Episode 149 - Building the Best Boats with Joan Maxwell

Weโ€™re so excited to introduce you to todayโ€™s guest. Joan Maxwell founded Regulator Marine with her husband, Owen, in 1988. Owen oversees design of their sportfishing boats; everything and everyone else reports to Joan. 

As the first female chairperson of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, Joan shared with us what it feels like to be in uncharted waters. She was the first person in her family to finish college, and sheโ€™s often the only woman in the room when it comes to her professional life. 

But, as youโ€™ll hear Joan share today, these things have only pushed her forward...


Episode Transcript

*Some listeners have found it helpful to have a transcription of the podcast. Transcription is done by an AI software. While technology is an incredible tool to automate this process, there will be misspellings and typos that might accompany it. Please keep that in mind as you work through it. The FDE movement is a volunteer-led movement, and if youโ€™d like to contribute by editing future transcripts, please email us.

Joan Maxwell: It sort of was an evolution, I don't know that we sat out with this great plan of, you know, hey, we want to build X number of boats, basically, we want to just pay for things. You know, we want to make sure that we were able to hire people to be able to build a quality product. Our mission here is to build the best center console, sport fishing boats with people, processes and resources to honor God.

So at the heart and soul of what we've done is really being to focus on quality. And so from the very beginning, it wasn't about running lots of numbers. It was about running the best company and building the best product.

Henry Kaestner: Welcome back to the Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast, I'm here with Rusty and William, my incredible co-host, and we're doing a transcontinental version of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur podcast with Rusty in Rhode Island. Rusty we miss you out here.

Rusty Rueff: I'll be back soon. It is the year of covid, you know, so we're just hanging out here in Rhode Island until, you know, we head back to the Bay Area.

Henry Kaestner: So, William, we need to get out there and we need to do an episode on the beach in Narragansett.

William Norvell: Are you still going for the invite? You and me both. Love to. Sounds amazing. Every time Rusty talks about it, it does.

Henry Kaestner: Well, I guess I want to share with you something before we get started that's been kind of on my heart a little bit before we welcome our guest. Joan, I've really enjoyed going through the Right Now Media Faith Driven Entrepreneur Partnership video series talking about a Faith Driven Entrepreneur. And we've been doing this kind of virtual zoom group because of the covid time around. But it's been really neat in that we've had entrepreneurs from all over the world, from Indonesia, from South Africa in and we're just processing some of the different markets that we've got up on the Faith Driven Entrepreneur website, together with some really good teaching by JD Grear. And you can access that video series for free on our website. And one of the things that came up yesterday, I wanted to share with you guys and then also with our broader audience, of course, is this concept of Ebenezer's. And when I was growing up, I thought Ebeneezer was like Ebenezer Scrooge is kind of a funny name. You'd go by a church and was Ebenezer Baptist Church. And I always thought that was a curious name for a church. And we were talking yesterday in the segment that we have on willfulness versus faithfulness about Sabbath and how important that is. And as a part of that, we started talking about the time where we reflect on what God is doing in our lives, something that Entrepreneurs don't get a chance to do very much. Actually, we get tons of chances. We just don't take those chances. And the conversation comes up a little bit in the willfull versus Faithful episode, as David and I reflect back on the time that Bandwidth and it's a concept that I think that all entrepreneurs need to look at. I'm actually going ask Joan about this here in a second. Just about what does it look like for somebody who's been in business for as long as Joan and Owen Maxwell from regulator Maureen have been? What's it look like for us to take a Sabbath moment and just reflect on God's faithfulness in what we're doing? Too oftentimes entrepreneurs are just so focused on the next thing in our To-Do list that it's hard for us to really look back and reflect and do a lot more of that. You'll see some of that in our series, Willfull versus Faithful. And yes, this did sound like a shameless plug for the video series, and maybe it is. But Sabbath and rest are one of the most difficult things for the Faith Driven Entrepreneur to lean into. And it's not just a function of resting and typical Sabbath, but my hope is that we can all as a community, just really reflect on God's faithfulness to us. The Israelites put up the first seven days after they crossed the Jordan to remember what God had done. And I hope we get a chance to do that in our businesses. So today we've got a really neat guest on Joan Maxwell, as in from regulator Maureen. And there's something really neat about ship making, boat making. And I don't know if it's like the quintessential American entrepreneurial thing. There have been boat makers in America since the sixteen hundreds. I grew up on the Chesapeake Bay and there's just something soulful. You think about missioners books on Chesapeake. And I just finished reading a book with my son called The Emerald Mile, which chronicles the record breaking run through the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon on wooden doors. And there's just something about boat shaping, boat making that is really part of America. It's, again, one of the most quintessential, I think, American entrepreneurial opportunities there has been. And we've got a tremendous story about that with the folks from regulator Marine. And we've got Joan Maxwell with us in the virtual studio, so to speak. Joan, welcome to the program.

