The young man, in his early 30’s, peppered me with questions about growing his small business. He asked good questions, which was encouraging since few people ask the right ones. Eventually the conversation shifted from growing the business to the purpose of business. And this is where it really becomes interesting.
“You know,” I said casually, “profit is like breathing. You do it to stay alive. But it’s not why you live.”
He stared at me, thoughtful, and took a deep exaggerated breath that made us both laugh.
This conversation happened a few weeks ago at the Christian Economic Forum event in Park City, Utah. It’s a gathering of people from around the world who are people of faith and business or social entrepreneurs.
All those who attend CEF are asked to write a paper with their insights into the integration of faith and business. This becomes a resource for the entire event as we share ideas, experience, and expertise. They hire no professional speakers and instead invite some of the attendees to share from the stage or participate in panel discussions. Then we break into “mini-forums” of 8-12 people to discuss the topics.
My paper was about the power of small business, and if you are interested you can read it here. In hindsight I would change some things, but that’s true for everything I write. So it is posted “as is” since that’s what everyone at CEF received.
Let me know if you have any thoughts about it. It would be fun to learn from you or hear your reaction.