Faith Driven Entrepreneur

Episode 356 - What Entrepreneurs Actually Need From Their Church | Mark Grunden & Josh Seabaugh

Join host Justin Forman with Mark Grunden and Josh Seabaugh for a pivotal conversation about the unprecedented opportunity emerging at the intersection of church and entrepreneurship. Recorded during Faith Driven Entrepreneur's staff retreat in Charleston, this episode unpacks groundbreaking Barna research revealing that society trusts entrepreneurs twice as much as pastors—and why this isn't a threat, but rather the church's greatest partnership opportunity.Mark brings unique insight from seven years at Saddleback Church pioneering marketplace ministry, while Josh shares lessons from a decade as a campus pastor before joining FDE full-time. Together, they reveal why starting with entrepreneurs—rather than broad "faith and work" initiatives—creates sustainable momentum that cascades throughout entire congregations and communities.Key Topics:Barna research reveals entrepreneurs are trusted 2X more than pastors (and 9X more than politicians)Why starting with "everyone who works" causes entrepreneurs to leave the roomThe difference between convening for community vs. convening for missionBreaking free from the "parking jacket and coffee" trap for high-capacity leadersWhy churches need entrepreneurs more than entrepreneurs need the churchHow 250 churches are becoming hubs for faith-driven entrepreneurs in their citiesThe simple 8-week pathway any church can start this week (no cost, no catch)Notable Quotes:"Entrepreneurs are trusted two times more than pastors. I don't know if the influence of pastors is actually waning, but I think it's more that the impact of entrepreneurs are actually increasing because people are tired of talk in our society. They're looking for people of action." - Mark Grunden"If you get a pastor alone, he's intimidated by the entrepreneur. If you get an entrepreneur alone, he's intimidating by the pastor, which is why I'm excited that we can be the bridge." - Josh Seabaugh"If you start with everybody, you'll never get the entrepreneur. But if you start with the entrepreneur, everybody will follow." - Mark Grunden

Episode 355 - The Most Obvious Gap in the Church No One Talks About | Mark Vroegop

Join host Justin Forman as he sits down with Mark Vroegop, President of The Gospel Coalition, for a timely conversation about the growing but often disconnected faith and work movement. Mark brings a rare dual perspective—thirty years of pastoral ministry combined with deep understanding of entrepreneurial leadership—to address why two of society's most driven groups struggle to connect.This episode tackles the practical barriers keeping pastors and entrepreneurs apart, explores how lament and waiting can transform both business loss and leadership pressure, and offers concrete steps for churches ready to empower their entrepreneurial members beyond "parking vests and coffee." Mark vulnerably shares from his own journey through grief and gaps, providing a biblical framework for navigating the uncertainty that defines both pastoral and entrepreneurial life.This episode of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur Podcast was filmed at the Main Street Summit, the perfect gathering for ambitious Christian entrepreneurs, executives, and business leaders seeking to deepen the integration of their faith and work. Learn more and sign up to be notified for Main Street Summit 2026: www.mainstreetsummit.comKey Topics:Why pastors and entrepreneurs miss each other despite obvious synergiesThe demanding reality of pastoral ministry most business leaders never seeHow business leaders can provide invaluable insight churches desperately needLament as a language for processing business failure, betrayal, and lossWaiting on the Lord: Learning to lead through gaps and uncertaintyBuilding strategic plans that include space for divine interventionPractical pathways for pastors and entrepreneurs to bridge the divideNotable Quotes:"How can we help business leaders know how to be good churchmen, if you will? And from my seat as a person who's in pastoral ministry for thirty years, how can pastors do a better job of serving business leaders, especially entrepreneurs?" - Mark Vroegop"Lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust." - Mark Vroegop"Waiting on the Lord is learning to live on what I know to be true about God when I don't know what's true about my life." - Mark Vroegop

Episode 354 - This 4-Pillar Model Is Transforming Uganda's Future | Andrew DeVaney

