I can’t promise you much, but I can promise you today’s newsletter will be better than Nolan’s Odyssey. Just kidding, I actually liked it. I can, however, promise you this is a lot shorter and won’t blow out your eardrums.

Welcome back to Saintly CEO: the Tuesday morning newsletter for business owners whose first objective is to become a saint.

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• Updates: My First big Speech

• Feature Content: What Humility Really Means

• Heavenly Hustlers: Spotify for Patents?

• Highlights: What CF and Sam Adams have in Common

[read time: ~8.5 min | word count 1,898]

News / Updates / Events:

• Nashville Catholic Founders, we have a meetup tonight. 🤝 If you’re coming and haven’t signed up yet, register here.

• If you’re interested, here is the recording of the talk I gave at Catholic University of America last month. I had to tell a room full of Catholic biz school professors what they need to teach the leaders of tomorrow.

• Learn how entrepreneurship in mission territories helps Catholics fight poverty and elevate communities toward holiness and prayer through our latest podcast episode with Eamonn Clark. 🎧

• Catholic Founders in NYC had an amazing celebration last weekend. 🎉

• Check out all of our in-person events on our Luma page. Or start your own meetup; we’ll be happy to coordinate with you. Email us at admin@catholicfounders.com.

Pursue Glory. Humility Requires it of You. Let me Explain.

Humility is the basis of all virtues. A priest once illustrated this to me using the Crucifix. He said (I’m paraphrasing) the heart of Jesus — the center of the crucifix — is Charity. But holding all that up, is the cross itself — firmly planted in the ground. Without that firm root, the cross can never stand, and charity cannot be displayed.

This is an important reminder for us as Catholic builders.

We are, in many ways, living in the heart of the world. It’s the domain where we must allow our charity to shine to all those we encounter. However, as stated previously, we cannot do this if we are not firmly rooted in humility.

Now, there is something interesting about humility. I recently read 1 Peter 5:5-6, and one line really stood out to me. Here’s the passage.

“In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for

‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ [quoting from proverbs]

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.”

Perhaps this is an indictment of where the attention of my heart lies, but that last phrase stood out.

It just seems interesting to me that Peter tells us to humble ourselves, so that God may exalt us in due time.

Does that mean we are actually in fact meant to be exalted… eventually?

While I do not feel that I have in any way ‘figured out’ this passage, I have been thinking about it for a couple days, and here is what I think it means (I remain highly open to suggestions though).

We know that God desires our exaltation in heaven. This is not really glorification of us as much as it is a glorification of God through his perfected creation. But beyond heaven, I take this to mean something similar.

In this life, we can become exalted… in order to give glory to God. We can attract the praise and glory of men, but then choose to redirect that energy towards its rightful end: God.

And I believe that God is pleased by this.

His creation, using the talents and skills he has bestowed on us to do good, to imitate his goodness on earth, and ultimately to send the praise for those works up to him. Hopefully drawing more people in towards him, so that they may know his heart.

Consider the story of a musician. He’s given a talent. He decides to practice and lean into that talent. He knows it comes from God, so as he grows in popularity, he always directs that praise he’s receiving up towards God. He can only do this authentically if he actually believes that the gift is from God. When others see this authentic praise of God, they are drawn to consider it more deeply, hopefully one day, coming to know God.

The key part of this is that there is an active participation. We do put in the work. This ‘work’ is really just cooperation with the things he’s given us. The raw talent is shaped by his graces. But it requires us pursuing him.

Going back to the musician. He had the interest, the basic skill, and the resources to know about his love of music. But he had to cultivate it into a real skill. To the point where he could even be capable of receiving praise from men. If he hadn’t cultivated the gift, there would be no attention for him to redirect towards God.

We started this conversation around humility, and this is where I’m trying to get. If we are humble, we can truly recognize the gifts God has given us. Once we have done that, we must also recognize that it would be wrong, lacking gratitude, and plain sad for us not to put those gifts to the best possible use.

For goodness sake. He created us, gave us gifts, and how often do we just bury those in the sand? What if the musician just let his gift fall to ruin, or worse, what if he never cultivated it at all?

Doing this, putting these gifts to work, honing them, perfecting them, and using them to serve those around us, will undoubtedly lead to us getting attention. In a way, you could say it would lead to our ‘exaltation,’ at least in the world’s eyes.

Does this mean we should not do these things? No. Obviously not based on the reasoning we’ve followed so far.

It doesn’t mean we should not do these things; it just means that we should direct all that praise to God, where it belongs.

Again, we cannot set out in pursuit of exaltation, for to do so would be a failure to recognize the gifts are from God.

We should, however, set out to exalt God. To glorify him for the gifts he’s given us, and the things he’s done for us.

Exaltation is going to be the outcome as a byproduct… but not exaltation of ourselves. Exaltation of the Most High, King and Lord of All — God; the Creator.

So, I’m asking you, in humility, to recognize where your gifts come from, and pursue glory — glory for God. He desires that you put those gifts to work. It pleases him.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 🚰 Kory Koralewski is the founder of Denver-based Optimum Field Service Solutions, a company providing specialized management software for the irrigation industry that integrates scheduling, inventory, and CRM tools for dealerships.

• 💰 Chris Da Silva is based in Armadale, Australia, and is building ‘Financial Discipleship,’ a project offering digital resources and coaching to integrate faith with personal finance. The project aims to provide financial education to institutions, including schools and their staff.

• 🪪 Art Nutter, based in Colorado Springs, leads Patent Books, a platform that helps independent inventors secure licensing compensation from major tech companies through centralized industry patent pools.

• 🚜 Michael Thomas of the Catholic Land Movement, based in Cooperstown, New York, leads an international mission to resettle Catholics onto productive, agrarian property. They promote distributist economic principles and foster community-led sustainable agricultural enterprises for Catholic families.

• 📈 Christian Esqueda operates Krux Marketing and Philanthropy based in Texas, an agency that assists Catholic organizations with advancement and fundraising. He is also piloting a SaaS product called Micro Give to help streamline donations for Catholic nonprofits.

• 🙏 Carlos Espinoza Banegas is the Founder of the PleasePray App. Through this, his goal is to create innovative faith-based solutions to connect communities.

• 🧮 Tim Thackston leads and operated a family owned accounting firm serving small businesses. He is based in Westminster, Maryland.

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Highlights: A Key Part of Sam Adams’ Success in the Revolution

A group I’m part of recently read about Samuel Adams and how he is arguably the most critical man in creating the circumstances for the American Revolution.

Without getting super far into it, there is one thing that stood out to me. And that is the network that he built called the Committees of Correspondence. The name sounds innocuous, but in reality it was a form of shadow government before the union was finalized.

Hearing about this got me thinking a lot about what we are doing with Catholic Founders. The local meetups, discussing the ideas of Catholic entrepreneurship. Our WhatsApp chat, stitching these local communities together. And a shared goal: to Make Our Country Catholic.

We all need to do our part in growing these networks and fostering true community among ourselves.

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Happy Tuesday, folks!

Welcome back to Saintly CEO: the Tuesday morning newsletter for business owners whose first objective is to become a saint.

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Updates/Events: We interviewed Tim Busch!

• Feature Content: Faith = Catalyst (aka: action!)

• Heavenly Hustlers

• Highlights

[read time: ~7 min | word count 1, 437]

News / Updates / Events:

• We just dropped our biggest interview yet — Tim Busch. Please check it out and give it some love. Like, comment, share around with friends. Tim’s story is really good, and he gave a lot of incredible wisdom and insights.
  

• Attention Charlotte, NC! We have a meetup happening this Thursday. Register here.

• We also have NYC this Saturday AND Wausau, WI. As well as Nashville next week.

• Check out all of our in-person events on our Luma page.

With Faith, Your Life Should Look Like an Action Movie

This past Sunday we heard the parable of the Wheat and the Darnel (weeds). Also included in the readings was the woman who mixed the leaven in as well as the tiny mustard seed growing into a great tree (where birds can dwell within).

Seed. Leaven. Growth.

The scene this paints is one of motion.

Growth... Rising… The wheat that grows to maturity. Bread rising. Mustard seed becoming a tree (and a sturdy one at that).

It’s impossible to ignore the motion.

And what is the subject of all these? Faith.

Faith. Motion. Faith = catalyst.

We know (because Jesus tells us) that the seed is the word of God. Once received, what follows immediately is growth and motion. It becomes an action scene.

The growth doesn’t take place on its own, though. It requires external factors. Sunshine, water, nutrients. Wheat, oven, heat. The external factors are God’s grace that He supplies to us (in abundance).

Growth is evidence of true faith. Actually making use of the graces God sends.

Look at your own life; do you see that type of growth? Do you feel the motion? Are you accepting the gifts of water, sunshine, and nutrients God provides?

If not… might I suggest you avail yourself of more of those graces. Maybe you don’t have faith in the first place? If this is the case, you know where to start… the (divine) word.

Okay, I’ve yapped on about the lesson and how it’s evidence of our own lives. Are we a growing, living thing — or are we a stagnant, dying thing?

But the key thing I actually want to draw out here is agency. Agency — “you can just do things” — is about taking actions. However… rather than being ‘the hero’ and saving the day, when we take action, we are simply cooperating with God’s grace.

Our action… our agency, is primarily a mental consent/assent where we choose to accept God’s graces into our lives.

• Getting on our knees to pray

• Frequent Mass & confession

• Welcoming Him in mentally

• Going to adoration

All of these things are there, but we still need to avail ourselves of them. Even if the only thing you can manage is a small prayer before work every day. That’s still something.

Practicing saying yes to those small things here and there will build up the grace. Heaping it up into your soul. Filling and filling. Until if flows over. Spilling out into the world around. Only to continue growing and flowing. One day the souls of others around will also have their cups overflowing further. The fragrance sweet, the sight wonderful. God’s grace — enough of it for everyone.

The wheat and the darnel will grow side by side to the end of time (the harvest). Will our roots be firm enough to withstand the culling of the darnel? Will our faith be mature enough that the workers could never mistake us for darnel?

Did we take agency and make use of the graces God prepared for us?

You’re an entrepreneur. I know you have agency in generous supply.

There is no excuse.

Finally, consider where God will lead you and what a beautiful, sturdy tree you can grow into if you receive these graces. If your faith leads to constant growth, how much good can you do for those around you? A branch for the birds. Shade for the traveler. Fruit for the hungry.

My prayer for you is that you allow that tiny seed to become an action scene so that you may grow into a sturdy tree — large and magnificent — firmly standing because you’re rooted in God.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 🎬 John-Andrew O’Rourke is the president of Blackstone Films. Based out of the Denver area. They have produced a lot of really incredible films.

• 🎞️ Manny Marquez is the President of Remuda Pictures. He is a Tulsa-based documentary filmmaker specializing in storytelling within the Catholic and veteran sectors. He focuses on projects that aim to glorify God while supporting his family.

• 🐑 Brendan Murphy leads Leave the 99, a Florida-based non-profit organization focused on Catholic evangelization for young people through media productions, university campus chapters, and creative retreat programs.

• ⛑️ Erin Ford runs an independent health insurance business based in Frisco, Texas, specializing in customized PPO plans for individuals, families, and small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. She serves as an external HR resource, helping clients navigate insurance options while providing affordable, high-quality coverage solutions.

• 🙏 Br. Michael Seethaler is the founder of the Society of Ostians based in Beaumont, Texas (currently), a religious order that blends contemplative prayer with specialized evangelization to meet modern leadership needs. The group takes on projects focusing on internal community development and external ministry to the unchurched.

• 🏦 Louis Mayor is a financial professional at Rethink Wealth based in Houston, Texas, dedicated to serving Catholic families and professionals through stewardship-based financial planning.

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Highlights: Ice Cream in Dallas

Last week, our very own guild member, Christina Rossini, hosted a Catholic Founders meetup in Dallas at Howdy Homemade Ice Cream. Jeff Schiefelbein came and spoke about their venture. Then some discussion around Catholic Social teaching also ensued.

Don’t miss next month’s Dallas meetup (they have another amazing speaker lined up). And if you’d like to start hosting a meetup on a regular basis - or just simply one-off- reach out to us, and we’ll help you arrange it. Admin@CatholicFounders.com

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Happy Tuesday, folks! I hope your summer is going swimmingly well. Please pray that our AC unit gets fixed soon - if we don’t, we might have to go swimming as well.

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. Every Monday Tuesday, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

Each week you’ll find…

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events: NYC, Nashville, Dallas (feat. Jeff Schiefelbein)

• Feature Content: Creating Fertile Soil

• Heavenly Hustlers x 6

• Highlights: Time for Friends + Wild at Heart

[read time: ~11 min | word count 2,391]

News / Updates

• NYC friends, we have a meetup this 25th of July to celebrate the 250th year of America. 🦅 RSVP here.

• Catholic Founders in Dallas are meeting up at Howdy Homemade Ice Cream on the 18th; even more exciting, Jeff Schiefelbein will be there to share about scaling this social enterprise ice cream brand across the country (you might recall Jeff came on the podcast a while back).

• ICYM the Magnifica Humanitas discussion in Nashville last June; we’re doing another one this 28th.

• We are covering exciting themes for the Topic and Expert Call for this month. Investments Outside the Stock Market and an AI Automation Live Workshop. 🫣 Join the Guild for access (upgrade to a paid subscription here on Substack).

Can Founders Turn Rocky Soil into Good Soil?

Last Sunday we heard the parable of the sower and how each of the seeds turned out depending on the soil they landed on. This got me thinking about the soil itself. What if we as business owners can actually cultivate the ground to make it into good soil, so that when the seed (the word of God) lands, it takes deep root and leads to a bountiful harvest?

Let’s dive in!

Even if you don’t go any further on this piece, I think you get the point, but hopefully you’ll stay with me and let this idea germinate in your mind (and heart) for a bit!

A while back we had Flip Howard on the show to discuss how the space you work in dictates (or at least aids) how well you work. This is a known fact. Your surroundings — your environment — shape you in many ways.

Think about a workplace, about your company’s workplace. How could you craft the work environment (physical or digital) to turn rocky, thorny, or shallow soil into fertile, nutrient-rich soil?

Can we pick the rocks, eradicate the thorns, or plough the pathway? How can we craft the environment to transform our employees’ hearts?

Let’s consider a few ways we can do this.

Let’s look at things through the lens of each ‘issue’ or ‘reason’ why the seed didn’t bear fruit.

The Path: Birds Snatched It

The seed that fell on the path was snatched before the seed could take root. I’m no expert, but this makes me think that there is something to consider about how exposed the seed was. Perhaps the seed was laid in broad daylight, in a public setting, with many people around. Maybe someone retorted just right, or the sower was too harsh in his sharing. Perhaps we need more intimate settings in order for the seed not to be snatched away. To give the seed time to take root.

What comes to mind is the overall ‘vibe’ of the environment you work in. Is it one of peace, quiet, and silence? Where there are no birds chirping away, stealing the seed.

The Rocks: No Roots

As for the seed on rocks, it was received with joy, but was unable to take root. There were rocks in the way of the roots. One might see this as some sort of large obstacle that gets in the way as the root is growing. Perhaps an attachment to sin or the things of the world.

When I hear this, it reminds me of stories my dad would tell of his childhood, how they would pick rocks for hundreds of hours to make the fields better. It feels like a lot of effort is required. To go deep with precise tools and dislodge the obstacles. Perhaps not something we are always called to do with our team, but perhaps the peace and silence of our workplace will allow for the discovery of those large obstacles, for further action to be taken.

