<![CDATA[Biblical Business Podcast]]>Most business advice for Christians stops at "pray about it" and "run it with integrity."

That is true, and it is not enough when you are deciding whether to take the loan, let someone go, or sell the company.

Biblical Business exists to close that gap.

The world taught us to treat "biblical" and "business" as separate ideas. One belongs on Sunday, the other on Monday morning. They were never separate. God created work before the fall, and Scripture speaks directly to how you market, how you scale, how you lead people, and how you manage money.

Hosted by Adam Weisner and McClain McKinney. Adam is the CEO of Sherman Research, an investment research firm structured to give away 51% of its net income to advance the gospel, and the author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership. He is an active operator, not an armchair consultant.

McClain runs the creative agency Chalant and handles the interviewing. He has produced video, photo, and branding content for companies like Amazon, Whole Foods, and Walmart.

Every episode is a long conversation with a founder who loves Jesus and is actually building something. We go one inch wide and ten feet deep on questions like:

  • Why revenue is vanity, profit is sanity, and cash flow is reality
  • Where AI genuinely helps, and where it quietly replaces your judgment
  • What David's mighty men teach you about who to hire
  • Whether to sell, when the numbers say yes and something else says wait
  • What you owe the people who work for you, before they have to ask
  • Building something that runs without you, which is stewardship and not absence
  • The parts nobody posts about: envy, anxiety, imposter syndrome, and success going to your head

You do not have to believe the Bible to use what is here. The wisdom works because it is rooted in truth, and truth works regardless of who applies it.

Your work is worship. Lead with your faith intact, not in spite of it.

]]>https://biblicalbusiness.com/Riverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Sun, 18 Oct 2026 23:18:35 GMTThu, 17 Sep 2026 01:42:03 GMT60Adam Weisner + McClain McKinney<p><i>Most business advice for Christians stops at "pray about it" and "run it with integrity." </i></p><p></p><p><i>That is true, and it is not enough when you are deciding whether to take the loan, let someone go, or sell the company.</i></p><p></p><p><i>Biblical Business exists to close that gap.</i></p><p></p><p><i>The world taught us to treat "biblical" and "business" as separate ideas. One belongs on Sunday, the other on Monday morning. They were never separate. God created work before the fall, and Scripture speaks directly to how you market, how you scale, how you lead people, and how you manage money.</i></p><p></p><p><i>Hosted by Adam Weisner and McClain McKinney. Adam is the CEO of Sherman Research, an investment research firm structured to give away 51% of its net income to advance the gospel, and the author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership. He is an active operator, not an armchair consultant. </i></p><p></p><p><i>McClain runs the creative agency Chalant and handles the interviewing. He has produced video, photo, and branding content for companies like Amazon, Whole Foods, and Walmart.</i></p><p></p><p><i>Every episode is a long conversation with a founder who loves Jesus and is actually building something. We go one inch wide and ten feet deep on questions like:</i></p><ul><li><i>Why revenue is vanity, profit is sanity, and cash flow is reality</i></li><li><i>Where AI genuinely helps, and where it quietly replaces your judgment</i></li><li><i>What David's mighty men teach you about who to hire</i></li><li><i>Whether to sell, when the numbers say yes and something else says wait</i></li><li><i>What you owe the people who work for you, before they have to ask</i></li><li><i>Building something that runs without you, which is stewardship and not absence</i></li><li><i>The parts nobody posts about: envy, anxiety, imposter syndrome, and success going to your head</i></li></ul><p></p><p><i>You do not have to believe the Bible to use what is here. The wisdom works because it is rooted in truth, and truth works regardless of who applies it.</i></p><p></p><p><i>Your work is worship. Lead with your faith intact, not in spite of it.</i></p>episodicAdam Weisner + McClain McKinneymcclain.mckinney@gmail.comno<![CDATA[S1E7: Pruning Is Preparation]]>This one wasn't planned. Adam Weisner and McClain McKinney had a two-hour meeting, kept talking, and decided to hit record.

It's a conversation about leadership. Adam on going from a 19-year-old with a lot to prove to a servant leader, and why the only real mark of success is Jesus' name growing with his influence. McClain, an Enneagram 3, on learning to be uncomfortably honest; Adam, an 8, on why he hears conflict as raw truth. Then the bank's color test ("be brief, be bright, be gone") next to the fruit of the Spirit.

They get into accountability: who asks the leader the hard questions, what Adam found in C12 after Vistage, and why you might only need one person.

Adam on putting the sail up and waiting: a company debt paid off in about two years instead of the five he expected, and the hire who backed out the morning of his start date. "Pruning is preparation." McClain talks through a hard season after 40 days away, and Adam tells him there are a lot easier ways to make money.

Their close: you are in control of your obedience today.

CHAPTERS

00:00 An unplanned episode

04:04 From proving to serving

06:16 Conflict is raw truth

09:26 The color test

13:16 Younger than the room

18:22 Who holds the leader accountable?

