comes to measuring impact they often lack the skills and vocabulary to do so. Matt has witnessed countless business leaders and entrepreneurs come in and help churches communicate the numbers and stories that show the effect they have in the community. It’s a great example of how the body of Christ works together! And lastly, Matt provided exceptional insight into a profound model of social change. His approach to sharing secrets is countercultural, but, as he pointed out, there’s no reason for churches to continually reinvent the wheel in every city. Instead, he points out how useful it is to look to other organizations that are doing great things and how choosing to partner with them instead of creating similar initiatives to compete against them is often the most effective way to serve. We hope you enjoy this episode! At the very least, we think Matt’s polished English accent will be enough to keep you engaged. But we also know that his experience and insight will be helpful for entrepreneurs and business leaders everywhere. Useful Links: Matt Bird Amazon Author Page Matt Bird’s Personal Website Cinnamon International

Today we’re in Cincinnati, Ohio connecting with Scott Weiss with Ocean Accelerator. They have an incredible birth story—coming from the lobby of Crossroads Church in Cincinnati they launched into an accelerator for fast-growing tech companies. For the past few years, they’ve been on a mission to equip faith driven entrepreneurs and owners that bravely step out to change the world. Whether it's their Ocean Conference or their accelerator, they’re committed to investing in entrepreneurs who have a faith in God and a passion for success. As you listen to Scott’s story, you’ll likely hear echoes of what many entrepreneurial journeys sound like. They started in a church lobby where young entrepreneurs gathered for the free WiFi and coffee. What they found was that even though all these startups worked in the same geographical area, they possessed very little community. Scott sheds some light on the loneliness that plagues so many entrepreneurs and how Ocean Accelerator started as an attempt to combat isolation with community. He also dives into the inner workings of Ocean Accelerator—how they operate, how they counsel young businesses, and how they choose the people they work with. Scott also gives a brief taste of what they might be looking forward to in the future. But if you’re looking for a key takeaway, or something that you can write down and think about all day, it’s about understanding your “Why”. Scott talks about the passion, energy, and enthusiasm so many entrepreneurs have, and he shows how connecting those things to an underlying motivator—a “Why”—can be an impetus for future success. Scott Weiss was an incredible guest, and we hope that you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we did making it. His wisdom, insight, and encouragement were illuminating for our team and we believe they will be for you as well. Useful Links: Ocean Accelerator Scott Weiss Entrepreneurial Profile Scott Weiss speaks at Startup Grind Cincinnati

In this episode we’re on the road in Oklahoma City, connecting with Steve Green, President of Hobby Lobby, the world’s largest privately owned arts and crafts retailer, with more than 700 stores and employing more than 30,000 people. He also is chairman of the Board of Museum of the Bible and is the visionary leader in establishing one of the world's largest private collections of rare biblical artifacts. Their 430,000-square-foot Museum of the Bible was opened in 2017 just three blocks from the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Henry, William and Rusty had the chance to hear about the incredible entrepreneurial journey of the Museum of the Bible and how it became a movement across the country. Steve Green shared about his ten year journey that started when he bought an early manuscript of the English translation of Psalms and led to what is now the Museum of the Bible. What’s exceptional is his insight into the opportunity to create this kind of world-class museum. Steve saw a way he could bring God’s Word to people who may have never encountered it before. The entire Green family has been behind the movement to make the Bible more accessible, so this sort of project made perfect sense for them. Then, they combined passion with experience and reached out for the expertise of top-notch designers, architects, and artists to create something spectacular. His vision and implementation of an incredible achievement are worth learning from! In this podcast, we learn about how the Museum of the Bible leads people through the history, impact, and narrative of Scripture. Whether you grew up on the Bible, or whether you’ve never heard a single story, the Museum of the Bible provides an accessible and enjoyable way to learn more about this book. And ultimately, as Steve points out, when God’s hands are involved in the exploration of God’s Word, God’s glory is everywhere. As faith driven entrepreneurs, God has given us the gift, desire, and energy to solve problems and realize opportunities. This doesn't stop with the businesses that we run, but we have opportunities to extend those gifts in other spheres as well. What are the opportunities you see in your community or ministry more broadly?