Joan Maxwell: Thanks, Henry. It's great to be here.

Henry Kaestner: So we sent you out a script and an outline of some things we might talk about tonight. In the introduction, I told you we might abandon that a little bit. I have a question for you, as you and Owen have been in business since 1988, and I want to hear that story here in a second. But this concept of an Ebeneezer are just a moment of reflection. Do you ever do that?

Joan Maxwell: We don't do it enough. Henry, I think in your introduction, you mentioned that we get so busy that we really don't stop. We don't take that time to rest and reflect on all that God has done. Recently, I was walking through the plant. We have a videographer on staff and we were doing some things and we were walking through the plant and he said, Do you ever just look around and say, wow? And I was like, no, I really don't. I walk through and I see this needs to be done or this needs to be fixed or this needs to be improved. That's. How my brain works when I walk through here and here, I was recently reminded that God doesn't really like a lot of grumbling and complaining. He does really like a lot of thankfulness and a lot of honor for all that he's done. So, no, I don't do that very well.

Henry Kaestner: Hmm. Yeah. And I haven't either. And I think I've been missing something. And that came about during this group call that we had yesterday. OK, Joan, who are you? Where do you come from? And before we actually started recording, I mentioned the fact that the town that you are from, which is Edenton, North Carolina, is one of the most idyllic towns in America. And I'd venture to say that the majority of our audience has never been there but should go there. Why am I saying that? What's so special about Edenton?

Joan Maxwell: Edenton is an incredibly beautiful little town. It is the colonial capital of the Carolinas. I have a degree in history from the University of North Carolina. So go ahead. I sort of go off on you on that. But Edenton was the capital before Newburn was the capital, before Raleigh was the capital of North Carolina. And so we had a sign or the Declaration of Independence, signer of the Constitution and one of the first justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, all from this little tiny town here. So we have a lot of very rich heritage here. And a lot of those colonial homes are still being occupied by wonderful citizens of this town. And we're right on the water. So it's I mean, what more could you ask for now?

Henry Kaestner: And you've got great seafood and it's is really is a beautiful, beautiful place is worth the extra drive going east from Raleigh. It's just it's a beautiful spot.

Joan, 32 years in business. Tell us about the beginnings of regulator Marine, please.

Joan Maxwell: We started in old a grocery store and it had been abandoned and had been used for a snack food company. So the first, when we turn the heat on, it smelled like Cheetos in the building. Oh, that's actually not a bad thing for me. I didn't think so. Oh, and my husband had a desire to build a boat and it was more a boat than a boat company was more a boat. So we started in the old AP with a naval architect having done all the wonderful lines and drawings of the boat.

And for the first hull, the 26, which regulator made its name on. Oh, and did most of that work himself? I did a little sanding on the plug for about maybe three weeks and I said, you know, there's something else I can do for this company. This is not it. So then we just ended up dividing our duties, built a plant and have been going at it since then.

Henry Kaestner: So you start off with an idea of coming up with that first boat. Tell us about the process. You know, so it comes off the line, you finish it, you take it for a spin, presumably. I guess you don't call it a spin when it's a boat, but you take it out in the water. Yes. And how did you say, oh, my goodness, this is great, we can't stop it?

Joan Maxwell: Just one, you know, when everybody measures success differently. And I will tell you, when we ran that boat for the very, very first time, we said regulator was a success at that point because the boat had performed far better than we ever dreamed that it would. So as far as deciding then what happens next is like, OK, what are we going to build? Are we going to build a company? Are we going to build more boats? It sort of was an evolution. I don't know that we sat out with this great plan of, you know, hey, we want to build X number of boats. Basically, we want to just pay for things. You know, we want to make sure that we were able to hire people to be able to build a quality product. Our mission here is to build the best center console, sport fishing boats with people, processes and resources to honor God.

So at the heart and soul of what we've done is really being to focus on quality. And so from the very beginning, it wasn't about running lots of numbers, it was about running the best company and building the best product.

