Ep. 186 - Is Your Business An Idol? With Stu and Trish Fuhlendorf

Thriving in Tandem: The podcast for married entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs have an independent streak for sure. I have it, you have it, we all have it. It’s why we can’t see ourselves in a 9 to 5 job. It’s why we’re so successful in what we do. We take the bull by the horn and make it happen.

But independence can have an ugly side to it. It can cause us to become a little arrogant, isolated, and hurt our most important relationships. Meet this week’s guest Stu Fuhlendorf and his wife Trish. Stu took three companies IPO, made tons of money and was a wall street darling.

Until ego, alcohol, and the love of success got the better of him. It almost landed him in jail. Thankfully, there is a happy ending to this that you’ll have to listen for yourself.

Website: www.redemptionhills.com

Business: www.lifeverse.com

Book: “Wall Street to Well” https://www.amazon.com/Wall-Street-Well-Transformation-Fortune/dp/1949021432

Key Takeaways:

• Stu wasn’t driven by money and things but by accomplishments

• The accomplishments were great but fleeting

• Turned to alcohol which made him angry

• Guided 3 companies through successful IPOs

• Faced a lawsuit from the S.E.C.

• Trish had to lean on her faith and prayer to stay married

• She put her happiness on the shelf

• Instead of arguing she chose silence

Questions:

• Why were you such a jerk?

• Trish, I know you got saved first and that was a big part of the reason you stuck it out with Stu, but many good Christian women would have still left, how were you able to stick it out?

• I’m sure you tried to get him to quit drinking and change the way he was living, did you just give up trying to convince him at some point?

• While not going to the extremes you did, many entrepreneurs have the same mentality you had. What would you say to them?

• Pastors can fall into much of the same trap that you did in your career, what do you say to them?

Stu serves as the Senior Pastor of Redemption Hills Church in Littleton Colorado and is the Cofounder and COO of Lifeverse. His first book, Wall Street to the Well, was released April 2019. After working in corporate business for twenty years, he earned an M.Div. from Denver Seminary and was called into full-time ministry combining his love of Jesus with 21st century technology. Stu lives in the foothills of Colorado with his wife, Trish. They have two grown children who divide their time between school, work, and fun.

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