I found an interesting perspective on the ethical challenges faced by entrepreneurs in an opinion piece by Jack Roseman published in the Pittsburg Post-Gazette.com.
“(W)e give up our principles in painless little slices. Each lapse doesn’t seem so bad. It’s only in retrospect that we see how slippery the slope really was.
“Tugging us down that slope is greed, our insatiable desire for more money, more power, etc.
“Someone said the reason time seems to accelerate as we age is that each year we are living out a smaller proportion of our total life span. I think something like that goes on with ethics. The more material wealth we have, the less we value it, and so the more we are driven to attain even more.
“My theory is that the more you make, the greedier you become.”
My co-author Mike Naughton says that this becomes the problem when we view wealth as the singular, ultimate goal in a business rather than as an important outcome of the pursuit of good and moral ends. Wealth is not a bad thing; quite the contrary. The ability to pursue wealth is essential in a free society. But to view wealth as the only outcome of our entrepreneurial activities can cause us to eventually corrupt our souls: with each decision, with each non-decision, with each action, and with each inaction.

I have written several posts about the ability and the responsibility of entrepreneurs to integrate their values into the businesses that they build.
My daughter Maggie suggested I look at what a mortgage company out of Georgia, HomeBanc Mortgage Company, is doing to integrate their values and their faiths into their company. She heard about this business this past week while attending a large retreat for Fellowship of Christian Athletes (she plays volleyball and will be transferring to Belmont this fall). HomeBanc Mortgage sponsored the entire weekend for these students.
HomeBanc Mortgage is a company that recently went private through a leveraged buyout from its former parent company. Their vision statement, their statement of values, and their faith-based statement all set the tone for the values that shape how this company will be run and how all that work there will do their work. Their statement of ethics gives specific expectations of how management and other employees should integrate their shared values into how they do their work.
Many get nervous when we speak of integrating faith and work, and indeed some companies have become too prescriptive about what faith people should follow. While predominantly Christian, HomeBanc Mortgage takes great strides to be inclusive:
“As a faith-based company, HomeBanc Mortgage Corporation believes that associates should not have to check their spirituality at the door. We recognize that spirituality is deeply personal – we do not seek to impose any particular faith or doctrine upon any associate. We welcome people of all different beliefs into our family, treating each associate with dignity and respect. Regardless of our differences, we all share the common commitment to putting the needs of others ahead of our own. By serving others with the heart of a servant, we strive to enrich and fulfill the lives of our associates, our customers and our communities.”

When I ask a room full of young entrepreneurs about their goals, some envision a life full of starting and growing businesses. Others tell me that they want to achieve business success early in life and then retire young. To them, entrepreneurship is simply instrumental to other plans they have for their lives.
Wilson Ng at Business-Driven Life ponders the question of early success in business and what it means for the rest of his life. He worries about peaking too early, as he is certain he would miss the excitement that entrepreneurship brings to his life.
When I was active as an entrepreneur I would often think about the next deal to chase. Like Wilson, I enjoyed the excitement of starting and growing a business, and we had many opportunities to do just that.
Then about nine years ago we sold most of our businesses. I was ready to find the next opportunity. But, my wife pulled on my sleeve and encouraged me to slow down. She suggested that I take some time to think about what I really wanted for the next phase of my life. At first it was hard for me, as I had lots of opportunities to examine and possible deals to pursue. But she is wise, and I listened to her advice. I took my time and really examined what I wanted to do next.
With time I realized that I wanted to spend more time with my family. I realized that there were other things for me to do besides another business start-up. I realized that I missed college teaching. I had never taken the time to think about all of this in the heat and excitement of building a business. But, once we sold our business I could take time to reflect and discern: and my wife made sure that I did.
Entrepreneurship is a wonderful path in life. I will always be grateful for the opportunities and challenges it offered me. But, I realized that it was not all that I was called to do in life.
When life offers you a chance to pause and reflect, take advantage of it. You may jump on to the next deal and you can do so knowing it is where you need to be. But, you may realize it is time for a new chapter.
Even though my days as an active entrepreneur are probably over, I truly believe that my best days are yet to come. Success takes many forms.