Faith Driven Entrepreneur

October Baby. Mom’s Night Out. Woodlawn. I Can Only Imagine. What do these movies have in common? They’re all creations from the Erwin brothers. Jon and Andrew have had a passion for creating and making movies since they were young, and today, Jon joined to share where that energy comes from. You’ll enjoy hearing the entrepreneurial energy behind making a movie and the business of filming, distributing, marketing, and every other aspect that makes a hit movie a hit.Lastly, Jon challenged the stereotype of an “evil Hollywood agenda” and charged other Christian entrepreneurs to consider the ways they’ve avoided engaging with the secular world. Listen in to hear for yourself.

It’s strange how one number has become such a popular tool for defining our characteristics and even our identity. Today, we’re talking to someone who knows more about the enneagram than all three of your podcast hosts combined.Ian Morgan Cron is the author of The Road Back to You and a master teacher of the Enneagram, an ancient personality typing system that identifies nine types of people and how they relate to one another and the world. The Enneagram is a powerful tool for understanding why we behave the way we do, and how our personalities are powerfully influenced by our motivations. It provides a framework for how we can begin to live into our most authentic selves, and also reveals the wisdom each personality type can offer to others. Listen in to learn how these numbers apply to your entrepreneurial journey?

Community. It’s one of the core tenets of the Faith Driven movement. If you’ve been listening for a while, we hope you’ve heard stories from around the world that have opened up your eyes to see that FDEs are everywhere, and they’re faithfully pursuing God’s will right where they are. Today, we’re talking with Sue Alice Sauthoff who has recently joined the FDE/FDI team as our Community Manager. She’s going to share all the new initiatives intended to foster community among FDEs all around the world. We’re so excited she’s on the team, and we think after listening to this podcast, you will be too...

When Cheryl Bachelder took the helm at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, sales and profits were declining and shareholders and franchisees were unhappy. But during the nearly 10 years of Cheryl’s leadership, Popeyes stock moved from $11 in 2007 to a remarkable $79 at the time of its 2017 sale to Restaurant Brands International. So what's the secret ingredient to Popeyes turnaround? Cheryl joined us today to share how her unique strategy of servant leadership proved to be a recipe for success.

Phil Vischer, author, filmmaker, and creator of VeggieTales, shares how the rise and fall of his first “Big Idea” led him to a new understanding of identity and what it means to be rooted in a relationship with Christ. He challenges Faith Driven Entrepreneurs to consider that God’s call on their lives is much more about walking with Him than it is doing things for Him. Listen in to hear him explain why it’s more important to know your identity is secure in who God is, rather than what you do or your success rate in it.

If you’re a fan of Mike Rowe’s television show Dirty Jobs, then I think you’re going to like today’s episode. While working on telephone poles isn’t exactly a dirty job, it is a high-risk, challenging, and technical one and today’s guests are going to tell us all about it. David Powell and PJ Nardy own and operate the Southeastern Lineman Training Center where they lead the premier training school for apprentice lineworker training. Their job is so interesting and unique that it has its own show on Amazon Prime called Woodwalkers, but before you set down this episode and tune into their show, you’ll want to hear their story for yourself...

One thing that makes this show so special is the feedback we receive from listeners just like you. Today’s episode is the fruit of your feedback. Many of you have talked about how helpful it would be to connect the Faith Driven Investor world with the Faith Driven Entrepreneur world. Well, we heard you. And out of that has arrived something we are beyond excited to share with you. It’s called Marketplace, and it’s a space for like-minded investors to find faith-driven deals and funds that help them put real capital to work in a way that makes a real impact. On today’s episode, Henry will share the origin story behind it and you’ll get to meet Vip Vipperman, who is helping make it all happen.

We're so grateful for the feedback that we've received from so many of you, the encouragement you've shared, and the questions you've asked. And today, we're going to attempt to answer one of those questions. Fundraising is such a critical part of the entrepreneurial journey. It can be scary and uncertain and overwhelming at times, but it's, quite literally, a part of the job. So, we're going to talk to Jake Thomsen who is a Partner at Sovereign's Capital leading the venture practice, which means he is interacting with entrepreneurs all the time, so he knows what works, what doesn't, and he's going to share with us a bit of both...

No one likes to be a part of a dysfunctional relationship. Yet, entrepreneurs and investors can often be on completely different pages with completely different goals and expectations.Today’s conversation between Henry Kaestner and Jessica Kim gives both sides of the story. Jessica shares how setting unrealistic expectations hurts the entrepreneur’s ability to follow through and the investor’s ability to determine success. And Henry talks about the fundraising side of his entrepreneurial journey and what he now sees from an investor perspective.Both sides are worth listening. Both sides have a lot to learn. Both sides can do a lot better. So, regardless of whether you’re an entrepreneur or an investor, today’s episode is for you.

We’re just as happy as you are that 2020 has finally come to an end. There’s been turmoil, turnover, and uncertainty around every corner. Yet, here at FDE, one thing has remained constant—this podcast.Week in and week out, we’ve recorded these conversations as we always do, and we couldn’t be more grateful for all the guests that joined us as well as the grounding consistency that this routine has provided.For those who have listened along all year, this will be a time to reflect on what we’ve heard. And for those who are just joining us, this will be a great place to find the episodes you need to listen to next. As always, thanks for joining us on the journey.