What Does Faith Have to Offer Entrepreneurs in Times of CrisisSample

“Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how’”.

This is a quote from Viktor E. Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, and one of the best-known psychotherapists of the past century. Knowing the ‘why’ of your company and your life is a powerful force for survival in times of crisis. Paul also has a clear ‘why’ that gives him strength in difficult circumstances. He defines his ‘why’ in terms of the role he plays for other people: ‘If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer’ (1 Cor.1:6). And ‘so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God’ (1 Cor. 1:4).

He feels connected with the people he serves and he wants to exalt God in their lives. He does not live for himself, but something bigger than himself. He loves the people he serves and that provides him with inner connectedness. Elsewhere he writes, ‘For the love of Christ controls us’ (2 Cor. 5:14), this is where his heart’s passion lies. This is his ‘why’ and his ‘purpose’. This makes that even in the most difficult circumstances, he can find a purpose that keeps him going and gives him the energy to act.

When I met Jack, an experienced entrepreneur who continually starts new businesses, makes them successful, and sells them on, he had just started another new company. This company, however, never really got off the ground; it was uncertain whether it would survive at all. The market did not grow and the production numbers remained low. He was surprised to discover that he did not fear losing money, but he feared the feeling of failure if he wouldn’t make it. Jack discovered that the company was all about himself. About his ambition and his identity, not about his calling or his answer to the question of what purpose he served God and his fellow men.

From the moment he discovered that this whole business was only about himself and his success, he started praying and putting the company into God’s hands. Jack began to wonder whether he should stay with the company or let it go. Several times he was confirmed in his idea that he should stay and continue with the company. Somehow it seemed important to God. This shift in perspective gave the company a new meaning to Jack. It was no longer about himself and his success, but about God’s will. This made him work harder to make the company a success. He survived difficult years because he had been able to give a new and greater meaning to his work and his business. This is what Jack says, ‘Only when I was able to let go of the company and its business success as a motivation for my entrepreneurship, was I able to find the motivation to continue with the company.’

Question for the day
What is your motivation for doing business?