Small businesses urged to shift focus to meet harsh economic challenges ahead
Christian financial advisor Darren Brown says sustaining the small business sector will help to alleviate poverty and create social stability in the country.
“So, that goes without saying; if we lose those businesses which are the engine of the economy, that will significantly redound to negative repercussions that will be played out,” he said.
Access to capital, he noted, has always been a major factor, but he pointed to the fact that there are some entities, such as the Development Bank of Jamaica, that offer some assistance.
Brown said Christian business owners must ensure that it is the Lord’s purpose for their business that prevails and not their personal agenda.
“I think that is the mantra that a number of Christian small businesses need to kind of fully embrace, you know, this principle to basically follow God’s call and leading rather than their own plan,” he said.
By modelling Christian values, business owners would be creating a culture in the workplace where workers understand that pleasing God is a priority.
“So when you can get your people now to buy into the culture and the work ethic now, then you can get more out of them. People will start coming to work early. People will start going the extra mile. People will be more trustworthy,” he noted, adding that there would likely be less pilferage in the work environment.
He said that while secular business owners are focused on achieving objectives and creating profits as the only measures for success, the mindset of a Christian business owner should be different. As the business glorifies God, the money and the increase in profit will materialise.