A Kingdom-Influenced Business Model

In his book Excellence Wins, Horst Schulze, the cofounder and former president of the RitzCarlton Hotel Company, summarizes his philosophy of business with a simple but captivating phrase: “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen” (Schulze, 2019). For Schulze, this was not a branding slogan or customer service tactic, but a statement about human dignity, professionalism and motivation (Bardessono, 2015). Every employee, regardless of role, was to grasp that they themselves were worthy of respect, and every guest was to be treated just the same. Profit mattered, but it was not the reason the enterprise existed. Profit was the outcome of pursuing excellence in service (Schulze, 2019).

Schulze’s success in raising the self-esteem of his employees and in creating this culture of excellence for both employees and guests invites a deeper question--one that is often overlooked in our contemporary view of the business enterprise. We may think we know what a business is designed to do… But <em>why</em> does business exist in the first place?

Too often the answer to the question, “why business exists” has more to do with the purpose of a business, and not the motivation of business. A corporate-structured business has one purpose, and this is traditionally defined as, “to maximize shareholder wealth” (Wells, n.d.). One of the most frequently cited judicial affirmations of shareholder primacy emerged in the early twentieth century, when the Michigan Supreme Court stated in Dodge v. Ford Motor Co. (1919) that business corporations are organized primarily to generate profits for their stockholders. This decision has since come to occupy an outsized role in how corporate purpose is taught and understood.

But this understanding still focuses on the purpose for a business— not the motivation for why a business exists. To group a small corner grocery store in the same category as the corporate conglomerate supporting significant shareholder investment, and to define this business in the same way, is a disservice to the operators of the grocery store and it stereotypes their motivation.

A business enterprise cannot exist for its own sake. A business is designed and managed to satisfy the needs of individuals and communities, and to create social cohesion (Acton Institute, 2021). Not only does business provide goods and services to satisfy consumers’ needs, but business also provides the opportunity for people to work and earn a living, and for governments to collect taxes and create infrastructure. Business provides the opportunity for people to pursue and express their God-given calling; and the business enterprise supports God’s initial call to our forefathers, to “be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and govern it” (Genesis 1:28a, NLT).

Vanessa Shaw, a business mentor and coach, explains that there are two reasons each business needs to exist (Shaw, 2026). The first reason is to add value, to people’s lives or to other people’s businesses. You add value to customers, as well as to vendors and employees, when you solve a business problem and are able to grow a business and hire people that help you to solve that problem. The second reason builds off of this first reason. A business exists to be wisely profitable. If the business is profitable, then it can continue to solve the customers’ problems, provide value, pay employees and vendors, and have money left over to invest in growing the business. This profit would also allow for a return to shareholders who shared the vision of the business founders and invested their own funds in support of this vision.

These two motivations for why a business exists would be called its “value proposition.” The value proposition is twofold: offering value to customers, and being able to earn money to grow the business and to continue to reach new customers and add more value.

Where we see businesses that breach our societal expectations, and where we see greed and violations of ethical practices in business exchange, is where we see the need for business to have a moral compass which guides behavior; and therefore provides complementary customer satisfaction and employee fulfillment in their work. The business enterprise is lacking in two significant areas where a Christian ‘Kingdom-of-God” mindset (Matthew 6:33) can provide moral guide rails on the road to profitability and exceptional service.

The first limitation is in the way business and leadership theories have developed. Most business theories are built on what we can observe, measure, and analyze. That has led to significant insight into markets, organizations, and leadership. But the Christian faith reminds us that people are more than economic actors or psychological profiles. We are moral and spiritual beings, created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), and capable of great innovation--but also marked by selfishness and fallenness (Romans 3:10-23).

Consider a familiar business theory like motivation. Popular frameworks such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs help explain important aspects of human behavior (Gitman, et al., 2018). Yet from a Christian perspective, no theory of motivation is complete if it assumes that people can find ultimate fulfillment apart from a relationship with God. Meaning, identity, and purpose cannot be fully constructed from within the self--they must be understood in light of Who God is, and then rightly ordered (Smith, 2016; Volf et al., 2021). This does not require rejecting modern business knowledge. It does, however, require considering human theories in light of God’s revealed truth about the nature of man.

