Faith Driven Entrepreneur – Details, episodes & analysis

Join host Justin Forman as he sits down with Benjamin Fernandes, founder of Nala and Rafiki, for an extraordinary conversation about resilience, rejection, and revolutionizing cross-border payments. From covering the World Cup as a 21-year-old sports anchor in Tanzania to building infrastructure that serves millions across Africa and Asia, Benjamin's journey is filled with divine appointments, Stanford miracles, and the grit required to solve problems for the next billion customers.

This episode explores the massive diaspora remittance market ($129 billion to India alone), the entrepreneurial challenge of building FinTech infrastructure in emerging markets, and why the greatest export from developing nations might just be talent. Benjamin vulnerably shares the power of rejection as fuel, the importance of gratitude, and why sometimes you have to build the bridge for the next 200 entrepreneurs coming after you.

• The $129 billion remittance market and why diaspora communities are economic powerhouses
• From failing high school to Stanford MBA: A miracle story of divine provision
• Building payment rails in Africa vs Asia: Infrastructure challenges and opportunities
• Why 30-35% of Nala customers are entrepreneurs funding businesses back home
• The power of rejection letters as entrepreneurial fuel
• Going church to mosque: The gritty early days of customer acquisition
• How migrants enable local economies to thrive in exponential ways

"There's something that's very powerful when someone tells you you can't do something." - Benjamin Fernandes

"With privilege comes responsibility." - Benjamin Fernandes

"I don't believe the lowest income region the world should be charged the most amount for fees, for payments." - Benjamin Fernandes

Join host Justin Forman for an enlightening conversation with Carey Nieuwhof, leadership expert and former lead pastor, as they tackle one of the most important conversations in the modern church: bridging the gap between pastors and entrepreneurs. From his unique perspective of having served in both pastoral ministry and entrepreneurial ventures, Carey reveals why there's mutual intimidation between these two groups and how churches can unleash the untapped potential of their entrepreneurial members.

This episode explores the crisis of community in entrepreneurship, why 50% of retired CEOs die within two years, and how churches possess the "convening power" to create lasting connections. Carey shares practical insights from leading churches that are successfully engaging their business leaders beyond "handing out programs and parking cars."

• The entrepreneurial isolation crisis: Why there's "no default community" for business leaders
• Mutual intimidation: Why pastors feel inadequate around entrepreneurs and vice versa
• The spiritual gift of entrepreneurship: Learning from the Apostle Paul's business model
• Moving beyond volunteer tasks to meaningful engagement for high-capacity leaders
• How churches can serve as "incubators" for Kingdom-minded business ventures
• The difference between "real friends" and "deal friends" in entrepreneurial communities
• Practical steps for pastors to start entrepreneur-focused ministries

"I think for entrepreneurs, there's no default community. You're on your own. It's sort of the hero's journey. You start by yourself, that pioneer spirit. Within two years of retiring as a CEO, 50% of CEOs are dead." - Carey Nieuwhof

"Pastors are thinking, I don't make a million dollars a year like I haven't got staff and employees like you do. I don't feel like I measure up, and I don't know, I've talked to so many pastors who are like, I know this guy or woman could give $3 million I'm terrified of making the ask." - Carey Nieuwhof

"You've got some in your church, and they don't know how to contribute, and they're feeling alone and they're feeling isolated." - Carey Nieuwhof

In this profound episode of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast, host Justin Forman sits down with Raymond Harris, a distinguished architect, executive producer, and venture capitalist who founded one of the largest architectural firms specializing in corporate architecture. Raymond shares his remarkable journey from questioning whether he missed his calling to building an 8,000-project portfolio with Walmart while revolutionizing his understanding of wealth, stewardship, and Kingdom impact.

From giving away his entire wedding gift with only $600 in the bank to developing the concept of "Kingdom currency," Raymond's story challenges conventional thinking about success, generosity, and the true purpose of business.

• Raymond's journey from pre-med to architecture and his bold request to become a partner at age 27
• Building a firm that completed 8,000 projects for Walmart over 37 years
• The transformative realization: "I was really created not to be an architect, but to be a steward of his kingdom. Architecture was just the economic engine to do that."
• Why practicing generosity early matters: "If you're not generous when you don't have anything, you're certainly not gonna be generous when you have a lot"
• The concept of "Kingdom currency" - converting earthly assets into eternal impact
• Innovative approaches to inheritance: giving to children when they need it most, not when they're in their 60s
• The danger of achievement as an addiction and the importance of authentic brokenness
• Why donor-advised funds can become "storage warehouses" if not deployed strategically

"Did I miss the turn by not going into ministry? And I didn't want to. I wanted to be an architect... about 25 years after running a firm, the Lord said, no, you never missed the turn. You've always been on the right road. You've been trying to drive the car by looking in the mirror, look through the windshield."

