Welcome to The Believe! Journal. This post marks the launch of our first quarterly issue.
“Free enterprise” is one of the most misunderstood things in America today.
When most people hear this phrase, they immediately put it in a political context. Isn’t free enterprise about capitalism and empowering corporations? Isn’t it about taking away the government’s power? Cue the debate between the right and the left about the role of the state and individual rights.
Don’t get me wrong: That’s a debate worth having. In fact, it’s urgently needed. But free enterprise itself is so much bigger and bolder than the political back-and-forth makes it seem.
At its core, free enterprise is the belief that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things. To put a finer point on it, it’s the belief that everyone’s capable of being an entrepreneur. We can all create, innovate, and push the bounds of what’s possible.
Obviously, this belief applies in the world of business. Entrepreneurship is the essence of starting a small business. It drives millions of Americans to build a side hustle or get involved in the gig economy. Even the biggest businesses started as an idea in someone’s head. An entrepreneur is anyone who takes that idea and tries to turn it into reality.
But entrepreneurship doesn’t end—or even start—with business and the economy. Ultimately, an entrepreneur is anyone who finds new ways to solve problems in any facet of life.
Some of the most inspiring entrepreneurs I’ve ever met have nothing to do with business. Take Khali Sweeney, the former gang-leader-turned-nonprofit-founder who wrote a piece for this journal in August. He founded Downtown Boxing Gym, a community group in Detroit that helps struggling kids discover their abilities and worth. It’s one of the most outside-the-box projects you’ll ever meet, because Khali embraced his inner entrepreneur.
Good news: There’s an inner entrepreneur in all of us—including you.
What problems are you encountering in your family life? Solving them starts by thinking creatively. What challenges do you see in your kids’ school or in your neighborhood? You need a spirit of innovation to tackle them. Being an entrepreneur means rejecting the idea that solving problems is someone else’s responsibility. By definition, an entrepreneur steps up with action.
In the 50th anniversary edition of Believe!, I wrote: “Entrepreneurship is about asking how you can make a difference—not only in your life but in the lives of others. That’s what moves America forward: People like you applying your gifts in principled ways to make your community and our country better.”
That’s what America needs today: More everyday entrepreneurs making a difference. And I hope this issue of The Believe! Journal will help you do exactly that.
Over the coming weeks, you’ll encounter authors who speak to free enterprise and entrepreneurship from a bunch of angles:
Joe Lonsdale, the venture capitalist who co-founded Palantir, says that the future of free enterprise depends on “natural aristocrats” stepping up to defend the system that enabled their success. Follow Joe on Substack.
Aaron Renn, a writer, thinker, and fellow at the Manhattan Institute, looks at the concerning decline of entrepreneurship. He urges more Americans to reclaim the entrepreneurial “spirit of adventure.” Follow Aaron on Substack.
Fr. Robert A. Sirico, a Catholic priest and founder of the Acton Institute, tells a powerful story showing how free enterprise is about morality and community as much material wealth.
Peter Gietl, editor-in-chief of Frontier Magazine, shows how entrepreneurship isn’t about big business. Real free enterprise starts in basements and garages, with unlikely people doing unlikely things that make an unlikely difference in our world. Follow Peter on Substack.
Tim Busch, founder of a bunch of businesses and non-profits, talks about how free enterprise is divinely inspired. He says that entrepreneurship is how we answer God’s call in our lives and “co-create” alongside our Creator.
Evan Feinberg, partner at Praxis and a longtime non-profit leader, says America needs “redemptive entrepreneurship.” He says that free enterprise is a profound expression of the Judeo-Christian nature of our founding.
Andreas Widmer, a professor of business at the Catholic University of America (and a formal Swiss Guard for the Pope!), talks about coming to America and falling in love with “the sheer energy of possibility.” Follow Andreas on Substack.
Tim Carney, a brilliant scholar and author, writes about “the big myth.” Most people think that big business and big government are opposed to each other, but no one benefits more from government-gone-wild than mega-corporations. That’s why big business often backs even bigger government. Follow Tim on Substack.
John Papola, filmmaker and host of Dad Saves America, contrasts America’s founding with the French Revolution to show how utopian thinking leads to tyranny. He argues that free enterprise and limited government rest on a humble view of human nature and warns that forgetting this truth could cause us to repeat history’s mistakes. Follow John on Substack.
And my personal favorite piece is from Alan Smolinisky, a self-made businessman who bought a stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers to honor his immigrant father. It’s a reprint of a speech he gave to a naturalization ceremony at Dodger Stadium, calling on new citizens to use their talents to improve America. Talk about a powerful message of entrepreneurship!
Also: You’ll find a reprint of the “Ten Pillars of Economic Wisdom.” My dad, Rich DeVos, and his best friend Jay Van Andel saw them at the 1964 World’s Fair. They were so inspired by the message of free enterprise, they bought the whole display and brought it to Amway HQ, where the ten pillars stand to this day. Maybe they will inspire you, too.
One thing’s certain: We need more entrepreneurs—in business, in community, in every corner of America. Everyday entrepreneurs built our country and made it the envy of the world, not just economically but also culturally and socially. That’s the true power of free enterprise, and if more Americans remember that it’s a call-to-action for all of us, our nation’s future is still bright indeed.