Catholic Founders

Silas Mähner

Catholic Founders is where Catholic Entrepreneurs and Business Owners go to learn how to integrate their faith into every aspect of how they run their business and life as a Catholic AND as a Founder. In modern times, it's become more unclear than ever how to unite our faith with our work. It's even harder when you run a business. However, just as there is a holy way to live, there is a holy way to build and run our businesses. Fundamentally, our skills were given to us by God so that we may become instruments of His will. These skills are not for our own use. Therefore, to waste or misuse them is a grave thing. This entire project is born out of a deep belief in this truth. www.catholicfounders.com

  1. 12h ago

    #96 ⁠⁠They've Given $900k of Interest Free Loans. Only $5k Has Defaulted | P. Terry's

    Kathy and Patrick Terry bake a birthday cake for every one of their 1,800 employees, have lent them $900K+ interest-free, and walked away from a buyout so P. Terry's would never stop treating people like people. Want to build a business like that? Become a paid member of the Catholic Founders Guild: join.catholicfounders.com The Terrys opened a 527 sq ft burger stand in Austin in 2005. Today P. Terry's runs across Austin, San Antonio and Houston, and they're selling the company to an Employee Ownership Trust so the culture outlives them. Silas asks how they scaled without losing the human touch, and the question every founder eventually has to answer: how much is enough? In this episode: • Why they'd rather slow down than change how they treat employees • Becoming the safety net: interest-free loans with about $5K in defaults • Milton Friedman and how the employer-employee deal broke down • Walking away from a buyout, then selling to an Employee Ownership Trust • Keeping prices low while everyone else raises them • Faith, humility and being public about your success Core lesson: Know your people. That's where the joy is. Guests: Kathy Terry: linkedin.com/in/kathy-terry-atx P. Terry's Burger Stand: pterrys.com Sponsor: Bonaventure Bookkeeping takes the books off your plate, with monthly reports you can actually understand. Get your Sunday nights back: bonabook.xyz or accountant@bonabook.xyz Chapters: 00:28 – Can 1,800 employees really be treated like family? “But of course.” 02:21 – Costco vs. Sam’s Club, and how you measure success 04:11 – The two-way deal between employer and employee 05:48 – How capitalism became extractive and transactional 09:22 – Milton Friedman and the shift to shareholder value 11:07 – Scaling a business that stays human 14:18 – Vin’s broken-down car and becoming the safety net for employees 16:58 – Giving Back Saturdays: a full day’s profits to local nonprofits 21:46 – Over $900K in interest-free employee loans, with only about $5K defaulted 23:15 – Why every employee gets a birthday cake 24:30 – Selling to an Employee Ownership Trust to lock in the culture 28:54 – Know your people: “that’s where all the joy is” 33:27 – “We didn’t set out to build a Catholic business” 41:27 – How to know when it’s time to take the leap of faith 45:33 – Walking away from the buyout offer 49:43 – Keeping prices low while everyone else raises theirs 52:04 – How much is enough? 54:54 – Advice for scaling: grow at a pace your culture can handle 56:57 – Closing and Rapid Fire Join the Catholic Founders Guild ($10/month or $100/year): grow your business, learn the theology of entrepreneurship, and meet 270+ Catholic founders. join.catholicfounders.com Newsletter: catholicfounders.com YouTube: youtube.com/@CatholicFoundersPod Meetups: luma.com/catholicfounders This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe

    #96 ⁠⁠They've Given $900k of Interest Free Loans. Only $5k Has Defaulted | P. Terry's
  2. Oct 23

