Faith on the Job Site: How Mike Taddy Leads with Conviction Across Four Businesses

The Weight Worth Carrying

Mike Taddy will be the first to tell you he is not the polished, perfectly-packaged Christian business leader. His salvation came on March 8, 2026. The Bible is still relatively new territory. And yet, if you spend any time with him, something unmistakable comes through — a clarity of purpose, a gravitational pull toward people, and a quiet but unshakeable conviction that God is in the details of every job site, every employee conversation, and every line on the balance sheet.

A retired U.S. military veteran of twenty years, Mike returned to civilian life and did what entrepreneurs do — he saw opportunity everywhere. Today he operates four distinct ventures in Wisconsin: a residential contracting and property services company, a long-term rental portfolio, an assisted living facility co-led by his wife Stephanie, and a working farm. By most measures, that is an extraordinary load to carry. A close friend recently reframed it for him in a way that stuck.

"He said, 'Mike, be thankful God has given you the ability to bear so much.' I originally took it as sarcastic — but it wasn't. The more I think about it, the more I realize the ability to do these things and have the trust of people is a blessing."

That shift in perspective — from burden to blessing, from stress to stewardship — is at the heart of how Mike now leads.

A Church in Ohio and a Message He Needed

Earlier this year, Mike found himself in Ohio unexpectedly, having accompanied a friend on a last-minute trip. On a Sunday morning, he felt an unusual pull — something beyond the obvious reason for the trip. He pulled up Google, found a church, and slipped in just before 8:30 a.m.

The pastor preached from 1 Kings on the prophet Elijah — a man who had done extraordinary things for God and then, exhausted and depleted, cried out for rest. Mike sat in the pew and felt the sermon land squarely on his chest.

"I'm like, 'Oh man, this sounds familiar.' Not so much tired from the short time of my salvation and growing faith, but the totality of everything — carrying the water for a lot of different causes and people. It was life-changing. Absolutely life-changing."

That morning crystallized something he had been feeling for a while: he was doing a great deal for a great many people, but doing it largely alone aside from the love and support of his wife, Stephanie. Outside of his marriage, he recognized with fresh honesty that he struggled to find a professional peer — no one in his immediate circle who understood both the complexity of running multiple businesses and the desire to run them as an act of faith.

It was that same week he reconnected with the idea of faith-integrated business communities — circles where the question is not just "How do I grow revenue?" but "How do I lead in a way that honors God?"

Eating Last — Every Single Day

Mike traces one of his most foundational leadership instincts back to the military. In uniform, when a unit gathered for a holiday meal or a team dinner, the leader ate last. Some officers did it because protocol demanded it. Mike did it because he believed it.

That same posture now shapes every financial and personnel decision he makes.

"I strive to give my employees a bigger piece of the pie. I literally wake up and think about how I can make their lives better."

One of his employees is walking a difficult journey from the depths of addition and overcoming years of negativity with previous employment. There have been moments where the conventional business wisdom would have said to respectfully part ways. Mike chose differently, and it was not naïve optimism. It was a considered, faith-grounded decision made alongside his lead employee, Isaac, a fellow believer who came back to the company earlier this year after a season away.

"Isaac and I got together and specifically said — we can be part of our employees improving their lives. And it was a conscious decision to do that," Mike shared. He paused, then added, "It is a huge calling. I feel honored to be able to lead these men."

Just last week, that same employee came to Mike, acknowledged a stumble, and they prayed together. That is not a human resources policy. That is a culture — built intentionally, one conversation at a time.

The Decision Every Christian Business Owner Has to Make

Mike does not shy away from the tension that comes with wearing your faith publicly in business. He frames it with characteristic directness as a two-part decision every Christian entrepreneur must eventually face.

The first option: lead your company with Godly principles without necessarily advertising it. Integrity, generosity, care for employees — all of it quietly driven by faith, without a Bible verse on the job trailer. There is nothing wrong with this, Mike says. It is real, and it is hard, and it counts.

The second option — is the Chick-fil-A model. You put it on the sleeve. You close on Sundays. You end the social media post with a blessing. You accept that some potential clients will walk away, and you trust that the right ones will stay.

"I don't want to hide from it and run from it. I think we're called to lead with it. You're going to gain some clients and lose some clients — and the ultimate confidence comes from knowing it's God's will and that it's part of the calling."

Mike and Isaac have been having that exact conversation about their own company — whether to put a scripture on the job trailer, whether to open the workday with prayer on site. He does not have every answer yet. But the direction is clear.

The Three P's of Integrated Faith Leadership

For Christian business leaders who want to stop compartmentalizing faith and work, Mike's experience points toward three practical anchors:

Peers. Surround yourself with fellow believers who are also in business. Not to exclude everyone else, but because shared faith creates a common moral foundation for the advice you give and receive. When Mike and Isaac evaluate a pricing decision together, their shared values shape the outcome in ways that pure business logic alone would not.

Prayer. Start the day centered. Mike describes making it a concentrated effort each morning to orient himself toward God before the work begins. When a large unexpected expense hit one of his companies recently, his first instinct was anxiety for the profit and loss impact. He prayed specifically to handle that reaction differently — to hold money in its proper place rather than let it become the thing he serves.

Posture. Lead from the back of the line. Eat last. Drive the old truck so your employees can driver the better. Give people more chances than a spreadsheet says they deserve. This is not weakness — it is the servant leadership Jesus modeled, and in Mike's experience, it builds the kind of loyalty and culture that no bonus structure can manufacture.

Legacy Built One Relationship at a Time

Walk through the assisted living facility Mike and Stephanie operate, and you will see scripture on the walls — a legacy laid down by a deeply faithful founder twenty years ago. Mike is acutely aware that he is a steward of something bigger than a business acquisition.

Walk through his farm on a given morning and you might find him working alongside his youngest daughter, Evelyn, who shares his instinct for caring for animals. His son William runs a tree transplant division, eagerly carving his own path. His daughter Hailey supports Stephanie at the assisted living. His son Hunter just completed a commercial real estate internship and is back at the University of Alaska-Anchorage in pursuit of an education in real estate.

Mike has spent years building something that a balance sheet cannot fully capture: relationships with each of his children deep enough that, if asked privately, each one would probably say they are his favorite. That is not an accident. It is discipleship in the most personal form.

"It's too easy in this world to give up on everybody. God has called me to give people an opportunity when it's tough. That's part of it."

Mike Taddy is still early in his journey as a believer. He will tell you that himself. But the seeds planted long before March 8th — in military service, in years of hard work, in a commitment to doing right by people even when no one was watching — those seeds are bearing fruit now with a clarity and intentionality that only comes when faith and vocation are finally allowed to be the same thing. His wife Stephanie, has been the ultimate support system throughout it all. She found her faith many years prior, but prayed and patiently waited as Mike's path unfolded.

Mike would like to give special recognition to Hope Community Church of Manitowoc, WI.  Their community continues to play a major role in Mike’s growing faith.  He is forever grateful.  

If you are a business leader carrying more than you can explain, leading people whose lives depend on more than a paycheck, and quietly wondering whether there is a community of people who understand both the weight of ownership and the anchor of faith — Mike's story is an invitation. The table exists. There is room."