Twenty-four university professors from across the United States filed into the Wilkinson Student Center Skyroom in February for a special interest group summit devoted to faith and entrepreneurship. As they admired the snow-covered mountains in their view, they heard from a panel of three Brigham Young University students who discussed how they’ve combined faith with entrepreneurship, leading to a greater purpose behind their pursuits.
“There are different ways to bring our beliefs into what we do,” said Mike Hendron, director of the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at the BYU Marriott School of Business, in his opening remarks for the event, which was a part of the 2026 United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) research conference.
The panel consisted of Taylor Hart, a pre-graphic design student who founded the Christian clothing brand A Royal Kindred; Katie Edwards, an MBA student who helped lead the Faith and Belief at Work case competition; and Tanner Gunnell, a pre-business student who works with the nonprofit entrepreneurship organization Cumorah Academy.
Hendron explained that while there are differences in what the three panelists do for work, they are all united in their desire to live out their faith through their careers.
Hart, who described himself as an artist first and businessperson second, said he found a solution to a creative block after returning from his church mission in California. “I knew what I wanted to talk about forever,” he said. “I had gained a testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel.” So, he put his energy into starting A Royal Kindred.
While Hart saw many Christian clothing brands focused on public expressions of faith, he wanted to create clothes that focused on the mind and heart of the wearer. “Our collections are meant to cause inward introspection; our mission is to remind people of the purpose of life and why we follow Jesus Christ.”
Because Hart doesn’t come from a business background, having a strong purpose behind his business motivates him to learn tasks like fulfilling orders and navigating international shipping, he said. “I would never have the energy or the will to do all that if it was just about making money.”
While the MBA Faith and Belief at Work case competition isn’t focused on students developing a new business, Hendron noted that the innovation aspect is similar. Edwards explained that the MBA students who started it were interested in implementing something that reflects their faith: “They wanted to gather momentum for groups that care about making the world faith friendly.”
Edwards described that, like those in the parable of the talents who multiplied what God gave them, working on projects such as the case competition is one way she can utilize her God-given talents to help leave the world a better place. “The way I interact with my teams and how we accomplish our shared goals is tied very deeply to my faith,” she said.
Gunnell also shared how he hopes to better the world through business. When a friend pitched the Founders for Futures program to Gunnell—where Cumorah Academy flies underprivileged students to its campus, pairs them with a successful entrepreneur who mentors them, and helps them create a business—he was initially skeptical. Those doubts persisted until his friend convinced him to visit the academy in the Czech Republic.
Meeting those students in the Czech Republic changed Gunnell’s vision: “I was no longer thinking about what I wanted out of entrepreneurship,” he said. “I felt a need to dedicate my entrepreneurial service and talents to helping other people from all over the world to have those resources and opportunities that I have here.”
For all three students, a common thread was creation—something that the Rollins Center tries to emphasize as a part of its curriculum, Hendron explained. Hart added that seeing entrepreneurship as creation has influenced his journey as an entrepreneur: “God is the Creator with a capital C,” he said. “If I want to be a creator with a lowercase c, then there’s nobody better to look to and learn from than Him.”