28:00 C12 vs Vistage

32:49 Put the sail up and wait

38:05 Manufacturing wind

42:26 Pruning is preparation

44:54 A winter you didn't expect

52:00 Why do any of this?

57:52 You never owned it

1:00:57 In control of your obedience

FOLLOW THE SHOW

YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast

Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast

ADAM WEISNER

CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership.

Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo

TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo

YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner

Newsletter: adamweisner.substack.com

Book: biblicalbusiness.com

MCCLAIN MCKINNEY

Founder and CEO of Chalant.

Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney

TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney

YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney

Site: mcclainmckinney.com

Agency: chalant.us

Subscribe to Biblical Business so you catch the next episode.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

]]>034ef901-0333-4cbc-bc31-dffe4df85683Thu, 15 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT<p>This one wasn't planned. Adam Weisner and McClain McKinney had a two-hour meeting, kept talking, and decided to hit record.</p><p>It's a conversation about leadership. Adam on going from a 19-year-old with a lot to prove to a servant leader, and why the only real mark of success is Jesus' name growing with his influence. McClain, an Enneagram 3, on learning to be uncomfortably honest; Adam, an 8, on why he hears conflict as raw truth. Then the bank's color test ("be brief, be bright, be gone") next to the fruit of the Spirit.</p><p>They get into accountability: who asks the leader the hard questions, what Adam found in C12 after Vistage, and why you might only need one person.</p><p>Adam on putting the sail up and waiting: a company debt paid off in about two years instead of the five he expected, and the hire who backed out the morning of his start date. "Pruning is preparation." McClain talks through a hard season after 40 days away, and Adam tells him there are a lot easier ways to make money.</p><p>Their close: you are in control of your obedience today.</p><p>CHAPTERS</p><p>00:00 An unplanned episode</p><p>04:04 From proving to serving</p><p>06:16 Conflict is raw truth</p><p>09:26 The color test</p><p>13:16 Younger than the room</p><p>18:22 Who holds the leader accountable?</p><p>28:00 C12 vs Vistage</p><p>32:49 Put the sail up and wait</p><p>38:05 Manufacturing wind</p><p>42:26 Pruning is preparation</p><p>44:54 A winter you didn't expect</p><p>52:00 Why do any of this?</p><p>57:52 You never owned it</p><p>1:00:57 In control of your obedience</p><p>FOLLOW THE SHOW</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast</p><p>ADAM WEISNER</p><p>CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership.</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo</p><p>TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO</p><p>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner</p><p>Newsletter: adamweisner.substack.com</p><p>Book: biblicalbusiness.com</p><p>MCCLAIN MCKINNEY</p><p>Founder and CEO of Chalant.</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney</p><p>TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney</p><p>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney</p><p>Site: mcclainmckinney.com</p><p>Agency: chalant.us</p><p>Subscribe to Biblical Business so you catch the next episode.</p><p>Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.</p>no01:02:2217S1E7: Pruning Is Preparationfull<![CDATA[S1E6: Your Brand Is Your Reputation]]>Is your brand selfish? McClain McKinney tells Adam Weisner he is approaching branding from a selfish perspective. Adam's answer: a brand always starts with someone's selfish opinion, and then it has to earn trust.

They start with a definition. Adam: "Your brand is your reputation." McClain: "the subconscious affiliation of unrelated things." From there they get into the brand moat, the thing that protects you when someone does the same thing you do, or does it cheaper.

Then AI. Adam argues that the capability of AI is inversely correlated to trust, and that all future currency is articulation. McClain makes his case for human-made work on purpose, and they work through what Tesla and SpaceX say, a thousand true fans, and why great marketing is other people telling your story, not you.

They finish on where they agree: trust is the moat, and the first principles they want for this podcast.

CHAPTERS

00:00 The disagreement

06:36 What is a brand?

10:20 The brand moat

14:04 Is branding selfish?

19:19 Trust in the AI era

25:34 Human-made on purpose

34:53 What Tesla and SpaceX say

45:46 A thousand true fans

48:05 Invest in story, not ads

56:16 Humble and curious

58:53 Where we agree

1:04:30 Competing without manipulation

1:09:54 Branding this podcast

1:13:59 Trust is the moat

1:18:40 What's worth doing next

1:28:10 First principles for our brand

FOLLOW THE SHOW

YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast

Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast

ADAM WEISNER

CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership.

Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo

TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo

YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner

Newsletter: adamweisner.substack.com

Book: biblicalbusiness.com

MCCLAIN MCKINNEY

Founder and CEO of Chalant.

Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney

TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney

YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney

Site: mcclainmckinney.com

Agency: chalant.us

Subscribe to Biblical Business so you catch the next episode.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

]]>7805cac3-ac63-499c-9b80-7e79c105fd28Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:03:09 GMT<p>Is your brand selfish? McClain McKinney tells Adam Weisner he is approaching branding from a selfish perspective. Adam's answer: a brand always starts with someone's selfish opinion, and then it has to earn trust.</p><p>They start with a definition. Adam: "Your brand is your reputation." McClain: "the subconscious affiliation of unrelated things." From there they get into the brand moat, the thing that protects you when someone does the same thing you do, or does it cheaper.</p><p>Then AI. Adam argues that the capability of AI is inversely correlated to trust, and that all future currency is articulation. McClain makes his case for human-made work on purpose, and they work through what Tesla and SpaceX say, a thousand true fans, and why great marketing is other people telling your story, not you.</p><p>They finish on where they agree: trust is the moat, and the first principles they want for this podcast.</p><p>CHAPTERS</p><p>00:00 The disagreement</p><p>06:36 What is a brand?</p><p>10:20 The brand moat</p><p>14:04 Is branding selfish?</p><p>19:19 Trust in the AI era</p><p>25:34 Human-made on purpose</p><p>34:53 What Tesla and SpaceX say</p><p>45:46 A thousand true fans</p><p>48:05 Invest in story, not ads</p><p>56:16 Humble and curious</p><p>58:53 Where we agree</p><p>1:04:30 Competing without manipulation</p><p>1:09:54 Branding this podcast</p><p>1:13:59 Trust is the moat</p><p>1:18:40 What's worth doing next</p><p>1:28:10 First principles for our brand</p><p>FOLLOW THE SHOW</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast</p><p>ADAM WEISNER</p><p>CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership.</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo</p><p>TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO</p><p>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner</p><p>Newsletter: adamweisner.substack.com</p><p>Book: biblicalbusiness.com</p><p>MCCLAIN MCKINNEY</p><p>Founder and CEO of Chalant.</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney</p><p>TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney</p><p>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney</p><p>Site: mcclainmckinney.com</p><p>Agency: chalant.us</p><p>Subscribe to Biblical Business so you catch the next episode.</p><p>Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.</p>no01:31:5016S1E6: Your Brand Is Your Reputationfull<![CDATA[S1E5: If You're Firing Someone, You Probably Failed Them First]]>What does it look like when a company decides to "manage someone out"? Adam Weisner says a biblical business does the opposite.

Adam's answer starts with the leader: if you are firing someone, you have most likely failed them. Usually the gap is a lack of clarity, a lack of accountability, or a bad hiring process. So he sets a real process (a verbal warning, a written warning, then 30, 60, and 90 day windows), ends each step with "how can I help you?", and means it.

His line: "If somebody's underperforming, it is a direct reflection of your lack of leadership."

Adam has terminated people because of changes in the business and for things they did or didn't do, and says it never gets easy, ever. Some of the people he has let go, or who quit, still ask him to be their mentor. He has also moved underperformers into a smaller role instead, sometimes at the same pay and sometimes at a way reduced scope.

McClain McKinney brings the small business owner's side. He hired for growth when he needed operations, had to let that person go, then told his network about him, and 10 people asked for the man's email. He also tells how the coaching relationship with Adam turned into a job at Sherman.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why people see a firing coming, and a family hire who stops showing up

04:14 "If I'm firing somebody, then I have failed them most likely as a leader"

05:30 How corporate "manages someone out," and what stewardship does instead

07:02 Verbal warning, written warning, 30, 60, and 90 days: "how can I help you?"

11:23 Why firing "wrecks you," and the people who still call afterward

15:09 Why corporate trains people to be cold, and what ignoring an underperformer tells everyone else

17:35 A witness in the room, a confirming email, and one consistent process

23:21 McClain hired for growth when he needed operations

26:33 Letting him go, then telling his network: 10 people asked for his email

32:10 The garage hiring video and the thousands who responded

41:20 "You just need to be you": watches, UFC, and homeschool

43:28 McClain's 40 day sabbatical, and "what if you were to come work for me?"

48:06 A speaking invite to a castle in Scotland, and how Adam ended up in Orlando

53:47 "There is no butterfly effect"

1:01:29 Adam's rule: no top-level hire without his wife's buy-in

1:07:41 "Is this an easy path to what?"

1:09:26 Tennis versus pickleball, and who wrote your SOPs

BOOKS MENTIONED

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson: https://amzn.to/4yk6rlA

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

FOLLOW THE SHOW

YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast

Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast

ADAM WEISNER

CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership.

Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo

TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo

YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner

Newsletter: adamweisner.substack.com

Book: biblicalbusiness.com

MCCLAIN MCKINNEY

Founder and CEO of Chalant.

Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney

TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney

YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney

Site: mcclainmckinney.com

Agency: chalant.us

Subscribe to Biblical Business so you catch the next episode.

