Sam Wegner discusses faith, waiting, and anticipatory grief.

Key Takeaways

- Waiting is a Prerequisite for Hope: Romans 8:24–25 shows that hope for the unseen requires waiting. Since hope is a component of faith, and faith is required to please God (Hebrews 11:6), waiting is an essential part of the Christian life.

- Affliction is a Tool for Good: Psalm 119:68–71 reveals that God is good and uses affliction for our good, specifically to teach us His statutes. This reframes suffering as a divine tool for growth, not a sign of abandonment.

- The "Waiting Wheel" is God's Process: This cycle (Confidence → Faith → Testing → Perseverance → Character → Confidence) is how God builds us incrementally, like "leveling up" in a video game, providing a larger toolkit for each new challenge.

- Honest Desperation Deepens Faith: Expressing raw pain to God is not weakness but a necessary step to surrender control and fully rely on Him. This paradoxical faith ("I believe; help my unbelief") is where true strength is found.

Topics

The Weight of Waiting

- Sam's book, The Weight of the Weight, stems from a friend's question about the "weight" of his wife Crystal's metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.

- Sam's answer: "The heaviest part of the weight is the wait."

- The struggle was not with the inevitability of death, but with the prolonged waiting period.

- This insight led to a scriptural revelation: waiting is a prerequisite for hope.

- Romans 8:24–25: Hope for the unseen requires waiting.

- Hebrews 11:1, 6: Hope is a component of faith, and faith is required to please God.

- Conclusion: Waiting is an essential part of pleasing God.

Navigating Anticipatory Grief

- Crystal's diagnosis led to a season of anticipatory grief, marked by emotional exhaustion and an inability to pray aloud.

- A new oncologist recommended a recently approved drug with an average life expectancy of ~9 months.

- The family prayed for Crystal to live through Christmas and Easter.

- Crystal remained on the drug for over 3.5 years—the longest the oncologist had ever seen.

- Sam's advice for others in this season:

- Don't fear expressing weakness. It is not a sign of weak faith but a necessary step to surrender control and fully rely on God.

- Be brutally honest with God. Expressing pain and desperation is a form of worship that leads to peace.

The "Waiting Wheel" for Spiritual Growth

- The "Waiting Wheel" is a model for spiritual growth found in James 1 and Romans 5.

- It describes an incremental cycle:

1. Confidence: In God's character (hope).

2. Faith: Acting on that hope.

3. Testing: Trials that test faith.

4. Perseverance: The product of testing.

5. Character: Matured perseverance builds God's character in us.

You can subscribe to the podcast at https://matthewefird.com.

Check out Morgan’s AI course to start using AI confidently in your business: https://knoxoutai.com

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Interested in having Matthew speak at your upcoming Event? Go here: https://matthewefird.com

Greg Workmon discusses scaling LoadUp and personal growth.

Key Takeaways

- Formalize early to avoid crisis: LoadUp's lack of a purpose statement caused an identity crisis at $15M revenue, leading to poor decisions and financial losses. Formalizing values and mission was a painful but necessary fix.

- Software enables scale: A robust software platform was the key enabler, replacing inefficient spreadsheets and email to manage national logistics and build customer confidence.

- Pride is a growth killer: Early success (3,000% growth) led to arrogance, causing Greg to ignore critical advice. Humility and seeking wisdom from mentors were essential for recovery.

- Priorities over profit: Chasing money led to personal emptiness and neglected relationships. Greg's advice: prioritize family over business, even if time allocation is unequal.

Topics

The Origin Story

- Greg's background: Logistics (moving, last-mile delivery) and waste management.

- Initial venture: A side gig picking up mattresses in Atlanta.

- Identified a market gap: Incumbents wouldn't price over the phone.

- A simple website ranked #1 on Google, generating immediate demand.

- The "Uberization" pivot:

- Realized the physical work was unsustainable.

- Inspired by Uber, decided to build a platform connecting customers with haulers.

- National expansion:

- Major e-commerce bed-in-a-box brands (Casper, Purple) found the Atlanta site and sought a national solution.

- Greg agreed, then built an order form and found local haulers on the fly—a tactic he now advises against for compliance reasons.

The Scaling Crisis & Recovery

- Problem: Rapid growth outpaced organizational structure.

- At ~$15M revenue, the company was a "sailboat without a rudder," lacking a clear mission.

- This directionlessness caused poor decisions and financial losses.

- Solution: A painful but necessary formalization process.

- Defined a purpose statement, mission, and core values.

- Resulted in significant team turnover as some members didn't align with the new direction.

- Framework: Adopted the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to provide structure.

The LoadUp Marketplace Model

- Core Function: A two-sided marketplace connecting customers with independent haulers ("Loaders").

