Each of these words represents a person who does not follow the world’s system, its way of doing things. So you would imagine that a person who embodies all of these words would be considered a radical. Before I give you what I consider to be a ‘Christian Maverick Entrepreneur’, let’s break down and define each word.

the maverick: There was no shortage of use of the word ‘maverick’ during the 2008 US presidential election. Senator John McCain and his running mate, Governor Sarah Palin, used the word so much it made me sick to my stomach. A maverick is considered as one who does not follow the crowd. Nonconformists are independent in thought and action, and are reluctant to join the group or think in a group. The group or crowd I am specifically addressing is ‘the world’. The world wants you to fall into a group and not show your independence. Think about it, independent thinking creates innovation, progress, growth and change. Without it, we would be a normal society. A society where everyone thinks the same, dresses the same, talks the same, etc. Now who would want that?



The entrepreneur: My mentor, Dan Kennedy, says that “an entrepreneur is the loneliest person in the world.” To some extent this is true! An entrepreneur embodies the maverick mindset and can even be considered a bit crazy at times. No one except another entrepreneur understands the pain, frustration, joy, excitement, love, and passion that an entrepreneur goes through in their business endeavors. The person who normally considers an entrepreneur crazy is the person who would be most comfortable following the crowd. Would you walk into a burning house while everyone is running out? How about swimming up the river while everyone else is tubing down the river? An entrepreneur does just that. They start, build, and grow businesses during recessions (W. Clement Stone, Walt Disney, Bill Gates & Paul Allen, and Amazon…just to name a few). Because? Well, because they are a bit crazy, they see opportunities and, above all, they don’t follow the crowd!

The Christian: Last, but certainly not least (saving the best for last) is the Christian. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are chosen generationTO royal priesthoodyear holy nationTO quirky people; that you may announce the virtues of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Certainly, by design and construction, the Christian is the most eccentric of all. As Christians, we are in this world but we are not of this world. (John 15:19), so we cannot follow the world’s way of doing things. Our path is that of the Father that has been drawn for us in His Word and in prayer and fasting. Because we do not follow the system In the world, Christians are considered nonconformist/weird/abnormal/peculiar/and the list could go on and on.

So now that we’ve dissected each word of the phrase – ‘Christian Maverick Entrepreneur’ – let me tell you what I take to be the definition.

The Maverick Christian Entrepreneur: A maverick Christianpreneur sees his success not as his own, but for the Kingdom of God. They recognize that his success is God’s desire to show the world the blessings he has given his children. In addition, their success allows the Kingdom of God to expand throughout the world. Here are some other points that describe a maverick Christian entrepreneur:

• Recognize that they are the managers of their business and God is the CEO

• He pays tithes, offerings, and the first fruits of his businesses, as well as himself (Malachi 3:8)

• Does not compromise justice (relationship with God) for anything, especially profit (Proverbs 13:11)

• Recognize that the success of your business is the will of God (3 John 1:2, Genesis 12:2-3 and Deuteronomy 28)

• Recognize that the purpose of your business is to advance/promote/enable/expand the Kingdom of God…introduce people to Jesus Christ (Proverbs 11:30)

• Giving back is a joyful action, not a burden

• Aware of the Holy Spirit and follow His instructions (John 14:26)

• Walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)

• Routinely pray for your life, family, business and others (1 Timothy 2:1 and Matthew 21:13)