In this episode we’re just outside of Chicago connecting with Phil Vischer, the visionary, creative who founded Veggietales. To date it's the most popular direct to DVD series of all time with more than 65 million copies sold. It led to feature films, Netflix Original series and became a cultural icon. Phil tells us the story of Veggie Tales meteoric rise to success, the struggles and pitfalls of maintaining that success and truth about what is required to find and keep one’s identity rooted in the one who created us. While his story is not unusual, the wisdom and lessons learned via the journey are exceptional and is deserving of a close listen on what it means to belong to Jesus – not simply as your Savior but as your Lord. Salvation was never really the goal just the tool that is to lead us all towards a relationship with God rooted in His lordship and the restoration of what was lost in the Fall. This week’s episode is calling us to ask that all important question: as we’ve accepted Jesus as Savior have we also accepted Him as Lord? If you have, we would love to hear how this has impacted the organizations for which you are responsible because after all, proof is IN the pudding. Share with us your stories at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. Useful Links: https://philvischer.com https://www.veggietales.com We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. As always, we love taking your questions and hearing your comments. Feel free to submit your thoughts in general here.

Byron Loflin, founder of the Center for Board Excellence, joins the team this week, helping us get a handle on the importance of good governance within our organizations. He shares with us his views on why governance is core to servant leadership and promotes healthy, humble accountability that provides a stable runway for your organization’s success. Even early stage firms can benefit greatly from a modestly sized board (3 plus the entrepreneur). Thoughts on how unanimous boards may actually be a sign that the board isn’t providing the robust thinking needed, how they should provide credible challenge and constructive dissent are all topics the team works through to help provide a framework on selecting and maintaining a board that will contribute to the success of your business or organization. And yes, we even broach the subject of how this is too often the least favorite part of the entrepreneur’s job with all giving pointers on how to balance the tension between stewardship and control. A great deal of light is shed on how to take advantage of the very Christian concept of community and fellowship to help provide wise stewardship to an endeavor with this week’s topic of governance. We love to hear about some of your best board and other type governance experiences at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. Your story helps us in the building of our own! Useful Links: Center for Board Excellence We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. As always, we love taking your questions and hearing your comments. Feel free to submit your thoughts in general here.

Bobby Gruenewald of YouVersion joins us this week giving us the low down on the origins of this wildly popular bible app with 370M+ downloads and counting. This pastor, entrepreneur and former rap artist (who knew?) shares with the team how the desire to become better engaged with scripture was the impetus to developing YouVersion, the first iteration of which proved to be a failure - a web app because there was just no iPhone yet (remember the days?). The team’s approach to failure, commitment to being faithful to God’s leading step by step and the desire to be the best stewards of all God gives them are all elements contributing to YouVersion’s success and Bobby gives us the details as well as a reveal into the future direction of the app to deepen the relationship between God and His People. Bobby’s community is an example of how a church actively chooses to live within the realm of innovation to further the message of the gospel. Share with us the ways you are innovating within your organizations for the sake of the gospel and the fame of His Name at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. Useful Links: YouVersion App YouVersion Usage Map Life.Church How to be an Entrepreneurial Leader We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. As always, we love taking your questions and hearing your comments. Feel free to submit your thoughts in general here.

The team talks to Jon Hart, Partner at Praxis Labs about his work with Praxis Academy, a week-long on ramp into the Praxis community of redemptive entrepreneurs targeting the under 25. For 5 years, this organization has encouraged college-aged entrepreneurs to more actively view their aspirations within the context of their faith, impacting 750 people, from 160 universities and 20 countries. Reminiscent of and deeply influenced by the 18th century Clapham Group of England, Praxis seeks to encourage thought and action around changing culture by producing superior alternatives that are also redemptive in both for and non-profit arenas. Jon explains to us how Praxis Academy is adding to the sea of vocational “hero stories” that influence our career decisions, or using his term, “vocational imagination” that include a wholistic view of Christianity because it’s just missing. University business programs spin the stories of wild success and wealth as a natural part of its cultural lore but too often the Christian marketplace hero stories have been viewed as less compelling. Jon steps us through how Praxis Academy is righting that view with thought-provoking content that includes mentorship and community. He also shares with us a few of his favorite “hero stories” of academy alum. You don’t want to miss this episode! Redemptive entrepreneurship is an integral concept to us, here at Faith Driven Entrepreneur. We’d love to hear about your hero stories in this space, so please reach out to us at faithdrivenentreprenuer.org with your favorites. If you or someone you know is interested in attending this year’s Academy, please apply here. The deadline is May 1st . Useful Links: Praxis Academy Praxis Labs FDE Vlog about Praxis Academy FDE Podcast with Praxis CEO, Dave Blanchard FDE Podcast with Praxis Partner, Andy Crouch We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. As always, we love taking your questions and hearing your comments. Feel free to submit your thoughts in general here.

