When Love Leads Podcast | S2E4 Bill Cooper Interview

Bill Cooper: Fired Three Times, Faithful Throughout — Building a Business to the Glory of GodWhen Love Leads Podcast | Hosted by Bill Marsh & Rick HastyWhat does it look like to lead a company when you genuinely believe Scripture is true — not just inspirational, but operationally true? In this episode, Bill Marsh and Rick Hasty sit down with Christian businessman Bill Cooper for an honest conversation about faith at work, biblical leadership, and what it means to build a business to the glory of God.Bill walks us through being fired three times, buying back the company that fired him, and navigating a startup he describes as having "six Scud missiles aimed at us and only two Patriots in the storehouse." It's a story of providence, pruning, and the slow, sure work of being conformed to Christ in the marketplace.About Bill CooperBill Cooper is a longtime entrepreneur, executive coach, and businessman whose career has spanned multiple turnarounds, technology companies, and a startup that defied 150 combined years of his lawyers' business experience. A husband, father, and grandfather, Bill is passionate about coming alongside CEOs and executives to help them lead well — for the glory of God and the good of others.In This Episode, You'll Hear:How Bill went from suppressing the truth of God to coming to faith at the summit of Mount KatahdinWhy getting fired turned out to be one of God's greatest merciesThe story of a startup most lawyers said couldn't survive — and the providence that carried itWhy Bill wrote $400,000 in promissory notes he wasn't legally obligated to payThe day he refunded $40,000 to a client who never asked for it (and what the client said in response)How the Golden Rule shaped his approach to a potential lawsuit against fellow ChristiansEric Liddell's "I feel His pleasure" question — and how Bill turned it into a hiring practiceWhy pruning hurts, and why we'd never bear fruit without itWhat he'd tell his younger self about humility, judgment, and curiosityMemorable Quotes"I quit using people as objects to further my own success and saw them as people I could come alongside and love and serve.""Maybe the Lord was going to use me to show the world what a Christian looks like when his business goes out of business and burns down all around him.""You can humble yourself, or God will do it for you.""The way up is the way down.""He must increase, but I must decrease."Timestamps00:00 — Welcome & introduction01:30 — Bill's testimony: from Episcopal pews to the Appalachian Trail05:00 — Getting fired the first time, and learning humility in the desert07:00 — Buying back the company that let him go09:00 — "Six Scud missiles, two Patriots": surviving an impossible startup12:00 — Why Bill chose the Golden Rule over a lawsuit14:00 — Building a business to the glory of God: lessons for the next generation16:00 — A $400,000 decision and how God provided18:00 — Refunding $40,000 a client never asked for20:00 — What faith at work really means (and what it isn't)23:00 — Biblical peacemaking and hiring with dignity26:00 — Eric Liddell, "I feel His pleasure," and finding gifted people27:30 — Learning more from failure than success30:00 — One regret, and the hardest lesson learned33:00 — Closing reflections: "He must increase, I must decrease"(Adjust these to match the actual audio timestamps after you upload — these are approximate from the transcript.)Scripture & Resources ReferencedScripture:Romans 1:18 — Suppressing the truth in unrighteousnessMatthew 7:12 — The Golden Rule1 Corinthians 10:31 — "Whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God"2 Corinthians 5:7 — "We walk by faith and not by sight"Proverbs 21:31 — "The horse is prepared for battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord"Matthew 5:9 — "Blessed are the peacemakers"John 15 — The Father pruning the vineHebrews 12 — God disciplines those He lovesJohn 3:30 — "He must increase, but I must decrease"Genesis (Jacob's story) — God's presence in distressBooks, People & References:The Peacemaker by Ken SandeJohn PiperCharles Spurgeon ("I will not curse the wave that throws me upon the Rock of Ages")A.W. Tozer (the Red Sea reflection)John Calvin ("God sends a rough rider to a rough horse")Martin Luther ("Make a good shoe and sell it for a fair price")Chariots of Fire — Eric Liddell's "I feel His pleasure"When Sinners Say I Do by Dave HarveyConnect With Us🌐 Website: whenloveleads.com 📩 Newsletter: Sign up at whenloveleads.com to go deeper on these topics and be the first to hear about upcoming guests 📱 Follow us: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedInEnjoyed This Episode?If this conversation encouraged you, would you do three quick things?Subscribe wherever you listen — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeLeave a rating or review — it's the single biggest help to new listeners finding the showShare it with one person who's wrestling with how their faith and their work fit togetherUntil next time, remember the difference it makes when love leads.