A second limitation flows naturally from the first. Human beings are capable of remarkable creativity and cooperation—but we are also prone to self interest. Even with good intentions, leaders can be tempted to prioritize personal success, organizational survival, or short-term gains at the expense of others. This is why moral formation matters so much in business. Markets depend on trust. Organizations depend on honesty. Longterm value creation depends on virtue. As recent research consistently shows, ethical businesses outperform a comparable group of companies in their industry segment by eight percentage points (Ethisphere.com, 2026).

A Kingdom-of-God perspective provides clearly stated truth that frame this reality: sin distorts not only individual choices but entire systems. No economic model, incentive structure, or regulatory framework can fully curb human self-interest. The biblical story makes this clear from the beginning. In Genesis chapter 3, Adam and Eve sinned against a specific command given by God. The problem in the Garden of Eden was not a problem of scarcity--it was quite the opposite. The problem in the Garden of Eden was not unmet needs, but misplaced trust and resistance to rightful authority (Morse, 2012). Of all the utopian economic systems which have developed over the history of mankind, there has yet to be a perfect system which could solve all of human wants and needs--because this is an issue of the heart; and only God can change a heart (Ezekiel 36:26).

A kingdom-influenced business would have strong moral standards, clear employee expectations, and just systems of accountability while still extending grace and opportunities to learn from mistakes. A kingdom-influenced business would not enable harmful behavior, but instead provide a structured environment where change is supported and growth is measured over time. Real growth is ultimately God-inspired, which causes leaders to humbly and patiently work in and through their people to serve their customers while shining a light in their marketplace. This type of business becomes a place where profitability and human flourishing are not in conflict but work together in harmony and efficacy.

Business is not simply a mechanism for profit. It is a human institution shaped by choices greater than sales goals, profit maximization and cost-cutting. It becomes fertile soil under righteous leadership where moral choices, personal development and market innovation can flourish in the midst of profitability and efficiency. But this requires a recognition of a Divine Authority over the enterprise, One that enables growth in relationships and character, guided by a Kingdom mindset. When business is understood as stewardship--of people, resources, opportunities, and influence--it becomes the setting where success is no longer measured only by growth or scale, but by faithfulness, impact, and the flourishing of others. Then our businesses will all model “ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen” (Schulze, 2019).

Sources:

• The Good Society Film Series. Acton On-Demand (Acton Institute, 2021)
• The True Meaning of 'Ladies and Gentlemen Taking Care of Ladies and Gentlemen.’ (LinkedIn, Oct. 16, 2015)
• Dodge v. Ford Motor Co., 204 Mich. 459, 170 N.W. 668 (Mich. 1919).
• Ethisphere.com (202). The World’s Most Ethical Companies. (Ethisphere)
• Gitman, L.J.; et al. (2018; Web Version 2023). Introduction to Business. Ann Arbor, MI: XanEdu Publishing Inc.
• How to Find Your Calling Through Creating Moments in Life with Mike Zeller (No. 127), (Dynamic Lifestyle Podcast, October 8, 2018)
• Morse, J.R. (2012, June 13). Economic Way of Thinking. Lecture presented at Acton University in Devos Center, Grand Rapids, MI.
• Schulze, H. (2019). Excellence wins: A nononsense guide to becoming the best in a world of compromise. Nashville, TN: Zondervan.
• Shaw, V. (2026). The Purpose of Business: Why Businesses Exist. (The Business Growth Academy)
• Smith, J. K. A. (2016). You Are What You Love. Brazos Press.
• Tunehag, M., McGee, W., & Plummer, J. (2005). Business as mission: Abbreviated version (Lausanne Occasional Paper (LOP) No.59). Lausanne, SW: Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism.
• Volf, M., Hicks, B., & White, J. (2021). Faith and Work. Yale Center for Faith & Culture.
• Wells, H. (n.d.). The purpose of a corporation: A brief history. The Temple 10Q. (Temple University Beasley School of Law)

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