This week’s guest is Alan Barnhart of Barnhart Crane and Rigging of Memphis, TN. Originally a small family business started by his parents, Alan and his brother, Eric, grew the company into one of the largest Heavy Lift and Heavy Transport organization in the United States with 1,000 team members in more than 40 locations across the country and a nationwide reputation for solving problems (Even if it means building a 200+ wheel truck!). They accomplished this by actively seeking out a way to express their faith through their business and the team sits down with Alan this week to hear his story. Alan tells us how he and his brother’s decision to view their lives and their company from a stewardship vs. ownership mentality created a productive environment for Barnhart Crane & Rigging to grow in not only its ability to create wealth but to be an intentional investor into the Kingdom. He shares how his decision to live life within boundaries to support his and his families desires to be kingdom investors actually led to greater freedom and blessing for him and his entire family. Alan’s story is proof positive of the gain in deciding to be a faith driven entrepreneur, that submitting one’s whole life and all that’s in it to God is the only way to gain everything and anything else (Matthew 6:33). Share with us how the decision to lose your life so that you could gain it has impacted you and your sphere of influence at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. Useful Links: FDE Biblical Message of Generosity Right Now Media: The Grove God Owns Our Business We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. As always, we love taking your questions and hearing your comments. Feel free to submit your thoughts in general here.

Today we’re talking with one of the pioneers of Gamification, Yu-Kai Chou, author of the book Actionable Gamification and creator of the Octalysis Framework which encompasses 8 core drives of motivation that govern human behavior. He's a speaker on gamification and behavioral design at places like TED, South by Southwest, Google, Stanford and consulted with governments like UK, Singapore and South Korea. His work has affected over 1 Billion users experiences across the world. Henry spends some time with Yu-Kai discussing his unique research into what motivates us and how that can be used to achieve the remarkable in this world. Yu-Kai gives us an overview of his gamification methodology alongside poignant examples while helping us see how our goals as citizens of the Kingdom and entrepreneurs can be reached by understanding the right ways to motivate ourselves and the ones we lead. He steps us through both White Hat (intrinsic) and Black Hat (extrinsic) motivators and reveals optimal scenarios to increase motivation, effectiveness and longevity of teams. Gamification isn’t just for the gamer but has implications for anyone who seeks to be part of something greater or just wants to live a more joy-filled life. We hope you enjoy this week’s episode on gamification. We’d love to hear of some of the ways you are using gamification in your business model. Feel free to share with us at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. Useful Links: https://join.octalysisprime.com/op-so/ https://yukaichou.com/gamification-book/ We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. As always, we love taking your questions and hearing your comments. Feel free to submit your thoughts in general here.

On this episode, the team spends time with Andy Crouch, partner for theology and culture at Praxis, an organization that works as a creative engine for redemptive entrepreneurship, as well as an accomplished writer and journalist, having authored several books as well as articles published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine. Andy shares with us the basis of the book he, in collaboration with Praxis, has written called “A Rule of Life for Redemptive Entrepreneurs”. In it, they have outlined 6 key disciplines needed to define a redemptive entrepreneur: time, money, imagination, decision-making, power and community. Andy spends the bulk of today’s episode unpacking each. We believe, as does Andy, that faith driven entrepreneurs have a distinct callings and giftings. We hope the time we spend outlining the key disciplines that define this community is helpful to you with regards to identity formation – a running theme this year for us hear at Faith Driven Entrepreneur. Let us know all the ways this week’s episode has impacted you at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. Useful Links: Highly encourage you checking out A Rule of Life. You can also stay tuned for the release of Andy’s new Podcast. Want to see Andy’s WSJ article he mentioned about Steve Jobs? If you’re looking for a great book from Andy, we highly encourage checking these out: Playing God, The Tech Wise Family and Culture Making Want to see where the Faith Driven Entrepreneur started? Take a little flashback to see a blog post featuring Andy's perspective on the Sabbath. We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. As always, we love taking your questions and hearing your comments. Feel free to submit your thoughts in general here.