Henry Kaestner: So you had a boat that disappeared and went off on its own for three and a half years and then just ended up in Spain.

Joan Maxwell: It really did, yes. Yes.

Henry Kaestner: It wasn't even like I just saw pictures of it. It looks like it's like I mean, you could probably power wash it and probably that would probably be good. But other than that look great.

Joan Maxwell: It actually was amazing. That boat was off on Nantucket and the guys were on it and fishing and they didn't have the lanyard on. So it's supposed to stop the engine if you should fall overboard or whatever. And they got hit by a rogue wave and they. Went overboard in the boat, just kept going in for three and a half years, it must have just gotten, you know, in a current and ended up being a crazy thing. You know, we met the owners and they were incredibly nice people, the owner and his brother in law. And then we got an email recently about another boat. Apparently, when somebody steals engines off of the boat, they just set it adrift. This boat was set adrift and also ended up in Spain. So there's something about these currents that we don't understand. So it ended up in Spain and we've gotten pictures where they have pressure washed it. They have cleaned. It's amazing. I mean, it's like.

Henry Kaestner: Hello. Do you need it now, like put something in the engine room, like if found call and you had to put the instructions in Spanish or. Yeah, exactly. OK, Christopher.

Rusty Rueff: Now, Christopher Columbus makes all the sense in the world that like that like. Yeah. Crazy physical stuff.

So Joan, in this crazy time that we're in now, in the covid time, boating has got to be like, you know, one of the things that people are gravitating to, as Henry was saying, I'm here in Rhode Island and went out a couple of weeks ago into the Long Island Sound with a friend. I have no appreciation of boats. I grew up close to the Ohio River, but the houseboat was a symbol for me of, wow, if I can ever get a houseboat, that would be an amazing thing. So it was a bit of one of those things, you know, like, wow, if someday I could have a houseboat. But I went out a couple of weeks ago on a Hinkley. Now, I have no idea, like, you know, I think a boat. A boat until you get on a boat. It's not. And what an amazing boat that was. And so just getting out outside on the water during this time was so refreshing. I got to think that the boat sales have gone up, right?

Joan Maxwell: Rusty, they're unbelievable. We have almost record lows of inventory in the fields. We are working our production plan now through the end of June.

People are social distancing. People are going to do things. You know, we're only going to sit home for a certain amount of time and we want to do things with the people that we love. And so boating has provided a lot of people this summer with an opportunity to do that.

And when we look at all the numbers coming into us from our dealers from Wells Fargo, who is the largest lender in this marine space, and when we look at all their numbers, is that we are looking at probably 20, 20 to model year before we ever begin to get this inventory back at a reasonable level in the field, which is great. I mean, sure, but it comes with some challenges. And right now the challenge is coming with her that a lot of our suppliers are having issues supplying us with vendor products.

And so that creates chaos that manufacturing doesn't like. Right.

Rusty Rueff: But for the economic chain, it's got to be great. Right, because for everybody who buys a boat, somebody has got to service a boat and somebody is going to take care, store the boat in the winter. If you're in a place like I am and I watch them shrink wrap them. You know it as you mentioned, you know, Ocean House Marina to me earlier. It's an amazing industry. And, you know, one of the things that I love about your story is you're a pioneer, right? When I look at your background and I see that, you know, you're the first in your family to go to college, the first female chairperson of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, you're a barrier breaker. So I'm curious, is that something that was in your upbringing or your personality or is it just something you've learned through practice and experience along the way?

Joan Maxwell: Well, I think as a middle child, you're always trying to find your place, so I'm the middle of a three girls and my brother was a baby. So I think you're always trying to find your place in the middle.

I guess, really? Well, I don't think of myself that way. Rusty, I guess, is really hard for me to really think about that. We have a job to do. We come to work and we do the best we can. And, you know, when God gives us ideas of things, sometimes it just is fun to get to do them. And the people that he puts in our path that we get to meet and to learn from. I have a great friend who really to me is that pioneer, and she's a president of Great White Boats over in Greenville, North Carolina. And she was the very first woman to ever sit on the National Marine Manufacturers Board. I was privileged enough to be able to be the first woman chair, but it was because of Chris saying, come on this board, you know, bringing and incorporating other women like me in there. So I guess maybe when I think of a pioneer, I think they're laying dead with the arrows in their back. And so I don't think that's quite me yet.