]]>f72c8dbd-30d4-4587-a5b4-59319315a237Mon, 12 Oct 2026 01:08:28 GMT<p>What does it look like when a company decides to "manage someone out"? Adam Weisner says a biblical business does the opposite.</p><p>Adam's answer starts with the leader: if you are firing someone, you have most likely failed them. Usually the gap is a lack of clarity, a lack of accountability, or a bad hiring process. So he sets a real process (a verbal warning, a written warning, then 30, 60, and 90 day windows), ends each step with "how can I help you?", and means it.</p><p>His line: "If somebody's underperforming, it is a direct reflection of your lack of leadership."</p><p>Adam has terminated people because of changes in the business and for things they did or didn't do, and says it never gets easy, ever. Some of the people he has let go, or who quit, still ask him to be their mentor. He has also moved underperformers into a smaller role instead, sometimes at the same pay and sometimes at a way reduced scope.</p><p>McClain McKinney brings the small business owner's side. He hired for growth when he needed operations, had to let that person go, then told his network about him, and 10 people asked for the man's email. He also tells how the coaching relationship with Adam turned into a job at Sherman.</p><p>CHAPTERS</p><p>00:00 Why people see a firing coming, and a family hire who stops showing up</p><p>04:14 "If I'm firing somebody, then I have failed them most likely as a leader"</p><p>05:30 How corporate "manages someone out," and what stewardship does instead</p><p>07:02 Verbal warning, written warning, 30, 60, and 90 days: "how can I help you?"</p><p>11:23 Why firing "wrecks you," and the people who still call afterward</p><p>15:09 Why corporate trains people to be cold, and what ignoring an underperformer tells everyone else</p><p>17:35 A witness in the room, a confirming email, and one consistent process</p><p>23:21 McClain hired for growth when he needed operations</p><p>26:33 Letting him go, then telling his network: 10 people asked for his email</p><p>32:10 The garage hiring video and the thousands who responded</p><p>41:20 "You just need to be you": watches, UFC, and homeschool</p><p>43:28 McClain's 40 day sabbatical, and "what if you were to come work for me?"</p><p>48:06 A speaking invite to a castle in Scotland, and how Adam ended up in Orlando</p><p>53:47 "There is no butterfly effect"</p><p>1:01:29 Adam's rule: no top-level hire without his wife's buy-in</p><p>1:07:41 "Is this an easy path to what?"</p><p>1:09:26 Tennis versus pickleball, and who wrote your SOPs</p><p>BOOKS MENTIONED</p><p>The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson: <a href="https://amzn.to/4yk6rlA" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4yk6rlA</a></p><p>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</p><p>FOLLOW THE SHOW</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast</p><p>ADAM WEISNER</p><p>CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership.</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo</p><p>TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO</p><p>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner</p><p>Newsletter: adamweisner.substack.com</p><p>Book: biblicalbusiness.com</p><p>MCCLAIN MCKINNEY</p><p>Founder and CEO of Chalant.</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney</p><p>TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney</p><p>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney</p><p>Site: mcclainmckinney.com</p><p>Agency: chalant.us</p><p>Subscribe to Biblical Business so you catch the next episode.</p>no01:13:3915S1E5: If You're Firing Someone, You Probably Failed Them Firstfull<![CDATA[S1E4: You Can't Control the Rain]]>How do you relinquish control when business gets hard? Adam Weisner says plant and water faithfully. The outcomes belong to God, not your scoreboard.

Adam's position: good stewardship is the work you do today, not the outcome you cannot control. "The stewardship is the planting and the watering, but the outcomes are his."

McClain takes 40 days off. Chalant has almost tripled in size two years running. He returns to a sales pipeline as large as the previous year's business, then watches the opportunities disappear. He asks whether a hard season means he is missing what God wants him to do.

Adam challenges the scoreboard. A profitable business alongside an unsuccessful family life is not success. McClain brings the founder's fear of letting go; Adam brings Sabbath, small pauses when urgency rises, and physical separation between work and home.

McClain catches himself cleaning the kitchen during an argument. Adam calls failure "the cost of learning." They question the assembly line for knowledge work and whether reading more books can become false productivity. Adam argues that skill matters, but Scripture must remain the filter for what is true.

BOOKS MENTIONED

Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton: https://amzn.to/4ygiksy

Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore: https://amzn.to/4z1NDYg

Creativity, Inc. by Catmull and Wallace: https://amzn.to/3VvTjve

Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://amzn.to/3V3j7yy

Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung: https://amzn.to/4AvDVig

Living Life Backward by David Gibson: https://amzn.to/474iVlr

Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://amzn.to/4yfM2Oh

Deep Work by Cal Newport: https://amzn.to/3TlfymP

The Second Machine Age by Brynjolfsson and McAfee: https://amzn.to/3TkWuVO

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport: https://amzn.to/4hN0tDN

Beloved by Francis Chan: https://amzn.to/4yZuqq1

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson: https://amzn.to/4yk6rlA

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer: https://amzn.to/4AD48vy

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

FOLLOW THE SHOW

YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast

Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast

ADAM WEISNER

CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership.

Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo

TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo

YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner

Newsletter: adamweisner.substack.com

Book: biblicalbusiness.com

MCCLAIN MCKINNEY

Founder and CEO of Chalant.

Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney

TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney

YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney

Site: mcclainmckinney.com

Agency: chalant.us

Subscribe, and send this to a business owner who is trying to control the rain.