Today we’re on the road, connecting with Bryant Ambelang, President and CEO of NatureSweet, the largest greenhouse producer of tomatoes in North America. Currently, NatureSweet has over 8,000 associates and operates seven facilities—six in Mexico and one in the U.S. NatureSweet products are distributed in major grocery stores in all 50 states and across Mexico and Canada. Their headquarters are in the San Antonio. We had the chance to hear about the incredible things God’s doing to unleash people through Naturesweet. Bryant shares with us the ways he has cared for his employees by doing a better job of connecting their purpose and passions to their work. He specifically cites a time where the company decided to triple output and therefore growth and outlines the steps he uses to get buy-in from his people by first remembering that they are unique creations with callings, passions and desires there to be tapped for His glory. We hope today’s podcast is inspiring to you as you seek to do the same with your teams for His Glory and Kingdom. We’d love to hear from you on how you intend on doing exactly that at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. As always, we love taking your questions and hearing your comments. Feel free to submit your thoughts in general here. Useful Links: RightNow Media @ Work Story of Naturesweet

In this episode, Henry sits down with former NFL player and first round draft pick Phil Olsen, currently President of Know Your Strengths, a human resource consulting firm that guides clients and executive-level management through processes for talent discovery, training and people management. Phil helps us see how hiring people who are clones of ourselves leaves our organizations open for execution issues and why learning to appreciate and collaborate with those who are just wired differently from us actually builds a stronger organization. He takes a lot of queues from the sports arena and shares a great deal on his learnings from Coaches John Wooden of UCLA fame and Chuck Knox of the Buffalo Bills and L.A. Rams. God’s treasure is people. Knowing how to be the best stewards of them is the fastest way of ensuring you give Him pleasure in how you do what you do within your organizations. Share with us some of the ways you are fulfilling the responsibility of stewarding people in a manner that gives Him glory at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. . As always, we love taking your questions and hearing your comments. Feel free to submit your thoughts in general here. Useful Links: The Chuck Knox Development Process

Toxic people, toxic environments and all other possible permutations of how toxicity can be expressed in an organization is the subject of today’s episode. Rusty rests the responsibility of toxic organizations firmly on the shoulders of the founder and William believes that faith driven leaders can still be guilty of making a mess of culture. Henry helps us understand what kind of petri dish is needed for toxicity to flourish and the team together discusses ways to avoid the pains and pitfalls of toxicity that kills community, productivity and creativity. Today’s episode was in response to a mailbag question from New York. We love hearing from you and fielding your questions. Tell us how this week’s episode impacted your thinking on toxic work cultures and encourages you to think about how you can contribute to the health of your organization at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. We also have a very brief survey we’d love for you to take that will help us shape the direction and future of the FDE podcast. Please help us with your thoughts and opinions here.

We find the team chatting with Julie Barrios, of Nuos Formation, a spiritual formation enterprise focused on helping the entrepreneur develop healthy inner lives as part of purposeful living as a faith-driven entrepreneur. As she shares on her own entrepreneurial journey, Julie helps us see how “hustling” may be nothing more than another hamster wheel and living in obedience to God by surrendering our paths to Him might be the more excellent way. Making sure she makes room to hear from God, that she takes seriously the responsibility of stewarding what He has entrusted to her and knowing the difference between perseverance (a Fruit of the Spirit) and striving (NOT a fruit of the spirit) are all disciplines she’s applied to business and seeks to develop in her clientele. According to Julie, spiritual discipline at the onset is internalizing the structure of God’s Word in your heart then interpreting your world and reality from that structure. How has seeing your business through the lens of the Word of God, preferably written on your hearts, affected your mission and impact for the better? Drop us a line at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org and tell us!

We hear from our hosts this week as they share some of the things God has them thinking about via their personal time with the Lord. Rusty draws parallels to Paul’s trials, specifically found in Acts 27 to the life of an entrepreneur while William shares on how reading the account of Jesus’ baptism by John actually reveals more deeply the importance of having your identity rooted in a relationship with the Father to empower and enlighten your mission. Henry’s been sharing a bit about his sojourn in the Old Testament but is more focused on the Israelite wilderness journey and the strength of Joshua to stay true to his God and his mission. Walking with God in your entrepreneurial journey makes it necessary to meet Him regularly through the study of His Word for direction, strength, creativity and solutions to all each day has to throw at us. Share with us what the Father is teaching you about your entrepreneurial journey these days at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org.

This week the team chats with Ed Silvoso, author of several books including Anointed for Business, Transformation and Ekklesia. He’s the founder of Transform Our World, an international network of marketplace ministers whose goal is the elimination of systemic poverty through actively advancing the kingdom of God via a unified Church. Here’s a few of our favorite moments from this week: “There is a tipping point and that is when that leader understands, usually that leader is a governmental leader or a business owner, that he is chosen by God to transform society, not just to have a kingdom company but to have a King’s company.” “We don’t go to Church, we are the Church. The church doesn’t belong to a pastor, it belongs to Jesus… the word ministry is not associated with the Pastor, the Evangelist, the Teacher, the Prophet or the Apostle. It’s associated with the saint. So the work of the Pastor is not to do the work of the ministry, the work of the Pastor is to equip the people, for the people to do the work of the ministry. ” We hope you are inspired by this weeks episode to begin considering more fully what God has given you with the gift of entrepreneurship. If you've ideas on how you can use your organization to transform culture , systems and and other aspects of the society around you, please share with us at faithdrivenentrepreneur.com.