- Value for Haulers:

- Provides a powerful digital marketing arm, solving a key challenge in a saturated market.

- Offers a source of repeat business.

- Value for Customers:

- Provides a national, turnkey solution for bulky item removal.

- Offers transparent, upfront pricing.

- Technology:

- AI-powered image recognition is in development.

You can subscribe to the podcast at https://matthewefird.com.

Check out Morgan’s AI course to start using AI confidently in your business: https://knoxoutai.com

Are you a seasonal business owner who's struggling to make ends meet during the winter months? Do you hate losing great staff when the weather turns cold because you don't have enough work to keep them employed year-round?

You could be a perfect fit for a Lighting Pros Franchise location! Learn more about Lighting Pros Franchise here: https://lightingprosfranchise.com

Would you consider yourself a corporate refugee or portfolio investor looking to get into business ownership in the emerging market of outdoor lighting? Would you be interested in an award-winning system focused on permanent holiday lights, landscape lighting, and temporary Christmas lights? Did you know that you can do outdoor lighting all year long? You could be a perfect fit for a Lighting Pros Franchise location! Learn more about Lighting Pros Franchise here: https://lightingprosfranchise.com

Interested in having Matthew speak at your upcoming Event? Go here: https://matthewefird.com

Looking for the best AI Notetaker? Check out my link to FathomAI and get a month of premium for free! https://fathom.video/invite/UT2ZaQ

Todd Miller discusses integrating faith into business.

Key Takeaways

- Isaiah Industries: Renamed the family business to Isaiah Industries to signal a faith-based mission, using Isaiah 56.1 ("do what is right") as a core value.

- Employee Care: Prioritizes supporting struggling employees through personal crises (illness, family issues) over immediate termination, recognizing the heavy mantle of a Christian company.

- Hiring Strategy: Employs a prayer-led, relationship-based hiring model, asking God for the right people and the wisdom to recognize them, leading to unexpected hires.

- Personal Growth: Discovered that leading a church ministry—which forces deep study—is a key discipline for staying grounded while working 70–80 hours/week.

Topics

Company Mission & Naming

- Isaiah Industries, a specialty metal roofing manufacturer, was renamed from the original family business (founded 1980) to serve as a corporate umbrella brand.

- The name was chosen to reflect the owners' faith and remind the team of a higher purpose beyond manufacturing.

- Core Scripture: Isaiah 56.1 ("do what is right") is the company's primary litmus test for all decisions.

- The name is a "calling card" that opens doors for faith-based conversations with customers and colleagues.

Operationalizing Faith in Business

- Employee Support: The company's first response to an employee crisis is support, not termination.

- Rationale: A Christian company firing someone leaves a negative, lasting impression.

- Hiring Process: Relies on prayer and personal referrals, not traditional job boards.

- Prayer: "Lord, bring me the people I need when I need them and give me the wisdom to recognize them."

- Core Values: Biblically based values act as the "banks of the river" for all business operations, providing a framework for decision-making.

Evangelism & Community

- Workplace Evangelism: Involves pushing past superficial pleasantries to offer genuine support to colleagues in crisis (e.g., caring for aging parents).

- Church Ministry: Leads a satellite church for the underserved population, which includes preaching and teaching.

Advice & Reflection

- Advice for Younger Self:

- Cultivate an open and soft heart.

- Be bold in sharing faith stories, inspired by the blind man healed by Jesus (John 9).

- Journal intentionally to track God's interventions, as memory fades.

- Passing on Faith:

- Key: Live out a consistent, practical faith daily.

- Impact: This provides a genuine framework that counters the hypocrisy that can cause younger generations to disengage from faith.

You can subscribe to the podcast at https://matthewefird.com.

Check out Morgan’s AI course to start using AI confidently in your business: https://knoxoutai.com

Are you a seasonal business owner who's struggling to make ends meet during the winter months? Do you hate losing great staff when the weather turns cold because you don't have enough work to keep them employed year-round?

You could be a perfect fit for a Lighting Pros Franchise location! Learn more about Lighting Pros Franchise here: https://lightingprosfranchise.com

Would you consider yourself a corporate refugee or portfolio investor looking to get into business ownership in the emerging market of outdoor lighting? Would you be interested in an award-winning system focused on permanent holiday lights, landscape lighting, and temporary Christmas lights? Did you know that you can do outdoor lighting all year long? You could be a perfect fit for a Lighting Pros Franchise location! Learn more about Lighting Pros Franchise here: https://lightingprosfranchise.com

Interested in having Matthew speak at your upcoming Event? Go here: https://matthewefird.com

Looking for the best AI Notetaker? Check out my link to FathomAI and get a month of premium for free! https://fathom.video/invite/UT2ZaQ