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. #72 How to reclaim Christian masculinity and build a parallel economy | Juan Dominguez

    2d ago

    #72 How to reclaim Christian masculinity and build a parallel economy | Juan Dominguez

    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube News / Updates: * 🤝 We host a bunch of events. In cities like New York, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, and even Central Wisconsin. Check out our events here. * 🇻🇦We released an emergency episode last Tuesday to break down the newest Encyclical of Pope Leo XIV: Magnifica Humanitas. * ⭐ Check out last week’s episode of CF with Zak Slayback and Edmund Mitchell * 🤖 We recently launched a bot to help you learn from ALL the content we’ve produced. Join the Guild today to gain access. * 💸 Want to invest in other Catholic projects/companies/ventures? Subscribe (for free) to the Faithful Steward newsletter. Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory. Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining. With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time. Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month. 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: Juan Dominguez | Ad Aeternum Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of the Catholic Founders Podcast. If you’ve spent any time bouncing around the Catholic part of Substack over the last few years, you have almost certainly crossed paths with the work of today’s guest. I am joined by Juan Dominguez, the founder of Ad Aeternum. A best-selling Substack publication formerly known as Simple Man. Juan has built an incredible global community dedicated to a massive mission: helping young men recover deep virtue, shake off the epidemic of modern loneliness, and start living with radical purpose. In this conversation, we talk about living a faithful life in this modern age. The interior life. Sharing our faith publicly. How building a business can satisfy the desire to conquer in modern times. And what to do about the AI situation (this was recorded pre Magnifica Humanitas FYI). I really had fun chopping it up with Juan. I hope you enjoy this episode as well! Wanna sponsor this podcast or the newsletter? Reach out to Admin@catholicfounders.com to get started, and to get your business or service in front of hundreds of Catholic Business owners… every week (for very affordable rates). Core Lesson: True Catholic entrepreneurship is not false humility. It’s about us using our God-given talents to answer the calling He has for us. Humility doesn’t mean being small. It doesn’t mean disagreeing with people when they compliment a skill you have. Humility is recognizing where it all comes from and directing the praise towards Him. Humility is realizing you’ve been given a mission calling, and answering it, regardless of how unworthy you feel. Humility is what allows you to run a wildly successful business without it going to your head, because you don’t see it as yours at all. Now, in the new AI era, it’s more important than ever that we take this responsibility seriously. 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: Creative Works & Publications * Ad Aeternum Substack * Ad Aeternum YouTube Channel * Becoming Noble by Johann Kurtz * Simple Man (Song) * The Fountain of Youth by Dave Durand Scripture & Parables * “Be the light of the world” Gospel (Matthew 5:14) * Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) * Isaiah 6:8 Select Quotes: * “At times like this, the halos are hanging from the lowest branches.” - Juan Dominguez * “Sanctity and holiness is there for the taking. It’s really up to you to decide to be one of the few ones who are a light in this world, and the encouragement and the motivation are for you to actually do it and strive to become a saint.” - Juan Dominguez * “You are the representation of the Gospel. You are the representation of what the Catholic Church stands for. So it’s a huge responsibility to carry, even if you’re not doing it publicly, of course, especially if you’re doing it publicly, but just in day-to-day life, in the conversations that you have with other people, it’s we have that a huge burden to bear and I think we really haven’t been understanding that and taking it with the seriousness that it deserves” - Juan Dominguez * “If you are called to build, then build and do it for the glory of God.” - Silas Mähner * “It’s usually just a cop out and just an excuse for cowardice to not put yourself out there and try, you know, it’s way easier to just accept what is, not try to build anything better, not try to go anywhere better, not try to be better in any way.” - Juan Dominguez * “The coward’s way out is just using this false humility, like you said, to masquerade a cowardice that keeps you from actually doing what you need, like what your duty is, and that is to put your talents to good use” - Juan Dominguez Share your favorite quote from above! Key Moments: (outline) * (00:00) - Intro : Juan Dominguez frames the vital need for promoting virtue and guiding young men back to Christ. * (00:35) - Mission Statement : Silas Mähner outlines the core objective of Catholic Founders and introduces Juan Dominguez. * (02:23) - The Origin of Ad Aeternum : Juan discusses his background as a Colombian writer and entrepreneur growing his Substack community. * (04:38) - Rediscovering the Faith : Juan details how a secular masculinity project unintentionally led him back to the Catholic Church. * (07:34) - The Heavy Burden of Hypocrisy : A deep look at why modern men reject the Church due to poor lived examples, and our duty to be the face of the Gospel. * (11:53) - The Rebrand Blueprint : Juan shares the business and spiritual motivations for shifting from “Simple Man” to a serious faith-based media company. * (18:39) - The AI Breaking Point : How artificial intelligence acts as a spiritual amplifier and where men must draw strict relational boundaries. * (21:05) - The Resurgence of the Human Element : A strategic look at tech layoffs, automated markets, and why uniquely human skills are poised for a comeback. * (28:19) - Anarchy vs. Chivalry : Confronting the cultural void that attracts lost young men to worldly gurus like Andrew Tate, and how Catholic leaders can fill it. * (40:05) - The Masculine Drive to Conquer : Why entrepreneurship serves as a modern frontier for men to exercise their drive to build in an orderly, creative way. * (45:18) - Cycles of Cultural Restoration : Juan envisions a hopeful future anchored in restored families, structured relationships, and traditional values. * (50:51) - The Duty of Wealth & Talents : Busting the myth of false humility, breaking down the Parable of the Talents, and competing directly against godless influence. * (55:14) - Rapid Fire Questions : Juan reveals his favorite scripture, an inspiring Colombian entrepreneur, his love for St. Francis, and the ultimate spiritual “cheat code”. * (57:13) - Outro : Silas recaps his biggest takeaways, challenges listeners to stop hiding behind cowardice, and invites founders to join the Guild. 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. 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

    1 hr
  2. 5d ago

    #71 Edmund Mitchell & Zak Slayback Discuss Magnifica Humanitas on Catholic Founders