Rusty Rueff: OK, OK. Well, you know, there's somewhere in here is a pun about, you know, there's the glass ceiling and then there's the glass bottom boat. There's somewhere in there was a punch, but I don't have time to work on it. But you have broken barriers. And you know, we have an audience of women entrepreneurs who are looking for role models and looking for examples and looking for advice and guidance. What words of wisdom can you give our women entrepreneurs? And I know that it's applicable to male and women, but in particular, you know, to our women entrepreneurs from your experience.

Joan Maxwell: I would say probably the best thing that I would say is don't be offended. I mean, we are sometimes offended by slights that people give to us, male or female. But particularly I could speak as obviously a female. But we're offended by things. And the reality is that we don't need to be. What we need to be is just focused on doing the best job, finding the best solutions to the problems that are placed before us. And once we can do that, we add value wherever we are, if it's, you know, running a company or if it's working for somebody or with someone. So I don't know if I really answered your question very well for you, Rusty, but I would say, you know, the main thing is really just to be focused on doing the best every single day and to brush off those offenses. I mean, if we let those offenses fester inside of us, it comes out. I mean, it's going to come out. It's going to come out in a snide remark back to somebody or it's going to come out in a way that we may treat them in the workplace. So we just got to let it roll. I mean, that's a hard thing.

Rusty Rueff: Right, and now there's one other angle here, too, is you and your husband are in business together. Yes. And so tell us about balancing that.

Joan Maxwell: Well, I'm married to the most wonderful man in the world, sorry guys. He is incredible. He is he is my biggest fan. And because he is my biggest fan, when we are in an environment where people say, well, tell me about this, they'll automatically look to me. And I mean, I can be standing with somebody that works in the plant and people will have that same reaction. And so with working with everyone, we have had to decide what our lines were. Where are you focusing? Where am I focusing? And when we made those decisions of where we were focusing, you know, it's not to say we don't cross lines because we do. But when we do, we just like, wait a minute. And we have conversations about that. We have to be careful about what goes home and what stays here. Oftentimes, too much goes home. So I have to be very careful about that. But the big thing is really the roles. So the focus for Owen is on design and development and he likes that a lot. So for me, it's the processes, it's the other parts of the business, the sales, the manufacturing, the accounting side of all of that, which is fun to me. I like that. And he likes sales, so it works well.

William Norvell: That's great. William here, thank you for talking through some of that. As a husband to a working mother, I just really appreciate it. I just really appreciate learning and hearing. And it's a world that obviously I can't experience myself as much. And so I learned so much. When I hear people like you and other women entrepreneurs talk about how that dynamic works for them and how it doesn't work. Right. And it just so thankful for you able to share that story both for our female listeners who are listening, but also many of our male listeners who probably can't understand women. If we could, we'd be a lot better at marriage and jobs kinds of things, but it's just such a gift. So thank you for taking time to walk through that. And I'm going to switch gears a little bit and talk about the faith driven community. It seems to be maybe it's because something that's inside the soul of Christian people, but there seem to be a lot of Christian boat people that we run into. We're familiar with some other companies that are led by believers. But I'm interested in your journey. Do you collaborate with other faith driven leaders in the space? Do you have, you know, people that come around you in that way? No, that's not normal for the world.

But I'm wondering how it works in your industry specifically.

Joan Maxwell: It's very interesting. I don't know that we would say that we kind of come around and have any type of meetings. But what we do is there are little ways in which people support us. I was recently on a committee with another boat builder and it was so nice to get an email from him that said, you know, I said this prayer for you today. So knowing those people are praying for us, knowing when, you know you've got a family member that's sick, you can say, can you please lift this up? And they do. So I think to answer that question is really not organized, but it's the group of believers that are out in the marketplace reaching in their own individual businesses. And we find that sometimes our businesses overlap in the faith community, if that makes any sense.

William Norvell: It does. It does. And another group I know you're part of C12, we got Mike Sharrow on the podcast before we love Mike and then we've got other C12 leaders on as well. But I know that's been a community you've been a part of, and I know a lot of our entrepreneurs. I mean, a big reason we started this podcast was we think entrepreneurs spend a lot of time alone and they don't have community and they can't find people to walk with them, to dig in with them on this journey that they feel they've been called to. And there's some type of even I don't even know if I can share those fears with with the people closest to me because I have to put on this right of that. I'm out here and it's all working, right. It's all working for everyone. Could you talk a little bit about your C12 experience and how that community has been involved in your life and your business?

