Articles

A Christian in business has many opportunities to apply Biblical fundamentals that run counter to the prevailing “worldly wisdom” of generally accepted business practices. Our businesses are an...

Often we are unsure how extensively our faith should impact our businesses.

Our values shape our goals, and our goals drive our businesses. For values to be conveyed effectively, they must be defined in the minds of leaders and then demonstrated for others to follow.

What are the core Kingdom values that you want to have incorporated into the everyday practices of your business or organization? How do you communicate these values to your employees?

Do personal relationships matter beyond your personal life? Are personal relations only that — strictly personal, and do not extend into business relationships?

It begins one morning when the coffee seems to need an extra shot of espresso, and you’re neck high in projects you don’t know anything about.

“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble”. Humility is not bashful and shy. Instead, humble leaders reach out and invite feedback.

Strategic leaders start with what is known and strategically think through how things could unfold. They use well-rounded research, gather the facts and solicit feedback to build a plan.

This aspect of planning is the more common nuts and bolts work of developing and documenting plans for the next annual cycle in the primary business areas of people, finances, operations, and...

An entrepreneur should consider carefully the many factors that will impact his business when choosing the best form of business ownership or structure.

If you are among those who are striving to create a culture of entrepreneurship for your family, consider carefully how you shape that culture in order to nurture and encourage entrepreneurial...

The best idea to pursue is to take a problem you know exists, experienced by a large customer set you know how to reach, solved in a way you know how to solve, delivered by means you know how to...

Launch the best opportunity you’ve developed (from all of the ideas you’ve generated and evaluated) in the fastest, least-cost, and most creative manner possible.

There is hope for the less-capitalized entrepreneur: there are countless businesses that can be started with very little money. But there is a catch.

Many business plans fail for a lack of clarity regarding the long-term strategy of the organization.

Do you know your business’s break-even point? Understanding the difference between fixed and variable expenses is a key component in finding your break-even points.

Financial ratios are tools to analyze how your business compares to similar businesses and to offer insight on the direction of your business over time.

In order to survive, every business needs to make a profit. What are good pricing methods? Is your pricing fair? 

This Workshop gives practical applications of Strategic Planning. Learn how to take your strategy, plans, and ideas and implement them with simplicity and consistency.

Winning in the business “game of chess” involves strategically looking one, two, three, or even twelve moves into the future and envisioning what does not yet exist.

Getting ready to start a business? Not quite there yet, but preparing? Want to? Wonder if business ownership is for you? Does small business fit your Anabaptist lifestyle?

As men family leaders, we are constantly concerned about our ability to provide adequately.

Every business needs a plan! While this is a given for startups, many established businesses are missing the opportunity to raise the bar.

We resist change—sometimes even when we can see imminent danger—because finding a new approach or a new method is too much work, too hard on our pride, or too risky.

To everything there is a season, and business is no different. Business owners and managers must learn about those various seasons and the need for diligent preparation.

What determines the success of a business venture? Wade Myers suggests the following formula: Entrepreneur + Business Model + Resources + God’s Providence = Success.

Audits are unpredictable. You don’t know if or when they are going to hit you. Some audits are by random selection, and you just happen to be the unlucky one.

Have you ever looked at your business’s financial statements and wondered if there is something you are missing as you scan the numbers?

Risk is inherent to life itself, and has the power to stress as well as to bless each one of us.

Ethics includes characteristics like empathy, understanding, consideration for others, and most importantly, complete integrity and moral values.

The balance sheet is an indicator of the long-term cumulative health of your business. It is also the best starting point for reviewing financial statements.

The income statement is a diagnosis of the current or short-term health of the business. Although the income statement is limited to a specific period of time, it offers many useful insights about...

Teamwork is a method of operation in which a group of individuals submit their opinions and interests to the unity and efficiency of the group.

What keeps people motivated to continue coming to work for you? Fair compensation and benefits are a key attraction that will keep your employees with your company for a long time.