    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube News / Updates: * 🤝 We host a bunch of events. In cities like New York, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, and even Central Wisconsin. Check out our events here. * 🇻🇦We released an emergency episode last Tuesday to break down the newest Encyclical of Pope Leo XIV: Magnifica Humanitas. * ⭐ Check out last week’s episode of CF with Matt Ingold * 🤖 We recently launched a bot to help you learn from ALL the content we’ve produced. Join the Guild today to gain access. * 💸 Want to invest in other Catholic projects/companies/ventures? Subscribe (for free) to the Faithful Steward newsletter. Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory. Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining. With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time. Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month. Intro to our Guests & the Point of Today’s Podcast Zak Slayback is a Venture Capital Investor and well-read convert to Catholicism (2020). Edmund Mitchell is a serial entrepreneur and is very plugged into the AI world, especially on the Catholic side of the scene. We brought them on today to discuss their key perspectives on Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. We cover a wide range of topics, but we are just scratching the surface, so let me know if you’d like to hear another one of these. God Bless & Happy Building! ~Silas Mähner First time here? Learn more about our mission. And don’t forget to subscribe. Select Quotes: * “The fundamental anthropology that is proposed in Rerum Novarum […], is that the primary unit of society is man and his family.” - Zak Slayback * “Unemployment is a grave evil. That is one thing that is noted in the document, citing back to John Paul II’s social encyclicals. Why is it a grave evil? Well, one, because work is a good thing for man.” - Zak Slayback * “Pope Leo doesn’t give us the room to outsource our thinking to this document or outsource our thinking to any, you know, podcast or news clip, right? Like we I think sometimes we want to find a justification for things we’re already doing when often the opposite is the case, these encyclicals challenge us to change.” - Edmund Mitchell * “The social function of credit remains irreplaceable. Finance for its own sake is fundamentally different from finance aimed at the development. Creation and evolution of work.” - Zak Slayback (Quoting from Magnifica Humanitas) * “ROI maxing is not the purpose of being an entrepreneur. It shouldn’t be at least. It shouldn’t be the purpose behind making an investment.” - Silas Mähner * “The call to action from the Holy Father is to develop more sustainable technologies, it’s not necessarily to tear the data. Centers down or to not build them.” - Zak Slayback * “The decision to invest in one place rather than another, and one productive sector rather than another, is always a moral and cultural choice, and that’s italicized in the original document.” - Zak Slayback * “Technology itself is one of the talents that we’re granted. And I was thinking a lot about the fact that we were intentionally put in this time of history to be to use the things that are at our disposal.” - Silas Mähner * “We can use the tools that are at our disposal in our time and our own journey of sanctification is intentionally set up. to be in this time of history.” - Silas Mähner Key Episode References: Church Documents & Papal Teachings * Magnifica Humanitas Encyclical | Rerum Novarum | Quadragesimo Anno | Populorum Progressio | Pacem in Terris | Redemptor Hominis | Laborem Exercens | Centesimus Annus | Caritas in Veritate | Laudato si’ | Fratelli Tutti | Gaudium et Spes | Antiqua et nova | Evangelium Vitae | Veritatis Splendor | Casti Connubii | Humanae Vitae | Second Vatican Council Documents | Paul VI - Address to the United Nations (“No war, no more war”) Popes & Church Figures * Pope Leo XIV | Pope Leo XIII | Pope Pius IX | Pope Pius XI | Pope Paul VI | Pope John XXIII | Pope John Paul II | Pope Benedict XVI | Pope Francis | Fr. Jean Gove, Archdiocese of Malta | Second Vatican Council Organizations, Projects & Media * Digital Continent * SENT Ventures * The Faith and AI Project * “Delete Magisterium AI Debate” by Matthew Sanders and Mark Barnes * Catholic Answers * Y Combinator * Chesterton Academy * Simple Man / Ad Aeternum by Juan Dominguez (episode coming out this week) Tech Companies, Tools & Frameworks * Pinecone | Patmos Hosting | Pat Lencioni’s Working Genius People & Other References * Zak Slayback * Edmund Mitchell * Andre Karpathy * John Johnson * J.R.R. Tolkien * Brian Johnson Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory. Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining. With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time. Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month. Key Moments: (outline) * (00:00) - Introduction and Setting the Stage: Silas welcomes everyone back to the Catholic Founders podcast and introduces the topic of the newly released AI encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, by Pope Leo XIV. * (04:02) - Getting the Squad Together: Silas brings on guests Zak Slayback and Edmund Mitchell, establishing their backgrounds in venture capital and Catholic tech projects. * (05:05) - Guest Introductions: Zak shares his background as a tech investor and his 2020 conversion story, followed by Edmund introducing his work with Digital Continent and the Faith in AI project. * (06:56) - The Encyclical Tradition and History: Zak unpacks the deep history of contemporary Catholic social teaching, charting the path from Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum to modern papal documents. * (15:21) - Broad Takeaways on Magnifica Humanitas: Edmund and Zak explain that the document is less about specific technology and more about addressing human anthropology within the age of AI. * (17:25) - AI as an Immersed Environment: Edmund references paragraph 110 of the encyclical to illustrate how AI has shifted from a mere tool to an environment we are completely immersed in. * (24:10) - Moving Beyond Political Paradigms: The group discusses why analyzing Church documents through an American left-or-right political lens is a category error, emphasizing that the primary unit of society is always man and his family. * (31:30) - Key Doctrinal Developments: Edmund and Zak discuss authoritative developments within the document, including the practical ban on autonomous weapons, just war limitations, and applying the universal destination of goods to digital data. * (39:37) - Data Extraction and Emerging Business Models: Zak addresses the ethical concerns surrounding the high concentration of power in tech and the challenge for startup founders to create business models that respect personal data. * (45:11) - The Rapid Evolution of Software and Infrastructure: Edmund and Zak analyze the shift toward treating compute as a utility and evaluate the environmental impact of data centers without succumbing to secular catastrophizing. * (56:21) - Intellectual Property in a Knowledge Economy: Edmund looks at the future of intellectual property frameworks, explaining how large language models affect how creators and institutions handle their proprietary data. * (58:45) - The Social Function of Finance and Work: Silas leads a discussion on paragraph 160 of the encyclical, diving into how financial credit and investments must always prioritize providing dignified, meaningful work rather than pure “ROI maxing”. * (1:08:33) - Rebuilding Jerusalem and Overcoming Consumption: Silas, Zak, and Edmund call on Catholic founders and individuals to transition from passive consumption to active, real-world participation in building a civilization of love. * (1:15:30) - Conclusion and Outro: Silas wraps up the episode by reminding listeners that technology is a given talent for our time, announces the next episode with Juan Dominguez, and extends an invitation to join the Catholic Founders Guild. 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. 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