Steve Cochram and Jeremie Kubicek of 5 Voices Systems, a leadership assessment tool that helps you define, understand and leverage your communication style for optimal influence joins the FDE team this week. They share why their assessment tool is so different from the rest and how it can be quickly integrated into your organizational culture to help you better connect with your team, customers and all the places where you have influence. Committed to helping clients fight for the highest possible good of those they lead, this duo gives us insight on how understanding our unique communication styles helps us to hear as well as be heard for maximum impact and collaboration. We strongly encourage you to take the online assessment to figure out your leadership voice and challenge you to make use of these tools. Share with us your voice and definitely let us know if there were any surprises at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org.

In this week’s episode, we’re talking to Henry’s long-time friend Peter Greer, President and CEO of Hope International, a leading provider of microfinancing for underserved communities around the globe. Peter helps us understand the multi-faceted aspects of poverty, that it’s about more than simply the lack of resources. He shares details around Hope International’s commitment to eradicate spiritual poverty, not just financial poverty as the two are inextricably linked. He gives frameworks for addressing all aspects of poverty and shares a bit on what seems to be a “secret weapon” for ensuring kingdom-impact: the power of partnership and collaboration. We hope this week’s episode gives you new insight on how your organization can begin to address poverty in its many forms for kingdom impact. While your organization may not be a microfinance operation, every kingdom endeavor should seek to eradicate the works of the enemy and poverty is one of his chief tools. We’d love to hear how this week’s podcast has impacted your thinking on what’s available to you for the elimination of poverty in your sphere of influence. Drop us a line at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org.

In Part Two with David Morken, the team discusses more thoroughly about what it means to be mission ready both individually and corporately. David talks about the importance of obedience to God and avoiding the pitfalls of both willfulness and passivity and Henry leads the discussion into practical applications of how their company’s HR policies intentionally reflected kingdom values as they target the whole person for impact. This commitment led them to institute chaplaincy roles as a force multiplier to help them steward the whole person policies they wanted to instill. David shares further on a few other ways the company has and continues to innovate in the area of ensuring the whole team is mission ready. If you’re committed to growing healthy, impactful organizations that walk out the values of the kingdom, then this is the episode for you. If you are innovating in the areas of employee well being and engagement and are seeing the results directly impact your organization’s reach and bottom line, by all means share those wins with us at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. Until next week!

In this edition of the FDE Podcast, we get a peek into the longtime friendship and partnership (let’s just call it what it is – a bromance) between David Morken and Henry Kaestner, co-Founders of Bandwidth and Republic Wireless. They share with us the divine origins of their relationship (Henry was a direct answer to David’s prayer) and how their relationship translated into a successful business where people are promoted as much as the product. They talk about the need to be able to work through conflict in healthy ways and the conscious effort needed to incorporate others into this dynamic mix to create high functioning, mission ready, people-centric organizations. And who doesn’t want that? Part One of this discussion focuses on the friendship and partnership rooted in Christ that launched the company while next week's episode gets into how together they created a culture that reproduced kingdom concepts and principles in the lives of their employees. You don’t want to miss any of this. We serve a Trinitarian God who does everything in community and Who tasks us to follow suit. We’d love to hear your stories about those important relationships in your life directly impacting your faith driven entrepreneur pursuits at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. It will encourage us all!

This week’s podcast has us listening in on a talk Tim Keller gave to Sovereign’s Capital last September where he meticulously unpacks the hidden truth of identity formation, its habits and rituals, in both the Western and greater world. We are fed these belief systems from the moment we breathe and too often we are defined by the greater world without our consent. He steps us through examples of how our thinking is specifically impacted by these external forces that define us outside of the context of Christ. Tim shares with us the cultural problems of both traditional (your community defines you) and modern (you define you) identity formation and shows why the gospel is the only solution to living an authentic, impactful life. We thought this would be one of the best ways to start 2019 – to really spend some time evaluating who we think we are and how that measures with who God says we are. We apologize in advance for the cognitive dissonance this episode may bring. We bless you with the Spirit of God Who imparts all truth and invite you to share the things God is revealing to you via this episode. Feel free to drop us a line at Faith Driven Entreprenuer.

