This article was written by Chad Schoonmaker and published by Crossroads Professional Coaching. One of the first posts I remember seeing on Instagram was… unforgettable to say the least. It was 2010 and a friend proudly uploaded a close-up shot of her son’s very dirty (yes, that kind of dirty) diaper. She had no idea…

Ah, the “heroic entrepreneur;” the one who is willing and able to take bold steps to build business and risk everything to provide a product or service that will lead to a better world for thousands, who will be rewarded richly for doing such good work. Every entrepreneur wants that. For faith driven entrepreneurs, there’s an added level of wanting to do it for the glory of God and the flourishing of humanity.

This isn’t a new concept; in fact, the notion of a “heroic entrepreneur” is over a century old.

In the business world, I see how entrepreneurs think very differently about being successful. Some entrepreneurs limit their view of success to personal well-being, happiness, and self-gain. They think in terms of power, competition, and winning. Their primary goal is to maximize profit, and their motto is “the end justifies the means.” Others prioritize the interest of the client and the interest of the other stakeholders. Their primary goal is to improve the well-being of everyone involved, and their motto is “adding value to the client, the society, and the world in an economically profitable way by maximizing the well-being of all stakeholders.” These entrepreneurs, when guided in their decisions by God, are what I call faith driven entrepreneurs.