    1h 19m
  3. #70 Your Business IS Your Mission Field and It's Where God Draws You Closer | Matt Ingold

    May 28

    #70 Your Business IS Your Mission Field and It's Where God Draws You Closer | Matt Ingold

    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube News / Updates: * 🤝 We have events happening in Dallas, Nashville, Wisconsin, and Columbus. Register to attend. * 🇻🇦We released an emergency episode last Tuesday to break down the newest Encyclical of Pope Leo XIV: Magnifica Humanitas. * ⭐ Check out last week’s episode of CF with Matt Pinto * 🤖 We recently launched a bot to help you learn from ALL the content we’ve produced. Join the Guild today to gain access. * 💸 Want to invest in other Catholic projects/companies/ventures? Subscribe (for free) to the Faithful Steward newsletter. Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory. Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining. With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time. Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month. In Today’s Issue: * Intro to the Guest and Topic: Matt Ingold, Founder of Metanoia Catholic * 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: Matthew Ingold | Metanoia Catholic Alright folks, welcome back to another episode of the Catholic Founders Podcast. Today, we are bringing you a powerful conversation recorded live at the YCP conference in Dallas with the one and only Matt Ingold, co-founder of Metanoia Catholic. They have been building for 7 years and have evolved into a premier coach training academy that helps form executive and life coaches who integrate the Catholic faith into human development and personal growth. We discuss: * How founders can reclaim the entrepreneurial space from modern hustle culture. * How looking closely at our daily biz ops can help us with our interior diologue with the Father. * What it’s like to run a business with your wife. * How to see God’s hand in the ups, and the downs, of running a business. * And much more. Regardless of what type of biz owner you are, and how far along you are on your journey, I think you’re going to like this. Core Lesson: Your business serves as an architectural space for your personal sanctification and a visible manifestation of the unique, unrepeatable dialogue you share with the Father. Running your company IS your ministry. It’s God’s way of bringing others to Him through you, and bringing you to Him through the work. The challenges of running a business are many. For Catholics, it has a new meaning though, because we know there is more to life than pursuit of money and status. We know that the only thing we can take with us when we die are the other souls that we bring along. As entrepreneuers, we get the opportunity to affect and touch the lives of many many people in a meaningful way throughout our life. This is our mission field. Mission is the point. Bringing others to know God is the point. When this clicks, your business is no longer about the specific mission you solve or making oodles of money, as much as it is a mission to bring more ppl to know God. Perhaps the most fascinating thing that comes from this is, that God uses this experience to help us be sanctified. The daily challenges, the way He teaches us about ourselves, and about His providence and love; it all contributes to bringing us closer to Him… if we allow it. So, next time you’re thinking about your business challenges, or planning the future, or wanting to complain, realize that this is your mission field. Through answering the call to enter into the mission field willingly, you’ll bring more people to know God, and you will come to closer to God, and eternal life. 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: * Organizations & Websites * Metanoia Catholic * Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) * Catholic Coaching * FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) * His Way at Work Books & Literary Works * The Purgative Way - How to make your coaching Catholic Course * Soul of the Apostolate by Jean-Baptiste Chautard * Clear Path to Making Missionary Disciples by Jim Jansen * The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander Assessments * StrengthsFinder * Working Genius Saints, Devotions, & Scripture * St. John Paul II * St. John Vianney * St. Thérèse of Lisieux * Mother Teresa * Our Lady of Sorrows * Ezekiel 37: Valley of the Dry Bones People * Venerable Fulton Sheen * Christopher Pereira * Ryan Foley * Alex Hormozi Select Quotes: * “Something happens when you enter an environment where you got a lot of Catholics that have a similar heart, especially in the business world. I mean, that's where my heart's at. I love business and I love my faith. So getting to share that, it invites me to kind of be better.” - Matt Ingold * “Fulton Sheen would put it, what the church puts down, the secular world picks up.” - Matt Ingold * “But then as entrepreneurs, we've got our business, but the business isn't our identity. It's like what we're called to do inside the business because God doesn't care if our business makes money or doesn't, right? That's not what he cares about. What he cares about is leading us closer to him through that.” - Silas Mähner * “That's why I like coaching. It actually creates a space for somebody to pause and reflect. And suddenly those breadcrumbs that God has been leaving behind all this time, we start to see the path lighting up and his will starts to really focus and sharpen.” - Matt Ingold * “I think everybody should have a season where they're working with somebody and the person is really guiding them through some intentional self reflection.” - Matt Ingold * And that's like the unique mission, the unique identity that you bring into your married vocation. And when you're living that authentically, it elevates the way that you experience the married vocation.” - Matt Ingold * “You can't give what you don't have. You certainly can't witness a relationship which is the Christian called, our telos, our end is to be in union, a relationship with God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, for all eternity, right?” - Matt Ingold * “And so those very words, if those words that we're using are aligned with the truth of who we are, and that's the foundation of the relationship, it transforms or it elevates the relationship, because God's word always elevates, which elevates and reveals a sense of who we are and sends us on mission.” - Matt Ingold * “But when we started to realize that no, we just had complimentary gifts and we started to make space for the gift of the other to come forward and be humble and receive, that changed everything.” - Matt Ingold * “you discover who you are, your identity and relationship, and then your identity reveals your mission. So you have relationship, identity, mission, right? Well, the foundation of a relationship is a dialogue, two people that are conversing, communicating with one another.” - Matt Ingold * “if you are going through life without any self-reflection because you're too distracted by the world, you are missing out on the second and third dimensions of your own existence because God created us to share in that love, right?” - Silas Mähner * “I like to look at business as another manifestation of the work that the Holy Spirit is doing with you that’s just made in a way that can be consumed and shared with other, and experienced by other people.” - Matt Ingold * “This is the business doing the sanctifying work on me. This is a feature, not a bug of business. If it’s really from the Lord, it will sanctify me. It will sanctify the owners. And that’s a good thing.” - Matt Ingold Key Moments: (outline) * [01:16] - Podcast Introduction and Mission : Host Silas Mähner introduces the show’s mission to help Catholic entrepreneurs achieve sainthood through their co-creative business journeys. * [02:19] - Welcome and Conference Vibe : Silas welcomes Matt at the YCP (Young Catholic Professionals) conference in Dallas, highlighting the powerful energy of faith-driven business leaders. * [03:30] - Introducing Metanoia Catholic : Matt gives an overview of Metanoia Catholic, explaining their evolution into an academy that trains and certifies Catholic life and executive coaches. * [04:05] - The Origin of Metanoia : Matt shares how experiencing burnout while working in ministry led him and his wife to coaching, inspiring them to build a personal development framework aligned with Catholic anthropology. * [06:18] - Reclaiming the Business World : Silas and Matt discuss the need for Catholics to reclaim leadership in standard business fields rather than abdicating them to secular humanistic ideologies. * [08:08] - Deepening Identity and Temperaments : Matt describes identity through personal relationships and temperaments, explaining how his structured choleric nature balances his wife’s charismatic style. * [10:54] - God’s Breadcrumbs in Entrepreneurship :

