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In Today’s Issue:
Intro to the Guest and Topic
Core Takeaway
Episode References
Select Quotes
Key Moments
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Today’s Topic & Guest:
Straight up, this is the most vulnerable conversation that we’ve had on the show.
Normally, we talk a lot about success and winning. But part of every entrepreneur’s journey is failure. And in some cases, shutting down your company.
Nhan, has started many projects and companies. He’s also shut down many of them. And this is all fresh for Nhan. He’s in a period of transition currently, seeking his next opportunity or company to build (so reach out if you’re interested in meeting him).
However, despite all of these challenges, Nhan keeps the faith as he steps forward confidently, trusting in God that he will be able to feed his 9 children.
His humility is inspiring to anyone with open ears. I encourage you to open yours.
Enjoy the conversation!
Core Lesson:
Your fear determines what you are attached to; whatever you are most afraid of losing is exactly where your heart is bound. God is seeking to free you from that attachment.
As Catholic founders, we often mistake our drive for stewardship when it’s actually a desire for control or recognition. Nhan challenges us to use the discernment of St. Ignatius to look at our businesses with “holy indifference,” being equally at peace with riches or poverty, success or failure.
If the thought of your business being taken away today causes a tantrum in your heart, it’s a clear sign that you’ve shifted your trust from God’s providence to your own hands.
Have the mindset that “I either succeed or I learn” so that you can grow. God will teach you and bring you closer to Him through these failures. The dark moments are times of blessing because they help bring us back to God. To trust in Him.
Finally, learn to embrace the “necessary endings” required to stay true to our ultimate mission. Sometimes God calls us to shut a door so that we can walk through a new one, and while that new path might not be more glamourous, but it is the path of obedience. Whether it’s a business, a relationship, or a dream that no longer serves the goal of glorifying God, we have to be willing to let it go — before we are forced to.
God Bless & Happy Building!
~Silas Mähner
Hire Catholic Overseas Talent
In LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.
Often, they’re treated as second-class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.
So, we started ParacleteVA (website coming soon).
With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.
How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.
To get started, reach out to catholicfounders@gmail.com with what you’re looking for, and we’ll get started.
Key Episode References:
Select Quotes:
“Your fear will determine what you’re attached to; so whatever you’re most afraid of losing, that’s what you’re attached to.”— Nhan Dinh
“The odds of you closing a business is very high, so you gotta be prepared to go penniless.”— Nhan Dinh
“It’s like, are you doing it because you want to glorify yourself? Are you really like in it to glorify God? Because God will test you. Like, if your heart’s not pure, He will test you. And at that point, are you going to be able, it’s still, you know, running to Him to trust.
Because if you do, then your faith grows. But if you don’t, then it’s going to drive you away from God.”— Nhan Dinh
“You don’t need to worry about not working hard enough. You need to worry about whether you’re trusting in God and going in the right direction.”— Nhan Dinh
“Either I succeed or I learn.”— Nhan Dinh
“Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you.”— Nhan Dinh (quoting St. Ignatius of Loyola)
“The problem with the entrepreneur is not that they give up, it’s just that they give up too late.”— Nhan Dinh
“I was like, how do I discern if I should continue a business or should just go get a job? And he's(spiritual director) like, your wife will tell you when you need to go get a job.”— Nhan Dinh
“The mission of the business is king and you need to have necessary endings.”— Nhan Dinh
“On your deathbed, which one are you gonna regret not making?”— Nhan Dinh
“Desiring and choosing only what is most conducive to the end which we are created, which is to praise, to adore, and to serve God.”— Nhan Dinh
Key Moments: (outline)
[00:00] - Intro: Fear and Attachment : Nhan explains how our fears reveal what we are truly attached to in business.
[01:08] - Mission: Becoming Saints through Business : Silas discusses the core mission of Catholic Founders—sainthood through entrepreneurship.
[04:27] - Background: The Vietnamese Immigrant Story : Nhan shares his family’s journey from post-war Vietnam to starting life with nothing in America.
[07:33] - Family: Raising Nine Kids as an Entrepreneur : Discussing the necessity of entrepreneurship when providing for a large Catholic family.
[08:49] - Risk: The Reality of Pennilessness : Why being willing to lose everything is the price of entry for full-time founders.
[10:39] - Discernment: Glorifying God vs. Self : How to distinguish between building for your own ego and building for God’s glory.
[15:05] - Exit Strategy: When to Shut Down : Learning when to embrace “necessary endings” rather than holding on too late.
[17:23] - Mid-Roll: The Faithful Steward : Silas announces a new initiative to connect Catholic investors with builders.
[21:38] - Motivation: Sorting Through the Desire for Recognition : Silas and Nhan discuss the spiritual danger of seeking recognition.
[24:14] - Prudence: The Three Circles of a Viable Business : Identifying the intersection of passion, skill, and market demand
Hire Catholic Overseas Talent
In LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.
Often, they’re treated as second-class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.
So, we started ParacleteVA (website coming soon).
With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.
How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts, and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.
To get started, reach out to catholicfounders@gmail.com with what you’re looking for, and we’ll get started.
