Catholic Founders #42 Thinking of Starting a Business? Consider These 9 Principles
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News / Updates:
* In NYC, on December 16th, we’re hosting our Catholic Founders dinner. It’s happening at a private residence, with limited space. So if you’d like to attend, reach out to me directly.
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In Today’s Issue:
* My story of starting my business
* The Principles that you can Apply To Your Own Situation to Get Your Business Started
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The 9 Principles:
9 Essential Principles for the Catholic Entrepreneur
Starting a business is a major step that requires clarity and commitment. Based on my journey, here are nine principles to guide you as you take the leap:
The Core Principles
* Make a Commitment: Stop dabbling with side projects. If you want to be an entrepreneur, take concrete, committed steps toward your goal. Full commitment is necessary for success.
* Understand Your Burn: Know your monthly family expenses (not luxury) plus business operating costs x the number of months (9-12) you need to give it a go. This gives you a clear financial target and removes ambiguous fear.
* Get Concrete with How to Make Money: Define exactly how much you will charge, how many deals you need to close monthly, and the concrete process to generate revenue. Remove all ambiguity around making money.
* Don’t Pursue Crazy Ideas: Choose a proven path—something you already know how to do, or a well-trodden business model (e.g., home services). Entrepreneurship is about execution and demand, not harebrained innovations.
* ICP 100: Pick a niche and identify your top 100 Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs). A clear niche makes your pitch resonate directly with those who need you most.
* Commit with an End Date in Mind: Give the business full-time, full-effort commitment for a minimum of six months (nine months is better). Plan for an additional three to six months of financial “runway” to find a new role if you pull the plug.
* Relinquish the Outcome to God: Commit to working hard, but trust the outcome to God’s will. Crucially: Do not cut your spiritual time (daily prayer, Mass, Rosary) for the business.
* Get Spouse On Board: Ensure your spouse is supportive and clear on the timeline. Also, find a peer or mentor—don’t unload all work-related struggles onto your spouse.
* Build Your Way Out (Alternative Option): If you’re disciplined enough, you can build your side business in the evenings and weekends until it replaces your current monthly income (e.g., 1.2x). This is best for unproven ideas to validate demand before you quit your job.
I hope this helps those of you going through this process.
God Bless & Happy Building!
~Silas Mähner
Select Quotes:
* “The whole point is you have to relinquish the outcome to God because the reason we’re pursuing entrepreneurship is not for our own glory.” (On relinquishing the outcome to God)
* “Don’t play around with side projects like I did. The likelihood of a side project just popping off is low. It will require full commitment.” (On making a commitment)
* “Ideas are nothing without execution. I really need everybody here to understand that and internalize it deeply.” (On not pursuing crazy ideas)
* “Your spiritual life is much, much more important than any earthly success.” (On prioritizing your spiritual life)
* “Remember, we are created in the image and likeness of God… co-creators. Being an entrepreneur is part of our nature – you can lean into it.” (Word of encouragement)
Key Moments: (outline)
* 00:00: Introduction to the Solo Episode & Catholic Founders Podcast
* 01:14: Overview: Principles for Starting Your Business
* 01:42: Host’s Story: Early Desire to Start a Business
* 04:00: The Headhunter Job, Side Projects, and Loss of Focus
* 06:50: Shifting Priorities: Marriage, Family, and Moving Away from “Innovative” Ideas
* 09:30: Mentor’s Advice: Visualizing Worst-Case Scenarios and Committing to a “Boring Biz”
* 11:30: The Launch Story: The Day I Filed Paperwork and The Sign from God
* 15:50: The First Few Months: Ups, Downs, and Landing Key Clients
* 19:00: Rewind: Core Principles for Starting Your Business
* 19:25: #1: Make a Commitment (Don’t just play with side projects)
* 20:11: Interruption: Paraclete VA Ad
* 22:35: #2: Understand Your Burn (Calculate family and business expenses for runway)
* 24:45: #3: Get Concrete with How to Make Money (Know what you can charge and how many deals you need)
* 26:50: #4: Don’t Pursue Crazy Ideas (Choose a well-trodden path for certainty)
* 28:45: #5: ICP 100 (Pick a niche and target your top 100 ideal clients)
* 31:35: #6: Commit with an End Date in Mind (Give yourself 6-9 months of full effort)
* 34:30: #7: Relinquish the Outcome to God (Work hard but trust in God’s will; do not cut your spiritual time short)
* 38:40: #8: Get Spouse on Board (Ensure their support and find a peer/mentor for struggles)
* 41:10: #9: Other Option – Build Your Way Out (A less risky approach: build on nights/weekends)
* 44:48: Theme Recap, Word of Encouragement, and Call to Action (Catholic Founders Guild)
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