]]>cc968f4a-339f-42f2-a48f-e62717eb1a20Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:30:24 GMT<p>How do you relinquish control when business gets hard? Adam Weisner says plant and water faithfully. The outcomes belong to God, not your scoreboard.</p><p>Adam's position: good stewardship is the work you do today, not the outcome you cannot control. "The stewardship is the planting and the watering, but the outcomes are his."</p><p>McClain takes 40 days off. Chalant has almost tripled in size two years running. He returns to a sales pipeline as large as the previous year's business, then watches the opportunities disappear. He asks whether a hard season means he is missing what God wants him to do.</p><p>Adam challenges the scoreboard. A profitable business alongside an unsuccessful family life is not success. McClain brings the founder's fear of letting go; Adam brings Sabbath, small pauses when urgency rises, and physical separation between work and home.</p><p>McClain catches himself cleaning the kitchen during an argument. Adam calls failure "the cost of learning." They question the assembly line for knowledge work and whether reading more books can become false productivity. Adam argues that skill matters, but Scripture must remain the filter for what is true.</p><p>BOOKS MENTIONED</p><p>Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton: <a href="https://amzn.to/4ygiksy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4ygiksy</a></p><p>Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore: <a href="https://amzn.to/4z1NDYg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4z1NDYg</a></p><p>Creativity, Inc. by Catmull and Wallace: <a href="https://amzn.to/3VvTjve" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/3VvTjve</a></p><p>Good to Great by Jim Collins: <a href="https://amzn.to/3V3j7yy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/3V3j7yy</a></p><p>Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung: <a href="https://amzn.to/4AvDVig" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4AvDVig</a></p><p>Living Life Backward by David Gibson: <a href="https://amzn.to/474iVlr" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/474iVlr</a></p><p>Atomic Habits by James Clear: <a href="https://amzn.to/4yfM2Oh" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4yfM2Oh</a></p><p>Deep Work by Cal Newport: <a href="https://amzn.to/3TlfymP" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/3TlfymP</a></p><p>The Second Machine Age by Brynjolfsson and McAfee: <a href="https://amzn.to/3TkWuVO" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/3TkWuVO</a></p><p>Slow Productivity by Cal Newport: <a href="https://amzn.to/4hN0tDN" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4hN0tDN</a></p><p>Beloved by Francis Chan: <a href="https://amzn.to/4yZuqq1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4yZuqq1</a></p><p>The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson: <a href="https://amzn.to/4yk6rlA" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4yk6rlA</a></p><p>The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer: <a href="https://amzn.to/4AD48vy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4AD48vy</a></p><p>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</p><p>FOLLOW THE SHOW</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast</p><p>ADAM WEISNER</p><p>CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership.</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo</p><p>TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO</p><p>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner</p><p>Newsletter: adamweisner.substack.com</p><p>Book: biblicalbusiness.com</p><p>MCCLAIN MCKINNEY</p><p>Founder and CEO of Chalant.</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney</p><p>TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney</p><p>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney</p><p>Site: mcclainmckinney.com</p><p>Agency: chalant.us</p><p>Subscribe, and send this to a business owner who is trying to control the rain.</p>no01:40:4214S1E4: You Can't Control the Rainfull<![CDATA[S1E3 - Jesus Was Not a Penny Pincher]]>What should you pay yourself, and what should you pay your team? Adam Weisner says the market sets the floor and your heart sets the rest. If you are not paying yourself what it would cost to replace you, you are underpaying. If your idea of a great business means not paying people, you have already left the path of leading well. Adam's position is that compensation has no formula. Start at the market pay band, then go past it on purpose, because a biblical business is led from generosity. "Jesus was not a penny pincher, so I'm not going to be one either." Raise, equity, a $25,000 speaking fee, a late invoice: the number is never the real issue. The motive behind it is. "I climbed Money Mountain and found the hamster wheel." Adam says his first $200,000 check did not bring the peace he expected. What replaced the chase is what he calls a healthy apathy to money, the contentment Paul describes in Philippians 4. Adam grew up on free lunches, eating peanut butter and jelly tortillas because bread was a luxury, then spent twenty years in corporate America fighting for every raise. He runs Sherman Research the opposite way: a four-day week with no pay cut, 100% of benefits covered for employee and family, 401k at 60 days instead of a year. The quarter after the four-day week started, profit grew 50%. McClain brings the founder's side. The "we can't afford that" message he grew up with still creeps into Chalant's decisions. He asks when AI means a creative business should pivot or abandon ship. And one client is consistently past net 30 and just lost most of its marketing team. Adam's answer: three chances, then they become a cash customer. Adam refuses to call his team a family: "This is the major leagues, and sometimes you get traded." He describes forgiving seven figures owed by a professing believer. And he does the math on a 20% quick-pay discount: $20,000 off a $100,000 invoice feels like a lot, but $80,000 arriving 25 days sooner is what lets you survive. BOOKS MENTIONED The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: https://amzn.to/4dfmjgJ Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller: https://amzn.to/4dcB7N2 Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller: https://amzn.to/4ygIDim As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. FOLLOW THE SHOW YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast ADAM WEISNER CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership. Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner Newsletter: adamweisner.substack.com Book: biblicalbusiness.com MCCLAIN MCKINNEY Founder and CEO of Chalant. Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney Site: mcclainmckinney.com Agency: chalant.us Subscribe, and send this to a business owner who just got asked for a raise.

