A Christian Business - The Difference
Apr 24th, 2009 by admin
When I was in corporate America, like many people I was not always happy with the tactics that were used, or the unfortunate politics and other things that were a function of the people I worked with. The business itself was not at issue. It was really the people. People who were good to work with, made work a joy. Problems were a challenge rather than a frustration. On the other hand, there were times when people were troublesome, and it made everything more difficult. This was especially so when it involved moral and ethical gaps where I could simply not be flexible enough to make dealing with these people easier.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have people to work with who were of like mind? This is the real difference when it comes to Christian Based Business / Christian Business. It’s the people. Now some will try to tell me on occasion that Christians are not any easier to work with than any random person off the street. Of course there are all types, but to go so far as to say that Christians are not easier to work with, more reliably stable, honest, etc… makes me think that these people got their impressions of Christianity from watching TV rather than experiencing it themselves. Working with Christians is like stacking the deck in your favor - but in an honest way.
Now I said that the difference is the people, and that the business is really unchanged - that is true to an extent. There are businesses out there that really only operate when things are a little shady. This is another place where Christian business shines. Rather than taking a huge gamble every time you accept a job, working for a Christian business is much more likely to result in you business being a place where you can be an honest person and not be totally outside the norms of the other employees.
But with that said, we are really talking about starting a business, rather than joining one here. Starting a business comes in many flavors. We can start one from scratch, we can buy one, we can buy a ready to start business (such as a dealership or franchise), or any of a series of options related to those. Just as with secular businesses, all these options are available with a Christian business, and with the added benefit of a smaller likelihood of having to deal with fly by night operations.
Of course working at home is essential to many people’s goals, and so taking that Christian Business and bringing it home makes everything all that much better. Of course, here again, Christian businesses perform better, and with fewer (if any) scams to deal with.
Now there are all sorts of ways to describe Christian businesses, and this article aims to make some distinctions between them. Here is a list of some common descriptions of Christian businesses, and a short definition of each. Of course definitions vary, but this is how they are used here at ChristianHomeBusinessToday.com.
Christian Business: This is the most generic description. It would non-specifically describe any Christian business, whether that be a small one or a large corporation. (Yes! There are large corporations that are Christian Businesses!)
Christian Based Business: While nearly synonymous with Christian Business, this description seems to try to focus on the idea that the business is based on Christianity rather than selling Christian things (e.g. religious goods.) Including “Based” in this description is optional. Christian Based Business is also sometimes a mistype when the person was intending to say “Christian HOME Based Business”.
Christian Home Based Business: Here we are talking about a business that is BASED out of a person’s home. While businesses often are said to be “home businesses” they also tend to involve the people who work from the home traveling away from the home to meet clients, make sales, etc. This is the most typical case of a “home business”.
Christian Home Business: This definition now focuses on staying home, though is typically used almost synonymously with “Christian Home Based Business” for the reasons stated above. Whenever possible we will refer to a business with this description when it can be operated nearly exclusively from the home with little or no need to leave the house. Such a business may be perfect of mothers with children, those who have trouble getting around, don’t have a car, etc.
Christian … Opportunity: Any of the above descriptions can have “Opportunity” added to them. When this is the case, we are talking about some sort of joint venture, franchise, dealership, etc, that is available for people to start. These opportunities will typically have a company to work with that has a business process to use for running the business, training, a product or products, marketing plans, and many other things to help you get started. Some will even have mentoring programs. While the new (possibly home based) business is independent, there is almost always some sort of ongoing relationship with the company that helped with the startup. These Christian Home Based Business Opportunities are what we are currently looking for here at ChristianHomeBusinessToday.com, so that we can help people get started in a business. Of course we think it is great if you start one from scratch, and our articles are intended for you too! But for most poeple, starting a business is a daunting challenge, and some help from an “opportunity” is both worth while, and well advised.
It is our hope to eventually have Opportunities for Home Businesses, and Home Based Businesses. We will be posting them as we find them. You can help! Have you had experience with a Christian Business? If so, go to our contact us page, and drop us a note. Tell us your experience, and how to look up and contact the business that you work with, or worked with. If you liked it, and we like it as an effective means of getting people away from their day jobs and home with their family, then we may feature it on the main page!