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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