]]>c58e6170-1877-41ce-9903-6e32a5277420Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:37:15 GMT<p>What should you pay yourself, and what should you pay your team? Adam Weisner says the market sets the floor and your heart sets the rest. If you are not paying yourself what it would cost to replace you, you are underpaying. If your idea of a great business means not paying people, you have already left the path of leading well. Adam's position is that compensation has no formula. Start at the market pay band, then go past it on purpose, because a biblical business is led from generosity. "Jesus was not a penny pincher, so I'm not going to be one either." Raise, equity, a $25,000 speaking fee, a late invoice: the number is never the real issue. The motive behind it is. "I climbed Money Mountain and found the hamster wheel." Adam says his first $200,000 check did not bring the peace he expected. What replaced the chase is what he calls a healthy apathy to money, the contentment Paul describes in Philippians 4. Adam grew up on free lunches, eating peanut butter and jelly tortillas because bread was a luxury, then spent twenty years in corporate America fighting for every raise. He runs Sherman Research the opposite way: a four-day week with no pay cut, 100% of benefits covered for employee and family, 401k at 60 days instead of a year. The quarter after the four-day week started, profit grew 50%. McClain brings the founder's side. The "we can't afford that" message he grew up with still creeps into Chalant's decisions. He asks when AI means a creative business should pivot or abandon ship. And one client is consistently past net 30 and just lost most of its marketing team. Adam's answer: three chances, then they become a cash customer. Adam refuses to call his team a family: "This is the major leagues, and sometimes you get traded." He describes forgiving seven figures owed by a professing believer. And he does the math on a 20% quick-pay discount: $20,000 off a $100,000 invoice feels like a lot, but $80,000 arriving 25 days sooner is what lets you survive. BOOKS MENTIONED The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: <a href="https://amzn.to/4dfmjgJ" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4dfmjgJ</a> Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller: <a href="https://amzn.to/4dcB7N2" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4dcB7N2</a> Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller: <a href="https://amzn.to/4ygIDim" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://amzn.to/4ygIDim</a> As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. FOLLOW THE SHOW YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast ADAM WEISNER CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership. Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner Newsletter: adamweisner.substack.com Book: biblicalbusiness.com MCCLAIN MCKINNEY Founder and CEO of Chalant. Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney Site: mcclainmckinney.com Agency: chalant.us Subscribe, and send this to a business owner who just got asked for a raise.</p>no01:23:5013S1E3 - Jesus Was Not a Penny Pincherfull<![CDATA[S1E2 - Atheist to Biblical Business: Adam Weisner's Story]]>Adam Weisner was a staunch atheist until 18, then kept his faith out of his work for more than 20 years. McClain McKinney asks what changed, and how a kid with a tongue ring ended up opening company meetings in prayer.

Adam's answer: in small business you can do whatever you want, "so if you're not bringing Jesus into your business, it's because you've decided not to." For him that shift came four years ago, when he joined C12.

He was on Oprah at about 14 as a young Kurt Russell lookalike. He studied string theory to argue with Christians, until physics convinced him something had to exist outside space and time. "He used the very thing that I thought proved that he didn't exist to show me that he did." Then came 18 years of corporate work, from an AT&T Wireless kiosk in a Pomona Walmart to a bank branch after Bank of America bought Countrywide in 2008.

McClain admits it took him until last year to see Scripture as applying to his own business, and asks the "dumb question" most owners are thinking: why does a P&L matter if you never spend more than you bring in?

A coach at a Fortune 150 bank: "Just because you have a good idea doesn't mean you need to share it."

A $60 million company with 400 employees netting $1 million, next to a $6 million company with 12 employees netting twice that.

Law three of his book: close the books in seven days, hold seven months of cash, and get paid faster than you pay out.


CHAPTERS

00:00 Praying before recording

04:10 "It's not Sunday school. It's daily school."

06:47 On Oprah at 14

12:14 Parenting: finish the season, then decide

17:08 A tongue ring, a tattoo bluff, and Taco Bell

22:09 Atheist until 18, and the physics that changed his mind

25:49 The dentist appointment card

34:21 "There's a lot of fish in the sea"

38:35 Faith, marriage, kids, in that order

48:22 From tongue ring to bank branch manager

51:37 Six months married when Countrywide fails

57:51 The coach who told him not to share every idea

1:01:45 Leaving corporate for automotive suspension

1:05:38 Needs-based selling

1:15:35 "People don't care what you know until they know that you care"

1:19:44 The four leaders who shaped him

1:27:34 One-year goals and monthly cycles

1:30:30 What small businesses lack: conviction

1:37:07 Law three: close the books in seven days

1:43:22 Keeping faith out of work, until C12

1:49:26 Advice to his 18-year-old self


FOLLOW THE SHOW

YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast

Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast


ADAM WEISNER

CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership.

Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo

TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo

YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner

Book: biblicalbusiness.com


MCCLAIN MCKINNEY

Founder and CEO of Chalant.

Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney

TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney

YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney

Agency: chalant.us


Send this to an owner who keeps faith and work in separate rooms.

]]>d948b953-7c7e-4e86-99d6-9cbc945da474Thu, 24 Sep 2026 22:40:00 GMT<p>Adam Weisner was a staunch atheist until 18, then kept his faith out of his work for more than 20 years. McClain McKinney asks what changed, and how a kid with a tongue ring ended up opening company meetings in prayer.</p><p>Adam's answer: in small business you can do whatever you want, "so if you're not bringing Jesus into your business, it's because you've decided not to." For him that shift came four years ago, when he joined C12.</p><p>He was on Oprah at about 14 as a young Kurt Russell lookalike. He studied string theory to argue with Christians, until physics convinced him something had to exist outside space and time. "He used the very thing that I thought proved that he didn't exist to show me that he did." Then came 18 years of corporate work, from an AT&amp;T Wireless kiosk in a Pomona Walmart to a bank branch after Bank of America bought Countrywide in 2008.</p><p>McClain admits it took him until last year to see Scripture as applying to his own business, and asks the "dumb question" most owners are thinking: why does a P&amp;L matter if you never spend more than you bring in?</p><p>A coach at a Fortune 150 bank: "Just because you have a good idea doesn't mean you need to share it."</p><p>A $60 million company with 400 employees netting $1 million, next to a $6 million company with 12 employees netting twice that.</p><p>Law three of his book: close the books in seven days, hold seven months of cash, and get paid faster than you pay out.</p><p><br /></p><p>CHAPTERS</p><p>00:00 Praying before recording</p><p>04:10 "It's not Sunday school. It's daily school."</p><p>06:47 On Oprah at 14</p><p>12:14 Parenting: finish the season, then decide</p><p>17:08 A tongue ring, a tattoo bluff, and Taco Bell</p><p>22:09 Atheist until 18, and the physics that changed his mind</p><p>25:49 The dentist appointment card</p><p>34:21 "There's a lot of fish in the sea"</p><p>38:35 Faith, marriage, kids, in that order</p><p>48:22 From tongue ring to bank branch manager</p><p>51:37 Six months married when Countrywide fails</p><p>57:51 The coach who told him not to share every idea</p><p>1:01:45 Leaving corporate for automotive suspension</p><p>1:05:38 Needs-based selling</p><p>1:15:35 "People don't care what you know until they know that you care"</p><p>1:19:44 The four leaders who shaped him</p><p>1:27:34 One-year goals and monthly cycles</p><p>1:30:30 What small businesses lack: conviction</p><p>1:37:07 Law three: close the books in seven days</p><p>1:43:22 Keeping faith out of work, until C12</p><p>1:49:26 Advice to his 18-year-old self</p><p><br /></p><p>FOLLOW THE SHOW</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@biblicalbusinesspodcast</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/biblicalbusinesspodcast</p><p><br /></p><p>ADAM WEISNER</p><p>CEO of Sherman Research. Author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership.</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/thedispensableceo</p><p>TikTok: tiktok.com/@thedispensableceo</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@TheDispensableCEO</p><p>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamweisner</p><p>Book: biblicalbusiness.com</p><p><br /></p><p>MCCLAIN MCKINNEY</p><p>Founder and CEO of Chalant.</p><p>Instagram: instagram.com/mcclainmckinney</p><p>TikTok: tiktok.com/@mcclainmckinney</p><p>YouTube: youtube.com/@McClainMcKinney</p><p>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mcclainmckinney</p><p>Agency: chalant.us</p><p><br /></p><p>Send this to an owner who keeps faith and work in separate rooms.</p>no01:44:1712S1E2 - Atheist to Biblical Business: Adam Weisner's Storyfull<![CDATA[S1E1 - What Separates a Business From a Biblical Business]]>What separates a business from a biblical business? Adam Weisner's answer is one sentence, and living by it cost him a company.


This is episode one. Adam Weisner and McClain McKinney open the show on the question everything else hangs off of. A biblical business, Adam says, is one the owner understands was never his. A business is something a person owns and grows for himself.


Then he refuses to let that be a soft answer. You cannot run a biblical business badly. Sloppy books, no processes, nobody minding the marketing, and a cross in the logo is not a biblical business. It is a poorly run business with a cross in the logo.


Adam grew up an atheist, climbed to managing director at a Fortune 150 bank, and until about three years ago treated his faith and his work as two separate things. A C12 group finally put them together for him in October 2022. Inside of a year he had sold his ownership in the company he was running and taken over Sherman Research, where 51% of net income goes to advancing the gospel.