Solving Big Problems Together: Uganda's Four-Pillar Model for Community TransformationJoin host Justin Forman in conversation with Andrew DeVaney, founder of As One Africa, for an inspiring discussion about what it takes to solve interconnected problems in rural Uganda. From his friendship with a rural educator to building a four-pronged model serving 50,000 patients, 4,000 students, and 5,000 farmers annually, Andrew shares how empowering Ugandans to solve Ugandan problems creates sustainable transformation.This episode explores the power of earned revenue models over aid dependency, the importance of treating beneficiaries as customers, and why time in the game matters more than quick wins. Discover how collaboration, storytelling, and Kingdom partnership can address some of the world's most pressing challenges.Key Topics:Uganda's demographic advantage: 80% under 30, 50% under 18The four-pillar model: schools, health centers, farms, and businesses working togetherWhy "catching a thief requires sending a thief" - the power of local problem-solversEarned revenue vs. aid dependency: treating beneficiaries as customers with voiceHow competition and feedback loops drive innovation and dignityThe interconnectivity of rural poverty: education, healthcare, agriculture, and employmentBuilding sustainable models that don't depend on foreign fundingPraxis lessons: balancing venture building with soul care for long-term impactNotable Quotes:"The young people that are coming up, they're now being educated, they're going to school, they desire a different opportunity within the country that they live in, and expect better from their leaders." - Andrew DeVaney"Ugandans empowering Ugandans. This is something that there's this self perpetuating feedback loop that pushes Ugandans to want to do more." - Andrew DeVaney"Time in the game is going to be such a big deal. For entrepreneurs, for investors, for problem solvers." - Andrew DeVaney

Episode 353 - This CEO Built a $1B Company In 5 Years Without Compromising His Faith | Bill Yeargin

Join host Justin Forman for a milestone conversation with Bill Yeargin, CEO of Correct Craft, as they celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. From refusing bribes that led to bankruptcy, to refusing to work Sundays during WWII, to growing from a $39 million company facing the Great Recession to surpassing $1 billion—this is a masterclass in values-driven leadership that stands the test of time.Bill shares the dramatic "God moments" that convinced him to become the fifth CEO in five years at a broken company, and how a controversial service trip to Mexico became the turning point that saved the culture. Discover why Correct Craft sends employees around the world on company-funded mission trips, how they navigate tough stewardship decisions while maintaining strong faith values, and what it takes to build for the next hundred years.Key Topics:The WWII story: Building 420 boats in 23 days without working SundaysSpending 20 years of profits to repay legally discharged bankruptcy debtsTwo unmistakable "God signs" that led Bill to Orlando: a house sale and a tutor's callWhy the Mexico service trip (that everyone opposed) saved the companyGrowing from $39M to over $1 billion through culture and strategic planningThe Culture Pyramid: Building Boats to the Glory of God, Making Life BetterBalancing stewardship excellence with faith values in difficult decisionsGlobal expansion to 70 countries—including surprising markets like NamibiaVertical and horizontal acquisition strategy without outside capitalMaking decisions for the next 25 years, not just short-term winsNotable Quotes:"I believe we're alive today as a company because of that first trip." - Bill Yeargin"We're not just trying to help the people that we're going to serve, we're trying to help our own team too. We've seen so many lives change on our own team over the years." - Bill Yeargin"You don't make it a hundred years by being over on God's side. You gotta do the things we're supposed to do. Trust God, honor him. Let him bless us." - Bill Yeargin

Episode 352 - He Solved Africa’s $1 Trillion Food Waste Crisis Using Orange Peels and Faith | Jean-Paul Nageri

Join host Justin Forman in Nairobi, Kenya, as he sits down with Jean-Paul Nageri, co-founder of KaFresh, for an extraordinary conversation about finding divine solutions hidden in plain sight. When Jean-Paul watched his father's banana harvest spoil while waiting for traders, he didn't just see a problem—he saw a calling. What followed was a journey of "God Engineering" that led to a breakthrough preserving produce 10x longer using only natural plant oils.This episode explores how entrepreneurs can look to creation itself for answers to massive problems, why cold storage isn't always the answer for Africa, and how one biotech solution is transforming food security for millions. From Genesis 1:29 inspiration to cutting-edge agricultural innovation, this conversation reveals how faith, science, and entrepreneurship combine to solve real-world challenges.Key Topics:How watching his father lose 50% of harvests to spoilage launched an entrepreneurial journeyThe "God Engineering" discovery: unlocking preservation secrets from orange peelsWhy expensive Western solutions (cold storage) don't work for African farmersKaFresh breakthrough: Extending tomato shelf life from 1 week to 3+ months at room temperatureThe $1 trillion problem: Sub-Saharan Africa loses 37% of food production to post-harvest spoilageFrom synthetic chemicals to natural plant oils: reversing the globalization of food preservationHow monks in 1800s monasteries pioneered natural food coating techniquesBuilding an agricultural biotech platform: From preservation to accelerated seed germinationMaking insects "invisible" to produce instead of killing them with pesticidesUganda's 2 million smallholder farmers and the mindset shift that changes everythingNotable Quotes:"I like to use the term God Engineering. He literally leaves clues, but you have to have that discernment to be able to see the clues." - Jean-Paul Nageri"Why me, why me, why not some other big company? But that's God's plan. He normally takes the underdogs." - Jean-Paul Nageri"Anything that is good for you should be easy to pronounce." - Jean-Paul Nageri