In this episode of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur Podcast, host Justin Forman sits down with Steve Preston, CEO of Goodwill Industries, to discuss his remarkable journey from Wall Street executive to nonprofit leader. Unlike the typical path of chasing wealth and status, Steve shares how he made intentional decisions to prioritize purpose over prestige throughout his career.

After starting at Lehman Brothers, Steve felt a tug that his faith was calling him toward a different path. He made a deal with God that he would "never make a decision for money, for prestige, or for power," which ultimately led him to leave banking on the cusp of making partner. His journey continued through corporate America, government service (including running the Small Business Administration during Hurricane Katrina recovery), and eventually to Goodwill, where he now leads one of America's most recognized nonprofit organizations.

• Steve's countercultural decision to leave Wall Street's wealth and prestige to follow God's calling
• The rich history of Goodwill beginning as a church-based ministry to help Boston's poorest residents
• How Goodwill provides holistic support to help people overcome barriers to employment
• The innovative prison education programs helping reduce recidivism rates to just 5%
• The power of corporate partnerships in scaling social impact
• How writing a personal mission statement helped Steve identify his calling
• The importance of seeing potential in people that they don't yet see in themselves

"I felt like God said, I've taken you thus far. Will you really go where I'm taking you? And worse, most of the people in my close-in circle said, you're crazy... And I had this moment where I thought to myself, I have been like every other American watching these horrific stories on television and wondering what I could do."

"Our founder's story and our founder's vision 125 years later is still very much a part of who we are... It was all deeply based in the conviction that every human being has embedded potential."

"I often say, when somebody comes through our door, we often see more in them than they see in themselves."

Mark McClain, founder and CEO of SailPoint Technologies, shares his non-traditional path to entrepreneurship after 10 years in corporate America. He discusses building a successful tech company with faith-based values, navigating multiple funding rounds (VC, PE, IPO, and back again), and balancing business ambition with family priorities.

[Chapters]

0:00 - Introduction

2:10 - Mark on South by Southwest and Austin's tech scene

6:08 - The evolution of faith in the workplace

10:26 - Mark's journey from corporate career to entrepreneurship

15:32 - Understanding SailPoint's identity management technology

18:47 - AI as both threat and opportunity in cybersecurity

20:34 - Navigating different funding methods as an entrepreneur

24:15 - The value of community vs. coaching for entrepreneurs

29:01 - The importance of staying connected to church community

31:40 - Building a successful business without sacrificing family

35:29 - Four S's of Christian leadership: Son, Sheep, Stock, and Stewardship

39:02 - A biblical perspective on retirement and stewardship

44:23 - Closing thoughts on community and faith

In this authentic conversation, Mark reveals:

• Why success rates increase for entrepreneurs who start after age 35
• The value of both peer community and expert coaching
• How to stay connected to your faith while scaling a business
• A biblical perspective on stewarding resources and opportunity
• Practical advice for staying present with family while building a company

#FaithDrivenEntrepreneur #EntrepreneurialJourney #BusinessLeadership #FaithAndWork #ServantLeadership

• Travis shares his recent experience meeting Jack Nicklaus and John Maxwell, highlighting Nicklaus's emphasis on family over golf achievements
• The powerful story of Travis's brain tumor in 2016, requiring him to relearn basic functions
• His wife Jacqueline's cancer diagnosis and the emotional journey of shaving her head during chemotherapy
• The doctor telling Travis to "prepare as if she's gone" and taking his daughters to San Diego while contemplating single fatherhood
• How these health crises fundamentally changed his approach to business success and identity

• 49 Financial's three-pillar strategy: handling more complex issues, offering more services, and building more community
• The company's focus on young advisors (22-year-olds) in an industry where the average advisor is in their upper 50s
• How 49 Financial is addressing the industry-wide 9% retention rate for new advisors
• Travis's shift from "quantity over quality" to "quality over quantity" in building his business
• His vision for bridging the gap between aging advisors with trillions in assets and the next generation

• How facing mortality transformed Travis's relationship with God and clarity about priorities
• The role of childlike faith in entrepreneurship versus the challenges of maintaining bold faith as a business matures
• Using their platform to help clients turn "tax dollars into giving dollars" through strategic charitable planning
• The daily struggle of enjoying present moments while awaiting his wife's five-year cancer-free milestone

• "I think maybe a lot of entrepreneurs out there, it is so easy, even as believers, to make our business our identity. And it's such a sneak."
• "It puts you in a different place in your faith when each one of you experience the thought of losing the other one within a day."
• "If the business doesn't make it, it's okay. If the business does hit that growth goal, it's okay... I'm going home to my bride."
• "My heart and why 49, as long as I'm around, is going to be for the young person."
• "We're going to turn tax dollars into giving dollars."