Profit

[Joh]

How much profit can a Christian make without sinning and/or becoming greedy ? For example if I own a shop what's the maximum % that I can charge on my items/services ? Thank you.

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[1689Dave]

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.

 

[Revmitchell]

How much profit can a Christian make without sinning and/or becoming greedy ? For example if I own a shop what's the maximum % that I can charge on my items/services ? Thank you.

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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.

 

[Yeshua1]

How much profit can a Christian make without sinning and/or becoming greedy ? For example if I own a shop what's the maximum % that I can charge on my items/services ? Thank you.

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

 

[Rob_BW]

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.

 

[Rob_BW]

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.

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

 

[Yeshua1]

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.

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

 

[HAMel]

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

 

[1689Dave]

...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.

 

[gb93433]

How much profit can a Christian make without sinning and/or becoming greedy ? For example if I own a shop what's the maximum % that I can charge on my items/services ? Thank you.

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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."

 

[Yeshua1]

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!

 

[gb93433]

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.

 

[Revmitchell]

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!

Nothing scriptural about that.

 

[gb93433]

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?

 

[ehbowen]

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

What is the purpose of business? For what reason does it exist? What is—and should be—the core motivation of its owner(s)?

Well, I suppose it depends upon whom you ask. Some politicians will tell you, with a straight face, that the entire reason businesses exist is to pay taxes. Taxes which, of course, the politicians can then spend on themselves and their voters. But if that is the case, what defines a successful business? How many dollars in taxes is enough? All you hear from them is, "More!"

Labor leaders, for their part, will tell you that businesses exist to provide jobs. Good jobs. Union jobs, of course, with high pay and generous fringe benefits. But how many jobs? How high the pay, how generous the fringes? Again, all you hear is, "More!"

Now, your average business school graduate can tell you the real purpose of business: To make money! But how much money...and for whom? The stockholders? The executives, who too often pay lip service to "increasing shareholder value" but then turn around and loot the organization as if it were their private piggy bank, writing golden parachutes and poison pills into their contracts in the event that some group of stockholders dare to join together and try to hold them to account? Suppose the executives and shareholders successfully negotiate a major merger deal which enriches all of them greatly...and leaves a century-old corporation as a mere paper shell of itself, with employees laid off and production moved overseas...have they done a good thing? At what point can you declare success? When is enough money enough? Do you hear anything except "More?"

So politicians think business exists to give money to the politicians. Labor thinks it exists to give money to the laborers. Management thinks it exists to give money to the managers. Stockholders think it exists to give money to the stockholders. But a voice down through time reminds us, "...the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil...." 1 Timothy 6:10, NKJV

I'm not impugning the profit motive; it's important. But should it be the essential core of the enterprise? Is there another answer to this question? I believe there is. I believe that the fundamental, foundational, core motivation of anyone who goes into business should be....

To serve customers.

Think about it. If your foundational motive is to serve customers you will pay taxes, for the authorities who safeguard the civil society are worthy of appropriate tribute. To serve more customers than you can personally handle you will hire employees and you will pay them well, "...for the laborer is worthy of his wages" (Luke 10:7, NKJV). You will run the business so as to make a profit, for you also are worthy of reward for your investment of time and capital and energy and also because without ongoing profit you will be unable to serve your future customers, who are just as important as your past and present customers. Best of all, now you can define and achieve success: Every time a satisfied customer walks out your front door, you're a success!

"And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all." (Mark 10:44, KJV).

 

[InTheLight]

For example if I own a shop what's the maximum % that I can charge on my items/services ?

How much money does the customer have?