    #95 Why We Stopped Building Beautiful Things | Erik Bootsma

    Why are modern buildings so ugly? Architect Erik Bootsma explains the ideology behind it, why beauty is worth the cost, and why Catholics should build villages again. Become a paid subscriber to Catholic Founders: https://join.catholicfounders.com Erik Bootsma leads Erik Bootsma Architect in Richmond, Virginia, focusing on Catholic church architecture: new churches, liturgical renovations, monasteries, and work at Benedictine College. For 15+ years he's also been designing Catholic villages, neighborhoods built with the church at the center. We cover: - The "spreadsheet brain" that can only see 10, 20, or 30 years ahead - Why a cheap building is a burden on your grandchildren, not a gift- How to talk about money with the people paying for a building - How business owners can help build real community "A real community is one that lives and breathes all day, every day." — Erik Bootsma This episode is sponsored by Bonaventure Bookkeeping: bookkeeping for business owners, handled with honesty and care. https://www.bonabook.xyzand Our Father Constructors & Associate, your partner for any construction project. If you want to ensure your church, school, monastery (etc) project is done well, on budget (or under budget), and ultimately, that it serves the Church for generations — reach out to Cristian and his team. Go to OurFather.US to learn more. Tell them that we sent you! Connect with Erik: Website: https://bootsma.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-bootsma-161363286/ Find a Catholic Founders meetup near you: https://luma.com/catholicfounders Chapters: 02:20 – Architects as “executives” rather than just “creatives” 03:55 – Discussion on architecture and why so many ugly modern buildings were built 07:40 – The true function and purpose of churches 11:11 – What constitutes a real, living community 11:20 – The concept and vision of Catholic villages 13:55 – Favorite project: The Rosary Walk in Gallup, New Mexico 16:20 – The spiritual aspect of volunteer labor and building 19:30 – Taking on projects that cannot be completed in a single lifetime 20:44 – Winston Churchill’s quote: “We shape our buildings and then they shape us” 27:24 – How the Church and modern society have fallen into “spreadsheet brain” 28:48 – Moving past 10–30 year ROI to embrace true generational thinking 30:40 – Building as a gift versus saddling future generations with a burden 33:17 – Working with clergy and the mindset shift in younger priests 43:17 – Using traditional building materials 54:01 – Advice for business owners on long-term community building and investments 56:50 – Closing and Rapid Fire Episode references:Churchill, House of Commons, 1943: https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1943/oct/28/house-of-commons-rebuilding St. Charles Borromeo on church building: https://www.sacredarchitecture.org/articles/charles_borromeo_and_catholic_tradition The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30): https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/25 St. Kateri Rosary Walk: https://bootsma.com/portfolio_page/st-kateri-rosary-walk/ Support the show and join the community. Become a paid subscriber: https://join.catholicfounders.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe

    #95 Why We Stopped Building Beautiful Things | Erik Bootsma
  3. Oct 15

    #94 He's taking on Replit. Building Human-Centered Technology | Garren DiPasquale

    Most software tools are built to capture your focus and trap your attention. In this episode, Garren DiPasquale (founder of Artifact) shares how he’s taking on dev incumbents like Replit by letting people build software with plain English specs. Join the Catholic Founders Guild: Ready to build, scale, and transform culture through business? Become a paid subscriber and join 250+ Catholic entrepreneurs today at 👉 join.catholicfounders.com In This Episode: Coding in English: Why natural language is becoming the primary interface for software creation. Human-Centered Tech: Applying Catholic social teaching and papal encyclicals to product design. Form Follows Function: Dieter Rams, the Bauhaus movement, and rejecting "AI slop." Why Software Fails: How internal organizational silos manifest as bad user experiences. Key References Mentioned: Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Dieter Rams’s Ten Principles of Good Design Donald Knuth & Literate Programming Daniel Jackson Standout Quotes: "Our mission really is centered around this question of what happens when you can code in English." — Garren DiPasquale "Never expose your organizational silos... because that’s what you end up seeing in a lot of software—you’re actually experiencing the backend friction of the company." — Garren DiPasquale Episode Sponsors & Partners: Bonaventure Bookkeeping: Bring peace to your financial management with bookkeeping designed by entrepreneurs who care about your mission. Connect today: Bonaventure Bookkeeping ParacleteVA: Hire vetted, mission-aligned Catholic remote talent from LatAm and the Philippines. Email catholicfounders@gmail.com to get started. Connect with Catholic Founders: Become a Paid Subscriber: join.catholicfounders.com Website: catholicfounders.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe

  4. Oct 11

    #93 Silas’ Appearance on the Prosper Podcast w/ Andreas Widmer and Rebecca Teti (Crosspost)

    In this crosspost of my guesting on the Prosper Podcast with Andreas Widmer and Rebecca Teti, we jam on some of my absolute favorite topics: Business as a Divine Calling: Why we have to stop compartmentalizing our faith and our work, and how business can be a primary vehicle for holiness and personal growth. Presence-Centric Leadership: Lessons from incredible Catholic CEOs (like Dr. Daniel Tatahe) on setting aside distractions, looking people in the eye, and treating employees and customers as irreplaceable human gifts. Agency, Fear, and God's Providence: Why waiting in paralysis is more dangerous than taking a six-month burst of action, and how to embrace the momentum God has given you. If you've ever felt that pull to build something meaningful and want a practical roadmap for walking out both your faith and entrepreneurship, this conversation is for you. Ready to build together? If you're ready to put these principles into action, come join us inside the Catholic Founders Guild! We're building the biggest network of Catholic business owners in America, offering local chapter meetups across the country, monthly expert calls, an active community WhatsApp network, and a custom AI assistant trained on Catholic business insights.Membership is only $10/month or $100/year. Head over to join.catholicfounders.com to get plugged in.And don't forget to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, The Saintly CEO, for free spiritual and tactical advice every Monday at catholicfounders.com! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe

  5. Oct 8

    #92 Bringing Back The Woman's Role in Community Building | Regina Bethencourt

    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube News / Updates: * NEW! Real Estate Sub Group. We have just created a Real Estate Sub group inside of the Guild, for all folks involved in real estate. This is a great way for us to collaborate and build beautiful buildings again - to elevate the human soul. Consider this your sign to upgrade to paid! * Stuck in a business challenge? Read the latest of the Saintly CEO: Grow Your Business Through The Primary Constraint Method Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today (1) Launch/grow your biz, (2) Learn the Theology of Entrepreneurship, (3) Discover Community, and (4) Transform Culture by making it Catholic. 200+ members and counting. Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month. Curious? --> “What is the Catholic Founders Guild?” In Today’s Issue: * Intro to the Guest and Topic * Core Takeaway * Episode References * Select Quotes * Key Moments First time here? Learn more about our mission. And don’t forget to subscribe. Today’s Topic & Guest: Regina Bethencourt | Tenuto In today’s episode we discuss, how to build a workplace where moms can thrive — the Catholic way. To do this, we enlisted Regina Bethencourt, founder of Tenuto Consulting, a creative marketing agency for mission-driven organizations. Regina started out in a traditional 9-to-5 PR firm. She watched a pregnant colleague get treated like her baby was a problem to hide, and she knew she could not raise her own children that way. So she left, started freelancing, and built the kind of work she wished existed. Today Tenuto is a team of eight offering 10, 20, and 30-hour-a-week roles alongside full-time work. Clients still get an attentive, proactive agency. Inside, moms get to be present at home in the season when their children need them most — and still be ready as professionals when that season changes. From there we go deeper: why women work differently than men, why matriarchs will be the ones to rebuild our neighborhoods, how a husband and wife run a family like a joint venture, and how to build a family brand and legacy your grandchildren will inherit. Core Lesson: “Build the work around the vocation, not the other way around.” Most companies try to fix motherhood by forcing moms to work exactly like men — 40 hours, in an office, pretending nothing at home ever interrupts the day. That does not work, and it is breaking our communities. Regina’s answer is not lower standards. It is better systems: shift coverage across the week, backups who stay up to speed on every client, and a team culture where everyone knows each other’s children and steps in with charity when life happens. Do that, and flexibility stops being a weakness. It becomes your unfair advantage. And this is bigger than one agency. If women get work that leaves room for family, they get time back for the neighborhood — for other moms, for the parish, for the human connection we have all lost. 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: * Patrick Lencioni * St. Edith Stein * Well-Read Mom * 2 Timothy 1:7 Select Quotes: * We need to honor the fact that a parent is bringing up children who are the next generation. ” — Regina Bethencourt * “We want to redefine how you show up professionally. And it is perfectly professional, for example, to bring a bring an infant into a call who needs to just feel their their mother's body. That is normal, that is professional.” — Regina Bethencourt * “Women can work and have their hands in many different things if we had ways to embrace that part of who a woman is. There would be more time for community, more time for doing things in the neighborhood, building more human connection.” — Regina Bethencourt * “If the husband and wife see what they are doing in raising their family as a joint venture, as like real business partners, and they say, Okay, this is your salary... That allows me to take risks.” — Regina Bethencourt * “Creating a family brand... saying, the Bethencourts right? That’s us. We are hardwork. We never say no to a challenge. We... have these value statements that help children even from a very long age, know who they are. They belong to something and there are values there...” — Regina Bethencourt Key Moments: (outline) * (00:53) - The Origins of Tenuto * (03:20) - What Tenuto Is: A creative agency for mission-driven organizations on the outside, flexible work on the inside. * (04:53) - Vocation, Not Just a Choice: Raising children as a calling from God, not a personal lifestyle preference. * (05:38) - Parenting as a Public Service: Making the common-good case for honoring mothers and fathers. * (09:49) - Tenuto Today: In business since 2018, grown since 2022 to a team of eight, full-time and part-time. * (10:34) - The Unfair Advantage: No recruitment problem and great retention when you offer what moms actually want. * (11:45) - Running a Part-Time Team: Shift coverage, backups for every client, and planning for maternity leave on a small team. * (15:28) - Using AI Without Outsourcing Your Thinking: Client knowledge in Claude Projects so anyone can step in. * (20:18) - Redefining Professional: Why bringing an infant to a call can be normal and professional. * (21:25) - Matriarchs and Community: Women as the glue of the family, the neighborhood, and the parish. * (24:15) - Can Community Replace Daycare? Sharing childcare and support so moms do not have to do it all alone. * (25:09) - The Nanny Share: Five Northern Virginia moms building community-based childcare together. * (26:42) - The Hard Sacrifices: Losing status and accolades as a mom, and the loneliness of the early years. * (29:56) - Geography Matters: Why your actual neighborhood, not just your parish or friend group, needs rebuilding. * (31:32) - Where to Start: Well-Read Mom, mom groups, and older moms inviting younger moms out of the trenches. * (34:01) - Marriage as a Joint Venture: Husband as the stable foundation in one season, wife in another. * (36:36) - Legacy After Loss: What her husband’s family learned fleeing Venezuela and losing their social capital. * (40:17) - Branding Your Family: Giving your children an identity and values to carry into adulthood. * (41:49) - School as a Second Front: Choosing classical, Catholic, screen-free schools that back up what you teach at home. * (46:55) - Against Hiding Away: Why we need strong Catholic families in places of power and influence. * (50:24) - Stay or Go? Discerning where God is calling your family, without choosing complacency or comfort. * (52:26) - Transform Where You Are: Invite the neighbor over and live the faith visibly. * (53:08) - Rapid Fire: 2 Timothy 1:7, Patrick Lencioni, St. Edith Stein, and the daily Rosary. 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 … This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe

  6. Sep 25

    #91 How To Buy A Business, The Catholic Way | Zach Scardino

    Tons of founders want to skip the startup phase and buy an existing operation. It sounds appealing, but going in blind guarantees failure. Today, we are diving into the Catholic way to buy a business with Zach Scardino. Support the Mission & Grow Your Business Want to connect with 230+ Catholic business owners, solopreneurs, and side-hustlers? Become a paid subscriber to the Catholic Founders Guild to do business and grow in holiness together. Join today: join.catholicfounders.com In This Episode Zach is an expert in buy-side consulting and business acquisitions at Scardino Strategic Partners. He breaks down exactly how to build an acquisition thesis, run a coherence test on yourself, and source the best off-market deals. We discuss why you should avoid business listing sites, how to recast financials properly, and why structuring the deal matters significantly more than the purchase price. Core Takeaway: Merge Into Their Lane Eighty percent of acquired businesses fail within five years because buyers skip the post-acquisition transition steps. When you acquire a company, take the first 90 days to learn, observe, and secure the key relationships that made the business valuable in the first place. You must maintain the continuity of service, respect the previous owner's legacy, and integrate yourself into the culture with charity. Key Moments (00:00) - Learning the Catholic way to buy a business (00:27) - The Acquisition Thesis: Doing a SWOT analysis on yourself (09:59) - Owner vs. Owner-Operator: Identifying your management capacity (14:55) - The Coherence Test: Matching business size, financing, and income needs (18:10) - Finding the Deal: Why off-market direct outreach beats public listings (26:50) - Recasting Financials: Finding true business value (38:53) - Structuring the Deal: Using seller notes, earnouts, and dividends (45:00) - Merging Into Their Lane: Planning the transition before closing (53:15) - The 90-Day Rule: Why you shouldn't make sweeping changes immediately Episode ResourcesJoin the Catholic Founders Guild: join.catholicfounders.comConnect with Zach Scardino: Scardino Strategic Partners This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe

  7. Sep 17

    #90 How One Founder Encourages Blue Collar Employees To Have Higher Agency | Scott Williams

