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Christian Business Owners: Who’s Your CEO?

by:  Jason Hughes

My prior posts have been mainly dedicated to spiritual insights and stories regarding personal and family Christian living. But I have neglected to discuss an aspect of my life that equally identifies who I am as a person: a Christian Entrepreneur.

My personal feeling is that for many Christian people (especially business owners), the ultimate test of devotion to God is integrity in the workplace. That’s where you either put up, or shut up…right?  In what other situation do you find yourself 100% accountable with such clear lines between right and wrong? You are either going to fix the mistake or you’re not; you are either going to tell your customer the truth or you’re not; you are either going to stand behind your product or you’re not.

This is why virtually all “Christian” business owners are polarized:  they are either scumbags or saints. And who do the people in the marketplace see?  The scumbags!  I know the good guys are out there, in fact I think you’re reading this post.

It would be great for the guys in white hats to connect, share experiences, and support each other. I have such relationships with other entrepreneurs and it has served as a huge spiritual resource for all involved.  Really, who else would understand some of the stuff we go through?  But we’ll get back to that.  First, here’s my story:

I am the co-founder and co-owner of River Pools and Spas located in Virginia. We specialize in inground pool marketing, sales, and construction.  I have two great business partners and we have been in business since 2001.  Despite our many screw-ups, we have managed to become a major player in the marketplace and are one of the top 100 pool builders in America.  We currently give all of our inground pool customers as references, over 600 and counting, and have taken some significant hits in the past to make that a reality.  Over the past decade we have persevered through a substantial embezzlement, 9/11, some major business mistakes, and our current economic crisis.  We live by the mantra, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.

I can honestly say that the experiences I have had as a business owner have tempered my character and brought me closer to God. But I believe that’s exactly the point, not just of owning a business, but of life.  Trusting God despite what the world or even your own logic might tell you, and trying to do what’s right regardless of the circumstances is the essence of being a Christian business owner.  This can only happen if God is the CEO of your company….and your life.

I have two goals for this article: to reach out to other like-minded business people and to discuss some of the guiding principles that form our business philosophy.  Here are some of our core operating principles:

God is the CEO

My partners and I may own the company, but we ultimately know who runs things.  We hold weekly meetings where many critical business decisions are made.  We always open the meeting with prayer and a spiritual thought just to insure we are humbled (hopefully) and open to inspiration.  Granted, we screw up all the time, but I can honestly say that our desire is to direct our business affairs according to God’s will.

Personal Development

We believe that you should always work harder on yourself than you do on your job….and we teach this to our employees as well.  To use a metaphor, if God is the GPS that directs our company, personal development is the engine that propels the vehicle. I cannot begin to express the profound impact that this mentality has had on my life, the lives of my partners, and our business.  John Maxwell teaches the Law of the Lid, that you create your own leadership limitations through your own lack of development. Seeking the greatest books, classes, seminars, mentors, and any other positive influence can absolutely change your life.  Stephen Covey teaches that to sharpen the saw is the most renewing and rejuvenating activity one can do.

An Abundance Mentality

I believe that there is plenty of room at the top; it’s the bottom that’s crowded! You can’t improve an industry too much and you can’t make a customer too happy.  There is no such thing as a pie with a limited amount of pieces….the pie is infinite.

Educate, Educate, Educate!

We believe that to empower someone with the information they want is to earn their trust.  We have devoted huge amounts of energy to teaching anyone who is willing to listen everything we know about our industry.

This includes the consumer as well as other pool builders.  We literally embrace transparency: full disclosure of all information we have.  Sound crazy?  As greenies in the industry, we learned everything the hard way (in business terms that means spending a ton of money to fix mistakes), and it’s not necessary for anyone to re-invent the wheel….if they are willing to try.

The same applies to the consumer.  They make mistakes too which leads to buyer’s remorse or long term regret that can be avoided if they have the information need to make an educated decision.

What about trade secrets?  It’s a funny thing; about 90% of the business owners in most industries have no interest in improving themselves or their businesses.  And only about 20% of the ones that are interested will actually do anything with the information. I think that’s insane, but it’s true!  Notwithstanding, we have seen first-hand that the more you give the more you receive.  To get a feel for how we do this check our web site.

No Emotional Baggage

We believe in instant feedback.  No matter what happens between my partners and me we have an agreement that if something is bothering us, it must be addressed immediately and not allowed to fester.  This is the craziest thing because during our “heated discussions” we speak our mind, come to a resolution, and are buddy-buddy again in a matter of minutes.

We understand that our relationship goes far beyond any singular issue that may arise within the business, so it’s not personal. The same applies with employees.  Giving instant feedback removes negative feelings before they begin to eat at you like a cancer. I must admit this is a trait I’ve had to work to develop and I still have room for improvement, but it is critical to the success of any relationship.

When in doubt, Suck it Up!

We try to run our business in such a way that we can look at ourselves in the mirror at night. But operating a business with integrity is not always easy.  We have to meet the needs of the accountant, employees, customers, not to mention our own family.  Notwithstanding, we have found that when an issue arises, it’s best to ere on the side of the customer. Our policy is that if there is even a reasonable doubt who’s accountable, we accept responsibility.  This might not make good business sense, but it makes good Christian sense.

Well that’s our business philosophy in a nutshell.  Hopefully you can see that we do our best to integrate Christian values into our company.  So, do we have anything in common?  If so, I’d like to hear insights and experiences from your business or profession. Comment below or shoot me an email.  Take care and God Bless!