When I was in international trade, we quoted business on an extremely thin margin.  An old joke went something like this:  “We may lose a little on every shipment, but we’ll make it up on volume.” Sometimes following a strategy of low pricing with little or no profit may be wise.  In the shipping business for example, if you land a large airfreight account at no profit; you are often able to negotiate lower rates with airlines. While you may not make money on your big account, you’re improving the margin on other business.

In life we will encounter angry people. King Solomon understood this when he wrote, “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.” (Proverbs 29:11, NIV) Like most of us I have encountered angry people. When possible I prefer to avoid such individuals.  However, there are times I am unable to completely distance myself from them.
 
One example was “Mark” who was a member of a Homeowners Association who had a lot to say about many things.  In some meetings he would become belligerent to the point that most in the neighborhood didn’t want to deal with him.  In the vacuum that occurred when others failed to step up, Mark would decide issues for everyone else. This was unacceptable to me.  While there were times Mark was correct, there were enough times he was wrong. On several occasions when I stood up to Mark, he turned his anger toward me. While I didn’t enjoy being his target, I tried to respond appropriately. I continued to challenge the way he used anger to decide issues for everyone.

A business lunch is a common practice to extend your work day and accomplish significant business objectives. I don’t treat these lunches as social events but as tools to accomplish meaningful business goals. While they are usually friendly, pleasant and cordial; they still need to accomplish specific business objectives.

We all have weaknesses. Some are more serious than others. For each of us the key is how we learn to compensate for these weaknesses to become overcomers through Christ rather than allow our weak points to defeat us.

Paul spoke to this when he wrote, “Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9, NIV) This passage demonstrates how Paul, in spite of his incredibly effective ministry, experienced weaknesses which the Lord helped him overcome.

The question about hiring family members comes up frequently. I’ve seen this work out well and I’ve seen catastrophic results from a relational point of view.

When asked this question, my first response is another question: “Would you be able to let the family member go if circumstances required termination?” In most situations the short answer is no, at least not without great pain and difficulty.