The Thorns: Choked by Cares of The World

With the thorns, I wonder if this is the most common. The seed took root, and grew, but bore no fruit. As the scripture says, “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.” (Matt. 13:22).

This feels like the challenge of our age. Maybe we know the word (perhaps intimately), but we are too taken by the desire for wealth, or knowledge of the world — sports, politics, technology, news.

What example are we giving in our companies? Are we setting the tone in a good way? Or is our desire for higher profits and more revenue telling our team exactly what matters most to us?

If you’ll bear with me a while longer, let’s consider some of the tangible things we can do to try and solve these three issues, to make way for good soil.

Watch Your Language

Do you personally use curse words, tell dirty jokes, complain, gossip… Yeah! The list of things we can do with our words is pretty long — this is a tough one for many (myself especially).

Once you’re watching your own language, then you can uphold the environment of your team. Don’t tolerate vulgar language on calls, in the office, the sales floor, and even the shop floor.

Spend Your Time Well

What do you spend your lunch time, weekend time, and free time in general doing and talking about? Are you discussing uplifting things? Are you doing uplifting things? Is that time spent in vice or in virtue?

What we discuss in this idle time is critical, especially in the workplace. For those who work in a more physical environment type of situation, there is a lot of time to talk while you work. Are you helping elevate or inspire your employees during that time?

It’s also worth noting, when you observe your normal discussion in these times, that tells you about your own heart and where it’s focused.

Do you speak, or perhaps dream of buying a yacht, living a worry-free life on the beach while others work? Or do you dream about helping your parents get out of debt, building a school, or perhaps funding a cultural project?

Spend your time well with your team as this is one of the KEY LEVERS to bringing them closer to God. Getting their focus off of the cares of the world and the pursuit of wealth. Helping them unearth those stones preventing the root. And keeping them in a quiet place where the birds won’t snatch away the seed.

Craft Your Physical Space

Do you have a crucifix up? Do you keep the space clean? Do you allow clutter? Do you ensure the outside of your building is tidy and fresh? Perhaps more importantly, do you show your team by your actions that the physical space matters? Reverencing it with meticulous care. Using that half-used paper towel to wipe a little extra dust before you toss it. Keeping the papers orderly on the desk.

If you know me well, you might be shouting “Hypocrite” through your screen because my desk is notoriously… a disaster. For now I’m going with the excuse that I have ADHD, but if someone calls me out, I’ll gladly start sending you a picture of it each day to confirm.

If you work remotely, consider having something in your background that acts as a little statement of faith. Something that puts a stake in the ground proudly proclaiming what you stand for. That little Easter egg might be the thing needed to help an employee know they can come to you with tough questions in their personal life, or perhaps even questions about faith.

Time For Prayer

If your faith is important to you, you’ll need to make time for prayer. As the boss, that can be visible — might I say, it should be visible. Don’t do it for vanity to show how holy you are. Try things like taking the lunch break to go to daily Mass, stopping to say the Angelus (use the Project Angelus extension to help you remember), saying your meal prayer before you eat, keep a prayer card as a bookmark. Pray when a special occasion arises — the passing of an ambulance, a passerby in distress, news of someone with a serious illness.

Give company holidays on important feast days and holy days of obligation.

Show them that faith comes before profit for you.

Remember, as you do any of these things, do them with proper intention. Because even when you don’t know the exact method or technique, having the right intention will get you there eventually. Plus, people usually notice intention. Something about it sticks out to those around us.

Start with that intention today; take a moment to speak your prayer to God — Lord, help me to create a work environment that transforms the hearts of those I encounter, but especially my employees, so that their hearts may be like fertile soil, that they may bear abundant fruit and one day see you for eternity in heaven. Amen.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 🤖 Rafael Labuto, a Brazil-based entrepreneur, is a co-founder of Signalyze AI, a startup that leverages AI agents and massive data signals to optimize lead generation across diverse industries. He is committed to integrating his faith into his professional journey and developing human-centered business solutions.

• 🤝 Martin Arlinghaus leads a prison ministry initiative based in Cincinnati, Ohio, which utilizes a Benedictine monastic model and a for-profit hiring subsidiary to provide faith-based re-entry support for formerly incarcerated men. This organization focuses on structural solutions for prison ministry and the development of monastic-style environments for societal renewal.

• 💰 Matt Johns, based in Fulshear, Texas, leads Honeyhive Capital and Christian Alts, focusing on the private equity vertical and empowering Christian investors through curated alternative market education and strategic capital placement.

• 💻 Joey Di Nardo is an independent AI consultant and developer based in the USA, specializing in creating high-quality, Catholic-aligned MVP software and educational content. He focuses on projects that bridge the gap between AI technology and Catholic values.

• 🏎️ Spencer Steeves is a virtual design and construction professional based in the Northwest Chicago suburbs, Illinois, who operates Redline Motorsports Racing, a startup NASCAR marketing agency focused on sponsorship acquisition and race-day hospitality.

• 🦸🏽‍♀️⚕️Airriaunté Mercer is launching Auden Holistic, a Dallas-based initiative providing cohort programs focused on comprehensive women’s health integration. Her work is focused on women who feel stuck, overwhelmed, and for those who want to pursue deeper healing holistically.

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Highlights: Time For Friends + Wild at Heart

• I got to hang out with Henry Kemme last weekend. He came to visit me. This is your reminder to make time for visitors and encourage them. While I have a lot going on, we can always make time for ‘wasting time’ together with our friends. As Pope Leo has recently encouraged us to do. Not every minute has to be perfectly calendared and spent growing your business.

• I’ve been reading Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge, and I have to say, this book is powerful. It’s especially meant for men, but I think the ladies would get a lot out of reading it - perhaps to help your men become better men!

Here is a huge list of various resources that we have complied overtime: The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

Hey folks! Gonna have to keep this short today since I’m writing this after watching the USA forget how to play soccer entirely against Belgium. What a sad night for the US.

Please NOTE! I am going to move these posts to Tuesdays going forward. Mainly because I would often end up writing them or finishing them on Sunday nights, and I realized I need to be honest with myself that it’s not honoring the Lord’s Day. I used to say because it’s Catholic Founders stuff it doesn’t really count, but I need to stop that.

This way I can actually enjoy a restful Sunday without the looming pressure of a Monday morning newsletter. Same content though!

Each week you’ll find…

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events

• Feature Content: On Generosity in Business

• Heavenly Hustlers

[read time: 5 min | word count 1,196]

News / Updates

• 🎆Happy 250th Birthday, USA! I released a special ‘sermon’ to Catholic Business Owners' on how we can keep building the next 250 years of our country.

• 🇺🇸If you’re a paid member, we published the recording from last week’s topic call on How to Make America Catholic. Access it here.

• 👕We’re brewing some Catholic Founders merch this quarter. Watch out!

• We are now available on Amazon Music and Audible. Please make sure to follow us on your favorite podcast app! 🎧

On Generosity in Business

Hey folks! As mentioned above, I’m going to keep this very brief. Partially because I’m sad the US lost and want to go sulk. But mostly because I should have written this a lot sooner and it’s already past 10 as I’m writing this.

Generosity is one of the most important virtues that we can cultivate, especially as entrepreneurs.

God is infinitely generous to us. Creating us in the first place is a supreme act of generosity. We now exist, and by existing have the opportunity to spend eternity in the beatific vision — seeing God face to face.

On top of that, He provides us with literally everything. The earth, family, food, clothing, etc. He cares for us. Not just once or twice a month. Every moment of every day.

If He stopped thinking about us, we’d cease to exist. And no one would remember us.

As entrepreneurs, He is extra generous towards us. Giving us the grace and skill to be someone who builds something. Someone who gets to participate in His care and cultivation of creation in a special way that non-entrepreneurs don’t.

Through us, He provides gainful employment. Inventions. Provisions for families. Excess capital to build churches and schools. The power and influence to affect change around us. The care of the less fortunate. The creation of goods for the benefit of others.

He has made us his stewards and set us over many cities.

How generous our God is!

And what are we to do? Give back. Be generous towards others. Offer employment. Give freely. Pay generous wages. Benefit our community. Take care of the poor. Put our time and influence to good use.

Pope Leo XIV often quotes Saint Augustine: “If you gave a pound of coppers and received a pound of silver, or a pound of silver and received one of gold, you would be delighted at your luck. What you give will certainly be transformed; it isn’t gold, it isn’t silver, but eternal life that will come your way” (Sermon 390, 2, PL 39, 1706). And he explains why: “It will be transformed, because you yourself will be transformed”.

We must answer to the call to generosity and take part in the sharing of our gifts.

With boldness and faith, we must be generous like God Our Father in Heaven is generous. For without generosity there is no vocation. A vocation is only begun when someone accepts the invite and gives themselves to its pursuit.

First slowly, then a bit more, and a bit more. Then suddenly, we look back, and we’ve given ourselves fully. We hardly noticed because it became so fulfilling. Leaning into God’s calling. Embracing it like a long-lost friend. Time seems to slow — or speed up, perhaps because we don’t know where it goes. We’re lost in the moment. Loving what’s in front of us. Fully present. A gift to the other.

Lord, grant us the grace to desire You above all things in life. Each day, Lord, grant that I may love You more and more. Make me like You… generous beyond measure.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• ☢️ Russell Goff is a nuclear engineer and recruiter based in Iowa who operates a specialized firm dedicated to placing experts within the nuclear industry. His firm, Nuclear Talent Scout, focuses on high-quality direct placement, ensuring candidates possess significant industry experience and competence.

• 🫂 Irene Kraegel, a licensed psychologist based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She operates Dwell Psychological Services, a private therapy practice focusing on anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and faith-integrated care.

• 💳 Pietro Rea is the Co-Founder and CTO of Meadow, a Virginia-based company at the intersection of education technology and financial technology that serves nearly 400 universities. They build platforms that help students understand college costs and facilitate tuition payments.

• 📚 Michael Caffrey leads Storyteller.ai, a San Francisco-based company providing AI-powered editing and production tools for independent creators making high-quality films and series. The company focuses on supporting the evolution of modern content creation.

• 💪🏻 Keoni Sablan and John Sablan lead the Serviam Institute, a coaching firm dedicated to helping men develop virtue and habits through Thomistic psychology. The team focuses on providing 12-week coaching programs to support men in their spiritual and personal development. John is also the founder and president of World Ablaze Incorporated, an apostolate focused on evangelization and discipleship within the Catholic community.

• 👨‍💻 Joseph Markey is a Newport, Rhode Island-based senior financial executive who is currently focused on his Faith and Leadership platform. He creates case studies analyzing secular entrepreneurs to bridge the gap between business success and Christian values.

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Hey folks! Hope you read this one even tho this week is the big 250 for America! If I had the ability, I’d be taking the whole week off, honestly. For those of you reading, we have something special today, specifically for America 250.

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. Every Monday, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

Each week you’ll find…

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events

• Feature Content: Your Role in the Next 250 Years

• Heavenly Hustlers: 5 This Week!

• Highlights: CF Events

[read time: ~9 min | word count 1, 907]

News / Updates

• 🌐 Catholic Founders Now Has a Website. Want to actually understand what this community is about? We built it out — see it here.

  https://join.catholicfounders.com/

• 📅 Upcoming Calls (Guild Members Only) - Join the Guild!

  • July 1st: Topic Call — How to Make America Catholic 🇺🇸🇻🇦 — very excited for this.

  • July 28th: Expert Call — AI & Automation for business owners. How to use it right without losing your soul AND your team

• 🤠 Join the Dallas Recurring Meetups. Next one is on July 18th.

On America 250: Our Role to Play as Catholic Business Owners

This week is the 250th birthday of America! 🇺🇸 Just think about that. You and me get to be alive to see America turn 250 years old. Many of us will be around to see her turn 300. Well… maybe. Assuming we do our part to keep this experiment going.

As we celebrate 250 years of our country, it’s good to look at our accomplishments and the good we stand for. Taking time to recognize those things has the benefit of making us aware that they are good.

But here’s the thing. Good things don’t stay good. We need to maintain them. Positive force must be exerted to avoid atrophy. As the saying goes, if you’re not growing, you’re dying. This is certainly true of a country.

Atrophy is Winning

Unfortunately, atrophy has been winning in a lot of ways in our lifetime. America has a lot of problems. All of which could be solved by filling the God-shaped hole with… God.

Declining birth rates, increased suicide rates. Fewer marriages, more depravity. Lack of faith, over consumption.

On top of all this, we have AI ushering a huge wave of uncertainty. It’s not to say it’s all bad or good, just the uncertainty is really visceral.

Maybe this decay is here because our parents and grandparents stood idle as it happened. Blaming boomers is a favorite pastime of Gen Z, but maybe some of this decay is actually because of our own inaction?

So, how do we fix the situation? How do we ensure this country lasts another 250 years?

Most of the time, people look to someone else to solve their problems. Or rather, in the modern era, that’s what happens. The type of people who built America and held the line on her values are the type of people who didn’t look for a hero. They were the heroes.

Not one person here and there, but many people choosing to stand up for what’s right.

If we want to reverse the decay, each of us needs to do our role. We all need to be the heroes of our time.

The place to start is the family.

Society is made up of families. Period. The family is the base unit of civilization. If the family unit fails, the country fails. It’s that simple. If we want society to flourish, our guiding light must be doing what it takes to ensure traditional families can flourish.

Deep down, even the most misled people have a transcendental desire for truth, goodness, beauty, and unity. Meaning, when they see a beautiful family, living out the true calling of marriage, unified for good, they will be drawn to it.

This is the armor-piercing weapon that we have at our disposal. And we, as business owners, can make more of these armor-piercing weapons by enabling the creation and flourishing of those transcendental families. First by example in our own lives, and then by creating work environments where family is always first.

This is the core challenge of our time, and it’s no accident that you were born for this fight, in America specifically.

You were not born during the American Revolution or the Civil War. God didn’t have you born in Nigeria or Ecuador. He explicitly chose to put you here, in this exact geography, at this precise, chaotic moment in history.

On top of that, he gave you the skills to be an entrepreneur. As well as the ability to fight against the decay. You can enable family flourishing for your own family and the families who work for you.

You were put here for this exact role. Lean into it. God brought you to this society to lead. We aren’t running businesses to get rich. We are fighting to prevent the atrophy of civilization itself.

Building a Civilization of Love

A secular worldview is what got us here. Therefore, the only way to counter this is with a spiritual lens. The same spiritual lens that upholds humans over technology and families over profit.

Here’s how we do it.

• Put family first. Yours first because you set the example. Then your employees will do the same. Back up that behavior with pro-family policies. Employee has a baseball game, go. Work will be there when you get back; that moment won’t.

• Uphold Christian virtue. Even if your employees are not all Christians, pray throughout the day and don’t tolerate vulgar behavior in your workplace.

• Take political action. Give time off on voting day. Use your business to host pro-family candidates. Fund campaigns. Run if necessary. Show up at city hall to protest anti-family policies.

• Pay a living wage. Make a family-first life possible by paying a wage that covers your employee’s family needs. This is likely not ‘market rate.’

• Pray. Take your kids to daily mass, and encourage your employees to do the same. Pray together as a family. Putting God at the center of your life will bear fruit.

• Culture build. Host block parties for the neighborhood on public holidays to encourage national pride. Welcome families to company events. Have a picnic for your friends, employees, and all their families.

• Spend well. Ensure your money is spent with pro-family companies. With your extra profit, fund the local parish, schools, and pregnancy resource centers. Or build a new one if needed.

• Ensure product alignment. Do your products benefit families or hurt them in any way? You know the right thing to do, because you have your own family.