McClain comes at it from the other direction. On his first job out of college, a director of photography told him the two rules of working on set were no politics and no religion. He was 22, and he wrote it down like it was wisdom. He ran a company for twelve years before he questioned it.


Along the way Adam explains why "Christian" in front of a noun came to mean second rate, and calls that a disservice to the creator of the universe. He thinks most Christian business owners quoting "preach the gospel, and when necessary use words" simply do not want to use the words, because words carry consequences. On letting someone go, his position is that showing them Jesus in that meeting is already far too late. McClain brings up the hire he got wrong and the severance he paid anyway, which made no business sense to him until he stopped calling it his money.


CHAPTERS
00:00 The difference between a business and a biblical business
03:42 The C12 meeting that turned business into a ministry
07:51 The two rules McClain was handed at 22
14:53 Selling his ownership and taking over Sherman
18:41 The 51%, the teardown rebrand, and Galatians 5
23:07 You cannot run a biblical business badly
23:48 Why "Christian" in front of a noun came to mean subpar
26:24 What people hide behind when they say "when necessary, use words"
32:20 A thousand videos in a year
59:13 AI as commoditization, and why trust becomes the separator
1:06:00 Firing people differently, and what grace is not
1:11:01 Why showing someone Jesus in the termination meeting is too late
1:13:09 The hire McClain got wrong, and the severance that made no sense
1:18:06 "He's been there the whole time. He's just watching us fumble the bag."
1:33:29 The book, and what's next


Adam Weisner and McClain McKinney host Biblical Business together. Adam is the CEO of Sherman Research and the author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership, at biblicalbusiness.com. McClain runs the creative agency Chalant and does most of the asking.


Every episode is a long conversation with a founder who loves Jesus and is actually building something.

Follow the show so you catch the next one.

]]>2c17ccc4-5f3f-48f7-bcf1-15055090c0f0Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:56:14 GMT<p>What separates a business from a biblical business? Adam Weisner's answer is one sentence, and living by it cost him a company.</p><p><br />This is episode one. Adam Weisner and McClain McKinney open the show on the question everything else hangs off of. A biblical business, Adam says, is one the owner understands was never his. A business is something a person owns and grows for himself.</p><p><br />Then he refuses to let that be a soft answer. You cannot run a biblical business badly. Sloppy books, no processes, nobody minding the marketing, and a cross in the logo is not a biblical business. It is a poorly run business with a cross in the logo.</p><p><br />Adam grew up an atheist, climbed to managing director at a Fortune 150 bank, and until about three years ago treated his faith and his work as two separate things. A C12 group finally put them together for him in October 2022. Inside of a year he had sold his ownership in the company he was running and taken over Sherman Research, where 51% of net income goes to advancing the gospel.</p><p><br />McClain comes at it from the other direction. On his first job out of college, a director of photography told him the two rules of working on set were no politics and no religion. He was 22, and he wrote it down like it was wisdom. He ran a company for twelve years before he questioned it.</p><p><br />Along the way Adam explains why "Christian" in front of a noun came to mean second rate, and calls that a disservice to the creator of the universe. He thinks most Christian business owners quoting "preach the gospel, and when necessary use words" simply do not want to use the words, because words carry consequences. On letting someone go, his position is that showing them Jesus in that meeting is already far too late. McClain brings up the hire he got wrong and the severance he paid anyway, which made no business sense to him until he stopped calling it his money.</p><p><br />CHAPTERS<br />00:00 The difference between a business and a biblical business<br />03:42 The C12 meeting that turned business into a ministry<br />07:51 The two rules McClain was handed at 22<br />14:53 Selling his ownership and taking over Sherman<br />18:41 The 51%, the teardown rebrand, and Galatians 5<br />23:07 You cannot run a biblical business badly<br />23:48 Why "Christian" in front of a noun came to mean subpar<br />26:24 What people hide behind when they say "when necessary, use words"<br />32:20 A thousand videos in a year<br />59:13 AI as commoditization, and why trust becomes the separator<br />1:06:00 Firing people differently, and what grace is not<br />1:11:01 Why showing someone Jesus in the termination meeting is too late<br />1:13:09 The hire McClain got wrong, and the severance that made no sense<br />1:18:06 "He's been there the whole time. He's just watching us fumble the bag."<br />1:33:29 The book, and what's next</p><p><br />Adam Weisner and McClain McKinney host Biblical Business together. Adam is the CEO of Sherman Research and the author of Biblical Business: Seven Unbreakable Laws of Leadership, at <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://biblicalbusiness.com" target="_blank">biblicalbusiness.com</a>. McClain runs the creative agency Chalant and does most of the asking.</p><p><br />Every episode is a long conversation with a founder who loves Jesus and is actually building something.</p><p></p><p>Follow the show so you catch the next one.</p>no01:32:4211S1E1 - What Separates a Business From a Biblical Businessfull