The focus is fertility at the Good Soil Forum in Dallas

Chairman Jakes. That’s a change I’m getting used to. Since the late 90s, I’ve known Bishop T. D. Jakes to be a preacher. While most preachers are business executives, authors, and musicians, Bishop Jakes has been one of the first to become an all-out entertainer. He drew the audience in with his cadences and monologues that rivaled Shakespear. Bishop Jakes has moved beyond even that and is now in his “Chairman” era. This era involves a level of ministry beyond the scope of “church” as we know it. This was on full display during the Good Soil Forum in Dallas, last weekend. As a faith leader, Bishop Jakes wants to speak to your soul. As a business leader, Chairman Jakes wants to speak to your soil. The goal of the Good Soil Forum is not only to prepare you for planting, but to till up and turnover unprofitable practices and disrupt unfruitful mindsets. Because of its attention to detail for entrepreneurs in and outside the realm of “church,” the Good Soil Forum is quickly becoming a go-to business conference.

The forum includes breakout sessions, keynotes and kickbacks. I didn’t get to attend the full conference, but the bite sized sampling of the conference was a major chew! The Good Soil Forum included chats with Chairman Jakes and Charles D. King and Tabitha Brown, as well. Pinky Cole Hayes (Slutty. Vegan) shared her story and journalist Tashara Parker (WFAA/Loud Women Lead) led a chat with Ariane Simone. Simone used her time at the forum to publicize plans to keep fighting injustice with the recently embattled Freedom Fund. Simone was resolute in her defense of the work of the fund and remained committed to empowering other entrepreneurs. Wallstreet Trapper shared his inspirational testimony of becoming a disruptor and revolutionizing the financial industry.

As I walked in, I was led into a chat with Chairman Jakes and Jim Clifton (GALLUP). This was an eye-opening session because we took a deep-dive into the heart and mind of entrepreneurship in America. Jim Clifton said that, “We’re not starting enough businesses in America.” With the economic outlook, this was quite shocking, but he had the data to prove it. We learned about the entrepreneurial trait, who has it and what to do with it.

In 10 years from now, what’s your greatest life imaginable?

Questions were asked to challenge the VIP gathering. For instance, Clifton told parents to ask their children not what job they could get, but what they could build. Mikaila Ulmer (Mikaila and the Bees) was in the room, and Jakes and Clifton used her story to inspire and challenge the audience. “Find something you’re passionate about…Her mission was to save the bees.” We were told to find our hive and then grow our hive. Sounds like the best business advice you could get. It’s simple advice, though not easily accomplished. As you strive to scale your business, that should be the focus.

Good Soil 2024 showed another side of the man Chairman Jakes that I and so many others are getting used to. You have seen his sermons ignite spiritual revolutions, and in business, he seeks to do the same. Last year, during the International Leadership Symposium, we got news about another real estate venture led by Chairman Jakes and more growth into streaming. This year’s pitch competition made another crop of entrepreneurs a success in waiting as they received funding, exposure, networking opportunities with business mentors and business investors. I had a chance to speak with last year’s Pitch Competition winner, David Castro of Dungeon Forward.

I didn’t conduct many interviews this time, but I did have the chance to learn about Mitsu Frazier’s role at Western Governors University and WGU’s presence at the Good Soil Forum. You can watch the interview, below.