• Benefit the community. Reinvest in the community. Make your space beautiful. Hire locally when you can. Source locally. Support local projects. Volunteer.

We have a calling. Let’s be an example to the secular companies that no longer have a moral compass. All they have is ‘maximize shareholder value.’

If we want to save the country, we first need to save the family. We do this on the absolute smallest level possible first, our own, and those on our payroll.

If you love this experiment called America, resolve today to rise to the occasion, to use your business to uphold the family as the basis of society. Then determine what it is you must do in order to live that out. This is how we ensure America lasts another 250 years.

Here’s to America! May the next 250 years be better than the first!

~Silas Mähner

Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 🏦 Matthew Gaddis leads Tridfi, a company based near Cincinnati, Ohio, that provides banking consultancy services to optimize financial operations for small businesses. The firm also utilizes residual income to fund a charitable program that assists families with mortgage grants.

• 💻 Garren DiPasquale leads Artifact, a company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that empowers non-technical domain experts to build and maintain internal software tools using intent documents rather than traditional code. This approach bridges the translation gap between business strategy and development to facilitate stable production.

• 📨 Adam Minihan is the founder of M6 Marketing, a Tulsa-based digital agency providing high-level email, paid advertising, and consulting services to scaling entrepreneurs. His team helps many biz types (including e-commerce, service firms, and real estate investors) optimize their marketing strategies for growth.

• 🫂 Luke Johanni operates a private mental health practice in Southern Maryland that integrates Christian virtue into clinical therapy for men and couples. He is also building a professional hub to connect vetted Catholic therapists with those in need of faith-integrated care.

• 🤝 Andrew Whiskeyman is the founder and CEO of Quo Vadis LLC. A firm that does human-centric tech-savvy strategy work (exactly what we need more of). If you were like me and think with a last name like that, he might be in the wrong line of work; I’m sure you wouldn’t be the only one.

🙋‍♂️ Nominate a Heavenly Hustler (including yourself) - It takes 1 min.

Thank you to Catholic Owned for helping us find some of these folks each week. Get listed today!

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Highlights: Catholic Founders Meetups

• Meetups Are Happening In Different Cities.

  Wisconsin just wrapped (happens monthly). Houston, D.C., NYC, and Dallas before that. More coming. Subscribe to our Luma to stay in the loop on where we’re showing up next.

• If you’re interested in leading one in your local city, shoot us a message at admin@catholicfounders.com (we make it easy by creating the invite, helping craft the structure, and wrangling up attendees).

Here is a huge list of various resources that we have complied overtime: The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

Hey Folks, today we’ve got a bit longer post where we are actually riffing on the key ideas discussed on our recent podcast with Juan Dominguez. The man behind the Simple Man blog (now Ad Aeternum).

It was a great episode that we thought deserved more reflection.

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events: Amazing time in D.C. last week and a meetup in Houston tonight.

• Feature Content: The 3 biggest Risks Modern Young Men Are Facing This Century

[read time: ~7 min | word count 1,472]

News / Updates

• 🗣️ I got invited to speak at a conference of biz school professors The Catholic University of America. It couldn’t have happened without the insights I’ve gained from all of you!

• 🤠 Tonight, we are going to have another meetup in Houston. Feel free to join us!

• 📆 We have other recurring events taking place in different areas. Subscribe to our events here.

• 🤖 You can have access to our AI bot trained on all our content once you join the guild .

There are a lot of young men out there who are very, very lonely

And desperately in need of guidance.

This has led to a concerning number of depressed men. A lot of purposelessness and a sadly high rate of suicides. In the US alone, suicide is the 2nd most common cause of death for men under the age of 45.

There are a ton of ideologies that have gained a foothold over the past couple of years that all have their roots in relativism and a selfish vision of the world.

Which we know ends up fueling this purposelessness.

I sat down with Juan Dominguez, who is actively fighting these trends. He is building a Catholic media project seeking to restore masculinity and Christian morality in the modern world, which desperately needs strong, virtuous men.

We talked about the #1 reason why men are turning their backs on God, and the 3 biggest risks modern men are facing in this century

Most Catholic men get far away from the Church because they experience some sort of hypocrisy in its local leaders.

We know that this is a misunderstanding. The goal is not to get closer to the people in the Church. The goal is always to grow closer to God, with the Church as the medium He left for us to do so.

BUT… for the people who are having their first encounters, WE are the Gospel.

The people in the Church are the Gospel.

So any signs of immorality are enough for young men to sign off.

He was not talking about claims against the Pope or the Church leaders, but the people around them who were in charge of their own Catholic formation.

In his own words:

“I’ve gotten into many conversations with atheist friends, and almost always the reason why they don’t want to go near the Church is that they saw some form of hypocrisy in the people who claim to be Catholic.

They’ll say something like, ‘I used to go to prayer groups and rosary groups, and I just saw that people leading them weren’t really good people. So I don’t want to have anything to do with them’”

This is one of the reasons why we as Catholic Founders, have a deep responsibility

Christ commands the apostles to be the light of the world and the salt of the world. He tells them explicitly, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” We are meant to be out there reflecting the light of Christ.

Not in a prideful way.

That’s the constant spiritual battle: not falling for the enemy’s lies and glorifying ourselves, but always pointing to Christ.

We are commanded to be out there.

In Juan’s own words:

“We have failed in presenting men with a strong, masculine image of what it means to be a devout Catholic.

If the average Catholic man were more masculine, disciplined, and strong in his virtues, I think more lost young men might be drawn to the faith. If the Church presented a more masculine alternative to the searching, disillusioned guy, he might actually be more open to trying the faith.

The problem is that, from what I have seen in myself and in many others, people do not see that in the Church. They do not see men they can admire.”

From there, we got into the 3 biggest threats driving modern young men toward hopelessness and purposelessness

And what can we do about it as Catholic Founders:

1. Negative figures are capitalizing on the attention of broken men

A young man who grew up without a father doesn’t know what a man looks like.

And what they find on the internet is very attractive, tbh. Loud, muscular, money, status, and a compelling “follow me” message.

Young men are drawn to figures like Andrew Tate because they are broken.

But we don’t think that draw is about how attractive they are, but more related to the burden they are carrying. Product of a fatherless wound and a culture that spent decades telling them masculinity was the problem.

“What they find are messages that are very selfish in nature. Messages that tell them they are entitled to that reaction, without the necessary balance that our faith provides. Without the balance of: even then, we are loved. Even then, we need to take an approach that is Christlike. Even then, we are not to cause unjust violence.”

A young man feels the fire of wanting to become something good.

But if the only example they have out there is toxic and selfish, that fire gets corrupted.

2. AI numbs our desire for relationships

This is where many people cross a line.

“In things that are relational, you cannot ask it for relationship advice. You cannot ask it for spiritual advice. It’s not qualified, because it’s not a thinking, living thing with a soul.

Where most people fail is that they end up chatting with AI as if it were a friend. As if it could give them advice. As if it knew them. If you’re using it as a tool, like Google, you’re probably safe. When you start crossing that line and developing a relationship with it, that becomes problematic.”

A man with no real community, no close friends, no one to bring his struggles to — who then finds something responsive and non-judgmental in an AI chatbot — is in a dangerous place.

It is a false substitute for what only another human being, and ultimately God, can give him.

Even the Pope recently warned us about this threat in the most recent Encyclical:

3. Young men experiencing layoffs

A man who built his identity around his job, who has no eternal perspective, who hasn’t developed his interior life or real skills that belong to him, will have very few resources if that job disappears.

“For the men who have not strengthened themselves in virtue, who do not always keep eternity in mind, and who do not rationally know that this life is not the end, it will be very difficult to climb out of the hole they find themselves in. As time goes on, it will become harder to find jobs, harder to make professional progress.

The realistic side of me says we will end up with more depressed men, more lonely men, more suicides, and more purposelessness.”

My hopeful side says something different.

I think men who can’t find their footing professionally might turn to the priesthood.

Maybe God uses this disruption to produce more vocations than we’ve seen in decades. I don’t know. Maybe I’m the only one who believes this.

But here is what I’m confident of for the men who are building now.

Human skills are becoming scarce. The man who can think rigorously, reason clearly, lead people, create things that are genuinely his, and build real relationships will be more valuable as AI becomes more capable.

So what do we actually do with all of this?

Juan’s answer was the same one I keep coming back to: become the man that other men can look up to. In every way. Virtuous men who build businesses, build families, build cathedrals. Men who are actually out there and actually visible.

And show ourselves that way.

Become industry leaders, opinion leaders, people young men can admire. Because if they don’t admire Catholic leaders, they will admire someone else who doesn’t carry the fire of Christ the way we do.

A priest told me something a while back that hasn’t left me.

He said we are judged primarily on how we respond to the challenges of our age. Not the challenges of past centuries. The ones right in front of us. And he said the two biggest challenges of this age are: 1. Faithfulness to Christ, and 2. Purity.

But he also told me: God did not put you in this time in history by accident. You have all the grace you need. Every resource, every skill, every opportunity to navigate this is at your fingertips.

Sanctity is waiting for us to accept it. Like a halo hanging from a low-hanging branch, waiting for us to recognize it and grab it.

The change has to start with us. We’ve been given the leadership role. If we act, the culture follows. If we build visibly, with virtue, with faith that is actually visible and not just private, then the men who are searching will have something to find.

That’s the fight we’re in.

And we’ve been given everything we need to win it.

Until next week, God Bless & Happy Building!

Silas Mähner

Hey Folks! Welcome back. We’re gonna keep this one as short as I can because I just got back from a long weekend in NYC, where we hosted a discussion on Magnifica Humanitas (we’re hosting another this Thursday in Nashville. Register if you’re around).

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. Every Monday, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events: Discussion on Magnifica Humanitas, this week in Nashville!

• Feature Content: Implementing Solidarity into your Business (Part 4 of 4)

• Heavenly Hustlers: 6 People Building for the Kingdom

[read time: ~7 min | word count 1,472]

News / Updates

• 🤠 This week in Nashville, I’m hosting a discussion on Magnifica Humanitas. We will walk through it in an open discussion format. Please join us.

  📆 We have other recurring events taking place in Houston, Dallas, Wausau, and NYC. Check out all our events here.

• 📣 ICYMI, we published a commentary podcast with Zak Slayback and Edmund Mitchell on Magnifica Humanitas.

• 🤖 Join the guild to access our AI bot trained on all our content.

Implementing Catholic Social Teaching: Part 4, Solidarity

Today, we are concluding our series on integrating Catholic Social Teaching with the fourth pillar: Solidarity. This is where our commitment to our neighbor becomes a firm and persevering determination.

Solidarity: The Teaching

Let’s start with a quote from The Church on Solidarity.

“The principle of solidarity, also articulated in terms of “friendship” or “social charity,” is a direct demand of human and Christian brotherhood.” CCC 1939

What it is, in simpler terms, is… the truth that we all have a responsibility towards our fellow man. Regardless of our differences, we are all brothers in the sense that we are all created children of God.

As a business owner, this means having a heart for your employees and customers. Especially if you end up generating wealth and become an outlier in society, you cannot forget your connection to help your brother.

Solidarity relates to many aspects of what it means to be someone’s brother, but principally, it refers to spiritual (the most important part) and economic/financial.

We are called to ‘share’ our faith and our goods with others so that they may have eternal life and that their needs on earth may be met. Here are two more quotes from the Catechism.

“Solidarity is manifested in the first place by the distribution of goods and remuneration for work.” — CCC 1940

“Solidarity is an eminently Christian virtue. It practices the sharing of spiritual goods even more than material ones.” — CCC 1948

The Why

The why of this is pretty simple; it just requires a bit of contemplation.

Each of our fellow humans is a brother to us because we are all created by Him in His image and likeness. If God created us, how could we hate any of our fellow man without also hating God?

Of course, you may not hate anyone actively, but do your actions show that you’re doing your part to share your faith and goods in order to help your fellow man? For those who are substantially less fortunate, do we help them out through offering employment and friendship? For those who do not know the faith, are we coming to know them so we can walk with them as they come closer and closer to God?

Now, let’s talk about the subtopics under Solidarity and how to implement them.

1. Human solidarity

This is the lived experience of being responsible for the people in your supply chain, your office, and your neighborhood. It shows up in the just distribution of goods and fair treatment.

How to implement: Respect your employees as humans — as neighbors. Do not overburden people with work. Allow ample time for rest. Do not see them as ‘costs to cut.’

2. Preferential option for the poor

This is the measure of whether justice is real in your business. It asks if your company is removing obstacles for the vulnerable to ensure they have access, stability, and opportunity. ie, Not only serving the rich because they can pay.

How to implement: You can do product discovery with poor communities. Or craft a particular offering that allows the poor to access your services. Dr. Daniel Tataje has his dentists and hygienists do a day for the poor each month, where people who cannot afford dentistry services get them for a heavily discounted rate.

3. Fair wage

A fair wage is a concrete way solidarity is made real. Pay and benefits should be evaluated against human dignity and family needs so that workers can live with stability and respect.

How to implement: This one is pretty straightforward. But it doesn’t mean paying ‘market rate’ wages. Because market rate wages may be insufficient for a family to meet their basic living needs. Consider adding other benefits, such as strong healthcare options or continued education funding.

4. Right of labor to organize

Workers should be able to form associations to protect their rights and mutual interests. Solidarity supports the idea that workers should not be left isolated or powerless. Yes, it allows for the organization of labor unions. However, if we are doing our job well and have proper channels for them to open up to us and discuss their challenges with us, they may never need to unionize.

How to implement: Do not do things that prevent people from organizing a union. But in order to avoid the combative nature that unions bring, listen to your workers and treat them with respect so that they never have an interest in this.

Thanks for reading this series! If you have not read parts 1, 2, or 3 yet, please check them out and circulate with your networks. My hope is that this series will help demystify what Catholic Social Teaching actually is and help business owners start implementing it.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 📣 Brandon Benson is the co-founder of Leo Ads, the AI agent of Percuity AI. They ensure your business campaigns and ads are optimized.

• 🤖 Nick Stokman is the founder and CEO of Third Loop. What he’s building helps companies and teams use AI effectively.

• 💪🏻 Betsy Hoyt is from Charlotte Metro, a certified professional trainer and the Founder IntegratedCatholicWoman.com. She coaches women on how to lead a sustainable, healthy, and rewarding life.

• 📲 David Spaedy is the president of DS1 Phone Systems serving the Charlotte, NC Metro area. Before cloud phones were trendy, David was already connecting businesses.

• 🫂 Elza Spaedy is the executive director of Healed and Restored. Healed and Restored is helping women and girls who have experienced abuse, violence, trafficking, and trauma find healing, restoration, and the strength to reclaim their lives.

• 🏞️ Lance Johnson is building Groundwork Ventures. Through Groundwork, he is tearing down the million-dollar wall of traditional real estate, rewriting the rules of land development so accredited investors can fractionally back high-upside entitlement deals.

🙋‍♂️ Nominate a Heavenly Hustler (including yourself) - It takes 1 min.

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Highlight:

Nothing for you today as I’m out of time to hit send. Come back next week.

Here is a huge list of various resources that we have complied overtime: The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

Hey folks! In case you haven’t had enough about Catholic Social Teaching with the drop of the summer (aka: Magnifica Humanitas) we are back at it with part 3 of 4 in our series covering the key aspects of Catholic Social Teaching, with our takes on how to actually implement them.

Today we are talking about Subsidiarity, and don’t worry it’s a lot shorter than last week’s.