The team spends some time with the students and teachers from Entrepreneur Program and Valley Christian School (VCS) in San Jose, CA. Spearheaded by Hannah and Danny Kim, entrepreneurs in their own right, the program has launched high school students into the world of entrepreneurship in the midst of a community invested in seeing biblical values and principles impacting the world. Hannah gives us an overview of the program’s evolution while the team chats with two students about their specific projects, one launched and the other in beta for release around now. Then the team talks with Danny Kim, who heads up VCS’ Quest Institute, which we believe (because there is no one to contest us) has had more tests performed on the International Space Station than NASA. While Quest Institute was inaugurated at VCS it is meant to impact the world and Danny shares with the team some of the ways this is happening today. This week’s episode is packed but we didn’t want to leave anything out for you as we ARE talking about the next generation of faith-driven entrepreneurs. This will close us out for 2018 as we plan to spend time with our families and loved ones over the next few weeks. From all of us at Faith Driven Entrepreneur, we wish you the Merriest Christmas and the Happiest New Year! See you in 2019!

In this week’s podcast, the team answers a few of your questions around profit making and taking as well as consumerism. One Bay Area listener shares his struggles with being in what he believes is a money-driven industry. The team challenges us all to think about how we can redeem the industries we’re in by making figuring out the best way to serve it our number one goal. William believes that almost all industries are redeemable, Henry encourages us in the ways we can show love for the people in these industries for the purposes of transformation and Rusty reminds us of our true identity as a guide to ensure optimal motives while bringing in those returns. One of our listeners in Nairobi, Kenya asks the team for a biblical viewpoint on consumerism in response to the rise of the global middle class and the team takes us back again to a discussion of heart motive by realigning a few marketing and product design concepts back to the kingdom. And no good podcast on entrepreneurism would ever leave out a few quotes from “Wall Street”. As we do our mad dashes this Christmas season to show love for the people in our lives, let’s stop and take note of our heart motives in the doing and giving. Tell us who and what you want to partner with our Father God in redeeming this Christmas season by dropping a line at faithdrivenentreprenuer.com.

The team sits down with John Marsh of Marsh Collective, Opelika Alabama to discuss storytelling, what it’s like to run 10+ businesses (the collective part of Marsh Collective) and how to be the steward of 10 square city blocks for the glory of God and Kingdom while being totally unqualified to do so. John helps us understand the practicalities of living in the midst of kingdom tension: being both dead and alive, content but fruitfully multiplying, living here but not being from here. Rusty has John walk us through what systems need to be in place to redeem a life, a family and a city and Henry has him give us some insight on effective parenting while being an entrepreneur. William closes us out with a request for words of wisdom for entrepreneurs and John’s answer: think cities. John holds a very special place in the heart of FDE and the team is quite excited to have you hear a bit of his story and want you to be as inspired by what’s possible when we let God in to do what He does best: redeem and transform. How has this week’s episode inspired you to be a part of God’s plan to redeem some part of creation He’s asking you to steward? Where can your business better align with God’s redemptive purpose for it? Drop us a line at Faith Driven Entrepreneur and let us know.

This week we get into part two of the Lightning Round episode, fielding your questions. Henry, Rusty, and William tackle two really important questions for the faith driven entrepreneur: how we handle our resource of money and time. Neither may come up on our radar readily given the entrepreneur’s everyday grind and hustle. Henry shared that it’s important that we identify firstly why we give, and also pray over where and how. Rusty recognized that some entrepreneurs have other ways of giving and gets us thinking about planning for giving. The team moves on to tackle the issue of traveling for work and how to balance personal time with traveling, as well as the potential for excessive or unnecessary travel to become an idol for too many entrepreneurs. Some may even see it as a badge of honor. What is model behavior for leaders to communicate a healthy view of travel to their subordinates? Rusty says we should be judicious about our time and William reminds us all that with so much technology we can think about using other tools to achieve the same business goals. Tell us at www.faithdrivenentrepreneur.com about your most rewarding generosity experience. Drop a line also on how you’ve maintained healthy boundaries on work travel. And one final note: spicy chicken sandwich. That's all we're going to say about that...