    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube News / Updates: * 👕 Check out our Catholic Founders Online store. Featuring shirt designs fit for our lifestyle. See more of our designs here. * Register for upcoming events. Check out all of our in-person events on our Luma page. * 🎙️Listen to last week’s episode with Evan Raugust to find out how to stay virtuous while growing an online brand. How do you scale a Catholic business to over 100,000 customers without sacrificing your soul, your family, or your faith? Scott Williams, co-founder of Sock Religious and Four Marks Printing, joins the podcast to share the real-world mechanics of building a thriving enterprise anchored in Catholic Social Teaching. Support the Show & Join the Guild Become a paid subscriber to Catholic Founders to access member-only events, active group chats, our directory, and a network of faithful business owners: https://join.catholicfounders.com What We Cover in This Episode In-House Manufacturing: How Sock Religious scaled from a spare bedroom side project into ten industrial knitting machines. Dignity of Labor: Shifting blue-collar work away from a mindless "clock-in, clock-out" culture to empower employee agency. Overcoming Analysis Paralysis: Why God honors forward movement over endless discernment and fear of failure. Debt-Free Growth: Choosing slower, profitable scaling over chasing top-line vanity metrics. Generational Legacy: Raising entrepreneurial kids and passing on a legacy without forcing them into the family business. Key Quote “God would appreciate us to go and to try and to take one step forward, even if it isn't in the right direction, he'd rather us go in the direction we think that he's calling us to versus standing still and not moving.” — Scott Williams Timestamps (00:24) - Intro (04:33) - Origins of Sock Religious(08:13) - Going All In (11:59) - Four Marks Printing & In-House Manufacturing (16:17) - Navigating Failures & Knowing When to Pivot (24:07) - Catholic Social Teaching in Action (33:24) - Rethinking Growth, Debt, & Stewardship (40:23) - Generational Legacy & Raising Kids (45:07) - Unplugging for Family Life (47:35) - Rapid Fire Questions (50:09) - Outro: Leaning Into Your Talents Links & Resources Join the Catholic Founders Guild: https://join.catholicfounders.com Sock Religious: https://sockreligious.com Four Marks Printing: https://fourmarksprinting.com If this conversation brought value to your journey, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this episode with another faith-driven founder! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe

  8. Sep 11

    #89 Why 1,000 Views Beats 1M For Your Business | Evan Raugust

    Evan Raugust went from zero to over 240,000 YouTube subscribers in less than two years while working a 9-to-5. As the founder of Kingdom Media, he now helps top creators scale their channels to millions of views. In this episode, Silas Mähner chops it up with Evan to discuss high-stakes video production, leveraging the YouTube algorithm, finding unserved market gaps, and staying grounded in prayer and virtue amid rapid growth. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: The 5 Growth Levers: How to leverage time, money, personality, creativity, or production value. The Curiosity Hook: How to "dangle the candy" of curiosity to feed viewers deep, life-changing spiritual truths. High-Impact Strategy: Why you should stop spending 20 hours on a 10k-view video when that same energy can build a 1-million-view home run. Virtue & Holiness: How daily Rosaries, Confession, and Adoration prevent vanity in the creator economy. Timestamps: (00:18) – Intro: The Catholic Founders mission (03:07) – Evan’s background & mission to spread the Gospel online (05:46) – Evan’s conversion journey to Catholicism (07:43) – Building & scaling channels with Kingdom Media (15:30) – YouTube strategy & multi-skill demands for business owners (22:29) – Hooking viewers & delivering spiritual depth (26:28) – How content goes viral: Market gaps & outlier topics (34:08) – The 5 Growth Levers explained (43:40) – Living virtue & overcoming vanity as a creator (48:38) – Recapturing your vocation as a divine mission (55:46) – Rapid fire: Favorite scriptures, devotions & patron saints (1:00:32) – Practical reflection questions for business owners Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Ready to launch or grow your business, master the theology of entrepreneurship, and build alongside 200+ Catholic founders? 👉 Become a paid subscriber now: join.catholicfounders.com Key Links & Resources Mentioned: Evan Raugust’s YouTube Channel Kingdom Media Agency Catholic Founders Website This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.catholicfounders.com/subscribe

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About

Catholic Founders is where Catholic Entrepreneurs and Business Owners go to learn how to integrate their faith into every aspect of how they run their business and life as a Catholic AND as a Founder. In modern times, it's become more unclear than ever how to unite our faith with our work. It's even harder when you run a business. However, just as there is a holy way to live, there is a holy way to build and run our businesses. Fundamentally, our skills were given to us by God so that we may become instruments of His will. These skills are not for our own use. Therefore, to waste or misuse them is a grave thing. This entire project is born out of a deep belief in this truth. www.catholicfounders.com

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