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. Every Monday, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events

• Feature Content: Subsidiarity; What, Why, and How to Integrate It

• Seven Incredible Heavenly Hustlers

• Highlights: Wisper Flow

[read time: ~6 min | word count 1,172]

News / Updates

• 📆 Check out our upcoming events in NYC, Nashville, Dallas, Houston, Wisconsin, and beyond by going to our Luma Calendar.

• :🎙️ Yesterday, we published a commentary podcast with Zak Slayback and Edmund Mitchell on Magnifica Humanitas.

• ⭐ Here is our summary episode of Magnifica Humanitas.

• 🤖 Join the guild to access our AI bot trained on all our content.

Implementing Catholic Social Teaching: Part 3, Subsidiarity

Welcome back to our 4-part series on Catholic Social Teachings, and actually implementing them.

Last time we covered The Common Good (the second pillar), and today we are covering Subsidiarity, the third pillar. This might be the most practical pillar for leadership and organizational structure.

Subsidiarity: The Teaching

A lot of you have probably heard the word subsidiarity. But many of you may not know what it means. Likely because it’s one of those Catholic words that sounds totally made up. I get it. But let me explain it in very simple terms.

The idea behind subsidiarity is, that decisions should be made at the most local level possible. The reason being that someone closer to the situation likely has a much better understanding of the situation itself. They likely know the people involved. And they probably know what the consequences will look like for those involved once they make a decision.

What follows is that the higher-level authority should not interfere with the lower-level authority whenever possible.

What’s pretty mind-blowing about this is that it’s actually the key to scaling a business. If everything is centrally planned, you are naturally constrained by one person’s ability to make decisions. But when other people can make decisions, the person at the top can focus on making key decisions rather than all the decisions.

Said another way, subsidiarity is the way to scale any business.

Here is the official line from the Church, in the Catechism.

“In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, neither the state nor any larger society should substitute itself for the initiative and responsibility of individuals and intermediary bodies.”1

The Why

The why behind this is relatively simple, actually.

The Church worries that excessive state intervention could threaten personal freedom and the ability of people to take initiative. Another takeaway is that this principle opposes collectivism, where it becomes okay to trample the needs of the individual in order to ‘serve’ the needs of society as a whole.

The Church also argues that a society organized in this way is actually more efficient because everyone is doing what they can, rather than sitting around waiting for some bureaucrat to help them or approve what they are trying to do. Something none of us has ever experienced, I’m sure.

Subsidiarity in Practice

Now that we understand what the Church teaches and why she teaches it, let’s get into some practical examples of implementing it in the workplace (there are no ‘subtopics for Subsidiarity so all of this is just pure play implementation advice, yay!).

Pushing for an Ownership Mentality

In your company, you would push for each employee to understand the desired outcome and empower them to get there. Asking them to exercise their judgement on when they should raise it to their manager for support with the decision-making.

Note, this does involve proper training. You can’t just hand it off and blame them when it goes wrong.

Involving Employees in Policy Making

This one is very important, so please pay attention.

Involve your team when making decisions that affect them. Setting leave policy, bring your kids to work policy, how to lock up the store, etc. The list could go on.

Your employees have lives and families of their own. Your decisions could make living those lives very difficult. Or your decisions about how they should do things on the factory line could be really stupid because it wouldn’t work as well, or would cause danger. Would they know this? Yes.

Today, it’s become the norm that company policies are set by top-down methods. Many of us have personally experienced working in a company that gets acquired, and we see new policies come through that make no sense and hurt how we do our jobs on the front lines.

Those decisions were likely based entirely on ROI projects full of many assumptions. Had they actually delegated those decisions locally, we’d be happier and have a better outcome.

When you’re making decisions that affect your employees, involve them.

Empower Ownership

My favorite example of subsidiarity is when customer success agents are told they can do what they need to to make the customer whole. It may be very obvious how to make an angry customer whole and give them what is owed in justice, but with bureaucratic policies and procedures, they are forced to ask 6 more questions after they already know the problem, so that they are allowed to elevate to their supervisor, who will then ask a bunch of questions as well. Then, finally, after logic has been tossed out the window, and humans have been acting like robots and treated like robots, the right thing to do is done.

Everyone is frustrated. The customer success agent is just used to it. Heck, they are probably dehumanized by this point.

If you empower your people properly, they can do what they know is right. The customer gets helped right away, and depending on how pleasant the experience was, they might become an even bigger customer in the future.

Help Your Employees As Much As You Can

Before the nanny state existed, with all of the benefits it provided to citizens, how did people in need get help?

People helped each other. I know it sounds crazy, but we can just start doing this again. And we can start with our employees. If they had an unexpected medical expense, we could cover it. They are struggling to feed their kids and pay them more.

Heck, they might need help butchering a cow, make it a company weekend, and get all hands on deck to help.

Learn to make this a muscle. Help your employees locally rather than making them struggle and go to the state for help.

In Closing

One of the most fascinating things I find about subsidiarity is that, when you really engage people in this way, they are able to become more capable. And in a way, become more themselves. They are able to take the 1, 2, or 5 talents God gave them and multiply them. This multiplication means more people have the opportunity to benefit from that person’s unique gifts.

All of this starts with giving someone that ownership mentality. Then, treating them with respect and autonomy, so that they can become fully alive.

This to me, is one of the great mysteries of being an entrepreneur. That ability to affect the development of the employees under your care in such a positive way, that they can become more fully human.

To any reading this, please don’t take this part of your role as ‘boss’ or CEO for granted. Ever.

Okay, come back next week, as we wrap up our series with the 4th and final pillar of Solidarity!

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• ✈️ Joseph Rodriguez is the Founder of Vocatio Travel. They turn your dream trips into realities, and they have experience supporting several dioceses as well as many other Catholic-owned businesses with their travel plans. If you’re in the Dallas area, reach out to him.

• 💻 Garren DiPasquale is the Founder & CEO of Artifact. They turn language into living software.

• 🏛️ Matt Salerno is building DealCompass. A software that helps the real estate industry. Fun fact: he’s a Notre Dame alum. But he’s based here in Nashville.

• 💸 Peter Scott is building an app called Plena. Think of it like Acorns but for tithing.

• ✍️ William Van de Planque (don’t you wish you had a name like that… I know I do) is launching Beloved Son, a ghostwriting agency to help people keep active blogs and improve SEO. He’s just getting started, so reach out to him if you’ve got advice or are interested in giving him a project.

• ⚖️ Teddy Malone founded his own Tax Attorney practice in NYC called Estel Law. I met him a while back at one of Luca’s Fides events. Reach out to him if you need a tax lawyer.

• 👴 Nathanael Riddle is the co-founder of OmniBand. A wearable for aging parents. Think Whoop, but built for your grandpa, and not for sleeping.

🙋‍♂️ Nominate a Heavenly Hustler (including yourself) - It takes 1 min.

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Highlights: Don’t Type, Dictate. Use Wisper Flow

If you want to save a lot of time typing, try out Wisper Flow. I’ve been using it for a while, and it saves me a ton of time, especially when writing emails. TLDR, instead of typing, you can dictate (on computer or phone), and it’s VERY accurate + has some wizardly features. It’s crazy good.

I am not sponsored by them, but it’s literally one of the best pieces of software I’ve ever used. While I’m not sponsored, they do give out a referral code, so I’m dropping that here. I believe if you use that link, you’ll get a month free (I’m not entirely sure how these affiliate things work)

Get 1 Month Free of Wisper Flow

Here is a huge list of various resources that we have compiled over time: The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

Hey folks! Another Monday! Another potentially amazing week in front of us! It’s up to you to decide… 🚀

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. Every Monday, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

Each week you’ll find…

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events: SF, Dallas, Nashville, Wausau, Columbus

• Feature Content: The Common Good. Pillar 2 of CST

• Heavenly Hustlers: 5 Folks Building for God

• Highlights: Biz Dev VA Hack

[read time: ~9.5 min | word count 2,071]

News / Updates

• This week, Dallas is meeting. Next week, Nashville and Wausau. And then Columbus coming up in June.

• Last week, we hosted a hangout in SF after the Ascension mass. Great turnout! Check out the picture here (and follow us on Instagram).

• Listen to our most recent episode with Will Hickl — the man taking on Spotify! 🤯

• ICYMI: Derek hosted a Growth Mastermind for the group. Check out the recording here if you missed it (guild members only).

Implementing Catholic Social Teaching: Part 2, The Common Good

Last week, we discussed the first pillar of integrating Catholic Social Teaching into your business: Dignity of the Human Person. Today, we’re tackling pillar #2, The Common Good.

It’s especially important to discuss this because the current culture is heavily focused on the individual and merit alone. A sort of “pull yourself by your bootstraps” mentality is pervasive. This leaves many people at a substantial disadvantage. Something the new AI order is likely to exacerbate 100x.

Well! Enough pre-rambling — let’s get into it.

The Common Good: The Teaching

What exactly is the Church’s teaching about The Common Good?

Here’s the official quote from Catechism (1905-1906). It’s a little long, bear with me and read through it. Slowly and repeatedly if needed.

“In keeping with the social nature of man, the good of each individual is necessarily related to the common good, which in turn can be defined only in reference to the human person:

Do not live entirely isolated, having retreated into yourselves, as if you were already justified, but gather instead to seek the common good together. By common good is to be understood “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.”

The common good concerns the life of all. It calls for prudence from each, and even more from those who exercise the office of authority. It consists of three essential elements:”

The common good is the sum total of social conditions that allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily. For a CEO, this means success is not just about what is legal or profitable, but whether your operation contributes to the flourishing of society.” 1

Alright, let’s put our best Vatican-ese translation hat on.

Each person possesses infinite dignity as a person (because they are created in the image and likeness of God). And since we as persons exist in a society of other persons, we must not take actions that directly prevent or harm the ability of others to reach their fulfillment (flourishing).

In other words, since we have personal freedom, we must keep our fellow man (also a person and free being) in mind when we act.

This matters even more for those in positions of authority precisely because our actions directly impact the lives of many (not just one or two). We manager dozens or hundreds of employees. We may have thousands of customers. We can directly impact more lives with a single action than those not in authority. Our actions can either harm or help others.

Consider the example of a company owner. He has a hundred employees under his care. He could find ways to use the income generated through the company to benefit all of those employees as much as possible. Cultivating a positive culture. Making family-centered policies. Allowing for the flourishing of those 100 employees.

Alternatively, he could focus on maximizing his own take-home pay. He benefits (at least in the short term) at the expense of his employees.

The latter example is against the common good because he, as an individual, benefited while the other individuals suffered.

The Why

The why of this is quite simple. If personal gain is set as the ultimate good, it would lead to the degradation of many humans for the benefit of one or a few. In other words, if this were true, it would be impossible for everyone to pursue this outcome because some others inevitably would have to suffer.

By recognizing the dignity of each person around us, we are naturally inclined to share and care for those around us. This is directly in line with the Christian Charity that we are taught.

That’s the what and the why of the second pillar. Now let’s dive into the 5 subtopics that go under this broader pillar.

Just like last week, we’ll give a brief description of each and then my perspective on how to integrate each one into your business.

1. Justice and the common good

Justice is giving each person what is due to them. Economic forces must be subordinated to the demands of social justice to ensure the whole operation serves a real good.

How to implement: Choosing how much to pay your team? Negotiating with your suppliers? Delivering the service you marketed to your customer? All of these are opportunities to practice justice. Pay fairly.

It must be understood that paying a just wage does not always mean paying market rate. Sometimes, a person cannot afford to feed their family on market-rate wages. If you’ve sold a certain service or product, you must deliver what was promised. If you don’t, you’re taking more than is just because the other party is now hindered in some way from flourishing, because you’ve taken more money from him than was just.

2. Conformity of social order to moral order

You cannot build a healthy business on a moral falsehood. Strategies and incentives must conform to objective moral law rather than just convenience or profit.

How to implement: Don’t participate in (or enable through services to) enterprises like pornography, drugs, IVF, contraception, etc. Any business that may be legal does not mean it’s sanctioned. It must not violate morality. Note, this would include refusing to supply any such enterprises with services that help them operate their business. Including software and financing.

You’d also need to avoid strategies such as ‘high-pressure’ sales because they are predatory in nature. As well as any other ‘strategies’ that would be considered immoral.

3. Private ownership vs. universal purpose of resources

While private property is a right, it has a social quality. The goods of creation are ultimately for the whole human race. Resources are entrusted to us to manage for the good of others. This is an interesting point to help us realize that our business is about far more than just making money. We are like employees of God who have a facility to manage. The purpose of the facility is to take care of other members of God’s creation.

How to implement: Consider if you grow food products or produce goods, giving some of your product away to those in need. To those who cannot afford but may be in need. View your assets as a tool for blessing others. Your employees, customers, your community, and the homeless. Any man who enters your life.

You’d should also empower your own employees to participate in this activity. To use their judgment to give away a pastry here and an oil change there, to those clearly in need.

4. Right to participate

People should not be arbitrarily excluded from the decisions that affect them. Social justice involves learning how to participate in the common order rather than dividing it.

At first glance, you might think this means something like ‘don’t be racist.’ It does. But it means a lot more.

How to implement: When making employee conduct policies and procedures, you should not exclude them. This is the problem with Private Equity bros making sweeping company policy decisions that affect people they have never met and who have had absolutely zero input to those decisions despite being the ones affected by them (this is against subsidiarity as well).

I cannot state this seriously enough. It’s critical. Just writing about this gets my blood boiling because the practice is so widespread.

5. Stewardship for creation

The environment and natural goods are resources entrusted to us for the common good. We have a responsibility to protect our common home for future generations.

How to implement: If a more sustainable option exists for an item in your supply chain, choose it. If you are a farmer, do not partake in harmful farming practices that degrade the property and make it impotent for future generations. Ensure your products or services do not lead to the destruction or harm of the environment.

There you have it. Join us next week to discuss Subsidiarity, the third principle. This focuses a lot on empowering your team.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 🛜 Ed Burns is the Co-Founder of TruSygnal. Based out of Philly. They connect shippers and carriers directly for contract opportunities without the endless back-and-forth. He’s also one of the few guys who actually replies to me on Twitter (thanks bro!)

• 🏡 Blanca Agregado is the Founder of Tessell Studio, a commercial interior design and strategy consultancy serving organizations based out of Ontario, Canada.

• 💻 Ian Doromal is the Co-Founder & CEO of Continuous AI in the Orlando area. The tech prevents your AI agents from going HAM and using way too much compute.

• 👨🏻‍🍳 Keegan Conrey is the CEO of Decision Logic in the Omaha, Nebraska area. They help restaurant operators boost their growth. Their platform turns messy operational data into actionable decisions that help restaurants run smarter.

• 🎨 Joseph Hearney is the owner of Decree Design Co.®, a published branding and design studio based in Western, KY.

🙋‍♂️ Nominate a Heavenly Hustler (including yourself) - It takes 1 min.

Thank you to Catholic Owned for helping us find some of these folks each week. Get listed today!

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Highlights

Keeping this short bc this is already too long.

If you network a lot, hire an overseas EA so that instead of saying you’ll follow up, and don’t, you can just text a picture of each biz card to your EA and send a voice msg with the follow-up instructions. I learned this idea from Jimmy Coleman on the episode he did with us.

Here is a huge list of various resources that we have complied overtime: The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

After our hiatus last week, I’m back. Mostly out of guilt because not putting this out feels like I failed you all.

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. Every most Mondays, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

Each week you’ll find…

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events: (SF, Nash, Houston, DFW, WI)

• Feature Content: Integrating Dignity of the Human Person

• Heavenly Hustlers: (skipped today)

• Highlights: A friend of CF has an incredible Substack

[read time: ~8.5 min | word count 1,837]

News / Updates

• We have events happening in Houston, San Francisco, Dallas, Nashville, Wausau, and Columbus. Register to attend.

