The Courage to Say No: How to Build a Business Without Compromising Your Convictions
Jeff Kruszyna built a $100 million fundraising agency by doing the one thing most business owners are terrified to do: saying no to the wrong clients. Here is how to avoid mission drift.
What a political fundraising CEO learned about mission drift, the power of direct mail, and why saying no to the wrong money is the only way to protect your calling
By Dr. Lee C. Cordell
It is the morning of September 11, 2001.
Jeff Kruszyna is an undergrad at Stony Brook University, about 45 minutes outside of Manhattan. He is a computer science major. He likes technology. He is planning to graduate, go work for Microsoft or Computer Associates, and build a lucrative, comfortable career in big tech.
He does not pay much attention to politics.
And then, he walks into the student activity center and watches the second plane hit the tower.
In that moment, something inside of him shifts. The lucrative tech career suddenly feels hollow. He switches his major from computer science to political science. He starts a College Republicans chapter. He gets connected with Young America's Foundation.
He completely rewrites the trajectory of his life.
Today, Jeff is the CEO of JMK Victory, a direct response marketing agency that has helped conservative campaigns and organizations raise over $100 million. And he has done it in an industry that is notorious for smoke-filled back rooms, compromised morals, and winning at all costs.
That is the story Jeff told me when I asked him how he navigates being a Christian in the political sphere. And his answer is a masterclass in something most business owners are terrified to do:
Say NO.
The Danger of Mission Drift
When you run a business, the temptation to compromise rarely comes as a massive, catastrophic decision.
It comes as a tiny allowance.
It is the client who does not quite align with your values, but the check is huge. It is the marketing tactic that feels a little manipulative, but everyone else in your industry is doing it. It is the platform you know you should not be on, but you are afraid of missing out on the reach.
Jeff calls this mission drift.
In his world, the pressure to compromise is constant. But he and his business partner have a hard rule: if they do not personally believe in the candidate or the cause, they will not take the contract.
"If I don't believe it, I can't write a message that's compelling and emotional. If I wouldn't vote for you or personally give to an organization, it's going to be extremely hard for me to develop a program around it."
He is not saying no out of judgment. He is saying no because he knows he cannot do his best work if his heart is not in it.
I know this firsthand. A year ago, my husband and I shut down a seven-figure secular education business to start Regulated Roots, and decided we were going to teach business based on a biblical foundation.
We knew that meant we were going to lose people. We knew it meant saying no to opportunities that used to be a yes.
But when you finally draw that line, something incredible happens.
You stop twisting yourself into knots trying to serve people you were never meant to serve.
What's Old is New Again
Jeff's commitment to doing things differently does not just apply to his values- it's infused into his strategy.
In a world obsessed with algorithms, AI, and peer-to-peer texting, Jeff has built his agency on a channel that most marketers wrote off a decade ago: direct mail.
Good old-fashioned snail mail.
Why?
Because direct mail is appointment viewing.
You have to physically take it out of your mailbox and do something with it. It does not get lost in a spam folder. It does not get shadowbanned by a tech CEO who disagrees with your politics.
And surprisingly, it is working better than ever.
For younger generations who grew up entirely digital, getting a physical piece of mail is a novelty.
It stands out, building brand loyalty in a way that a fleeting social media ad simply cannot.
There is a lesson here that goes way beyond marketing.
When the world tells you that you have to do something a certain way, like how you market, how you scale, or how you lead, they are often WRONG.
Sometimes the most effective strategy is the one everyone else abandoned because it wasn't flashy, or fast, or exciting enough.
Your Business is Your Ministry
We often think of ministry as something that happens inside the four walls of a church.
But Jeff pointed out a reality that every Christian business owner needs to hear: the majority of Americans are not going to church. But they are going to work.
The way you run your business—the way you treat your employees, the way you handle conflict, the way you say no to the wrong money—might be the only testimony someone ever sees.
You do not have to run a "Christian" business to do this. You just have to be a Christian running a business.
When you operate with integrity in an industry that expects you to cut corners, people notice. They might not understand it at first, but they feel the difference. They feel what it is like to be cared for, to be spoken to honestly, and to be led by someone who answers to a higher CEO.
What Jeff's Story Is Really About
Jeff Kruszyna was on track for a safe, lucrative career in tech.
He watched the towers fall.
He changed his major.
He walked into an industry known for compromise.
He refused to compromise.
He built a $100 million agency by doing the exact opposite of what the world told him to do.
So let me ask 2 questions, friend—
- What is the tiny allowance you have been making in your business—the client, the tactic, or the platform—that is slowly pulling you into mission drift?
- What is the NO God is asking you to declare that you have not had the courage to say out loud (yet)?
Always Rooting for You,
Dr. Lee
P.S. You can learn more about Jeff's work at jmkvictory.com or book a strategy session with him at getjeffk.com.
Ready to stop striving and start building your business God's way? Here are three ways we can help:
- Discover your Primary Motivational Gift → www.growinyourgifts.com
- Enroll in Our Regulated Roots Academy → skool.com/regulatedrootsacademy
- Explore Our Agency Services → regulatedroots.com/agency
