Staff

I believe discovering and developing entrepreneurial leaders and sharing their wisdom is my life's work.

Although my calling is to love God and my neighbor, my job wasn't initially evident to me. After graduating high school in 1978, I entered Calvin University as a pre-seminary student, but dropped out of that program and finished in 1982 with a BA in English and almost a minor in business. Then I pursued an MBA at Western Michigan University), drove a moving van, delivered pizzas, and began work as a stockbroker. I graduated from WMU in 1985.

In 1989 I returned to Calvin University to teach business. While there, from 1991-1993, I took a two-year leave of absence to take doctoral level courses in marketing at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 1995 I successful defended my Ph.D. dissertation on the power of heroes in advertising. Back at Calvin, I taught marketing, leadership, and small business management courses. I also wrote articles and made presentations on faith and business. Then entrepreneurial heroes became my passion.

I accepted a business teaching position at Hope College in 2004. From 2007 to 2016, I directed Hope’s Center for Faithful Leadership, including its CFL Consulting, Hope Entrepreneurship Initiative, and Leadership Minor programs; from 2017 to 2021 I served as advisor to Hope’s Baker Scholars. I taught courses: in marketing, entrepreneurship, and leadership. For one year I took a leave of absence to serve as the business department chair at Trinity Christian College.

While serving at Hope College, in 2016 I launched Start-Up AcademE, Inc. to engage under-served students, partnering with the Boys and Girls Club, Escape Ministries, and Trio/Upward Bound. Also while serving at Hope College, I volunteered to write a Sunday column in the Holland Sentinel on current and historical entrepreneurs.

In 2022 I began working part-time with adults with special needs at Preferred Employment and Living Supports. That year I also retired from Hope College. But, then, in August, I accepted a full-time position at Cornerstone University as Professor of Management and Faculty Lead of the Center for Experiential Learning. I left Cornerstone in June 2025 and accepted a half-time role at Calvin University where I teach courses in entrepreneurship.

And I continue to write—including, at present, three book-length biographies about entrepreneurial leaders to share their wisdom.

God has also lead me to occasionally lead Sunday morning teachings at our church!

If you are an entrepreneurial leader with wisdom to share, please let me know.

Stone Soup

A metaphor for Start-Up AcademE, Inc is an English folk story called “Stone Soup.”

Some travelers came to a village situated near a woods and a small stream. They had with them only their belongings and a large cooking pot filled with small pails. The people in the village were curious.

From a distance the villagers watched as the travelers dug a fire pit near the stream and scavenged the woods for large branches to build a contraption from which to hang their pot. Next, they saw the travelers go to the stream, each carrying two pails. They filled them and emptied them into the large pot. Then they searched the river bed for a large stone. Curiously, they carried the large stone to the pot and carefully lowered it into the water. Then they gathered wood and built a crackling fire in the pit.

Eventually, one of the villagers wandered up to the travelers and asked what the they were doing. Surprisingly, the travelers said they were making “stone soup.” They said it would be delicious and nourishing, but only if the villagers contributed some of what they had. Skeptical but hopeful, the questioning villager contributed a few carrots and beans, and stood by to see what would happen.

Soon another villager stopped to inquire about the pot and again the travelers suggested their stone soup wouldn’t reach its potential unless more villagers contributed some of what they had. The second villager then put a litle meat and a few potatoes into the pot, and stood by to see what would happen. The bystanders noticed the steam from the pot began to smell delicious.

As time went by, more and more villagers saw the gathering crowd and smelled the simmering soup, and each added his or her own unique ingredients.

And the soup was delicious and nourishing.

Inspired, whenever the villagers travel, they carry with them a large cooking pot filled with small pails.

Start-Up AcademE, Inc is a cooking pot filled with small pails.

(Adapted from https://medium.com/@salescoachmike/stone-soup-a-client-development-metaphor-8f49992c8b06; see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Soup)

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To support Start-Up AcademE, Inc, click here or contact Steve VanderVeen (skvveen@gmail.com). Thank you!

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