Think You're a Successful Business Person?

I've been coaching Haitian businesses for a few years now. It's tough. On my first visit to the country a few years ago, I congratulated every business that had been established at least 5 years. They exceeded the US median and they did it in a tough environment. Most businesses were for basic goods with lots of competition. Banking was not always available for the micro business. And then there are the natural disasters of hurricanes and earthquakes. Marketing is mostly word-of-mouth; not necessarily a bad thing in the long run but no means for broad business exposure. Market and society dynamics are different than urban/suburban US certainly. In the last two years, with COVID and more unrest and more natural disasters, running a business has gotten tougher.

Kidnappings are rampant, also against Haitians. Gang violence is high. Logistics are virtually shut down as truck traffic is probably going to be stopped by highwaymen. Supply chain shortages are a way of life. Health risks are high. Their government is not helpful to the small business leader. If it exists at all in any kind of functioning way. 

What would your advice be to these business leaders? How successful would your business methods be in a different country? How much resilience would you exhibit?

Which Life is Worth More?

There have been two significant news bulletins recently. Only one is getting a lot of press, showing up on page 1 of newspapers and landing pages of news websites and blowing up social media feeds. The other was relegated to page 6 of a regional paper and I have yet to hear of any secondary news agencies pick it up. The former is the news that the US Supreme Court heard arguments in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health. This case is predicted to cease a national liberty for a woman to end her pregnancy by abortion and return the legislative deliberations to each state to grant the liberty or not.

Abortion has been on the decline with the CDC reporting under 650,000 abortions in the year 2019. A lot of the politically-inclined evangelical world is excited by the possibility that the US Supreme Court will overturn the preceding decisions of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

The latter story is that over 22 million Afghans are nearing death through starvation this winter. The story has been carried in various secular news feeds but not in Christian feeds. World Vision has mobilized to provide assistance. Albert Mohler, who comments on "news of the day" each day, has not provided a comment on this story.

Is the evangelical world more concerned with 600,000 deaths of unborn children than 22 million Afghans or 5 million people who have died from COVID-19? If so, then an unborn child is worth 36 Afghans and 9 people worldwide.

If we have the heart of Christ and we are ambassadors of His, shouldn't we be just as anguished over 36 Afghans and 9 other people perishing without His grace and mercy as well as the unborn child?

[Also published on We Are Out of Our Mind blog.]