30 October 2013

Why Integrity Matters

God hates cheating in the marketplace;
he loves it when business is aboveboard
Proverbs 11: 1, The Message
As a business owner who is a Christ follower, it's important to me that our business practices and ethics reflect my beliefs.  What does this look like?

First, this means we're open and honest in our product labeling.  Everything from the weight or volume on the front to the ingredients on the back is accurate to the best of our abilities.  (Sometimes, the listed weight might be less than what is actually there, but the FDA allows this.)  Our ingredients labels also reflect our commitment to honesty and full disclosure.  We list all our ingredients in our products, even those that may look "scary," like "sodium hydroxide" or various preservatives.

Second, doing business with integrity means being honest about our products.  We sell soaps and cosmetics,  not drugs.  We won't claim our products "heal" or "cure" or do anything else but get you clean, make you smell good and moisturize your skin.  The other thing we won't do is say our products are all natural if they are not.  Our products are artisan-made, but we sometimes use fragrance oils and preservatives that prevent them from being 100% natural.  We'll happily answer any questions about any of our ingredients.

Third, integrity means manufacturing safe products, even if it's not "trendy."  "All natural" is trendy, but all natural isn't always safe.  We'd rather forsake the trend in lieu of providing safe products.  Bottom line, death from sepsis from an improperly made product is not trendy.  Sure, we have all natural products, but we formulate those products to be completely safe, just as we do for our not all natural products.  We're open about which of our products fall into each category, and we will point you towards the products you're seeking.

How do you live out your faith in your business life?  What does that look like?

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09 October 2013

What's your luxury?

Another conversation with my best friend led to today's post.  He's so inspiring!  Anyway...  What do you consider a luxury for you?

Today was the book fair at his daughter's school, and, predictably so, she had a list.  I know how much Dad and daughter both love books, and I remember book fairs when I was in school.  It was a bibliophile's paradise!  Her mom had likely told her "No" to a request for books, considering them "luxuries," and further conversation revealed that she likely considers reading at all a "luxury," even with such delights as free e-books and these great places called libraries.

Some of my favorite books.  Love me some Fitzgerald!
For me, too, books are a luxury.  However, reading is a necessity.  (When we moved, the first thing I located was the closest public library.  Grocery store, pharmacy and government offices were secondary.)  There's not just the buying of books, but there's also storing them.  Then, eventually, I'd have to move them.  That seems like a lot of trouble.  At the same time, I'll be the first to admit that my love of books would keep me from taking a vow of poverty.

I will only buy books, though, if I feel that they will enrich and enhance my life in a significant way.  I'll buy books on being a better business person or books that will teach me something new, but I'll borrow chick lit and classics.  I have boxes of books on business, theology, soapmaking and responsible financials.  These are all things that are important to me.

Are these books my only luxury, though?  No.  Artisan-made soap also is a luxury for me.  (Thank goodness I know how to make my own!)  Just as I can't imagine living life without a source of reading material, I also can't imagine tormenting my skin with synthetic detergent bars like I used to.  These are little things, but they make life more enjoyable to me.

What luxuries can you not live without on a daily basis?
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