    53 min
  4. May 26

    #69 Key Takeaways From Magnifica Humanitas for Catholic Founders

    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Emergency Pod! As many of you know, yesterday Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical. It has been heavily anticipated because ever since he announced his name as Leo, we knew this was the reason and that this was coming. We are in the midst of another industrial revolution, this time caused by AI systems. Yesterday, instead of relaxing and enjoying the holiday, I took the whole day to read through the encyclical. Admittedly, I thought it would take me about 4 hours to read and make a pod, but it ended up taking me all day. The only breaks I took were to eat and help my wife with a few things. I’m genuinely surprised at how long it took me. Nevertheless, it is here. Join Our Encyclical Discussion 📆 For anyone interested, this Wednesday (tomorrow) at 12:30 pm Central Time, the Catholic Founders Guild (paid members) is having a discussion on this encyclical. You must be a paying member of our Substack to attend, so if you’d like to, please join up right away, and we will ensure you get the invite. The Structure of My Breakdown: Summary + Key Considerations for Business Owners This is not some scholarly take going deep into the theology. I am not a theologian. Heck, half the time I can barely speak English properly. Instead, I summarize the key components of the introduction, 5 chapters, and the conclusion. Then I dive into the key components of each section that I thought were interesting to focus. Along the way, I offer my commentary on what each of these means for us as business owners. This is by no means an extensive exploration. It is meant to help you understand the key items. I will be writing more about this in the coming weeks and months, and I will likely do additional podcast episodes on key components of it. But I hope that this helps you figure out which part of the encyclical to focus on reading, and the key things that you, as a business owner, should be aware of. I Need Your Help Please, help me out by sharing this around with your friends. Ideally, please reach out to a fellow member of the Catholic Founders Guild to discuss it with. I cannot emphasize enough that each of us has a role to play in building the city of the future that Pope Leo speaks of in this encyclical. We all have a role to play. None of us is on the bench. This is a Church-wide effort. We must work in union. Please share this, and please reach out with your key observations for business owners so that I can continue to formalize my understanding of how this applies to Catholic Founders. Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory. Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining. With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time. Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month. Key Moments: (outline) Here are the timestamps for your podcast show notes, organized cleanly by the key chapters and themes discussed in the transcript. Podcast Timestamps: Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas * 00:00 – Introduction: Reflecting on recording late and the release of Magnifica Humanitas on May 25th. * 00:46 – Setting expectations: A non-theologian’s summary focusing on business owners and major takeaways. * 01:21 – Why this encyclical matters: The significance of the name “Leo XIV” and the historical connection to Catholic Social Teaching (Rerum Novarum and Laborem Exercens). * 02:18 – High-level overview of the document’s structure (Introduction, 5 Chapters, and Conclusion). * 04:02 – Deep Dive: The Introduction – The Tower of Babel vs. the walls of Jerusalem, technology as non-neutral, and the human heart. * 05:43 – Chapter 1: The Church’s Journey with Humanity – Continuous tradition, initiating good processes, and moving away from cultural strongholds. * 06:50 – Chapter 2: Core Principles & The Spicy Take on Data – Restating human dignity and the common good; why data, patents, and algorithms are now considered universal goods. * 07:54 – Chapter 2 (Cont.): Subsidiarity & Solidarity – The role of the state, environmental impacts of data centers, and avoiding exploitation. * 09:30 – Chapter 3: The Dangers of AI – Why AI is not human, the trap of fake objectivity, and the simulation of human connection. * 11:15 – Chapter 3 (Cont.): Critiquing the Technocratic Paradigm – Why human suffering is a feature, not a bug, and a response to transhumanism. * 12:54 – Chapter 4: Truth, Work, and Modern Slavery – The pursuit of truth and a direct challenge to business owners regarding layoffs and profit margins. * 14:41 – Chapter 4 (Cont.): The Dark Side of Tech Infrastructure – Data labeling exploitation, child labor in supply chains, and the hijacking of attention spans. * 16:11 – Chapter 5: AI in Warfare – The socialization of war and the absolute necessity of keeping humans in the loop for lethal choices. * 17:33 – Chapter 5 (Cont.): Building a Civilization of Love – The 5 pillars of peace, reviving dialogue, and a practical challenge to know your neighbors. * 19:10 – Conclusion & Final Reflections – The Incarnation through Mary, our role as “weavers of hope,” and final thoughts for Catholic entrepreneurs. 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. 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

    41 min
  5. #68 His Company Helped Bring Fr. Mike to the World, Now He Advises and Invests in Startups | Matthew Pinto

    May 21

    #68 His Company Helped Bring Fr. Mike to the World, Now He Advises and Invests in Startups | Matthew Pinto

