Make a Small Business Out of Your Passion
“See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the wilderness I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers” (Isaiah 43:19).
“I want to facilitate a way for people to have an encounter with God in the wilderness.” This was my response when someone asked me about the vision of my new business: Be/Wilder. I was still getting comfortable with making the pitch. Years of writing sales copy for books hadn’t made it any easier to distill messaging into a catchy tagline. This is what I landed on: Be/Wilder Writer, LLC: Exploring the intersection of creativity, wilderness, and spirituality. This new business grew out of an existing business I owned as a successful freelance book editor and writer. One day, while on a long drive in rural Tennessee, the idea came to me to expand my business to include other components of my life—specifically the one that occupied so much of my thoughts, year after year.
You see, I struggled with prayer.
When I prayed, I felt instant exhaustion as I tried to put words to what was going on inside my head and heart. The interior landscape is messy, and words make specific what is more like a dust storm of thoughts, feelings, desires, and contradictions.
Since 2020, I’ve been on a personal journey to find ways to pray that would leave me feeling more connected to God. This journey—more like an adventure—has taken me outdoors, into the woods, up and down mountains, and out to the desert. Over the past five years, I’ve undergone massive changes in my spiritual perspective—brought on by the free fall into my middle-age, the completion of my Master’s degree in theology, and family challenges that forced me to face some old wounds.
Then, in 2024, God put it on my heart to share this process with others. So the challenge became, how do I take what already exists in my writing career and fold in the elements of wilderness and prayer…what do those three things even have in common?
Find the Thread
Have you had a small business idea but wondered where it fit in the market or if you’d find consumers? Have you struggled with how to brand your idea?
First and foremost, I had to figure out how to take three (seemingly) unrelated ideas and merge them into one cohesive brand, under one name.
The first clear step came one day when I was listening to the audio book “Deep Survival” by Laurence Gonzales. He described the origin of the word “bewilder,” as in, “to confuse hopelessly; befuddle; puzzle.” But he went on to explain the etymology of the word, which translates to “thoroughly” and “lured out into the woods.” As a play on that, I modified the company name to Be/Wilder, as both a directive – “Hey, you, go be wilder!” – and a suggestion, “Go allow yourself to be lured into the mystery of the woods or wild landscape,” which I knew also meant entering the territory of God’s mystery. I’d found the perfect name for the business.
It helped me to talk out the concept with my friends and family. I even hired two business advisors to help me figure out next steps. It wasn’t clear to me if I should keep this as one entity or if I needed to break it up into separate identities. More than one person told me to let the idea go. “The three components are too different to try to merge into a single model.” They suggested I homogenize the idea and focus on one primary and let the other two separate out into their own companies. But I wasn’t looking to be a writer, a spiritual guide, and a wilderness adventurer!
When you receive feedback from others, if they don’t “get” the idea, remember, God gave this idea to you, not to them. It won’t make sense to everyone, and it doesn’t have to. It just has to ignite a spark inside of you.
Separating the three concepts of creativity, wilderness, and prayer didn’t feel right.
The passion began seeping away at the thought of three unrelated companies. I needed to figure out how to make the pieces come together. What was the through-line or thread? If I could find that, I could solve this puzzle.
Finding the thread, interestingly enough, is the skill clients expect me to provide when they hire me to elevate their manuscripts. So I went to my large whiteboard and drew a Venn diagram. The target audience of this endeavor lived in a pretty small area. But I didn’t view that as a deterrent, so long as I could locate those fellow Jesus-loving, deep-thinking creatives.
In my life, experience is what changes us, not words. So no matter how good a Homily is, no matter what we read or listen to, it’s the encounter that changes hearts. This is why consuming the Body and Blood of Christ is so powerful. We are active participants in the experience of communing with Jesus. In a similar way, engaging with the created world, pushing our bodies physically, and holding space inside us to think our thoughts and feel our feelings in silence and solitude, then holding it up to God as an offering, is a transforming event. An experience that draws us nearer to Him.
Were there even enough of us in the world (individuals, companies, or fellow small business owners) who would be excited to try this for themselves or to offer it to their clients? Only God could answer that question. But God doesn’t put a dream on our hearts without also giving us the chance to fully realize it. He also doesn’t always stop us from pursuing what may turn out to be a worldly failure if the result brings us closer to him. I was game either way.
Starting Small
I put my toe in the water by starting local Contemplative Hikes, which allow people to get a taste of mixing prayer and physical activity. At the end of the hike, I share a bit on some well-known mystics or contemplatives of the Church, such as St. Francis, Thomas Merton, Hildegard of Bingen, and St. Antony of the Desert because we don’t have to reinvent the wheel with prayer. I was shocked to read that others, thousands of years earlier, used practices that ran adjacent to what I was trying. It felt fitting, then, to bring them on stage at the end of the hikes to share their insights as we make progress down our prayer path.
Entrepreneurship Is a Personal Offering
There are many business experts out there who are more qualified than I am to give advice on how to start a small business. What I hope to relay to you is encouragement. You have a unique skill, service, or product you can provide, but maybe you’re stalling because it doesn’t make sense. The best concepts seem to come when we are vulnerable in what we have to offer and can identify why it has value to a broader audience.
I find peace knowing our role as entrepreneurs and service providers is to home in on whatever utterly unique skill sets we bring to the table. God gave us these gifts, and He blesses what helps Him accomplish His goal of saving souls. As small business owners, we do our best and rely on God to open doors for us.
In truth, we aren’t in control of what succeeds, which is hard for a type-A, high-achiever to accept. It doesn’t help that we live in a culture that emphasizes the value of grinding out just a little bit more. This attitude shreds our peace of mind and promotes a scarcity mindset. God isn’t in the business of draining us.
So, if you’ve read this far, I have to ask: Do you have a business idea that doesn’t fit in a box? Have people been less than encouraging when you share your idea? Can you envision what that business could become with the right resources and branding?
Trust God…then trust yourself.
When you are ready to hit “go,” remember what Jesus told Thomas after Thomas had to stick his hands in the wounds of Christ to know it was really him. “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (John 20:29). If success were guaranteed, everyone would be in business for themselves.
Risk demands faith. And faith is what activates God’s providence in our lives. Go boldly into new spaces that take you out of your comfort zone. One thing I know for sure, God is ready and waiting to meet you there.
Editor’s Note: This article originally ran on Catholic Stand in April 2025.
Natalie Hanemann is the founder of Be/Wilder Writer, LLC, a company exploring the intersection of creativity, wilderness, and spirituality. Since 2000, Natalie has worked in book publishing as an acquisitions editor, developmental editor, and ghostwriter. In 2024, Natalie expanded her business to include her love of the outdoors through retreats and meditative adventures. Learn more at www.youbewilder.com.