• LMK if you’re in SF this week. I’m there Tuesday until Friday midday. Glad to link up.

• Check out the last episode of the pod with Edmund Mitchell. So far, people have liked it. If you think you might have ADHD and want to run a business, or do, this will likely resonate with you.

• ICYMI: We had an incredible session with Marco to learn marketing, branding, and positioning. Check out the recording (guild members only)

Implementing Catholic Social Teaching: Part 1, Dignity of The Human Person

Catholic Social Teaching is something people talk a lot about in the business world. But it’s usually very theoretical. Pie in the sky type of talk. This isn’t usually the way that business owners tend to talk. This has led to a lack of implementation of Catholic Social Teachings in the workplace.

Over the coming weeks, I’m going to attempt to do a breakdown of the 4 core tenets of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). I’m doing this in preparation for a talk I’m giving later this year.

These will by no means be extensive. The intent is to make this SUPER tangible for business owners.

Okay, let’s jump in.

The four key pillars of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) are:

1. Dignity of the Human Person

2. Common Good

3. Subsidiarity

4. Solidarity

Today, we are going to try to cover the first pillar, Dignity of the Human Person.

As a heads up, I had a lot of help researching this with Magisterium AI. I also apologize, because some of this stuff is a little wordy, because Church language often is. Even if you don’t have a lot of background reading, things like this, just go slowly, and I am confident that with the aid of the Holy Spirit, you’ll be able to grasp the concepts.

Dignity of The Human Person: The Teaching

The teaching states that every person has an intrinsic worth that society must recognize and protect. Not because of usefulness, talent, or social value, but because the person is human.

The Church states this principle in a classic way: “The human person … is and ought to be the principle, the subject, and the object of every social organization” (from Gaudium et Spes, quoted in the Catechism). 1

In other words, social institutions exist to serve people, not the other way around.

The Why

The Church teaches this because human dignity is grounded in what a person is before God, not in what a person can do currently. Dignitas Infinita clarifies that the most fundamental dignity (“ontological dignity”) belongs to the person simply for the fact that they exist, are created and loved by God, and therefore is “indelible and remains valid beyond any circumstances.” 2

This is why the Church rejects treating people as disposable or as tools: even when someone is vulnerable, the person still has a right to live with dignity. In Dignitas Infinita, Pope Francis says, “this fundamental right cannot be denied… People have this right even if they are unproductive… a dignity based not on circumstances but on the intrinsic worth of their being.” 3

That “why” shows up in how a just society should be built. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church teaches that “A just society can become a reality only when it is based on the respect of the transcendent dignity of the human person,” and it adds a practical rule: the social order must work for the person, since “the order of things is to be subordinate to the order of persons.” 4

It also insists that every program — political, economic, scientific, cultural — must be inspired by the truth that each human being has a primacy over society, so that no one is excluded from protection and care. 5

Said another way: a human’s essence of being is present regardless of their perceived ‘value’ to society, and that is why each person must be treated with Dignity. That is why our businesses must exist to serve people, individuals.

Now that we have this understood. We need to cover the five ‘sub topics’ that fit under this heading. First, again with the help of Magisterium AI, I’m going to describe the principle, then I’m going to give my two cents on at least one way you could integrate this into your business.

1. Primacy of the human person

Every decision in your business should be weighed against whether it helps or harms the dignity of the people involved. Employees and customers are persons with souls, not expendable factors in a growth plan.

How to implement: Making an employee policy? Setting customer terms? Ask yourself if this policy is genuinely good for the human on the other end. Or is it just convenient for your business? Decide accordingly.

2. Importance of marriage and the family

The family is the basic cell of society. Business structures should support a healthy home life rather than competing with it for a person’s entire focus.

How to implement: What do you give your employees and expect out of them? Does the way you run your company allow for employees to carry out a healthy home life? To be home for dinner? If you’re detracting from an employee’s ability to fulfill his primary duties, find a way to change that.

3. Importance of religion

This protects the freedom of conscience and the spiritual dimension of life. A business culture should respect that moral truth is not subjective and that people have a right to live out their faith.

How to implement: For many of us, this one is pretty straightforward. Do you encourage a culture that allows people to speak openly about their faiths? Assuming you’re not following woke ideology, you should be good. But, be cautious as your company grows because it’s more likely for barriers to be set, usually due to common HR practices.

4. Dignity of work and workers

Work is meant for the person, not the person for the work. Labor has priority over capital. Workplace conditions must never degrade the individual.

How to implement: Ensure the workplace is better than simply neutral. Make it a place that is uplifting. From the music played, to the conversations between work, to the beauty of the place. Elevate your team. If they feel like they have to filter what happens at work to their children, then you should work on fixing that.

5. Morally responsible openness to life

Human life must be respected in every economic decision. We should never treat human life as something to be managed based on cost or utility.

How to implement: Ensure safe working conditions. Never consider rushing or sparing an expense if human safety is involved. I’d also interpret this to mean take good care of your team financially, so they can also be open to life without financial hardships.

That is all for this week. Please feel free to discuss further in the comments. I’m especially curious to hear other suggestions on how we can implement these principles.

The Bottom Line

A just society—and a successful business—is only possible when it’s built on the “transcendent dignity of the human person.”

I’m curious: Which of these five sub-topics is the hardest to implement in a remote or fast-growing environment? Let’s discuss in the comments and of course make sure to tune in next week as we cover the next core pillar, the Common Good.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

Heavenly Hustlers

Hey guys! We are having to skip this week because of how behind I was in creating this. If you really want to help me out, send me more people I should cover with the link below. 👇

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

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Highlights: For Solo Operators

This week, I’m just sharing the link to a friend’s Substack. Lucas Wollschlager runs Veritas Copy and recently launched a really fascinating newsletter called The Solo Operator.

He does deep dives and provides implementation advice on running a solo business. This first piece crushed it as I heard a lot of people in our community commenting on how good it was. He covered how a dryer vent cleaning biz cleared $100k in the first year of business with a super simple strategy.

Give him a follow, and read that first issue here.

Read It

Here is a huge list of various resources that we have complied overtime: The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

Happy Monday, folks!

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. Every Monday, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

Each week you’ll find…

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events: SF, Nashville + a new perk for the Guild

• Feature Content: Make Generosity Your Entrepreneurial Compass

• Heavenly Hustlers: 8 folks. From Gluten Free Flour to an Uber Competitor

• Highlights: This Accounting Method Helps You Make Money

[read time: ~8.5 min | word count 1,845]

News / Updates

• 🚨🚨🚨 ICYMI: We recently launched the Faithful Steward. A free, private newsletter for Catholic investors to discover Catholic-run ventures raising money. A deal flow newsletter. It’s totally free. Sign up today. Builders, submit your deck here.

• 🎸 In Nashville? We’re hosting a hangout tomorrow night, sponsored by Lucid Private Offices.

• 🌉 In SF? We’re hosting a hangout after the Ascension Mass at Star of the Sea on May 14th. Details TBD, but sign up here to get notified.

• 🤠 In Houston? There will be an event the week of May 13th. Stay tuned for details.

• 🤖 We’re launching a new CF Guild perk. An AI bot that will answer questions from all of the CF content, and it will be able to help you meet other members of the Guild who can help you. To gain access, you’ll need to be a member of the CF Guild, so sign up today.

Make Generosity Your Entrepreneurial Compass

As entrepreneurs, it is easy to measure success by the bottom line, the growth rate, or the market share. But for the Catholic business owner, those are secondary markers. The real question is whether your work is ordered to God.

At the center of this vocation is a radical call to generosity. It is the key that unlocks our identity as stewards rather than masters.

Stewardship Over Ownership

If God has blessed your business with more than your family and your enterprise need to live well, that surplus is not just a cushion for comfort — consider it a sacred trust. The mindset should really be that this is His. Thinking “how should I give away my things” would be the incorrect framing. All of it belongs to God in the first place.

“In his use of things man should regard the external goods he legitimately owns not merely as exclusive to himself but common to others also, in the sense that they can benefit others as well as himself. The ownership of any property makes its holder a steward of Providence, with the task of making it fruitful and communicating its benefits to others, first of all his family.” — (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2404).

When we realize we are merely stewards, the temptation to stack up more and more dissipates. We begin to see our capital as a tool for the Kingdom.

The Entrepreneurial Fiat

To live this vocation well, your business plan must begin with a fiat. Like Mary, our response to God’s provision should be a total surrender of our professional path.

“Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.” — (Luke 1:38).

This “yes” is not just a spiritual sentiment; it has to be practical. It must shape our time, our plans, and our use of money. You cannot follow God with your work while remaining closed-fisted.

Honoring God with Everything Over and Above

Scripture and Tradition are incredibly direct when it comes to how we handle the “extra.” The question is not, “How much can I keep?” but rather, “How can I honor the Giver with what remains?”

“But, when what necessity demands has been supplied, and one’s standing fairly taken thought for, it becomes a duty to give to the indigent out of what remains over. “Of that which remaineth, give alms.” — (Rerum Novarum, 22).

“Furthermore, a person’s superfluous income, that is, income which he does not need to sustain life fittingly and with dignity, is not left wholly to his own free determination. Rather, the Sacred Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church constantly declare in the most explicit language that the rich are bound by a very grave precept to practice almsgiving, beneficence, and munificence.” — (Quadragesimo Anno, 50).

We see this pattern throughout the Gospels. Martha “welcomed him into her home” (Luke 10:38). Mary sat at his feet and listened. Jesus “loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5). And Joseph of Arimathea gave Jesus his own tomb, where he was “laid… in his own new tomb” (Matthew 27:60). These were people who made room for the Lord through the sharing of their home, their space, and their property.

A Mission, Not Just a Business

When we lead with a generous heart, our work takes on a mission-shaped purpose. We are not just building something for ourselves. We are building something that can serve God, serve the Church, and serve people in need. This is a direct imitation of Christ’s life of service.

That is what Catholic entrepreneurship looks like: faithful stewardship and open hands. Not a life focused on accumulation.

The Cheerful Giver

Ultimately, the goal is a heart that belongs entirely to God (because that’s what we’d have in Heaven). When we stop being selfish with our surplus, the grind of entrepreneurship becomes a joyful act of service.

Be generous toward God. When you do, your career can blossom into a path to holiness and a vehicle for delivering His will on Earth.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 🚲 Patrick McFarland and Davide Thompson are co-founders of CARI, a campus-based alternative to DoorDash that helps employ students. This is a little bit of an over-simplification, but that’s the way I understand it. They are based in Nashville.

• 👩 Anna Saucier & Megan Gephar run Apostolic Fruit. Helping Catholic women lead healthy organizations. They run some really interesting retreats called Rest Boldly.

• 💼 Mark Mastroianni is building an app to help board members bring up the most critical things, and to help executives integrate the 12 levels of humility from St. Benedict. He’s generally doing a lot of things. A bit of a hustler. Based in the Indianapolis area.

• 🚗 Ryan Kreager is the CTO & Co-Founder of Rides2U. A high-trust ride-hailing network that only employs the people you’d feel comfortable giving your daughter a ride home at 1 in the morning. They do schedule ahead and have much better economics. He’s based in the South Bend area.

• 👻 Daniel Urdaneta recently launched a ghostwriting agency. He’s focused on serving Catholics, and he’s based in Argentina.

• 🍞 Emmett Ackerlund is commercializing his sister’s gluten-free flour recipe. Guy is sharp. Based out of NYC. I’m already on the waitlist for my wife’s gluten allergy.

  Share

🙋‍♂️ Nominate a Heavenly Hustler (including yourself) - It takes 1 min.

Thank you to Catholic Owned for helping us find some of these folks each week. Get listed today!

Highlight: An Ultra-Short Explanation of How to Use the Profit First Method

Many of the founders I encounter don’t take profit first. They have all their money in one bank account, making it hard to visualize how much burn you have left.

I get it. That’s what I used to do. Until I heard about the profit-first method of accounting. I’m not going to explain the whole thing, but will give you my version of it so you can (hopefully) be convinced to get the book and implement it and save yourself a lot of headache.

Instead of 1 bank account, you’ll have 5. Income, Owner’s Comp, Tax, OpEx, and Profit.

When you get paid, it goes to the income account.

Then, on a periodical basis (maybe once or twice a week), you’ll ‘balance’ the accounts.

Depending on your business, you’ll put x% into each account from your income account, leaving it with the minimum needed (I just keep $100 in it).

It might look like this. 10,000 comes into the income. 15% ($1,500) goes to profit, 20% ($2,000) goes to tax, 30% ($3,000) goes to OpEx, and the remaining 35% ($3,500) goes to Owner’s Comp.

At the end of the quarter, you can pay yourself a ‘bonus’ from the profit account. Usually, let’s say 50-75% of the value of the profit account.

The other key benefit here is that you’re ‘forced’ to make your company run on the allocated OpEx account, rather than forgoing your own compensation for the sake of the company.

This creates more discipline on spending, and will also help light a fire under your butt to get more sales.

Again, this is super ‘not official’ — this is just my read on it. But I’m confident a LOT of you would benefit from reading this book and implementing something similar to ensure you are actually making money rather than just scraping by.

Here is the link to the book.

Here is a huge list of various resources that we have complied overtime: The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

Thank God it’s Monday!

We get to serve God today. Just like every day!

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. Every Monday, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

Today you’ll find…

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• Upcoming Events in Nashville & Wausau, WI

• Feature Content: Small Crosses

• Heavenly Hustlers: 8 Folks to Know

• Highlight: A Book Rec to Help You Find Product-Market Fit

[read time: ~5 min | word count 1,146]

News / Updates

• We launched a NEW free newsletter. If you’re a Catholic investor and want to get deal flow of Catholic-owned businesses that are raising, sign up today.
  If you’re a builder seeking funding, submit your deck today.

• Our next Nashville meetup is happening on the 28th of April. Register here.

• Don’t forget about the last Saturday of the month CF meetup in Wausau, WI - sign up here.

• If you’d like to host a meetup for Catholic business owners in your area, please reach out, and we’ll help you organize and promote it. admin@catholicfounders.com

• And finally, remember, if you know a Catholic who wants to start a business, send them my way. We are looking to invest heavily in helping Catholics refine their ideas, launch their businesses, and get to their first million in revenue.

Small Crosses

Going to keep it ultra-short this week.

Running a business is hard. Sometimes, the hardest part is when things become repetitive and monotonous. Sending out DMs, doing the admin work, and doing the sales calls.

Whenever you encounter that feeling, here is a tip for you.

View each task you have to do as a small cross. You can choose to willingly pick up that cross and sanctify your work. Regardless if you’re doing a client visit, doing cold calls, or replying to customer requests. Each of these small things is a small cross to pick up willingly.

Personally, I’ve found this framing helpful because it is no longer about ‘powering through’ so that I can pay the bills and keep the business growing. It’s about sanctifying my work. About walking alongside Jesus as He carries The Cross to Calvary.

It’s no longer about you. Do it for Jesus!

PS: Shout out to Rob Hays for this visualization that he shared at our Dallas dinner.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 🧑‍⚖️ Cyrus Johnson is an independent business lawyer helping investors on the buy side as well as helping founders on the receiving end. He’s also got some really interesting AI projects in the legal space. Based in the Dallas area.

• 💨 Blaise Carney is building Fumus Et Ratio. A club to help Catholic grow in friendship and virtue as well as discuss edifying topics, while smoking premium cigars. Based in Ave Maria, Florida.