Developing employees can seem like a huge undertaking when you are already busy as the owner/manager of your business.

Fully engaged employees look forward to the day and love their job. They come to work with a positive feeling. They enter a friendly and supportive workplace.

Training a new employee is an expensive and time-consuming process.

A daily dose of preventive medicine can go a long way towards avoiding frequent employee conflicts.

Telling and showing is not enough to prepare employees to master new skills. Training Within Industry is a sure and dependable way that works every time if it is simply applied. 

When you hire employees, you are subject to numerous labor laws and fair hiring practices. You also open the door to federal regulators into your business.

When I was in my twenties, I believed if I wanted something to be done right, I would have to do it myself. This is a very limiting and shortsighted view of life.

When you meet your partner, your employee, or your fellow worker on the other side, what story will you hear about how you changed their life?

Christ is glorified when men live out His commandments in their everyday working lives, and professing Christians who fail to do so bring swift reproach to Christ’s name.

Long before emotions become charged, a Family Business Agreement sets in place a process for making business decisions.

Open, honest, and clear communication is essential when relating to each other, especially in a family business.

Good businessmen are known for strategizing and planning for the future. But how much thought have you given to the final years of your life?

A family business is not only a financial asset, but it is a collection of values, reputation and memories.

Transitioning a business within a family from one generation to another has its own challenges. But what about transitioning a business through sale to a third party?

Does God give guidance for believers trying to conduct business operations in our complex, modern economy? The answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Business meetings are essential to making quality decisions. Employees should help provide insights, cut through confusion, and get the truth on the table.

How can we uphold kingdom values and turn a customer complaint into an opportunity to witness for Christ?  Actual experiences will illustrate how addressing complaints redemptively helps avoid...

Good copywriting is more than stringing words together into sentences and paragraphs. We use words to describe, inform, and educate customers, and ultimately to persuade them to make a purchase. ...

You know what a thriving business looks like on the outside. You even know how it looks on the inside. However, every successful business owner needs to learn the basics of marketing.

Sometimes marketing materials just are not up to the job. They have not been equipped to successfully accomplish the mission we have sent them on.

Did you know that most of your competitors will not take the time to thoroughly plan their marketing for the next year? Strong businesses don’t happen by accident; they happen by planning.

There is no clear-cut answer to the question of how much to budget for marketing. Business owners must make marketing budget decisions in connection with the overall business plan.

Marketing channels are a key component in business, especially when several local businesses are competing for the same market.

Market research is the process of collecting and analyzing information that will help you make better marketing decisions.

Producing a good product is only part of the task of starting a business. No matter what field you are in, marketing the product is one of the major components to a successful business.

We have a strong tendency to believe that the product is worth the same amount as the published price. Price is the single largest indicator of value.

Combining a strong unique selling proposition (USP) with a definition of your ideal customer brings a laser-sharp focus to your business and marketing efforts.

God gave Adam and Eve the special charge of dressing and keeping the garden. Our gardens today are the businesses God has entrusted to us to dress and keep.

A unique selling proposition (USP) is a feature, quality, or service you provide that is different from what your competitors offer.

“Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds," says Proverbs 27:23.

Too often organizations are over-managed and under-led. What characteristics do effective leaders possess? All leaders should work to develop the characteristics that make them more effective.

When Jacob Nisley started JN Pallet, located in Conneautville, Pennsylvania, in 1985, he did so with the purpose of growing a family business that would provide not just a means of livelihood but...

Innovation is continuously seeking a better way to reach the goal.  It means willingness to change, willingness to think differently, openness to do things differently, and getting out of our...

As Christians in business, we encounter the allure (sometimes subtle and other times quite overt) of money, stuff, and the power of influence.

How did we as Anabaptist people go from being persecuted refugees, and pilgrims and strangers on the earth, to being in the top 10% of the world’s most wealthy people? What does God, our Heavenly...

Leaders are exposed to levels of hostile scrutiny and attack that most people know little or nothing about.