Joan Maxwell: I absolutely love my C12 group. And I will tell you, my first encounter with C12 was at a little welcome luncheon. And I went and I was like driving back home. And I had been quite arrogant about, to be honest, that, you know, I really didn't need that.

I was fine. And what did they know? So I was driving back home and the Holy Spirit really convicted me of that. I did need C12. And so I came back, sent a quick email out of apology to the person who had invited me and said, you know, I really do want to find out more about this thing called C12. And I have been so blessed by the people in my group, different organizations. One's a car manufacturer was a restaurant guide, one was a lawyer. I mean, we had just different people. One was a big food manufacturing processor. So everybody deals with the same issues of people and how do we transact business in a way that is honorable and actually honors God in the gift that he's given us to run this business? So when we sit around our C12 table, we sit around our table with the same common goal of how do we use these businesses to honor God? So I love my God. I'm the only woman in my group. But when I walk in there, it's not a woman in the group where a group of Christians around this table to go to work. And the material is so challenging to us both from a walk with the Lord and also how to operate the business better. So I love it.

Henry Kaestner: Joan, tell us, what are some things and I know this is kind of like a big fluffy question, but tell us something. Tell us some of the things that you really feel that God has told you about himself through running Regulator Marine. And what are some things that he's taught you about yourself? So things he's taught you about himself and things that you've learned about yourself through running the business in trying to get close to God, whether it's through C12, or however. But how do you know God more differently than you did in 1988?

Joan Maxwell: God's really shown me. I think that the little things matter and that he is concerned about them, he's concerned about the things that concerned us and when we're struggling and just can't quite figure it out that he is in the midst of it. So he's really shown me that. If I will just trust. He has this I don't need to carry that burden as much as I try to, and so I've really learned his faithfulness. I've learned his faithfulness in supplying the Bible says that we should have many counselors, you know, to look for the wisdom of many counselors.

And I will tell you, as we walk through the Great Recession of 2009, he provided people they weren't all Christians, but they were people who had the answers to walk us through a very, very hard time. Rusty you ask about the boat business earlier? It was definitely not like it is today when we were walking there. So that's what he showed me. He showed me his faithfulness. He's shown me that he's concerned about the little things. And what he's been recently showing me is that everybody in the body has a gift. And when I don't exercise my gift, I am not very happy and I probably am making those around me not very happy. I, by nature am an encourager. And when I don't do that, I have angst inside of me when I'm not doing that. And I'm negative toward people and I'm frustrated toward people. But when I step back and I acknowledge those things, which they do, and praise them for that and encourage them. The Lord encourages me, if that makes any sense.

William Norvell: Amen, amen. That makes sense to me. That rings true to me. I'm an encourager, too, and I feel that sense sometimes, especially during the covid area where we're distributed team. And I don't get to do that and exercise that. And the way you just articulated it was great. It ends up like reversing into frustration with people, and I think that's applicable to all kinds of gifts. And wow, that's such a fascinating point. Thank you for sharing that. One of the things I want to hit on on that is I know you have a chaplain, a regular Marine, and we're just big fans. If you ever listen to the show, we talk about it a little bit, but we don't always get someone who has that level of experience. And we'd love for you to just maybe share the experience of your chaplain and how that's worked out at the company and what impact you've been able to make.

Joan Maxwell: Thank you for asking about the chaplain. We've had a corporate chaplain since August of 2012 and it's been wonderful. People are not going to talk to us. You know, they're not going to just say, hey, let me tell you what. This issue that I have, they want somebody to walk alongside with them that can talk to them. And so our chaplain has been able to do that and to help people make decisions for Christ, which is if nothing else happens as a result of regulatory, that is an incredible gift when we think that we've had some small part in someone coming to know the Lord Jesus. And so our chaplain has been a part of what we've done from a ministry standpoint. We are in the process now of beginning to bring that chaplaincy in-house. So we will in January of 2021, we hope to be able to have the chaplain because our chaplain serves a number of businesses in the area. We have not have the chaplain. And just for protection of our team here, you know, people we talk about being lonely and we talk about being as a community of faith being left out. Our folks are also not able to experience that right now.

Rusty Rueff: You know, Joan, one of the things we always talk about chaplaincy is the chaplaincy for the employees. But what about for the CEO and the founder? How does that fit for you? And, you know, as Henry asked earlier, how God sort of reveals himself to you. I mean, I think having someone on staff, a chaplain who's there, that trusted advisor, if you will, who is also part of your spiritual formation, can really be revealing as well. So can you give us a little insight about how you might use a chaplain for yourself and for Owen?

