One Christian business owner believes the lack of support often given to Kingdom businesses is due to the lack of effort sometimes invested in ensuring services offered are top-notch.
Marketing and Public Relations expert, Peta Gay Rowe, noted that a spirit of mediocrity is evident in some Christian businesses and hopes this is replaced with a spirit of excellence.
“We all need to take the time to invest in our skill sets, in our craft, in our abilities, in our business, in our personal development. It is very critical that we focus on these areas, as well as to strengthen our resolve; to strengthen our mandate as Kingdom business owners,” Rowe urged.
From her observation, Rowe noted that some Christian businesses are operated like “a cookshop or a little something kotch up”. In order to assist business owners, Rowe, who is the co-owner and director of Charis Cafe and Events Management Services Limited, said plans are being made to host a business forum at the end of February.
Publisher Crystal Daye finds, however, that even when the service is top-notch, Christian businesses sometimes do not attract the same level of support that is given to secular businesses.
“Christians have a really poverty, scarcity mindset regarding money and supporting other believers, especially those who are considered ministers,” she said.
Daye, who is the owner of Dayelight Publishers Limited, said she hosts a Kingdom Authors Success Events Conference to allow the public to meet and support different authors; however, this is generally not as well supported as secular book fairs. In fact, she finds that Christians would more readily purchase a book from a secular author that is far more expensive than a book being sold by a Christian author. In the case of the Christian author, they complain about the book being too expensive as the reason for their lack of support.
“A lot of Christians are not investment-minded, so you find that they struggle to pay for services. You find that they don’t value a person’s services, especially if they are considered a minister,” she shared.
She said this lack of support is very daunting when we consider the fact that there are thousands of churches on the island and at least 80 percent of the population profess to be Christians.
AVOID THE PITFALL OF PAYMENT DEFAULT
Facing a loan default as a business owner can be daunting, but understanding the process and knowing how to respond is crucial. Having open and honest communication with your Financial Institutions/Relationship Manager is an essential step that should never be overlooked.
Business owners can proactively reduce the risk of loan default through:
- Proper financial planning
- Implementing robust financial forecasting and budgeting practices
- Anticipating potential challenges and putting contingency plans in place.
- Diversifying income streams to reduce the dependence on a single revenue source – this can provide a safety net in case of unexpected expenses and unforeseen financial difficulties.
