My wife and I have a disagreement about businesses. While I agree that the goal of any business is to be successful and profitable, the question comes at what cost. Both of these have to be defined. What does it mean to be successful and profitable?
Here is my definition of a successful company. One that produces a product or service that is a priced reasonably, customers want, and the employees and customers are treated with respect. Employees feel like it is a place where they want to come to work everyday. The employees feel they have something vested in the company to make it successful. They are not treated as another number that is expendable. This does not mean that people are not fired, but when they are, it is done with dignity and quickly so they can move on. It is a place where peoples strengths are valued and their negatives are used to ensure that their strengths are highly emphasized or in other words, people are put into a position of growth and success verses failure.
My definition of profitable is as long as I break even or am in the black after all expenses are paid then I am good. Expenses to me is varying and includes but is not limited to paying the employees and customers, marketing, research and development, equipment, upgrades, and just about any other area that is required to run a business. I am not looking for 1% or 10% growth per year. Yes that may be flawed in some of your opinions, but to me it is not about the money, but about the people (Employees and Customers). If my focus is on God and show that I am good steward of what He has given me already and use it how He thinks it should be used, then I will be rewarded with more.
When a company only focuses on the financial side of a business, I feel that it is doomed. Take Walmart for example they may be very large and appear to be unstoppable, but they are feeling the pressure from companies like Amazon. Yes they are trying to combat this new way of doing business, but frankly, Walamart could go bankrupt and the only concern I would have would be for the employees. To me the people that took over after Sam Walton died ruined the business. They got extremely greedy and stopped caring about their employees. As a result the employees basically stopped caring about Walmart and it shows whenever you enter one of their stores. If you think Walmart is too big to bring down, better think again because that was the attitude of K-Mart and look at them now.
Lets take a look at what God says about money
Hebrews 13:5 New International Version (NIV)
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”
1 Timothy 6:10 New International Version (NIV)
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Matthew 6:24 New International Version (NIV)
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 New International Version (NIV)
10 Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 New International Version (NIV)
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
These are just a few of the scriptures that talk about money and how the love of money can cause problems. Money is a tool and that is all. So whether you make 1 dollar or 1 billion dollars in profit it does not matter. It depends on why you want it and what you are going to do with it.