Joan Maxwell: Yeah, so some of the things that we're struggling with, you know, can you help pray with us through these issues? So we've had two different chaplains as a part of our relationship with corporate chaplains of America, and we've been able to pray with one of them, particularly over issues that we were facing. So just all relationships generally are built over time. And so as we interact with the chaplain and begin to say, hey, that's a pretty good guy, or, you know, the things that we say are not going to get out in the community. I mean, we live in a very small town. As you mentioned, Henry is a tiny little town, you know, so the things that you struggle with are not something you want on, you know, walking down Broad Street and somebody asking you about. So, you know, the chaplain has helped in some occasions in the past.

William Norvell: All right, well, as we come to a close, Joan, with our time, I have to say a couple of things. One, we are not sponsored by the Edenton Chamber of Commerce. Just want to throw that out there in case anyone. We wouldn't mind that we would we wouldn't mind if anybody's listening.

We work very cheaply and sponsorships are not that expensive right now. So Bill and Waterman's gift certificates. Really? There you go. There you go.

Henry Kaestner: I don't know what that is, but I think it's the restaurants. The best to you. You weren't paying attention, William. The best seafood restaurant neednt and we need to go there.

William Norvell: I'm in. I'm in. It sounds like the invite I need from Rusty and Joan, you know. That's right. You got it. Saying look at that. See we just met Rusty that the invite already thrown it out there first first meeting. But that's ok. Well as we close we love to do one thing and I'm going to make it two things today. I'm going to go a little off script and see if this works.

And if it doesn't work, then you'll be the first and last person to be asked this question. But the first thing we love to do is say we want to know where God has you today in his word, something maybe you've been meditating on, something he's been bringing you through. Could be, could be the season, could be this morning. Something that his word and his scripture came alive. And then second, if you could end with prayer requests for you or your company, I would love to know. Let our audience be praying for you during the season.

Joan Maxwell: Oh, William, you just might make me cry on these. So the first thing is that the Lord has been reminding me all these gifts and you know what we are all about. And so I didn't know my sister was using the same devotional that Owen and I use in this morning. I got something from her talking about some ways in which her gifts were being used. And it's this reminder of, you know, God created us to do different things. And when I try to turn to the left or turn to the right and compare myself to someone else, he's reminding me that I am uniquely made and I made to serve him in this capacity. And so I lose sight of that. So for his his encouragement right now, I am grateful to be an encourager as well. The prayer request. William, thank you. We often ask other people, can we pray for them? And then when somebody says, can I pray for you? It's very humbling. It's like dumping our burdens on them. And we're we kind of sometimes feel we're supposed to carry those because of the chairs that we sit in. Right. The seats of leadership that we sit in. So I would ask and be incredibly grateful for prayers for our leadership team. For us to be wise as we're making decisions for not just building boats, I mean, it's great we built a boat and it's incredible that God senses these customers. But for the people who work in this plant and how to honor them in a way that honors God, so for our leadership team, for me personally, as I look at what is this company supposed to be doing? You know, am I making sure that what God is wanting to be done, I am doing and not what Joan wants to do? And so making sure that I am truly understanding and discerning the voice of the Lord for this company, those would be my two request.

Henry Kaestner: Maybe we'll do something here to build off of that, which is, as you are listening to this podcast and presumably at some point in time in the future, maybe just say just a quick prayer and maybe it's possible that God will continue to bless Regulator Marines as the prayers of all of us are lifted up for each other.

And I think that we started off this podcast talking a little bit about some of the different spiritual disciplines that a business channel rarely goes through, whether it's Sabbath or just really reflecting and having that type of Ebeneezer type of moment or prayer. But let's be in prayer for each other and let's start off by lifting up John, wherever you are. And I'm going to say, Heavenly Father, we lift up Joan and we lift up Owen and we lift up regulator Marine.

And dear Lord, we lift up the different listeners of this podcast right now, you and your amazing sovereignty know who each of them are. Dear Lord, I ask for blessings and protection and favor on each of them, of them to be able to lean into their identity as being your beloved children and then in return, may they participate in the work you've laid out in advance for them to do and participate in the building of your kingdom under your power, for your glory at Regulator Marine and every other marine shop, every other business that's owned by a Faith Driven Entrepreneur. And we pray for all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen.