When a Business Fails, Hope Beats Pressure Every Time
Hope, patience, and business pivots
Andrew Leonard and Dr. Mark Leonard discuss Elder Taniela B. Wakolo’s talk, Come Unto Christ Together, through the lens of entrepreneurship and leadership. The episode centers on what it means to treat business decisions as spiritual decisions, especially when a venture is failing, painful, or forcing a hard pivot.
They focus on two main takeaways from the talk: Christlike patience and gentleness in dealing with people, and the idea that some experiences should be symbols of hope, not pressure.
Key topics
In this episode, Andrew and Dr. Mark Leonard unpack how Elder Wakolo’s talk applies beyond family life and into business, leadership, and personal development.
Dr. Mark highlights Elder Wakolo’s warmth and joy, noting that his smile and presence alone make the talk memorable and uplifting.
They discuss the line about discipleship reflecting the Savior’s patience, gentleness, and perfect love, then adapt it to business ownership and employee management.
Dr. Mark shares a story about his wife’s difficult day in a doctoral program and how a professor reframed the situation as immaturity and inexperience rather than malice.
Andrew connects the talk to a business he has been trying to make work, describing frustration, burnout, and the realization that it may be time to step away.
The phrase “the temple stands as a symbol of hope, not pressure” becomes the episode’s central principle, especially as Andrew reflects on not letting a failing business become a source of constant pressure.
Dr. Mark shares that shutting down a business can be an act of courage and a moment of honesty about personal weaknesses, timing, and stewardship.
They discuss the idea that “the seed is planted long before it breaks the soil,” using it to frame how warning signs and prompting may appear long before a final decision becomes clear.
Andrew talks through the fear of pivoting without knowing what comes next, while still choosing hope and faith over anxiety.
The episode closes by reframing the talk as a call to “come unto Christ with our business” and make Him a partner in every decision.
Timestamps
00:00 - Welcome to the Full Ascend Podcast
00:57 - Why Elder Wakolo’s talk was a challenge to apply
01:10 - The happiest man they have ever seen
01:47 - Why the talk lands differently when viewed through family
03:01 - Why scripture principles matter for business owners
03:55 - Replacing discipleship with business ownership
04:24 - Patience with employees and the limits of frustration
04:54 - A hard day in a doctorate program and a lesson in grace
06:23 - Seeing people as inexperienced instead of malicious
07:17 - Applying Savior patience, gentleness, and perfect love at work
08:03 - Christlike attributes as a roadmap for business decisions
08:29 - A business that is no longer panning out
09:45 - Recognizing when God has been trying to warn you
10:14 - The temple as a symbol of hope, not pressure
11:43 - The cost of keeping the wrong business alive
12:38 - “The seed is planted long before it breaks the soil”
13:51 - Shutting down businesses and learning from the loss
14:20 - The emotional cost of choosing work over people
16:28 - Decisions about closure as a conversation with the Lord
16:41 - Pivots, ADHD, and the temptation to chase the shiny option
17:14 - The fear of pivoting without a clear next step
18:54 - Choosing hope and faith instead of pressure
19:35 - “The Lord honors patient faith”
20:21 - Coming unto Christ together with a business
21:22 - Inviting listeners into The Full Ascend brotherhood
22:01 - Closing thoughts and keeping the episode short