    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube News / Updates: * 🚀 We just hired Oscar Shingledecker to help us grow! Our first FT hire. So if he reaches out to you, it’s legit. * 🤝 We have events happening in Dallas, Nashville, Wisconsin, and Columbus. Register to attend. * 🎵 Check out last week’s episode of CF with Will Hickl — the Catholic Spotify * 🤖 We just launched a bot to help you learn from ALL the content we’ve produced. Join the Guild today to gain access. * 💸 Want to invest in other Catholic projects/companies/ventures? Subscribe (for free) to the Faithful Steward newsletter. Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the community/group chat, our AI Chatbot trained fully on CF Content, and the CF Guild member directory. Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining. With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time. Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month. In Today’s Issue: * Intro to the Guest and Topic: Matthew Pinto — Founder of Ascension Press & Ascension Presents * Core Takeaway: Build for Eternity * Episode References * Select Quotes * Key Moments First time here? Learn more about our mission. And don’t forget to subscribe. Today’s Topic & Guest: Matthew Pinto | Ascension Press, Catholic Catalyst, The Genesis Group Hey folks! Excited to share this discussion with Matthew Pinto. He is an absolute legend. Not only did he found one of the most widely known Catholic media assets today (Ascension Press / Presents, yes, the place Fr. Mike Schmitz Publishes), but he also does coaching of startups and angel investing. Matthew is one of the rare people who deeply understand that their money is not for themselves. He views his role as a servant of God here to leverage the connections and network that he has with the excess capital he has to help advance the kingdom of God. Oh, and he’s a serial entrepreneur. In addition to Ascension Press, he founded CatholicExchange.com, the Theology of the Body Institute, and Envoy Magazine. It would be an understatement to say that Matthew is a giant in the history of Catholic Media in the modern age. But, you wouldn’t know it by his humility. Check out the Faithful Steward! If you’re a Catholic and want to invest in other Catholics, sign up for our free deal flow newsletter today. Go to https://catholicdealflow.com and start getting deals in your inbox. Core Lesson: As Catholic builders, we need to think in Decades. Behind every massive, visible breakthrough we witness in the Church today (ie, the success of Father Mike Schmitz’s video content) lies a decade (or more) of hidden groundwork. There was infrastructure in place to handle the growth when it happened. This means, as we build our companies, we need to be thinking in decades. As founders, it can be super frustrating if things aren’t ‘taking off’ right away, but, as is evident through Matt’s story, sometimes the time is necessary. Jesus gave us the same example. 30 years of preparation for 3 years of ministry. Let’s build for the future — let’s build for eternity! We as Catholics should understand this better than anyone else. 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: * Books & Publications * Companion Book to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ * Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove * The Great Adventure Bible / Bible Timeline Scripture & Parables * Book of Revelation * Parable of the Talents Movies * The Passion of the Christ Select Quotes: * “I think this is the... I guess you could say in some ways the challenge of our age is like if we're going to try to be good Catholics in the world, it's a very challenging world to be in in so many ways, but we cannot become paralyzed by fear of making a mistake or, you know, fear of the wrong decision because then we have no momentum.” - Silas Mähner * “One is the book of Revelation with the Lord when he says, I'd rather you be hot or cold, just not lukewarm. I'm of the opinion that we're supposed to use prudence. You know, it's the mother of all virtues… I think the Lord would rather us strike out than not swing.” - Matt Pinto * “So I encourage anyone who's listening, who loves the Lord, loves the Church, wants to do things, pray specifically for a double portion of blessing and zeal and fervor for the faith.” - Matt Pinto * “Praise if everything depends on God. Work if everything depends on you.” - Matt Pinto * “And believe me, the celebration is not in oneself. It's in what the Lord did through broken instruments. Yes, we had skills, but it was all a gift.”- Matt Pinto * “She said, money in the right hands is a very good thing.” - Matt Pinto (quoting a prominent mother in Philadelphia) * “But what they do is they guard, they build safeguards when you don’t fully trust yourself. And at the end of the day, no human being should fully trust him or herself.”- Matt Pinto * “If you think of an idea and it looks like it works out from the different angles that you look at it, be bold and go for these things.” - Matt Pinto * “Think big, but realize that you gotta lock in and you gotta put in the time.” - Matt Pinto * “Think big, but realize that you gotta lock in and you gotta put in the time. Very few things are cultural phenomena. Even the viral things that we see pop up. Well, for every one viral phenomena, how many videos are produced that are not viral? 500,000? Have optimism, have zeal, pray for zeal. But I'm sorry guys, most instances you gotta get ready to lock in because there really are very few free lunches. It's just gonna take time.”- Matt Pinto Key Moments: (outline) * [00:00] - Groundwork for Success: Matt Pinto highlights the 15 years of hidden groundwork behind Ascension Presents. * [00:52] - Show Intro: Silas welcomes listeners and introduces serial Catholic entrepreneur Matt Pinto. * [03:24] - Welcome and Framing: Silas sets the stage for a conversation exploring Matthew’s vast portfolio of faith-based building. * [04:04] - Introducing Matthew Pinto: Matt shares his background and historical achievements across multiple ministries. * [05:25] - Vision and Drive: Matt explains how conviction for the Catholic faith drives organizational action. * [06:29] - Handling Mistakes and Regrets: A reflection on navigating individual wrong choices while avoiding macro regrets. * [07:53] - Overcoming Lukewarmness: Matt shares how scriptural reflection drives him to push hard rather than stay passive. * [09:21] - Praying for Charism and Zeal: Christopher West’s insight on passion and the power of praying for a double portion of spirit. * [11:09] - Grace and Nature in Apostolates: Balancing hard work with reliance on God and rejecting false humility. * [14:20] - Commerce and Faith: Two vital self-examination questions for entrepreneurs concerning wealth and kingdom building. * [19:20] - Inflection Points and The Passion Project: The inside story behind the massive success of the Mel Gibson companion book. * [24:43] - Discovering Father Mike Schmitz: Leadership lessons on building a young staff to stay ahead of cultural shifts. * [33:37] - Tactical Advisory for Builders: Analyzing total addressable markets, assessing hidden costs, and identifying loss leaders. * [34:40] - Defeating Ego in Business: Matt warns that ego is dust and underscores the need for structural safeguards. * [40:31] - The Priority of Personal Prayer: Matt candidly reflects on wishing he had tripled his personal prayer time during operational seasons. * [47:20] - Catholic Integration of Body and Spirit: How Catholic theology leads to superior human resource and business practices. * [50:06] - Discerning Excess Capital: Strategic views on tithing safeguards and managing financial returns. * [56:27] - Accountability and Salvation: A sobering reminder from a mentor that failing to bring our natural gifts to bear risks our salvation. * [58:08] - Scriptural Inspiration: Matt shares the favorite Bible verses that hung on his office wall for a decade. * [1:03:09] - Episode Outro: Final practical thoughts on connection points, investment pauses, and closing encouragements. 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. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss t

