Profit

I worked for a Christian business and they based all their prices on a profit margin. Many online PM calculators exist. You could see what others charge for the same products you sell, calculate their profit margin and see if it works for you. Some manufacturer's have suggested retail prices for their products. If you know the wholesale, cost with shipping, you could plug that in, and see what the PM is. These PMs are usually on the high side.

 

Scripture does not address this. Given we are in a free market, free market principles are a leading factor. The market will only sustain certain prices for differing products or services. A hamburger at the local joint will likely never sell if it is priced at say 10.00 a hamburger. The market is what people are willing to reasonably pay for products or services. Your profit margin cannot go beyond what the market will sustain, else you will find yourself out of business.

Christian principles in business come into play with things like maintaining an honest business and giving people what you promised at the price you agreed to.

Pro_20:10 Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

Today we do not have our own weights to measure with such as was used in the market during the time of the writing of this verse. There is a principle to be gleaned from it. Be honest in your business dealings. I would add be fair to your employees as well as honest.

 

The Christian can have Bill gates kind of money, IF they are obeying God in how they are stewards of that for God!

 

You will probably increase volume, and thereby profits, by dealing with your customers as a Christian should. Word of mouth will serve better than higher than usual mark ups.

Setting a fixed number, though, smacks of legalism.

 

I love Proverbs 20:10. Part of my job deals with calibration. Not just weights, but everything from torque wrenches to radioactivity detectors.

 

Abraham showed us how to honor God in our wealth, but Solomon showed what happens when we get into world system too much!

 

...you charge what people are willing to pay!
If you have 25 customers paying 20 bucks or 100,000 customers paying 10 bucks...

 

This might be true for luxury items.

 

I have seen both rich and poor people who are greedy. I have also seen rich and poor people who are humble and generous.

My skills and the market determines what I charge. If I make a lot of money I can give it away. If I can hardly pay my bills then I will not be able to give much. What I charge and what people are willing to pay is a contract between the customer and myself. I went to one of the top schools in the world to learn and it allows me to do work very few know how to do. I wanted to be the best skilled I could possibly be. Cheap work that fails is worthless and in fact it costs more to tear it and then redo it. Work that is done right the first time does not fail. The inexperienced and those who lack knowledge often do poor work compared to those who are always learning. There are those have one year of experience and knowledge repeated 30 times in 30 years. There others who have accumulated 30 years of experience and learning.

There is a huge amount of satisfaction in doing high quality work both for the customer and those who do the work.

Proverbs 22:29, "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men."

 

To much has been given, much will be required, so those wealthy in the things of world must share with those needy and poor, to build up treasure in heaven!

 

Indeed. I am amazingly blessed not just with what I can give, but eternal things also. Last Friday just after my quiet time I received a text from a man I have been discipling for 2-1/2 years. He told me he will have to have brain surgery. I went with another man I am discipling who knows him too, to visit him at his home. He told me what he told his children and their spouses. Imagine what they thought. A few years ago I doubt he would have had the boldness to say what he did. He told me he was ready to die or live for many more years. During our entire conversation not once did he bring up anything other than those things which last for eternity. The doctors and staff have been astounded at his recovery after having two surgeries and a major stroke. At this time in my life it has allowed me to be at the hospital a lot. I have seen God's presence and the witness of God's people. At one point in his recovery the news was quite bleak. He looked like a breathing corpse after surgery. Now he is breathing on his own and doing much better than the doctor expected. In fact the doctor said he has never seen such recovery. One of the spouses of his children called late the night when he was diagnosed whom we have been praying for to tell him she lost her job. She got told what he was facing. Imagine that shock. The spouse got a job and they are moving to the area. Many thing shave been happening this week that we have prayed for.

 

Nothing scriptural about that.

 

What do you believe is not scriptural about what Yeshua 1 wrote?

You don't believe in spiritual giftedness?
You don't believe in giving to others?
You don't believe God gives more to some than others?
You don't believe in the parable of the talents?

 

The following is a quotation from my own web site. I wrote it, so I certainly have the right to post it:

 

How much money does the customer have?