Dave Bachman | The Nashville Navigators
Director of The Nashville Navigators
Dave Bachman shares his journey as the director of the Nashville Navigators, a nonprofit dedicated to developing spiritual leaders in everyday life. He reflects on his entrepreneurial roots and offers valuable insights on navigating challenges and embracing risks as an aspiring entrepreneur.
A Vision Bigger Than the Numbers
As a young boy, Dave Bachman watched his father build a business from the ground up. He absorbed the hustle, the metrics, the pressure—but what stayed with him most was a deeper truth: people matter more than profit. Years later, when Dave launched the Nashville Navigators, that belief shaped everything. But even with a clear mission—helping everyday people grow as spiritual leaders—he quickly realized that starting a ministry from scratch came with its own set of struggles: unclear pathways, limited resources, and the weight of casting vision while carrying it alone.
Leading Through Uncertainty
What helped Dave move forward wasn’t a polished playbook—it was a mindset. “Taking risks often brings out the best in us,” he says. Instead of waiting for clarity, he stepped out—starting small, inviting others in, and welcoming the creative chaos that comes with innovation. He also reached out for mentorship, leaning on wise voices when the way forward felt shaky. Through each challenge, he kept the mission people-first and chose resilience over retreat, even when outcomes were uncertain.
Shaping a Culture That Multiplies
Today, the Nashville Navigators operates across five college campuses and serves young professionals and international students throughout the city. But the true impact can’t be measured in numbers—it’s in the ripple effect of lives changed. By staying focused on developing people over building programs, Dave has created a multiplying movement of servant leaders. As he puts it: “When you get to lead, you also get to shape the culture. And if people matter most, your leadership should reflect that.”
“Taking risks often brings out the best in us.”
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Hi, my name is Dave Bachman. I lead a Christian nonprofit here in Nashville called the Nashville Navigators. We seek to develop everyday people into spiritual leaders wherever they live, work, play, study, or worship. We started in 2009 here in Nashville, primarily at Vanderbilt University, and we focused on investing in the next generation.
The Navigators are an international organization. We're in about a hundred countries around the world and have been around since 1933. We started in the military, primarily working with Navy servicemen off the coast of California. Before World War II, we started investing in college students in 2009, primarily at Vanderbilt University.
From there, we've branched out. We work on about five campuses around town and also have dedicated ministries to international students and young professionals. I am passionate about starting new ministries that reach new groups of people and invite them into this vision of developing everyday people into leaders—not only as spiritual leaders but also as servants, mentors, and guides.
I've always been someone who could see the potential in a person, an organization, or even just an idea. I think I got that from my father. My dad started his own company when I was growing up, and I got a front-row seat to watch that whole process—the highs and lows, ins and outs.
One of the big things that these men and leaders would talk about is that the bottom line mattered—revenue, income, quarterly results. It mattered. But what mattered most was people. I picked up on that from being around these business owners and entrepreneurs, and I think that stuck with me.
I developed that same vision: people matter. We've got to invest in people and develop people—put their goodwill even above some of our other goals.
If you can found an organization or start something or be the leader of it, then you get to be the person who casts the vision, sets the direction, and is an active part of creating the culture that puts people first.
Becoming an entrepreneur—even in the nonprofit sector—was interesting and attractive to me because of the role you get to play in setting the direction, the culture, and the vision. If you get to be the one calling the shots, you get to put the bullseye on the issues that matter most to you—for the company to focus on, for the organization to be all about.
Any entrepreneur is going to face challenges, setbacks, and hit a wall. There is a certain amount of tenacity and resilience a leader needs to overcome these kinds of challenges. I encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to not be afraid to take risks—even to step out in small ways—to develop that as a skill.
Taking risks often brings out the best in us, even when your knees are shaking and you're anxious about what's going to happen. But it keeps us ideating, thinking of new ideas, and getting creative as we step out in new ways others haven't tried. It also helps us reach out for help—from friends, mentors, and others—who can speak into the challenges you're facing or the opportunity in front of you.
I love the idea of stepping out into something that's thrilling, fun, and truly engaging.
Why We Share These Stories
We believe that celebrating Tennessee’s entrepreneurs will inspire the next generation of bold thinkers, risk-takers, and community builders. Entrepreneurs don’t forget where they come from—and they carry the power to transform not just their businesses, but entire neighborhoods, towns, and local economies. See more entrepreneur stories from the Patton Foundation.