    1h 7m
  6. #67 High Ground: Human Dignity as a Competitive Advantage Against Giants | Will Hickl

    May 15

    #67 High Ground: Human Dignity as a Competitive Advantage Against Giants | Will Hickl

    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube News / Updates: * Shout out to Fio for sponsoring this recording at the recently held YCP Conference 🙌🏼 * We have events happening in Dallas, Nashville, Wausau, and Columbus. Register to attend. * I recently went on the BeatiDudes podcast. Check it out here. * We just launched a bot to help you learn from ALL the content we’ve produced. Join the Guild today to gain access. * Want to invest in other Catholic projects/companies/ventures? Subscribe (for free) to the Faithful Steward newsletter. Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory. Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining. With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time. Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month. In Today’s Issue: * Intro to the Guest and Topic: Will Hickl — Taking on the Music Giant: Spotify * Core Takeaway: Build for the Long Haul * Episode References * Select Quotes * Key Moments First time here? Learn more about our mission. And don’t forget to subscribe. Today’s Topic & Guest: Will Hickl |Fio, Novum Records I’ve known Will for a while now. Ever since he liked one of my posts about Catholic Founders stuff, he’s been ensnared in my web muahhahaha. Just kidding. However, when he liked that post, I reached out to see what he thought of the content. This led to him eventually joining the Catholic Founders Guild and becoming one of the most active members. Always being helpful and shares his witness with the world. In the time we’ve known each other, I’ve seen Will go through some challenging times in life, things out of his control, and the way he handled them was truly inspiring to me. It was about time we had him on the podcast to tell his story and to share more about what he’s doing to take on Spotify (among other things). It’s also because of Will that I ended up getting to record these in-person interviews in Dallas at the YCP conference. So… shoutout to him for that. If you’re not already, go download the Fio app, become a paying member, and go subscribe to our podcast on there 🤣. Check out the Faithful Steward! If you’re a Catholic and want to invest in other Catholics, sign up for our free deal flow newsletter today. Go to https://catholicdealflow.com and start getting deals in your inbox. Core Lesson: Taking the Long view is, in most cases, the Catholic ‘way’ to be an entrepreneur. This manifests in two ways with Will’s story. First, he’s building Fio slowly but surely. He hasn’t given up despite not seeing huge uptake from day one. He’s building the business slowly but surely. He takes his excess income and invests it in Fio to keep it going. This has led to them having a strong position in the market, and the compounding continues. Also worth noting that in some cases this has meant not focusing solely on the artists ‘financial appeal’ so that he can invest in them and give them a chance when others may not. Second is building a platform that rewards the artists more than Spotify. He’s taking a long view on this, meaning that he’ll draw in more artists who want better payment per stream. Sure, they are giving up more of the profit to the artists, but the artists make the platform. This is the key behind Catholic entrepreneurship. We do the right thing in the long view. We build companies that make a profit for the long term. Not just for one quarter. This is how we win. Build good companies that do good, for the long haul. 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: * YCP Conference * Novum Records * Fio.fm * Grace Lee * The Church Needs Your Dreams (Will Hickl’s talk) * St. John Nepomucene * Our Lady of Walsingham Select Quotes: * “ I think entrepreneurs and business people should know their industry or what they're trying to do, I think they should know it well. I think they should be a subject matter expert if they want to do it well” - Will Hickl * “ You need to understand the basics and be willing to have that learning spirit the same way that we have to have that learning and willingness in our faith. ” - Silas Mähner * “ God is not going to ask me, you know, hopefully I'm talking to him before the gates of heaven and he's not going to be like, hey, how many artists did you like get a million streams for? How many artists got like big Instagram followings? He's going to be like, hey, like, did you love them well? Did you treat them with dignity? Did you help them glorify me through their gifts? ” - Will Hickl * “ I genuinely think it'll be a different generation will see it and I'm okay with that and I love that idea even that I like I want to build something that like, you know will last generations ” - Will Hickl * “ I think the church deserves excellence… I have zero qualms with ambition as a Catholic. I think, honestly, think God deserves it. ” - Will Hickl * “… regardless if you have a lot of horsepower upstairs or you don't, like you are called to use whatever horsepower you were given to take it as far as God will take you. ” - Silas Mähner * “ If you know, if you think to yourself, if you go to bed and you're like, I should do this, but I don't know, and you dream about like, or you think to yourself like, am I gonna regret this in 30 years that I didn't do this? And the answer is strongly yes, you've got your answer. ” - Will Hickl * “ …no matter what anxieties I had about work like once I see the crucifix and I realized like none of that stuff matters like eternity is all that matters… ” - Silas Mähner Key Moments: (outline) * 00:26 - Podcast Introduction : Silas welcomes listeners to the episode recorded live at the YCP conference in Dallas and introduces Will Hickl. * 02:32 - Architectural Motivations and Childhood Legos : Will shares how his love for building Lego sets guided his approach to early ideation and starting new projects. * 05:32 - The Origin Story of Novum Records : Will recounts a powerful moment of prayer in adoration that led him to establish an infrastructure for Catholic artists. * 08:55 - Subject Matter Expertise in Code and Business : A deep dive into why founders should study the core components of their industry, referencing books on music contracts and Android development. * 14:01 - Answering the Call and the Concept of Late Bloomers : The discussion centers on matching God’s timeline instead of forcing immediate professional milestones. * 18:18 - Discernment and Navigating Dry Seasons : Will shares his personal benchmark for evaluating entrepreneurial initiatives based on active prayer and spiritual fruitfulness. * 20:02 - Redefining Balance Sheets by Eternal Standards : Will explains how he evaluates success based on the dignity and care of creators rather than conventional corporate metrics. * 34:00 - Holy Ambition and the Parable of the Talents : An exploration of why excellence is an offering to God and how burying gifts out of fear harms the church. * 46:10 - Cultivating Communities for Catholic Creators : Will and Silas discuss the value of the Catholic Founders Guild and the significance of intentional consumer habits. * 53:19 - Embracing Calculated Risks and Overcoming Regret : A tactical discussion about calculating personal runway and following a clear path of long-term vocational clarity. * 58:13 - The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as a Centerpiece : Silas emphasizes utilizing the flexibility of entrepreneurship to visit daily Mass to calm professional anxieties. * 1:02:59 - Outro and Call to Support Creators : Silas wraps up the episode by encouraging listeners to leave reviews and download the Fio app to directly support independent Catholic content. 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. 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

