Nashville Institute for Faith and Work recently sat down to talk about faith and entrepreneurship with Courtney Gould Miller, Chief Strategy Officer, Head of Digital Marketing, and Legal Counsel at MKJ Marketing, a leader in market research serving thousands of clients worldwide in the funeral industry.
Courtney completed her undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, focusing on Human & Organizational Development, and earned her law degree from UCLA School of Law, after which she worked in International law for six years. Having completed graduate studies in Digital and Content Marketing from Duke University, in 2016 she established MKJ’s Nashville office where she leads MKJ’s continuously growing digital team. Courtney also recently founded Lumen Cremation in Nashville, Tennessee to provide dignified individual cremations that can be arranged entirely over the phone or online.
The conversation with Courtney that is abbreviated below focuses on how faith shapes her life as an entrepreneur, the challenges entrepreneurs face, and the role that NIFW’s Entrepreneur Support Group (ESG) has played in her life as a leader. If you are interested in learning more about the Entrepreneur Support Group, our program that offers a confidential space for entrepreneurs to gather for community and spiritual formation, you can learn more and apply here. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Email info@nifw.org with questions.
Nashville Institute for Faith and Work (NIFW): As a Christian, how does your faith influence the way you lead your business?
Courtney Gould Miller (CGM): When I think about calling and what I’m here to do, one of those callings has to be leading a team and continuing my parents’ legacy [in the business]. Whether it be my staff or the vendors we work with, these are people that God has made me responsible for. If part of what I’m doing every day is caring for these people, I want to do that as well as possible. By praying before making important decisions or having tough conversations, I find that I come from a better place. Prayer helps me see people as people [made in God’s image].
NIFW: What initially drew you to the Entrepreneur Support Group? What were you searching for?
CGM: When I moved to Nashville 5 years ago to open the second office of MKJ Marketing, it was just me and one other person at the beginning. There were some very low days, and it was a hard time early on, so I was desperately looking for community. I happened to look online for any groups for entrepreneurs, hoping that maybe there would be something here for me. I found the Entrepreneur Support Group through my church and knew it was exactly what I was looking for.
NIFW: What are some of the unique challenges that you face as an entrepreneur?
CGM: Often, being an entrepreneur means not having anyone around you. Everyone’s looking at you to have the answers, but we don’t have all the answers just because we’re the leader. As one of my friends [and ESG member] explains, “The role of a leader is to manage uncertainty for others.” The paradox is, many people think you can manage the uncertainty [on your own], but you can’t. As entrepreneurs, we are the ones who live with the uncertainty. That’s what’s hard about it.
NIFW: How do you manage the pressure that “I have to make something happen here”?
CGM: At the beginning, I had a lot of thoughts of “I’ve got to make this happen, this is all on me.” Something I’ve learned over time is that if you think you’re going to control your business, you’re living in a fallacy. One of the gifts of entrepreneurship is that you realize that we’re all actually living without control. Entrepreneurs are even closer to that reality and live it all the time. It’s taught me to surrender the business up to God. Through the group, I’ve also realized how some of the biggest wins in our business were things I wasn’t even responsible for.
NIFW: What difference has it made for you personally to be in a spiritually-formative community with other entrepreneurs?
CGM: Both my faith in Christ and the support from the group is so critical because the life of an entrepreneur includes times of serious doubt. The biggest benefit for me has been knowing that I’m not alone. While it looks different across businesses, everyone is dealing with similar issues. Having a community of entrepreneurs has been essential to point me back to: “Okay, this is what’s happening in the business, but what is God doing in this? What am I learning from this?”
NIFW: From a business perspective, how has being a part of ESG positively impacted how you lead your organization?
CGM: First, I’ve definitely benefited tactically from being in the group, especially when it comes to working through difficult employment relationship issues that often come up. Second, when I came into the business and opened the Nashville office, I knew I wanted to focus on establishing a strong culture and values and articulating them clearly. Being a part of ESG helped me think critically about and write our core values and mission statement, and inspired me to begin leading staff retreats for the first time. Culture holds us responsible to each other. It’s made a difference in employee happiness, reducing our turnover, and increasing clarity on what others can expect from us.
Learn more about NIFW’s Entrepreneur Support Group; applications are accepted on a rolling basis. The next group will begin in Fall 2021.
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