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Praying may be the secret to starting your own business.  U.S. researchers found that entrepreneurs pray more frequently, are more likely to see god as personal and are more likely to attend service in congregations that encourage business and profit-making.

The study conducted by researchers at Baylor University involved a total of 1,714 adults who were chosen randomly from across the country.  Researchers defined entrepreneurs as people who have started a new business or who are trying to do so.

"Entrepreneurs take on tasks that are yet unproven," Mitchell J. Neubert, Ph.D., associate professor and Chavanne Chair of Christian Ethics in Business in Baylor's Hankamer School of Business, said in a statement. "We know they are praying more, but we don't know yet what they're praying about. It might be for the wisdom to navigate uncertainty. It could be 'Please give me more success,' or 'Give me more energy to work a 25-hour day.'"

The study found that more than half of the entrepreneurs in the survey pray everyday, and a third pray several times day.

Researchers said that entrepreneurs pray more frequently because they generally think of God as a more personal, interactive being. 

The study also found that entrepreneurs tend to worship in pro-business religious communities. However, participants in the South are more likely than those in eastern United States to report that their place of worship encourages participants to start a business or make a profit.

Study authors said hat the findings are interesting because "previous research on congregations says very little about the emphasis given to work and business," according to the study published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

"How is religion related to entrepreneurial behavior? And more importantly, why?" the article asks. "Equally fascinating, how do religious individuals engaged in business creation reconcile the teachings of their faith on material gain with their entrepreneurial endeavors? Prompted by these initial findings, we hope others will join us to expand understanding of if, how and why, religion and entrepreneurial behavior intersect."