[00:00] Introducing Bobby Gruenewald
Drew Hiss introduces Bobby as a pastor and innovation leader at Life.Church and founder and CEO of YouVersion.
[01:44] Becoming an Accidental Entrepreneur
Bobby shares how a college job at a car dealership led to building a website, launching a web hosting company, and discovering his entrepreneurial wiring.
[05:25] Starting and Selling Early Companies
Bobby reflects on building and selling two technology companies at a young age, including a professional wrestling website that grew significantly in monthly page views.
[07:45] Learning from Failure
Bobby explains that YouVersion began as a failed website before becoming the Bible App, and why honest failure is necessary for real learning.
[09:24] Joining Life.Church
Bobby tells the story of joining Life.Church after years of serving as a volunteer and realizing that his business and technology experience could serve the church’s mission.
[13:34] Empowering Leadership and Long-Term Trust
Bobby talks about Craig Groeschel’s leadership style, the importance of delegated authority, and the long-term trust built among Life.Church’s senior leaders.
[16:32] Growing Into Leadership Capacity
Bobby explains that high-capacity leaders are often developed in the right environment, not simply hired fully formed.
[18:00] The Origin of YouVersion
Bobby shares how the idea for YouVersion began in an airport security line in Chicago in October 2006.
[19:53] From Failed Website to Mobile App
After the first website did not create lasting engagement, the team realized the issue was proximity and began moving toward mobile.
[21:19] Launching on the First Day of the App Store
Bobby describes how a part-time project became one of the first 200 free apps in the App Store and reached 83,000 installs by its first Sunday.
[23:04] How YouVersion Operates Today
Bobby explains how YouVersion is part of Life.Church, has a separate 501(c)(3), and is supported by donors.
[23:56] Stewarding Growth with Greater Investment
Bobby shares how YouVersion moved from a $20 million annual budget to more than $100 million as the team recognized the need to invest more aggressively.
[25:39] YouVersion’s Family of Apps and Global Reach
Bobby explains the YouVersion brand, the Bible App, Bible App Lite, Bible App for Kids, Bible.com, and the milestone of more than one billion unique device installs.
[29:27] Languages, Volunteers, and Global Access
Bobby shares that the app is localized in about 70 languages and offers the Bible in more than 2,300 languages.
[31:27] Advice for Entrepreneurs and CEOs
Bobby encourages leaders to see their current calling as meaningful, use their influence well, invest in people, and recognize the impact they can have.
[36:22] A Call to Engage with Scripture
Bobby encourages listeners to build a regular rhythm of engaging with the Bible and shares how YouVersion is designed to make that simple and approachable.