correction: Chip Ingram is now CEO of Living on the Edge, an international discipleship ministry. In Part Two with Chip Ingram, CEO of Living on the Edge, we find Rusty asking Chip to give his take on a previous mailbag question from an entrepreneur who didn’t see the value of church anymore as what comes out of the pulpit isn’t relatable to his life. While Chip agreed that most pastors aren’t very conversant with the entrepreneur’s life, he flips it from a what do I get to what can I give mode of thinking. He encourages entrepreneurs to see church as God’s company while acknowledging the frustration of not seeing change or progress fast enough. Henry has Chip share on some practical ways of how Pastors can love on the entrepreneurs in their midst before William tackles the subject matter of entrepreneurs struggling with failure, sometimes even a series of failures. Chip tells us that God must first work in you deeply before He can use you significantly. Rusty closes this week’s episode asking Chip to give listeners perspective on how to use power righteously. Chip’s response: it’s about stewardship. We hope you receive encouragement as well as insight from Part Two of our time with Chip Ingram. We’d like to hear from you on how you are stewarding the power and influence God has given you and how you’re overcoming the temptation of self-reliance. Reach out to us in the comment section of Faith Driven Entrepreneur.

correction: Chip Ingram is now CEO of Living on the Edge, an international discipleship ministry In Part One with Chip Ingram, CEO of Living on the Edge, Henry has Chip walk through his experience pastoring many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. While Chip’s own entrepreneurial persuasions began at an early age selling Halloween candy in late November at a significant markup, he realized early on in his life as a pastor that he could teach and inspire far beyond his leadership capabilities. His start as a spiritual coach to entrepreneurs began as a simple exchange: his Santa Cruz church was growing at breakneck speed and he needed wisdom and skillsets to support that growth. He reached out to the entrepreneurs in his congregation and became friends with them, creating a safe and respectful place for these leaders to share what was really going on in their lives. The grass isn’t always greener, to say the least. Struggles with identity, purpose, and the tension between the world’s values vs. those of the kingdom plague these individuals as much as anyone else with one major exception: the extreme loneliness as a result of an inability to find authentic, no strings attached relationships when you command significant power, influence and resources. Henry encourages Chip to dig deeper on the loneliness challenge by asking for wisdom on how these individuals can overcome the temptation of being a recluse. Chip gives us a mandate to care about who we become more than anything else, as well as a construct on how to have the right view of both God and ourselves. We hope you enjoy Part One with Chip Ingram. We’d love to know how you’ve overcome “the great identity crisis” by changing your view of who you believe God to be. Please share with us at faithdrivenentrepreneur.com.

David Brickner, Executive Director of Jews for Jesus, spends time with the team in this week’s podcast. He gives perspective on the tragic events in Pittsburgh and shares a bit on how people of the faith can best share the gospel with Jewish neighbors through relationship building and honoring the common elements between Judaism and Christianity. Rusty leads the discussion into the “Behold Your God Israel” campaign where David shares the entrepreneurial strategies the organization employed to reach Jewish people in Israel over a span of 18 years. David addresses Jews for Jesus’ branding challenge with regard to how the Jewish population views Christianity and his organization and shares on how using customer segmentation principles helped the organization effectively reach Israelis for Christ. David ends this week making a case for the power of transformation – that changed lives give the best witness and taking the time to gather and retell those stories is probably how we’ll reach the next generation, regardless of their background and faith persuasion. He gives some results from his organization’s use of design thinking principles to help better understand and connect with Jewish millennials. This week’s episode really highlights the simple truth that non-profits are as entrepreneurial as for profits and that applying entrepreneurial principles can also be highly effective in spreading the gospel. Let us know how you’ve used entrepreneurial strategies in your non-profit and/or ministry at Faith Driven Entrepreneur.com. We’d love to hear how these tools have been utilized for Kingdom expansion.

This week’s episode finds Henry, Rusty and William fielding more questions from listeners in Part One of Lightning Round. The team tackles the question around how to balance godly contentment with the discontentment with the status quo that is the fuel of much entrepreneurship. Rusty admits trying to figure out what Paul was thinking is way above his pay grade but offers up the concept of holy discontent while Henry and William focus on where we derive our identity and joy as a possible solution. All share advice on the healthiest ways to work with family and friends in business with, you guessed it, communication being the most important element. They close on the question of how to handle pushback from the team. Rusty and Henry both discuss why it’s important to include your team in decision making process as a cultural value set as well as a way to ensure commitment and ownership of all decisions, even the unpopular ones, in the long run. As Rusty puts it, it’s about the power of the question mark. Let us know what you think about any of the questions discussed in this week’s podcast at faithdrivenentreprenuer's podcast page. We’d especially like to hear more of your experiences working with friends and family in business. Reach out to us at faithdrivenentreprenuer.

