Ideas in the Wild: Zach Windahl Is Helping Business Owners Discover and Live Out Their God-Given Purpose

The biggest lesson I’ve learned going through this journey is the importance of aligning your passion for business with your purpose in life.You need to figure out your “why”.

We’ve been given a chance to make a difference in the world, a unique opportunity to see through our God-given purpose. The question is: where will we begin?

Whether our dream is to own a global enterprise or launch the next neighborhood brand, we face the same obstacles and feel the same apprehension as other new business owners. We’re stuck and overwhelmed. Perhaps we’re not even convinced we can make this dream a reality. But we can. We just need the right framework to launch a profitable business that matters.

In Launch with God, Zach Windahl shows us how to reach our potential by aligning our purpose with our product. He understands the drive to make an impact and the simultaneous lack of resources to see it through. Now, Zach is sharing his story of success and giving readers the tools they need to partner with God, launch their product, and live out their purpose with meaning and intention. I recently caught up with Zach to learn more about his book.

What happened that made you decide to write the book? What was the exact moment when you realized these ideas needed to get out there?

I have been an entrepreneur since I was just a kid, but I started taking things seriously while I was in college. I started a few clothing lines, a recording studio, wrote books, and pitched a tv show, all before the age of 23. So for years people have come to me with questions on how to start a business. What’s funny though, is that even though I was always building businesses, I didn’t see much success until my most recent project, The Brand Sunday. But I was always working on things, which I guess gave off a perception that things were moving forward positively. It was more my drive and dedication than anything.

In regards to Launch with God, I remember the conversation that sparked the pursuit. I was sitting on the roof of a hotel in West Hollywood with one of my best friends and favorite artists, Tiago Magro. Both of us were in town for a few meetings and, when we travel together, we love brainstorming about the future of each of our businesses. This particular day I was explaining how I get asked often to help people with their dreams and didn’t know of any resources that I could direct them to. Tiago said, “why don’t you just create one yourself?” Duh. Why didn’t I think of that haha. And from there we began to map out what a book would look like.

What’s the biggest lesson you learned going through the journey you share in the book?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned going through this journey is the importance of aligning your passion for business with your purpose in life.You need to figure out your “why”. I worked on so many different companies over the years, but none of them lined up with what I feel God has called me to do (until just recently with The Brand Sunday). When I got into that flow is when everything changed. Pieces fell into place, doors opened, and sales rolled in. You can’t fake it. You need to work really hard and actually care about what you’re working on — knowing that you’re making a positive impact in the world. The rest will come from there.

How will you apply this lesson in your life moving forward?

This has caused me to check in with myself constantly. If I ever feel like I’m being inauthentic or working on something for the wrong reasons, I immediately shift my focus and get back in line with my North Star. I think we all have 2–4 really important things in life that we are called to focus on. For me, it’s all about loving my family to the best of my ability and creating resources to help people grow in their relationship with God. If I’m presented with an opportunity that doesn’t line up with one of those two things, I give myself permission to say “no.”

And, so, I end up saying “no” 75% of the time, because I know what I’m here for. We live in a culture where people are so afraid of missing out on experiences that they say “yes” to everything that comes across their table. As cool as that may be, we get too bogged down with distractions that we never have time to work on what’s important. So for me, knowing my “why” and only saying “yes” to things that fall in line with it is what keeps me focused.

Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!