• 🚧 Tom Becher is the owner of Vitruvius Construction. They have a special focus on residential remodels, making homes beautiful. Given that he’s also involved in Thomas Aquinas College, I bet he’s pretty awesome. Based out of the Santa Paula area.

• 👣 Mike Meaney is the Co-Founder of One Small Step, a mental health platform to connect with peers when professionals are offline. Menlo Park-based.

• 💰 Joshua Elkington is the founder of investment firm Axial. They focus on partnering with early-stage life sciences founders and inventors. He’s based in the SF Bay Area.

• 👨‍💻 Jin Kuan and Leon Schwarzer are building Bicameral. A tech platform that helps developers build the right tech that has not already been stated as conflicting in some random memo or forgotten Slack message. It helps developers embrace the social nature of the act. Jin is SF-based and Leon is NYC-Based.

• 🥷 Vincent Casey is building something in stealth so I can’t tell you much about it, or I might have to… you know what. He’s also based in the SF area.

🙋‍♂️ Nominate a Heavenly Hustler (including yourself) - It takes 1 min.

Thank you to Catholic Owned for helping us find some of these folks each week. Get listed today!

Share

Highlight: Figure Out If People Want Your Product Before You Build It

For this week’s highlight, we’re going to talk about a book. The Mom Test, by Rob Fitzpatrick.

This book is for anyone trying to figure out what product to sell and who to sell it to.

Entrepreneurs who are trying to do something novel have to be aware that there may not be a market for that thing. When you start a lawn mowing or window cleaning business, you know it can work because there are dozens of them in even a small city. But with a new product, it may not actually be something the market wants. Or if it is, it may not look exactly like you envision it.

This is when you need to do product market fit testing. ie: talk to a LOT of customers in a specific type of way, to find out what problem they have, and if you can make a product that will solve said problem.

Notice how the problem is what matters. Not the idea or invention. Ideas and inventions are only as valuable as the problem they solve and for how many people they solve said problem.

So, if you’re embarking on your entrepreneurial journey, read this book so that you can learn how to speak with your potential customers and figure out if there is demand for it, without spending a ton of money.

Here is a huge list of various resources that we have complied overtime: The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

Hey everyone, welcome back to another Saintly CEO Monday newsletter! The place you go on Mondays, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

Thank you for coming back week after week. Shoutout to our biggest fan, Andreas Widmer.

I was just on his podcast last week, and he told me it’s one of the few newsletters he reads each week. If that isn’t the best endorsement I could ask for, I don’t know what is. Thank you all for reading each week.

Today we’ll be talking about pacing. Timing. Speed.

But first, some events/announcements.

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events

• Feature Content:

[read time: ~6.5 min | word count 1,392]

News / Updates

• The YCP Conference was amazing. Stay tuned for more info.

• The dinner in Dallas was also amazing! You’ll see pictures at some point.

• Our next Nashville meetup is happening on the 28th of April (tentatively). Register here.

• We are likely hosting a Columbus meetup in early May. Reach out if you want to influence the mission.

• And finally, remember if you know a Catholic who wants to start a business, send them my way. We are looking to invest heavily in helping Catholics refine their ideas, launch their businesses, and get to their first million in revenue.

Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today

We're building the largest network of Catholic biz owners in the world.

It's for any Catholic biz owner who believes they are called to be an instrument of God's will in the world. 

Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month.

Curious? --> "What is the Catholic Founders Guild"

You Don’t Always Have to Go Fast

I’m writing this from a Tex-Mex spot in Dallas. I’ve been in Dallas since Wednesday, and the schedule has been relentless: I did the Beatidudes podcast Thursday. Had a few meetings Friday. Recorded three episodes at the YCP conference on Saturday. Somehow kept my own businesses running. And to top it all off, tonight, I’m hosting a Catholic Founders Dinner at Rob Hays’ home.

Why am I giving you a play-by-play? Because these last six months have been an all-out sprint. If you asked my closest friends, they’d say I’m stretched thin. Some might say burned out (I wouldn’t say that).

This pace has forced me to ask myself… How hard should I push? Should I cut everything else out to go all-in on one thing? Should I be dissatisfied with our growth to date?

Endless questions.

Despite the black hole of questions I could ask myself, it started to make some sense once I considered a few of the characteristics of God.

A Theological Framework for Pace

To find peace, I had to recall a few fundamental truths:

• God exists outside of time. He isn’t stressed by some arbitrary quarterly deadline.

• God doesn’t have a rigid timeline. He isn’t checking a watch to see if you hit a specific objective by age 30 or 50. He doesn’t care about you getting on Forbes 30 under 30.

• God wants your presence. He desires your love in the present moment, not your anxiety about the future. Anxiety about the future is a lack of trust in God.

• God honors duty. He calls us to fulfill our obligations to our families and our health, not neglect them for the sake of making more money.

When I internalized these, I realized I don’t have to push to an inhuman level. God asks me to work hard, but He does not ask me to ignore the natural signals of stress or burnout. Those act as traffic signals for me. Telling me to go faster, slow down, or stop.

Re-Ordering the Mission

This shift in perspective is already changing my behavior. I am learning to turn down anything that doesn’t serve my primary missions. I’ve categorized them by the Level of Duty:

1. Justice (The Business): My clients have paid for a service. In justice, they deserve what they paid for. This stays at the top of the list.

2. Mission (Catholic Founders): This is a calling. It gets as much time as I can spare to keep the weekly and monthly momentum alive.

3. Legacy (My Dad’s Business): While I’m helping this grow, it isn’t urgent in the same way. I’ve found peace in the fact that I won’t work on it as intensely right now; it’s a slower build.

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How to Evaluate Your Own Pace

If sprinting is crushing you, or you’re worried you’re not going fast enough, consider these four filters:

1. Type of Venture

If you are building a venture-scaled business, your investors expect a ludicrous pace. In winner-take-all markets, success often requires being first. If you have chosen this path, acknowledge it and buckle up, buttercup. That’s the nature of the beast.

2. The Manufactured Rush

Alex Hormozi points out that most “rush” is manufactured. Unless you are competing for the first-ever smartphone users, your pace probably doesn’t matter as much as you think. Growing a service company or a local business doesn’t require you to go crazy fast. Most of the time, the pressure is just our own impatience.

I would add that in some cases, rushing can hurt your business growth. Rush can lead to bad customer experiences, which slows down the compounding machine of customer satisfaction.

3. Your Season of Life

In the same way you cannot control when or where you were born (I’ve talked about this a lot) you cannot simply change your state of life. If you are married with children, you cannot abandon them for the sake of advancing your venture. That would be a violation of your primary vocation. Your season of life dictates, to an extent, what pace you can have while still fulfilling your family obligations. Accept the constraint; it is a gift, not a curse.

4. The Timing of Your Calling

Some founders aren’t ready to build their great work until their 50s; others start at 18. Daniel Ek talks about Founder-Fit. A lot of investors also consider this when evaluating a founder. Some people are uniquely qualified, by skills, life experiences, and/or personality, to build specific businesses or types of business. Don’t rush a door that hasn’t opened yet.

All In Versus Part Time Build

Before we wrap up, I also want to address going all in on your venture versus building your way out. Using prudence, it’s up to you to understand if God is calling you to take the leap and trust in Him. Or if you should build your way out of your job.

As my friend Joseph Henry recently reminded me, Slow and Steady wins the race.

Just because some of the famous entrepreneurs, whom many of us undoubtedly look up to, went all in and made it work, doesn’t mean that’s what we are called to do.

Conclusion

God has a pace for you. There is no universal rulebook, only the specific call He has placed on your life.

But here’s the thing. You will only be able to hear the instructions He gives you if you take the time to reflect on your circumstances rather than just sprinting through them. Your circumstances are often how God speaks to you. He gives you hints, you just have to look for them.

Push hard, but push within the boundaries of the life God gave you.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

Highlights

If you want the full list of resources, you can get them here: The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

Today’s Highlights Are…

Being skipped. Only so much time to do it.

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Happy Easter!

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. Every Monday… I mean, most Mondays, and some Wednesdays, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

Obviously, I’m late with this newsletter. Being back in Wisconsin for Easter, I decided to make the most of the limited time I had with family. After all, I’ll never get those moments back.

Today will be short.

I’m writing this at 11 at night and don’t yet know how I’m going to connect the resurrection to entrepreneurship, but I place it in the hands of the Holy Spirit to guide me.

Because that’s the case, let me stall a bit with some VERY important reminders and announcements.

• I’ll be at the YCP Conference this weekend in Dallas. If you’d like to do an interview with me there, let me know.

• This Sunday, we are hosting an event in Dallas for Catholic Founders. If you’d like to attend, register. We only have about 2 spots left.

• Our next Nashville meetup is happening on the 28th of April (tentatively). Register here.

• And finally, remember if you know a Catholic who wants to start a business, send them my way. We are looking to invest heavily in helping Catholics refine their ideas, launch their businesses, and get to their first million in revenue.

Okay, let’s get into it.

The Resurrection and Entrepreneurship

Suffering and Conviction.

Those are the two main things to reflect on from the resurrection as Catholic Founders.

Suffering.

Another way of saying this is sacrifice. Jesus suffered and sacrificed, ultimately sacrificing Himself, so that a greater good might be achieved: the salvation of humanity.

How often do we face suffering and complain about it? How often do we wish our business were a little easier to build and to scale?

If you’re anything like me, a lot. More than I care to admit, if I’m being frank.

But this is the point. If it were super easy, everyone would do it. If we only want an easy life without the hard work, what does that say about our character?

We suffer in order to achieve something greater.

So next time you’re feeling that suffering in your business, remember the crucifixion that led to the salvation of humanity. Think about the weight of that. Compare your cross to the one Jesus carried. I’m sure you can manage just fine.

If you’re a Catholic looking to start a business but don’t know where to start, reach out. We are launching our success-based coaching program for Catholics looking to start their businesses.

No cost up-front. Only pay if you actually make money. We only have space for a few of these to start with, so reach out today and book an intro call here.

Conviction.

If you’re celebrating Easter, that means you believe in the truth of what the resurrection means. The death and resurrection mean that what Jesus said is true. That He is God, and that He died so that we may have eternal life.

We celebrate because we have conviction that Jesus truly conquered death, proving all of those statements.

How can knowing this not give us a steadfast, immovable conviction that running our businesses in alignment with our Faith is worth it? That doing this will bring more people to know Him, and lead to our own eternal reward?

We are not just building businesses out here. We are the hands of God in the world. Carrying out His will using the co-creative abilities that He gave us. There are souls on the line.

So, where is your conviction about your faith in God when the times get hard or seem uncertain? When deciding how to conduct your business, where is your conviction about your faith?

Conclusion.

Let’s get after it this Easter season with full confidence in God that the suffering is worth it, and the conviction that we were called to be entrepreneurs so that we can bring others to know God.

God Bless and Happy Building!

~Silas Mähner

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

[read time: ~5 min | word count 1,133]

Good morning, everyone!

It’s Monday of Holy Week. Traditionally referred to as Fig Monday. We’ll get into that!

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. We’re on a mission to bring you a bit of tactical advice or encouragement each Monday to start your week off well.

Today, I’m going to keep things very brief given my current schedule and my desire for you to have only one thing to focus on this week as we wrap up Lent.

First, some quick announcements.

• We’re hosting a dinner in Dallas on April 12th. Apply to attend

• If you’re in central Wisconsin (Wausau area), join the last Saturday meetup

• We might be hosting a meetup in Columbus, OH soon - reach out if interested

• Raj Bhakta is speaking at a Fides event on Thursday April 9th in NYC. Register to attend (CF is co-sponsoring)

• Sponsors! We need some! Reach out admin@catholicfounders.com

Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today

We're building the largest network of Catholic biz owners in the world.

It's for any Catholic biz owner who believes they are called to be an instrument of God's will in the world. 

Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month.

Curious? --> "What is the Catholic Founders Guild"

Fig Trees and Entrepreneurs

Okay, let’s start with why today is called Fig Monday. It’s quite simple. On this day, certain liturgical traditions have the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree that had no fruit (despite it not being the season for figs), here it is. Matthew 21: 18-22

[18] In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. [19] And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. [20] When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” [21] Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. [22] Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”

A lot has been said about what this message means for us generally as followers of Christ. But let’s focus on what it means for entrepreneurs.

The key elements to focus on are. (1) The tree had leafs on it but no fruit (alive but no fruit). (2) The consequences of being fruitless was to wither and die in the end despite a long life of growth to produce leafs. (3) We can do the same works if we have genuine faith.

As entrepreneurs, we have been given a lot of skills. We have the willingness to take risk, the capacity to work hard, and the creative ability to create things of value.

We are a tree growing and providing shade with our leafs. But the species of tree that we are is called to bear a multitude of fruit. Think back to the parable of the good and faithful steward. His dedicated work returned 5 additional talents to the 5 he had been given (Matt. 25:14-30). There is also the example of the seed that fell on good ground and produced up to one hundred fold wheat (Matt. 13:8).

Are we not exceedingly blessed by our work ethic, ability to manage and motivate people, our ability to sell, the list goes on.

We must ask ourselves, what is the fruit we are yielding. The fruit cannot be simply financial. The true fruit we are called to yield is eternal fruit that brings others to God. So what are we doing?

Are people drawn to Catholocism because of our actions? Are we leaving bread crumbs for people to pick up along the way to give them a little taste of the Faith?

For any of this to be possible, we need to recognize the gifts we were given, and we need to nourish the seeds of faith in our hearts. Giving sufficient water and sunlight through prayer, the sacraments, scripture, and contemplation.

St. Thomas Aquinas comments further on the example of the fig tree, taken from this passage and from the parable of the fig tree in Luke (13:6-9). He says (paraphrased), the fig tree is outwardly promising (leafy) through profession of faith and law, yet inwardly unfruitful in charity and good works, facing divine judgment after a period of merciful patience.

On one hand you have the judgement side of that to avoid. On the other hand, consider how motivating it can be for us to lean into what we already know and profess about the faith. Allowing it to produce a great amount of fruit in our lives and the lives of those around us.

Remember, even if you’re just starting out as an entrepreneur and don’t have that many employees, you will likely have many people reporting to you one day. If you stick with it, and apply virtue to how you run your business, you are likely to continue growing. As you grow, will those fundamental pillars be in place allowing you to be a truly positive influence on all of those around you. Employees and customers alike?

I know we’ve discussed this idea in some way shape or form but this matters. This isn’t just a nice to have option we can pursue. God specifically gave us these skills to help carry out His will in the world. Will you view it as a weight on your shoulders, or will you see this as the opportunity to go on the adventure of a lifetime?

Will you see it as a way to gain financial success and notoriety, or will you see it as an opportunity to bring hundreds, even thousands along with you on this journey home; this journey to heaven?

Will you be barren and cursed or will you bear fruit and be blessed?

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

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Don’t forget about The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide. Bookmark for future reference.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

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Another Monday! Another week is upon us. Another opportunity to carry out God’s will in the world!

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. We’re on a mission to bring you a bit of tactical advice or encouragement each Monday to start your week off well.

Today we’re talking about…

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events: Nashville, Dallas, YCP, and NYC events

• Feature Content: Prepare to Observe Holy Week

• Heavenly Hustlers: From Catholic AI to St. Joseph Socks

• Highlights: Read Leaving a Legacy, by Johann Kurtz

[read time: ~5.5 min | word count 1,239]

News / Events

• Tomorrow I’m hosting a hangout for Catholic entrepreneurs in Nashville. If you’d like to attend, register here. We only have 2 spots left.

• If you’re in NYC, don’t miss the Fides Entrepreneurship event with Tim Busch, the businessman and philanthropist known for his involvement in the wine and hospitality business.

• I’ll be at the YCP conference, HMU if you’d like to link up there.

• We have a couple of spots open for our Dallas dinner on the 12th of April. Register if you’re interested.

• We’re looking for sponsors to help fund this project. If you’re interested, drop us an email, admin@catholicfounders.com

Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today

We're building the largest network of Catholic biz owners in the world.

It's for any Catholic biz owner who believes they are called to be an instrument of God's will in the world. 

Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month.

Curious? --> "What is the Catholic Founders Guild"

Prepare to Observe Holy Week

Holy week starts next Sunday. Hard to believe that we’re already coming to the end of Lent. But here we are.

Maybe your Lent was great. Maybe it was mediocre. Maybe you gave up entirely. Regardless of how it went, there is always the chance to end well. How to end well can be an art in itself. But as business owners, there is one thing in particular that we can do to end well.

Observe Holy Week by taking off of work.

I’m not asking you to take the entire week off. But I am asking you to truly observe Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Saturday. Take those days off, for you and your team (ideally paid leave if you can afford it).

Be uncompromising about Good Friday. Make it a day of no work. Set aside your day to pray and contemplate Jesus’ death on the cross. What does it mean for you? What is the weight of this sacrifice? How can you imitate Jesus’ example towards your employees? If you take none of this other advice, at least take this.

On Holy Thursday, consider doing something to serve your employees. Maybe make them lunch, then take the rest of the day off. If any of your team are not Catholic, invite them to the Holy Thursday mass and washing of the feet service.

On Holy Saturday, continue to observe the mourning of the death of Jesus. Place yourself in the shoes of the Apostles. Allow the silence to stew inside of you. Don’t play any music. Don’t respond to emails. Just leave work aside. Speak to God in this silence. Consider His sacrifice for you. No matter how much you want to pick up work and keep things moving. Let it be.

Our natural state as entrepreneurs is to work. It’s the default setting. But it’s not all that we are. We are given an intellect and a will to overcome these natural tendencies. Let’s make use of these faculties to be with God. To be with our family.

Of course, you should also invite your employees to the Easter Vigil / Sunday mass. This is a particularly great time for them to come and hopefully, witness many catechumens entering the faith. Perhaps it will inspire them, too.

It goes without saying, but really make sure to enter into Easter Sunday. Be present with your family. If you don’t already have some, consider establishing an Easter family tradition.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

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Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• ✨ Peter Cooney and his brother Thomas are building Acutis. A general-purpose AI guided by Church teaching/morality. In other words, it won’t suggest that abortion is fine and good.

• 🕊️ Dan DeMatte co-founded Damascus with the purpose of creating a generation of Catholics who are capable of living out their faith. Really fascinating project.

• 🔨 John-Michael Pauzé runs JMR Contracting, doing renovation projects.

• 🧦 Scott Williams, creator of SockReligious, is now growing Catholic Concepts. A group that will help Catholic orgs create and sell merch as the printer for others.

• 🎥 Frankie Garcia is the founder and CEO of Kalorama Studios. A production agency focused on visual storytelling for trade associations, think tanks & corporations. Love to see a firm like this picking with and sticking with a niche.

🙋‍♂️ Nominate a Heavenly Hustler (including yourself) - It takes 1 min.

Thank you to Catholic Owned for helping us find some of these folks each week. Get listed today!

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Highlights

In case you missed it, we changed this section to focus on one or two key things we want to highlight each week. For the full list of resources, check it out here 👇

The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

Today’s highlight is a book.

Leaving a Legacy by Johann Kurtz

You’ve probably heard me mention this at least once, but it bears worth repeating. His book contains, what I think, is the key to saving Western/Christian living at least in the US.

We had the opportunity to have him on the podcast in January (listen here). If you listen to/read this book, I’ll make time to call you and discuss your opinions on implementing it.

If you’ve already read it and are on board with what he’s doing, I’d highly recommend checking out the thing he’s building called The Hancock Club (DM me, and I can put you in touch to learn more). The first chapter is launching in Texas.

I’m hoping the next one will be in Tennessee.

In case you have not picked up on it yet, I really like what Johann has written. I think it’s a huge solution to many of the problems we’re facing. As business owners, we play a crucial role in shaping the future around us. Both locally and nationally. Integrating the principles in his book can help us do that. The premise is one of building enterprises that direct capital and create family bonds and continuity that are hard to break, thus leading to a stronger society as a whole.

Looking forward to discussing this with you once you’ve read it.

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

Happy Monday Y’all!

Welcome back to Saintly CEO - the newsletter Catholic Founders puts out (almost every) Monday. We are on a mission to help Catholics launch and grow their business with intros, coaching, a network, and accountability.

Reach out if you’re looking for support as you start your business. Transparently, we are still trying to figure out how to charge for these services, so you may end up getting a lot of free help.

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Events

• Feature Content:

• Heavenly Hustlers

• Highlights

[read time: ~5.5 min | word count 1,239]

News / Updates

• Last week we sponsored the Fides event in SF (check out the highlight) - Shoutout to Luca for pulling that together

• On March 24th, Derek McMonagle is presenting to the Guild on how to hack your temperament when doing business development. Join the guild to attend.

• Next week we’re meeting up in Nashville (join us!)

• March 28th the Wausau monthly meetup is happening

• April 12th, we’re meeting up in Dallas (stay tuned for link)

• We’re looking for sponsors for this project and our dinners — reach out if you're open to exploring this (admin@catholicfounders.com)

Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today

We're building the largest network of Catholic biz owners in the world.

It's for any Catholic biz owner who believes they are called to be an instrument of God's will in the world. 

Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month.

Curious? --> "What is the Catholic Founders Guild"

Business Presents Opportunities to Practice Mercy

Last weekend, I attended a half-day retreat hosted by our local YCP. The topic, Mercy.

The most striking thing the priest said in his talks - which seems obvious in retrospect - was that in Heaven we are united with God. If we are united with God, that means everyone in Heaven is also united with God. Meaning we are united with each other. Meaning… we cannot have any grudges in our hearts against our fellow man.

Yet, how often on earth do we harbor those thoughts of resentment, even if it’s just a little bit?

As a business owner, I think this is a huge area for me personally to work on, and I would imagine for others as well.

How often do we have a customer acting crazy and challenging us? Maybe a competitor is doing something we wish we had thought of. There are countless possible examples.

My question is (to myself and to you), have we forgiven these people? Have we offered mercy to them? Not in a condescending way to implicate them in some sort of crime against us. But in our hearts, have we accepted the wrong and let it go?

After all, we desire our fellow man to be in heaven one day. So why not start with forgiving them while we’re still in this life?

So, if you’ve got some beef left in your heart for a client or supplier that hasn’t always treated you well, this is your sign to let it go. Offer them forgiveness in your heart. Desire their good. Desire that they and you may one day be united in Heaven for all eternity.

Once this behavior becomes a habit, you’ll likely start treating people better in the moment. You’ll have more patience. And your peace of mind will benefit.

One final thing to consider is the way mercy can affect the receiver’s heart. If you have an employee who has stolen or someone who has committed a grave wrong against you. Offering them forgiveness can move them emotionally. It can have a transformative impact on their heart.

Just think of all the stories you’ve heard of a victim forgiving their aggressor. The more grave the offense, the more moving the story. I myself have been brought to tears many times in hearing these stories (I am a bit of a softie). There is a reason for this.

Considering this, recognize that one day - perhaps even now - you might find yourself in a position to offer mercy towards someone who has committed an offense. You have a chance to be like the king who forgave his servant who owed 10,000 talents. Take advantage of that opportunity to imitate God’s mercy towards us by forgiving them. Release them from their ‘debt’ - hopefully it will affect a change in their heart.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

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Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 👨‍🎨 Matthew Kilmurry is the CEO of Intrinsic Digital Brands. A digital brand holding company.

• 💼 Alex Ziolkowski is building… can’t tell you yet. It’s in stealth, but you should connect with him. He’s also a CF Guild Member.

• 📐 Ryan Huseman runs Forté Structural Engineering out of Amarillo, Texas. I met Ryan through SENT recently, and we’re having him on the pod soon to tell his story.

• ⚙️ Chris Greco is the Co-Founder of Goodlight AI where they use AI to help create a more complete picture of customers for retail shops. He’s based out of Kansas City. I also met him through SENT recently.

• 👔 Clint Branam runs Catholic Men’s Shop. They sell various menswear accesories, but primarily some slick neck ties. He’s based in the DC Area.

• 🐭 Trevor Britton works in marketing and websites, with a specialty of making custom animations. Based out of Iowa City, he’s a recent addition to the Catholic Founders Guild.

🙋‍♂️ Nominate a Heavenly Hustler (including yourself) - It takes 1 min.

Share

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Highlights

In case you missed it, we changed this section to focus on one or two key things we want to highlight each week. For the full list of resources check it out here 👇

The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

Today we only have one highlight.

Desync.ai — A Sales Tool for Selling to Catholics

This is a product that contains various datasets of Catholics. So, if you’re trying to reaceh Notre Dame alum, people who work at parishes, or beyond, check out this product.

A while back Mark stayed at my house for a bit and I got to see how this product works. It’s in its early days, but if you’re trying to sell to value aligned customers, this is a really great tool.

And, it’s pretty affordable. Would recommend checking it out.

Mark did give me a code for this community if you guys use it you’ll get $25 of free spend (250 credits). I don’t make anything off of you using this, he just did it as a gift to the community.

Just shoot me a DM/reply to this email for the code. Don’t want AI bots scraping this post for it.

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

Hey you!

Notice how I didn’t say everyone? Well, that’s because despite this being a 1:N relationship, this post - and every post - is written for you.

Welcome back to the Saintly CEO. To say I appreciate you reading this is an understatement. After all, I’m literally obsessed with Catholic entrepreneurship, and to know that you are also into it makes me happy!

Today, we’re going to do things a little differently (do I have your attention now?)

1. I’m going to give you some updates / news (same old same old)

2. Then I’m going to highlight one specific thing that has stuck in my brain from a recent podcast episode (shorter than usual)

3. And then… drum roll please… I’m going to give you a little bit longer version of Heavenly Hustlers. More profiles and more detail. You could say, it’s going to be YUGE

At any rate, if you do enjoy today’s format - please do be a good fellow (or las) and let me know. Because, you know, it can get a little lonely writing into a void.

Oh an psst! As a reminder, the reason you should read this newsletter is that it’ll help you become a saint because of your business, not despite it.

[read time: ~9 min | word count 2,047]

News / Updates

• There is a kickass event for Catholic founders happening in SF this week — join if you’re around (and text your SF Catholic entrepreneur friends - we need to stick together) - Attend (yes, we are one of the sponsors)

• We’re looking to launch a monthly meetup in Columbus, Dallas, Nashville, and Austin - if you’re in those areas, get in touch to be involved.

• WE NEED MONEY! 🤣 This project isn’t free to run — if you’d like to support our mission AND make money (I know, give money to make money, such a concept), reach out to sponsor the podcast and newsletter (or maybe just one, who knows, depends on what you like). Email admin@catholicfounders.com to get in front of hundreds of Catholic business owners.

• We’re hosting a dinner in Dallas on March 12th. If you want to join (or sponsor) hit me up. VERY limited space.

• Nashville dinner/meetup: We are aiming tentatively for March 24th. DM me or email me to get on the list.

Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today

We're building the largest network of Catholic biz owners in the world.

It's for any Catholic biz owner who believes they are called to be an instrument of God's will in the world. 

Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month.

Curious? --> "What is the Catholic Founders Guild"

The Unexpected ROI of Radical Presence

A few weeks ago, Dr. Daniel Tataje came on the pod(check it out here). He relayed something he does with his employees that struck me deeply.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve actually witnessed this in real life when I met him at the SENT Summit in 2024.

He becomes fully present with the person he’s speaking with. As if you’re the only person in the world. When I experienced this, it was obvious that he was busy with something else prior to that. But when I put out my hand to introduce myself, he set it aside instantly and looked me in the eye.

That year’s summit had a lot of conversations and key moments, but that specific interaction was the most memorable for me.

What he does with his employees is a bit further. He tells them that they matter and that the world is incomplete if they don’t use their gifts.

In his clinics (he runs a large dental group in Madison, Wisconsin), he gets every employee to develop this same skill for each of their patients. When they are with a patient, they are a gift to that patient, and that patient is a gift to them.

Those two people are not anywhere else. They exist ini this moment. Not in the future and not in the past. Because the present moment is the only one they have, they focus on realizing the weight of it.

Through doing this, their clinics have grown like crazy because their patients know they are going to be well cared for. They also have incredible retention of talent compared to others in the space because, again, they are cared for.

The crux, humans enjoy being treated as if they have infinite dignity because they are created in the image and likeness of God. It just clicks.

Pro Tip of the Day: Recognize that each person you encounter is a gift, and treat them like it’s true. You’ll be returning the favor.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

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Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 🤖 Nhan Dinh is the Founder and CEO of Seller Labs, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, where he builds AI-forward software for Amazon sellers. I got to meet him last weekend at the BuildWithChrist.AI event, where he was leading a table. He also has 9 kids (so yeah, he’s super Catholic). In the past he scaled his own e-commerce venture to an impressive $11M in annual revenue. Now, he focuses his talents on simplifying complex software architectures and integrating agentic AI to help sellers automate growth. He’s also very involved in his local parish. Someone we can look up to.

• 🎥 John Blanford is a filmmaker and entrepreneur who co-founded Pastime Pictures, based in Atlanta, Georgia, a production company dedicated to crafting timeless stories that inspire and offer moral virtues. John is currently producing projects that elevate the human spirit, including the "Great Battles for Boys" series and the feature film Monster Summer starring Mel Gibson. A unique aspect of his journey is his commitment to the intrinsic creative value of every crew member—a philosophy reflected in his company's name, which subtly honors his and his co-founder's humble roots as Production Assistants. I also need to note that I think he has one of the coolest websites/landing pages I’ve ever seen.

• 🪚 Chris Czarka is the President and Founder of Ellington Custom Cabinetry LLC, based in Nashville, Tennessee, where he leads a family-owned custom cabinetry business. Obviously, this is dear to my heart as the son of a cabinet maker. Their focus is to create functional art for the heart of the home. What’s really fun is that he actually has an educational background in Philosophy. I wonder how much that influences how he runs the cabinet business. The story of how he started his own cabinetry business is pretty fascinating. We hope to tell it soon here on the pod.

• 🎻 Alex Wolaver studied at Juilliard and also co-founded ManAlive Studios, a production company specializing in high-end music and television content. He and his five siblings, as part of the acclaimed Annie Moses Band, create faith-based media—including the Emmy-nominated PBS special The Art of the Love Song and the Catholic children’s series The Wonderful World of Benjamin Cello—aimed at restoring beauty and spiritual integrity to modern entertainment. They run Packard Playhouse, a theatre in Columbia, TN that puts on some incredible productions. Alex is notable for his family’s collective conversion to the Catholic Church in 2013, a powerful journey sparked by their deep study of the arts, sacramental theology, and the writings of Pope Benedict XVI.

• 🏋️‍♂️ David Joniak is an Air Force veteran and seasoned fitness leader who founded Rescue Coffee + Fitness, based in Nashville, a mission-driven hybrid gym and coffeehouse concept. Drawing on over 16 years of managing top brands like Orangetheory and TITLE Boxing, David's venture combines functional strength training with specialty coffee to foster community. A remarkable aspect of this business is its central commitment to fighting child trafficking, with 10% of all proceeds and 100% of donations going directly to organizations that rescue local children. He’s joined by Stephen Hill in this endeavor.

• 🕵️‍♂️ Stephen Hill is an insurance advisor and Assistant General Agent at Nelson Insurance Advisors based in Woodstock, Georgia. His specialty is helping business owners and self-employed professionals maximize tax deductions and retirement benefits. Stephen and David are doing some incredible work to end Child Trafficking. If you’re interested in helping, reach out today.

• 🔍 Pedro Cadena is the co-founder of Servorum, a specialized recruiting firm based in Monterrey, dedicated to connecting Catholic business owners with values-aligned candidates across the globe. Pedro was a seminarian in the past, but after doing some work with my firm, he decided to launch his own thing. He’s doing some amazing work helping companies hire great talent offshore.

• 🚀 Jimmy Coleman is many things! Among them, he’s the Chief Growth Officer at Arimathea, Founder of X Cathedra, and a recent podcast guest of ours (in case you hadn’t noticed these past two weeks). You already know about Arimathea from the pod we did with Daniel Catone (or at least I hope you do). On top of all this, he’s the President of the SENT chapter for Charlotte. In the past, he ran over 50 miles carrying a flag that said “Eat my Flesh” — if he’s not a winner, I don’t know who is. Jimmy is a joy to our Catholic entrepreneur community. You should reach out to him if you’re looking for help getting more leads.

• ☕ Matt Johnson, Colm Kirwan, Clay Campbell, and Chris Coyne are building Gloria Patri coffee. An unapologetically Catholic coffee brand. They are based out of the Nashville area (you might be noticing a pattern with this week’s profiles). Their goal is to create Transcendental Goods, to inspire daily prayer. I also need to say, the video on their home page literally gave me goosebumps without even having the sound on. Well done!

🙋‍♂️ Nominate a Heavenly Hustler (including yourself) - It takes 1 min.

Thank you to Catholic Owned for helping us find some of these folks each week. Get listed today!

Share

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Become a sponsor today --> Admin@CatholicFounders.com 

Highlight(s):

In case you missed last issue, we are changing the “Misc. Resources” (super original name) to be called Highlight(s) (even more original, amirite?)

Instead of a large list of resources, we’re just going to highlight one or two interesting things. Get the full list of resources here: The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it (we just added several events). And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

How Catholics Should Approach Layoffs in the Age of AI (CF Guild Discussion)

This Tuesday (tomorrow), March 10th, the Catholic Founders Guild is getting together (at 1 pm CT) to discuss how we should approach layoffs in the age of AI. There has been a lot of discourse about this since Jack Dorsey laid off 40% of Block.

As Catholic business owners, we know we have a responsibility to our employees because they have families to care for. So we’ll be discussing this. If you’re a member of the Guild, join us. If you’re not, consider joining us really fast to get added. You can do so by upgrading to paid here.

Fio — Catholic Spotify (App)

Fio just released audiobooks on their platform. So, now they have a ton of Catholic audiobooks for you as you journey through Lent. I just had the chance to hang out with Will Hickl in person yesterday as he’s visiting Nashville. He’s also a member of our Catholic Founders Guild. So be sure to check out Fio.

My favorite thing about their model is that they have decided to pay their creators a LOT more than Spotify does, because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Excited to see where these guys keep going.

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

Happy First Monday of Lent! I hope everyone is off to a good start to the season. A season of letting go and offering up each part of our lives, to whatever God puts in front of us. So we may accept the battles at hand, rather than seek out a battle we’d feel comfortable with.

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. Every Monday, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

Each week you’ll find…

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Updates

• Feature Content:

• Heavenly Hustlers

• (New!) Weekly Highlights

[read time: ~6 min | word count 1,386]

News / Updates

• Don’t miss our ‘breaking the founder bottleneck’ event this Tuesday (tomorrow). Exclusively for our Catholic Founders Guild members.

• We are starting a recurring monthly meetup in Wausau, WI — If you’re based there, check out the event link here.

• Come to the free BuildWithChrist.AI event in Atlanta on March 7th

• We’ll be hosting a dinner in Nashville, Dallas, Houston, and Austin in the not too distant future — stay tuned for details, and reach out to help organize.

Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today

We're building the largest network of Catholic biz owners in the world.

It's for any Catholic biz owner who believes they are called to be an instrument of God's will in the world. 

Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month.

Curious? --> "What is the Catholic Founders Guild"

Empty Me, Fill Me, Use Me: A Guide to Networking

This past Saturday, one of the first things I did was open the Hallow app to listen to day 4 of the Pray 40 challenge. It was an interview with Mother Olga. Let’s just say, I didn’t plan on crying at 6 am on a Saturday morning.

The story is very moving, but one phrase she mentioned really stood out to me.

Empty Me, Fill Me, Use Me — this is a prayer she has when she’s invited to events or speaking opportunities. She intentionally sets aside her agenda and asks God to set her agenda for her.

I immediately imagined seeing someone like her at a big conference or event, right there with all the really important people. The people we all want to speak with and pitch. The people we want to “connect” with.

But in my mind, she would be with the important people, precisely because she had no agenda. Or rather, her agenda is driven by the Holy Spirit. If your agenda is that of the Holy Spirit, how much easier it would be to go up to those people you want to meet with total confidence.

The confidence comes from detachment to your own will — and confidence in God’s will.

I think there is a lesson here — both in networking and generally in business.

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The Choice

We fundamentally have two options in business. Our will or God’s will.

Reason has a role to play in performing God’s will, but what must happen first is intentionally relinquishing our will. So God can take over. Once we have made this prayer our own — Empty Me, Fill Me, Use Me — we can then begin down God’s highway.

Using This In Networking

With networking, instead of thinking how you can get something out of the event or meet someone, ask God to guide you to the people you need to meet — for your benefit or theirs.

Then tune into Holy Spirit FM — listen for and feel when the Spirit is calling you to walk up to someone — Empty Me, Fill Me, Use Me.

A huge part of this is noticing things. Noticing people — noticing our feelings — noticing when something just seems like the right thing to do.

Try this next time you’re in a situation that involves networking.

Using This In Business

In business generally, when making our short and long term plans, let’s practice the same thing — Empty Me, Fill Me, Use Me — surely this will lead to a better outcome. Better meaning, more in alignment with God’s will.

The Saintly CEO

Finally, imagine one of the holiest people you know. How do they carry themselves in situations like these? If you’ve not seen them in such a situation, imagine how they would behave.

Are they gunning to ‘connect’ with someone to achieve their agenda or do they flow more naturally?

You might be thinking — sure but the holiest people I know don’t run a business.

So what?

Why can’t you have the same holy characteristics as them while running a business? Why can’t the holiest person you know be a business owner? Perhaps if you take this idea of holiness seriously, you can become the holiest person others know — while still being a business owner.

Empty Me, Fill Me, Use Me — Let us make this our refrain each day. May it be the beginning of our commitment to doing God’s will rather than our own.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

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These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 🥃 Raj Bhakta is the Founder of Whistle Pig Whiskey. He made headlines recently because he purchased the Green Mountain College and is giving it away to a worthy cause that 1) promotes the Catholic Faith and 2) preserves Western tradition. Could be you?

• 👰🤵‍♂️ Matt Brooks is the Founder of The Marriage Group. A Catholic marriage pre-canna course (and more).

• 🎥 Sonny Varela is the Founder & Executive Producer of Scope & Sequence. A video & creative agency that works with mission driven orgs.

• 🇺🇸 Matthew Peterson is the Co-Founder and GP at New Founding. A VC firm that is focused on investing in “The America You Want to Live In.” (Love that!)

• 📊 David Brecount is the founder of US Digital Partners. A marketing agency that works across design and analytics.

• 💰 Stephen Hepburn and Tim Hepburn are building Drexel & Co. Financial Planning. Gotta love a family duo (I know I do).

🙋‍♂️ Nominate a Heavenly Hustler (including yourself) - It takes 1 min.

Thank you to Catholic Owned for helping us find some of these folks each week. Get listed today!

Share

Highlight(s) (NEW NAME — who dis?)

We are going to change this section up a bit. In the past we had a list of various resources + some content we’ve been liking lately. But we are going to focus on highlighting one or two things each time now.

If you want the full list of resources, you can get them here: The Ultimate Catholic Founders Resource Guide.

The Catholic Founders Resource Guide

Feel free to bookmark it as we’ll continue to update it. And if you have suggestions on what to add, ping us (even if you want to promote your own stuff).

Today’s Highlights Are…

Build With Christ (Event)

March 7th, 2026 at Phase Events, Alpharetta, GA

Watch professional teams build software for Adopt a Family. While there, get free coaching on how to use AI so you can upskill yourself.

The event is free to attend, but requires registration. There is also a virtual component for those who cannot make it in person.

Also, please note if you’re attending, they also offer free, professional childcare.

You can learn more about the event on the recent promo we did with one of the organizers, Michael Lyons.

Eliminate Owner Dependency (Event)

February 24th (Tomorrow) the Catholic Founders Guild is hosting our monthly expert call with Susan Fennema.

She’s an expert at helping business owners create and implement systesm so their busienss is not a prison.

This is a virtual event that is only open to paying members of the Catholic Founders Guild. If you’d like to join, you can do so here for $100 a year or $10 a month.

That’s all folks! See you next time — and don’t forget, you were created to create!

~Silas Mähner

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)

PSA: Lent starts on Wednesday. (Hopefully, you knew this already.) Be sure to get your Ash in Church (sorry, I had to).

Welcome back to Saintly CEO. Every Monday, while you sip your coffee, get some tactical advice to run your business fully in union with your Catholic faith.

Each week you’ll find…

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

• News/Updates

• Feature Content:

• Heavenly Hustlers

• Misc Resources

[read time: ~6 min | word count 1,295]

News / Updates

• Lent starts on Wednesday — be sure to get your ashes and to prepare, in order to make a good Lent.

• Keep an eye out — we’re releasing the podcast tomorrow instead of Thursday, because it contains some good advice about doing Lent well. AND it’s our first episode with a priest. Hyped for that.

• We’re planning to host a dinner/hangout in Nashville soon — reach out if you’re interested (if you’re local or planning to drive/fly in)

• If you’d like to host a meetup/dinner in your area, reach out — admin@catholicfounders.com

• Get your company in front of hundreds of Catholic biz owners by becoming a sponsor of the show — admin@catholicfounders.com

Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today
In my experience, the best way to improve yourself, is to go full emersion. Surround yourself with Catholic Founders who know their calling is to be instruments of God's will in the world. 

Through the content, community, and networking, you'll become a better Catholic business owner. 

Join a community of aspiring saints -- who also happen to be business owners. 

Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month.

Curious? --> "What is the Catholic Founders Guild"

How Lent Can Transform The Lows Of Business Into A Hand Delivered Gift From God

If you’re paying any attention to your faith, I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of advice on the three pillars of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. I won’t focus on those today.

Instead, let’s take the next 40 days to do one thing in our businesses, and let’s do it really well.

We’re going to offer up all the ‘lows’ of business to God.

In business, even when things are going great, there are challenges (things suck). It’s the nature of the beast. Our first instinct is to fix the business by getting rid of those problems, but we actually come closer to God by accepting them. There is nothing wrong with improving your processes so you don’t face the same issues tomorrow, but while you have them, don’t let them get you worked up.

Each challenge is an opportunity to trust God — to trust that ‘this bad news is not the end of my world.’ Let’s be real, if your soul is in a state of grace, no news is truly consequential.

If you started your business for the right reasons, you aren’t doing this for easy money or recognition. A Catholic Founder runs their business because they recognize they’ve been given a talent(s) and they had better not bury it in the sand.

The mystical part is that God is bringing us closer to Him through the business itself; we are answering His call. If we believe this, how can we not praise Him for the challenges He sends our way?

In most cases, we have no idea why He sent a specific challenge or what He is preparing us for. It doesn’t matter. What matters is accepting it as coming directly from the hands of God.

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The Benefits of This Approach:

• Lower Stress: If you’re not worrying (because you trust in God) you’ll have a lot less stress.

• A New Perspective: You’ll see each challenge as a gift from God.

• Constant Prayer: You’ll think about God more often because each challenge makes Him present in your workday.

• Business Clarity: You’ll identify your bottlenecks quickly (nothing shouts “problem” like pain).

• Personal Calm: You’ll become more composed in other areas of life by mastering your response to professional friction.

Ultimately, practicing this acceptance is how we learn to say ‘yes’ to our cross.

By embracing our unique cross, we walk in unity with Christ as He carried The Cross (which bore the weight of the entire world’s sins). The more we unite our lives with His Passion, the more like Him we become. We grow in true love. True love is fundamentally about sacrifice — as proven by the ultimate sacrifice of His only-begotten Son.

3 Tips for Your Lenten Journey:

To wrap up, use these 3 tips to help you do this as you embark on your Lenten journey.

1. Journal for 5 Minutes Each Morning: Every morning, write down (in your own words — speak from the heart here) a commitment to accept anything you receive that day as a gift from God. Commit to bearing it all patiently and with gratitude.

2. Gift or Curse. You Decide: When bad news hits your desk, recognize that God is personally delivering you a gift. Whether that gift appears positive or negative depends entirely on your disposition toward it.

3. The Evening Audit: Before bed, review how you responded to those gifts. Where did you succeed? Where did you fail? Offer it all to God. Use this as an opportunity for humility. To recognize how reliant you are on Him for literally everything.

God Bless & Happy Building

~Silas Mähner

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Email us to inquire: admin@catholicfounders.com 

Heavenly Hustlers

These are other Catholic business owners. Nominate one (including yourself).

• 💼 Dan Fuerst runs Briefcase Marketing. Helping Catholic-run organizations launch websites and Google/Meta ads that inspire people to take action. Owner of Briefcase Marketing

• 🧔‍♂️ Tony Vasinda and Michael Marchand co-founded Catholic Balm Co. In case you’re interested in some of the story behind them, starting this co, check out this article. (PS: if you know them, intro me so I can get one or both of them on the pod.)

• ☕ Brian and Trisha Galvan run St. Benedict Coffee Company and are restarting their biz out of a food truck at the University Catholic Center at the University of Texas in Austin (learn more here).

• ✝️ Matt Zerrusen is the founder of Newman Ministry. Based in the Dallas area.

• 🧮 Gabriel Malavolti is the CEO of Tavola Group. A holistic accounting, tax, and business advisory services firm.

🙋‍♂️ Nominate a Heavenly Hustler (including yourself) - It takes 1 min.

Thank you to Catholic Owned for helping us find some of these folks each week. Get listed today!

Share

Get in front of 100s of Catholic Business Owners
Become a sponsor today --> Admin@CatholicFounders.com 

Misc. Resources:

Groups:

• Join the Catholic Founders Guild (peer group) $10/month or $100/year

• Join We Are Catholic on Vinly — It’s free, and there are a ton of great folks there.

• Apply to become a member of SENT

• Fides Entrepreneurship Group

• Check out Catholic Owned

Events:

• Fides Entrepreneurship’s future events (NYC)

• Upcoming DOMINUS Lab Events

Content:

• Check out last week’s episode, where I explain the key lesson that Mozart’s life has for us as Catholic entrepreneurs.

• Here is the episode of Founders that spawned that idea.

Services:

• Hire Catholic Offshore Talent: admin@catholicfounders.com

• [Become a sponsor today AND support the show while doing]

How did we do? Reply with 1 (Great 😄), 2 (Mid 🫤), or 3 (Needs Work ☹️)