    1h 4m
  7. May 7

    #66 The Rise of the Catholic Solopreneur | Edmund Mitchell

    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube News / Updates: * Shout out to Fio for sponsoring this recording at the recently held YCP Conference 🙌🏼 * We have events happening in Houston, San Francisco, Dallas, Nashville, Wausau, and Columbus. Register to attend. * Luca at Fides is hosting an awards night on May 15th in NYC. We’re a sponsor. Sign up here. * I recently went on the BeatiDudes podcast. Check it out here. * We just launched a bot to help you learn from ALL the content we’ve produced. Join the Guild today to gain access. * Want to invest in other Catholic projects/companies/ventures? Subscribe (for free) to the Faithful Steward newsletter. Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory. Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining. With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time. Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month. In Today’s Issue: * Intro to the Guest and Topic: Edmund Mitchell * Core Takeaway: AI is the Great Equalizer * Episode References * Select Quotes * Key Moments First time here? Learn more about our mission. And don’t forget to subscribe. Today’s Topic & Guest: Edmund Mitchell. Creator of Digital Continent, The Faith & AI Project, Real+True, Zealous Parish Ministers Welcome back to the pod! Today, we’re sharing an episode we recorded in person at the YCP conference in Dallas a few weeks back. I was joined by Edmund Mitchell. He and I had a lot of fun, probably because in so many ways we are very similar personalities, both just loaded with ADHD, ideas, and energy. You kind of get the picture. I learned about Edmund because he recently hosted a debate between Mark Barnes and Matthew Harvey Sanders about AI on his podcast called The Faith and AI Project. Edmund is dedicated to helping Catholics turn their obsessions into intellectual property, authority, and income by applying Catholic anthropology to modern marketing. Our conversation dives straight into the biggest world-changing shift of our time—Artificial Intelligence—which Edmund argues is uniquely geared towards entrepreneurs who are intrinsically motivated. For Catholic Founders, this is an immense opportunity to escape the corporate monkey life by leaning into our unique calling and putting our personality into our work. Invest in Other Catholic-Run Businesses Sign up today (for free) for the Faithful Steward. Our free, private, deal-flow newsletter for Catholic investors to discover Catholic-run business ventures to invest in. —> CatholicDealFlow.com We gotta help each other out! Doing our part to connect the ecosystem. (Raising? Submit your deck here) Core Lesson: AI is the Great Equalizer, and Will Enable 100x More Catholic Entrepreneurship With AI, the barriers to starting a business are much lower. You can get started with very little pre-existing knowledge. Turning those ideas you dreamt up, or the ones you saw on Instagram, into a real business has a minimal barrier now. On top of this, more people will need to build out some sort of side hustle. Either they will be laid off because of AI, or they will need additional income because the rising cost of living makes it impossible for them to pay for their 10 kids. The ingredients are there for some spicy soup. As Catholics, who have true knowledge of our purpose, we must seize this moment to build business. To gain influence and prestige, to create a future that puts human flourishing at the center of society. (There are many other things I could have put from this episode, but this one stands out to me the most) 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: * Digital Continent (Edmundo Reyes) * Zealous Parish Ministers * Real and True (digital content based on the catechism of Catholic Church) * Scott Hahn * Tim Ferriss * Richard Feynman * Working Genius * Murray Davis * Matthew Harvey Sanders vs Mark Barnes debate podcast * Magisterium AI * A Thousand True Fans - Kevin Kelly * Lucas Wall, Catholic University of America * Leviticus 3:16 * The Righteous Mind - Jonathan Haidt * Dietrich Von Hildebrand * FIO * YCP Conference * The Faith and AI Project * Delete Magisterium AI - Mark Barnes article Select Quotes: * “If you’re in the old model of the industrial revolution, the public school system, it was there to train people to be good employees. But the AI world is much more geared towards entrepreneurs. And these are people that are intrinsically motivated, who can come up a direction to go on their own. So instead of what’s the correct answer to the question, an entrepreneur is saying, is the question?” —Edmund Mitchell * “As Catholic entrepreneurs, we are not just created to achieve some sort of earthly fame or glory or monetary pile. We are called to be instruments of God’s will in the world and to bring glory to Him. So that’s what we’re here and that’s what we’re all about.” —Silas Mähner * “The litmus test of have you found your one thing is does it work for you?”—Edmund Mitchell * “There’s a lot of people that aren’t saying something new because they’re scared. They’re scared to put their unique personality into their message.” —Edmund Mitchell * “As long as I just keep coming up with ideas, just keep pursuing things. At some point you’ll find it.” —Edmund Mitchell * “AI is one of the most, I mean, it is the most groundbreaking thing. I thought the internet and social media was going to be the most revolutionary thing, but AI really is.” * —Edmund Mitchell * “There’s a difference between automated and automatic. Something that’s automatic, I automatically send a text, or I automatically get a reminder to send a text to my sister when it’s her birthday. That’s automatic. Automated is a robot sends and crafts a text and sends it to my sister. So we want to avoid automated things. But we want to avoid automating things that should be a human touch and are built built on trust and connection. We want to make other things automatic.” —Edmund Mitchell * “Of all of the disruption and confusion, we [Catholics] should be thinking, we should be so thankful that we have truth and morality to lean on. And we have these anchors because the number of people who are going to have lost all sense of stability and understanding of who they are. is going to be really hard for a lot of people.” — Silas Mähner Key Moments: (outline) * [02:55] - Edmund Mitchell’s Work and Mission: Mitchell introduces himself as a freelance content creator and brand strategist whose mission is to help Catholics turn their “obsessions into intellectual property, authority and income” by applying Catholic anthropology to modern marketing. * [04:24] - Entrepreneurial Origin: Mitchell shares that his entrepreneurial journey began in college when he secretly read business books while serving in parish ministry, noting how business and Catholic theology helped each other. * [08:24] - Finding Your Unique Calling: Mitchell advises defining your life’s work by picking “one question” for the next five years, stating the “litmus test” for finding your one thing is “does it work for you?”. * [11:27] - Ideas Spreading: Mitchell quotes sociologist Davis Murray: “Ideas don’t spread because they’re true Ideas spread because they’re interesting,” and notes that many Catholic content creators are scared to put their unique personality into their message. * [18:38] - The Creator Economy: Mitchell discusses the massive growth of the creator economy and how AI is increasing the effectiveness of solopreneurs, making freelancers look “much more like just business owners”. * [25:27] - The Mindset of Persistence: Mitchell shares his long-term mindset on failure: “I’ll never fail because I’ll come up with another idea” and just keep pursuing things until you find it. * [32:02] - AI as a Groundbreaking Shift: Mitchell calls AI “the most groundbreaking thing” since electricity, noting its exponential growth and current security challenges with models like Mythos. * [36:36] - Leveraging AI Agents: Mitchell explains advanced AI use as having a “Jarvis companion AI” that routes tasks to an entire “team of agents” (research, content creation, SEO), allowing him to operate as an advisor to his company of agents. * [38:21] - Automated vs. Automatic: Mitchell clarifies the need to avoid “automated” tasks (robot crafting a text) and instead make other things “automatic” (a reminder), especially to preserve the “human touch” built on trust and connection. * [49:50] - The Insight Economy: Mitchell says the world is moving from the “information economy” into the “insight economy,” where unique connections between ideas and ultimately wisdom become the most valuable assets. * [52:34] - Gratitude for Truth: Silas Mähner encourages Catholic listeners

    55 min
  8. May 6

    #65 Holy Risk Taking | Crosspost: Silas' BeatiDudes Podcast Appearance

    Listen on: Fio (Catholic Spotify) | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory. Many members have reported doing business with other CF Guild members within months of joining. With an annual membership fee of $100, it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time. Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month. First time here? Learn more about our mission. And don’t forget to subscribe. More About the BeatiDudes Podcast: A while back, when I met Jeff Schiefelbein in person, he said I could come on the BeatiDudes podcast the next time I was in Dallas. It finally happened. He was true to his word. The BeatiDudes podcast is a religiously funny podcast that brings people closer to Christ. I joined hosts Jeff Schiefelbein, Paul Kolker, and Nick Bezner to cover a lot of big topics at their tiny table. We covered some of my story, being from Wisconsin. How I started Catholic Founders. We talked about how to take risks as a Catholic Founder and our relationship to risk, storytelling, prudence, and humility. I asked them some questions too. Including what held them back from doing what God called them to do. Overall, it was a lot of fun. Especially so because Jeff was running on very little sleep. Less sleep = more unfiltered = more fun. Enjoy the conversation! 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: * Silas Marner by George Eliot * The Five Love Languages * Wild Leaders Assessment * Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) * Myers-Briggs Type Indicator * The Virtuous Leadership Institute (Alexandre Havard) * Everybody Matters by Bob Chapman Select Quotes: * "I started to wonder, what if Jesus was the CEO of a company? How would that look?" — Silas Mähner * "God created your soul in this particular time of history to those particular parents in whatever circumstances. You didn't choose that, right?" — Silas Mähner * "It's not to say we can't derail ourselves, but if we just lean into the track that He's laid out for us... whether or not you achieve great things in the eyes of the world or small things, it doesn't really matter because it's what God called you to." — Silas Mähner * "My way is not the way, it's just a way. There's certain things that are true and certain morals that are right and wrong, but everything else is just like the lens by which you're looking through stuff." — Jeff Schiefelbein * "What are my unique gifts that aren't replaceable? Or at least that only a handful of people can use, right? So that if I'm using them in my kind of circle, then I'm having the greatest impact for those people."— Paul Kolker Key Moments: (outline) * [00:00] - Intro : Silas introduces the crosspost of his appearance on the BeatiDudes podcast. * [06:26] - Jesus as CEO : Silas explains the original thesis behind Catholic Founders and his interest in clean tech. * [10:20] - Man of the Woods : A look into Silas’s upbringing in rural Wisconsin as the oldest of eight kids. * [13:20] - Co-creators with God : Discussing the inherent call to entrepreneurship and co-creation. * [17:01] - Identifying the Track : Silas shares what he has learned from interviewing 60 different founders. * [21:34] - The Dinner Format : Describing the intentional networking dinners Silas hosts in Nashville. * [24:19] - The Big Question : Silas asks the Dudes what they feel uniquely called to and what holds them back. * [36:39] - Prudence vs. Risk : A discussion on the balance between business risk and trusting in God’s providence. * [42:30] - Resilience through Failure : Jeff and Paul discuss how failures create the best stories and build character. * [52:56] - Outro : Final plugs for Catholic Founders and the BeatiDudes sponsors. Join the Catholic Founders Guild Today Stop building alone! There is a community of Catholic hustlers who, like you, are looking to escape corporate monkey life, make more money to provide for their family, or who just have a very specific calling. Get access to all CF Guild online events, the recordings, paywalled content, the CF Guild community/group chat, and CF Guild member directory. Annual membership is only $100; it’s a total no-brainer to join. Consider this an association of Catholic business owners, not a high-commitment community that will sap your time. Join today for $100 a year or $10 a month. 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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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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