Faith Driven Entrepreneur

“If a man steals your farm, teach him how to farm.” We’ve all heard sermons and messages on forgiveness and turning the other cheek, but the story of Craig Deall takes these truths to a whole new level. Craig actually lived this. Under the rule of Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe forced thousands of industrial farmers to give up their lands. In a moment, generations of family wealth was gone. But rather than seeking revenge or restitution, Craig chose the path of reconciliation—actually working for the very men who stole from him!Craig shared his story, starting from when he loved the land more than God—a struggle for any entrepreneur enamored with their own venture—to when that land was taken away from him. Throughout the whole journey, Craig lets us into what God did with his faith through hardship, what it really looks like to forgive our enemies, and why storing treasure in heaven and not on earth is no longer just a sermon point anymore.Talking with Craig was truly inspiring for us, and we think you’ll be glad you listened in.Useful Links:Foundations for FarmingThe CEF Community in Action Around Craig Deall and Foundations for FarmingHarvest and Heart Change in Zimbabwe

In this conversation, John Ruhlin, author of Giftology and founder of a strategic gifting agency, shares insights on the art of meaningful gift-giving. He discusses how personalized gifts can create emotional connections and foster loyalty far better than typical promotional items. John explores the psychology behind gifting, emphasizing intentionality and surprising recipients with gifts at unexpected times. He also touches on the importance of prioritizing family in life and business, all while promoting a radical approach to generosity that can significantly boost relationships and ROI.

There are 7 million jobs in America that will go unfilled in 2019.This means that even if every unemployed person in America got a job tomorrow, we’d still have a labor gap of over a million people. So, what’s the solution? Well, Chris Chancey has some ideas that come from the value of the refugee workforce.On this episode, he shares with us the importance of the immigrant and refugee workforce—a group that is behind so many of the products we use. In addition to sharing the story of Amplio Recruiting, Chris also shared some amazing stories about the radical effect something as simple as employment can have on a person. In doing so, he makes the case that hiring refugees isn’t only a socially responsible decision but a profitable one that can have lasting spiritual impact for faith driven entrepreneurs and their employees alike. We think you’re going to love this episode. As always, thanks for listening. Useful Links:Amplio RecruitingRefugee WorkforceRefugee Workforce Book Launch Video

Last year, on a single porn site alone, people watched 4.6 billion hours worth of pornographic videos. That’s around 5,000 centuries worth of time.Clearly, sexual Brokenness is a problem. But that’s not new. What is new is how Jay Stringer, author of Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing, is helping us understand this subject. Instead of looking for new techniques of “lust management,” Jay is working to encourage people to address their sexual brokenness and the core issues surrounding it.Jay has found that facing what is difficult in our own lives helps us move down the path of healing. And if you’re an entrepreneur who wants to better handle difficulties in your professional life, you have to deal with the difficulties in your personal life. Even if sexual brokenness doesn’t sound like a primary struggle for you, the statistics Jay shares will make it clear that if you have more than one employee, odds are you know someone who is dealing with this issue. And that’s why we wanted to talk about this.We hope this conversation helps you open the door to address the things you’re struggling with, and also to have conversations with those around you. We are firm believers that, as Jay says, “When God sees us, He moves in toward human brokenness, He doesn’t remove Himself from it.” We want to be people who do the same. Thanks for listening and for being on this journey with us.Useful Links:Jay Stringer’s Personal WebsiteConfronting Unwanted Sexual Behavior: The Spiritually Healthy LeaderThe Heart of Man Journey

Casey Crawford, a Super Bowl champion and CEO of Movement Mortgage, dives deep into the uncomfortable realities of entrepreneurial life intertwined with faith. He challenges the notion that Christians are called to comfort, reflecting on the struggles faced by biblical figures. Topics like ethical business practices, the transformative potential of financial services, and maintaining a strong organizational culture are explored passionately. Crawford’s insights aim to inspire believers to prioritize God's kingdom and cultivate genuine care in the workplace.

On today’s episode, we invited Max Anderson to come in and help us tackle a difficult yet important topic—depression among entrepreneurs. Max is an entrepreneur and a writer. Each week, he writes something called The Weekend Reader, where he explores one big idea from culture with a handful of suggested articles. Recently, he dove into how depression affects entrepreneurs, and what he found was staggering—entrepreneurs are anywhere from 2-10x more likely to suffer from mental challenges. It’s a topic that’s extremely important, yet remarkably under-discussed, so we thought that with Max’s help we’d push the conversation forward today... Our hope in bringing this topic to light is that if you, or someone you know, is suffering from depression, that you could take the necessary steps to get help. We know this isn’t easy, and we also know that it’s not necessarily a fun topic to talk about. But it matters. And we’re grateful to Max for bringing this topic to our attention and for also helping us talk about it We follow a God who cares deeply about His Creation, and that includes you! While much of this podcast is dedicated to stories of success, failure, and everything in between, we hope this episode meets you where you’re at and gives you some encouragement along the way. As always, thanks for listening. Useful Links: The Weekend Reader Entrepreneurship and Depression WSJ - Beyond the Confetti: The Darkside of Startup Success

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