Mike Sharrow is back for Part 2 of our interview. As you likely gathered from Part 1, Mike leads C12 one of the largest and most successful organizations that put together groups of like minded, and similarly staged groups of Christian CEOs for local community, fellowship and best practices. Think about all the things you've heard about YPO, but imagine something better :). If you're only going to listen to one of the parts of the interview (but why would you??) , listen to this one. The team asks Mike to share his observations on what’s happening in the marketplace from a faith perspective. Mike shares the fact that the Post-Christian era has people desiring authenticity in faith expressions. In fact, according to him, they hunger for it. C12 is seeing a tide lift in activity across the globe of more people wanting to live authentic lives for Christ at work as well as at home and in church. Mike goes on to share how C12 seeks to guide members towards accountability and integration. According to him, it’s not just what you’re doing but how you’re doing it. Jesus taught through disequilibrium. C12 is about keeping members in a healthy state of disequilibrium so that they can learn continuously, a key skillset for any business person. C12 really assists in the personal transformation of individuals as it addresses the whole person – all of one’s life is bought together in one place under Christ. We hope you enjoy this week’s podcast and we’d love for you to tell us how you are pursuing the integration of your work, faith, family and community in your daily lives at Faith Driven Entrepreneur.

The first of two parts, this week’s episode finds the team speaking with Mike Sharrow, President and CEO of C12, an organization that provides a confidential and intimate environment where like-minded peers share ideas, discover and plan for areas in their business that need improvement, hold each other accountable, and encourage one another to conduct business in a God-honoring way. Mike gives us a little of the history of the recent resurgence of faith in the marketplace during the last century that provide the foundation for what C12 has been doing since 1992. He shares with the team some of the most interesting impact stories of how leaders’ decisions to pursue relationship as a key driver of culture led to incredible levels of employee engagement and satisfaction as well as increased supplier commitment. The formula was as simple as finding out what was going on in the lives of direct reports that led to transformative changes in the lives of team members, including two saved marriages. We think you will be greatly encouraged by part one of our time with Mike Sharrow and we ask that you share your stories of marketplace transformation with us at Faith Driven Entrepreneur.

Jason Johnson, serial entrepreneur and founder of August Smart Homes, talks to Rusty and William about when the entrepreneurial itch first hit him while working at a large tech company. From humble beginnings, Jason explains how receiving a scholarship to Pepperdine University introduced him to the responsibility of calling and that entrepreneurship was a natural expression of that calling. He goes on to tackle tough questions around how to live a faith driven life while heading up a VC-backed company where culture and purpose to often clash. He shares on the ways he maintains his commitment to instilling culture in his company that is reflective of his faith. The team asks Jason to address the question of money, something on every entrepreneur’s mind (and naturally so). He responds with some very practical advice on how to begin living a generous life because that too, is part of an entrepreneur’s call. The team ends this week’s discussion with wisdom on how to stay grounded and focused on the things to which God is calling you. As always, you have our permission to thoroughly enjoy this episode. Please send us your thoughts, especially those around how you deal with the culture clash of the kingdom within versus the world without. Until next week!

In part two from the Alpine Inn, Henry, Rusty, and William field more questions from our guests but first give some background on Inklings, the gathering of faith driven entrepreneurs in the Bay Area who meet regularly in the same vain of the original Inklings gathering of faith driven thinkers C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien, Dorothy Sayer and others. The team moves on to walk an entrepreneur who is struggling to find his place in the local church through why the institutional church is a necessary part of community, with some ideas as to how his entrepreneurial talents could even serve the local church. The team shares a bit on how diversity of walks and experiences within the church is actually the key to its success because it creates a place from which collective wisdom can be shared. Another entrepreneur, currently a student, asked about what great books the team were reading and we found out Henry is more of a people guy while William and Rusty had to confess to maybe over doing it in the book buying department. All gave a few of their favorite and highly recommended titles. Finally, the team calls Josh Banko over, one of the co-creators of the iPad, who shares a bit about how God led and fed his drive to innovate by speaking to the desires of his heart, sending mentors to him to point him in the right direction and choosing to make His presence known in Josh’s life every step of the way.

In this week’s episode, we take the show on the road. In the first live broadcast, Faith Driven Entrepreneur sets up at the Alpine Inn in Portola Valley, California. This Q&A took place before our Inklings gathering of faith driven entrepreneurs. We tackle questions about how to honor family and loved ones with prescene, our individual learnings from our own entrepreneurial journeys and how the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) can follow you anywhere. Tune in as we answer these questions and more from entrepreneurs in the Bay Area!