"Why does he entrust wealth to people? But he gave it to us. So that we could steward it into his kingdom to take care of those that can't take care of himself."

"If we think that we can keep hold of earthly money and make more money on earth and then give away more money and that's really pleasing to God, I think he's more interested in us giving early so that he can compound what is really his money anyway."

"I call it kingdom currency. What is kingdom currency? Kingdom currency in my thinking is wealth and assets on this earth that will transfer into the next kingdom, which is eternity."

Watch the full episode on YouTube or continue to stream audio on your favorite podcast platform.

Have you ever noticed how unhurried Jesus seems to be in the gospels? He always shows up for the people who need him, but he never seems to panic or rush to get there. 

Entrepreneurs can sometimes do the opposite. Even the words we use imply hurry: we sprint. We hustle. We flow. These aren’t inherently bad things, but they can have negative effects on us if they go unchecked. 

That’s what happened with today’s guest: Terry Looper. Terry is the Founder and CEO of Texon LP, an energy company with over $6 billion in revenue. He’s also the author of the book, A Sacred Pace which tells the story of how his unchecked ambition led to burnout and how he redirected his life by slowing down and aligning himself with God’s will. 

He joins the show to talk about his book A Sacred Pace, share how entrepreneurs can create better boundaries around their time, and give us a 4-step process we can use to hear from God.  

Make sure to follow the show for more great content from global leaders and give us a rating if you enjoyed the content.

We’ve never had someone on the show be compared to a Tom Cruise character before until today. 

Molly Fletcher is a leadership coach and former sports agent who CNN once called “the female Jerry Maguire” for her work representing hall of famers and champions. 

These days she focuses on empowering leaders to unlock their full potential, and she joins us to talk about overcoming barriers, developing drive, and centering our identity on something bigger than our output. 

Don’t forget to rate and follow the show on your favorite podcast streaming service.

Seeing captives set free and walking the last mile of restoration through sustainable employment. That is what motivates Taylor Blom, as the Co-Founder and CRO at Next Door Photos. As a rapidly growing real estate photography company, Next Door Photos partners with impact-driven entrepreneurs to create businesses that serve realtors locally, while redeeming global supply chains. Taylor shares about running a business that’s built to bring freedom to people’s lives.

What motivates you as an entrepreneur? When was the last time you even asked yourself that question?

It’s easy to get caught up in all the building, growing, advancing, and disrupting that you forgot why you’re leading in the first place.

This talk from Patrick Lencioni will help you reconnect with your why so you can avoid the pitfalls that stifle your organization. He originally presented the content at the 2022 Faith Driven Entrepreneur Conference, and we’re excited to share it with you here.

How does a pediatric physician become an entrepreneur?

It’s not a common path, but it’s the journey God has given Dr. Mark Piehl. While he continues to work in hospital ICUs, Dr. Piehl also founded 410 Medical after losing a patient. 

Dr. Piehl was sparked by the tragedy and set out to use the skills and resources God had given him to serve patients by offering timely and effective care. Now, 410 Medical aims to save the lives of critically ill patients by developing innovative tools that assist healthcare providers by improving resuscitation.

He joins the show to talk about his unique entrepreneurial journey and to share how God can use our experiences–both good and bad–to create something incredible that serves others. 

If you enjoy this episode, leave us a rating or share the episode with your friends, and be sure to follow the show for new episodes every week.

We’ve covered many topics since we started this podcast, but we haven’t ever had an episode dedicated to intellectual property.

Until now.

Today’s guest, JiNan Glasgow George, is an inventor, entrepreneur, patent attorney, and an author. She also happens to be a world-renowned expert on intellectual property with a history of advising startups and entrepreneurs on the subject.

She joins Henry and Rusty for a lively discussion about who owns ideas, the ethics of patent trolling, and the role entrepreneurs play in transforming ideas to assets that multiply their businesses. 

----

Like this episode?

Give us a rating, share the show with your network, and follow along for more great content every week.

Steve Cuss is one of the leading voices on anxiety and leadership in the U.S. His platform Capable Life is growing, while his book “Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs” has become a go-to resource for managers of capital in volatile markets and any leader who struggles with anxiety. 

His professional journey began as a trauma and hospice chaplain, where he quickly learned that in order to help people in the worst moments of life, he had to know what was bubbling under the surface in himself: his fears, assumptions, exhaustion, and anger. If he didn’t, those things would infect his ability to connect with people when they needed it the most. 

The counterintuitive life lesson: to deeply connect to God and others, we must connect to ourselves first. Steve joins us today to discuss how entrepreneurs can go from being managed by anxiety to managing their anxiety in health and productive ways.

Remember to rate and follow the show for more great content from leaders across the Faith Driven Entrepreneur movement.