Business as Mission or Business as Blessing?

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Are you looking to start a business to fulfill a mission or to bless a community?

In the latest ChinaSource Conversations podcast, “Businesses that Bless,” Brent Fulton explores that question with Gary Hopwood, Chief Global Officer for David C. Cook and Nora Hughes, the founder of Business4Blessing. Both have extensive experience in starting and running successful businesses in China, as well as helping others do the same.

Gary and Nora prefer to use the term “business for blessing” to describe how they operate their businesses in China, pointing out that in Chinese the character that is usually translated as “blessing” (福) is not so much a religious term as one that conveys the meaning of benefit. Businesses that are run by Christians should seek, not just to complete a task, but to bless customers, employees, and communities.

In this podcast, they unpack this concept in more detail and contrast it with the more traditional concept of “business as mission,” as well as offer advice for those wanting to start a business in China. They also reflect on the importance of calling in starting a business (as opposed to simply looking for a visa) and the changing role of sending agencies.

Image credit: by Gabriel Jorby, via Flickr.
Joann Pittman

周宁现任华源协作伙伴关系与中国事工副总裁,并担任《每周中国快讯》(ZGBriefs)编辑。 加入华源协作之前,周宁曾在中国工作 28 年,期间担任过英语教师、语言学习者及项目主任,也为在中国工作的机构与企业提供跨文化培训。她曾在明尼苏达州的西北大学(University of Northwestern–St. Paul)教授中文,并在惠顿学院(Wheaton College)及泰勒大学(Taylor University)教授中国文化与…