How strong are we?

     I have been running my family business with my brother for over 13 years.  I have seen many nursery fall during the recession, some that have been around for over 50 years.  What made them fall?  Why could a nursery not make it through this recession and survive the other 4 in the last 50 years?  I always thought businesses became stronger as they got older, but I think even time will chink the armor of age for a business.
    I keep coming back to the reason our company has survived the many years, 50+ years.  My father claimed that we should have been bankrupt at least twice.  My father always said the reason from not going into bankruptcy was because he paid his tithing and he followed the Lord.  Many in the business world would question our standards as being old fashion.  If you really think about it, the Lord teachings are in line with good business practises.  Treat your customer with respect and understanding, the Lord would say "love they neighbor as thyself".  Be honest in your dealings with your customers and vendors.  That screams hard core Christian values.
   I am in sales and I am owner, so basically everything that I sell has my name on it.  I want to go to bed each night saying to myself, "Did I do what was right in my life today", that includes my professional and personal life.  I have built my name in the company that is fair to my employees, customers and vendors.  If I have that philosophy I know I will be successful.  Even if the business does go down, which I know it won't, I can say I was always honest and the Lord knows it.  I guess this is why I love business so much, I can live my religion at work.  I am glad that I can set the standards for how the company operates
   I appreciate this week's lessons on keeping to our core values and ethics.  I like that if we have good business ethics we will have success.  Strong businesses are strong because the know who they are and are not ashamed of it.