Over the last few months we’ve been gathering questions from you which we will attempt to answer in our Q&A blog series this month. We thank you all for your interest in the business and we hope that we will provide answers that will be of use to you. If you still have more questions feel free to ask. We never get tired of answering questions.
We have divided up the questions into three categories: business, marketing, and products & processes. This week and next, we will answer questions solely related to the business.
Here’s what’s being asked:
- What Scripture(s) guides your business?
- Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why of FGGD
- What was the inspiration behind how you designed your logo and your business?
- How are you unique to other businesses?
- What would you rate your quality of products, business development, and policy?
- Are you planning to go mainstream with this business?
- How can we support this business?
What Scripture(s) guides your business?
There are many verses that drive our business, but the primary verse would be…
1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
As laborers in Christ we echo Paul’s words to the Galatian church…
2 Corinthians 4:5-7 – “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
We acknowledge that all of our labors are in vain apart from Christ and that it is Christ, through His sovereignty, who guides our every move including the development of this business.
There are so many others. To name just a few more: Matthew 19:26; Ephesians 1:11; Ephesians 6:10-20; 2 Peter 1:3; James 4:13-16; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:1-2.
Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why of FGGD
Who
We are a family of Christians devoted to the Lord, who all have individual talents and gifts that God has given us. We decided to use those in making a family business whilst trying to reach the world with the truth of the Gospel.
Being self-employed, the idea of a family business is something Jonathan & Lydia have thought of often throughout their marriage. Finding what was right for the family was a little more challenging. We have tried different service oriented ideas ranging from survival/preparedness, and urban farming to dietary catering. But the production of handcrafted products is the one that seemed best to flow out of talents of each member of the family.
What
The idea of the business came fairly naturally out of the interests of the different members of our family and our desire to work together as a family. But we believe that the idea really has come from the Lord working in each of us. As we have sought His direction we have prayed that He would guide us into what He desired us to do.
When
This development is fairly recent. Some of us started developing our crafts as recently as 2015 while others have been involved in their craft for many years. We officially started developing FGG Designs in 2016 and are still in our initial stages of growth.
Where
We are thankful to the Lord that He has allowed us to move to a place out of the city, where we can all enjoy the blessings of the country, fresh air and a more relaxed lifestyle.
How
It takes a lot of hard work and a definite trust in God to help us and guide us in this endeavor.
Why
One of the reasons we decided to develop products over services is because you can make and sell products anywhere. One is not bound by location or clients, especially with the advantages of internet. We grew up living in the country and small towns. Living in a city, especially the LA area, had its advantages and disadvantages but we are country folk at heart and are grateful that the Lord has seen fit to move us back to the country. We love our new home here in Thompson Falls, Montana!
As individuals, we appreciate the artisan crafts and enjoy being a part of the growing community of artisans that are promoting these arts that were the building stones of many civilizations before us. Having lived in an environment and culture that is rushed and hectic, it has actually been relaxing to be able to use our hands and minds in a manner that would be considered more primitive in this world of technology. Even though in many ways it can be more intense in labor and time, it is very rewarding.
What was the inspiration behind how you designed your logo and your business?
Scripture was the real inspiration behind the logo. First, as mentioned in the question about what Scripture drives our business. Everything we desire to do, including our family business, is to the Glory of God. Secondly, The armor in the logo represents the armor that every believer has in Christ and which we seek to use in our daily life. (Ephesians 6:10-18)
How are you unique to other businesses?
You can look at this question from two different perspectives. First, production wise there are a growing number of people who are resurrecting many of the artisan crafts from the past.
We still must establish our name and distinguish our products from others. But our focus is to make excellent quality handcrafted products that are designed to be practical for daily use. We seek to do this using natural resources as much as possible.
Second, we believe that seeing God as the One who guides us and our business and looking to Him for the future of our business, though not unique, does make our business stand out compared to many other businesses in this field.
What would you rate your quality of products, business development, and policy?
We would rate the quality of our products high, however we are still constantly developing and improving our products. We are in our initial stages of development and so there is certainly enough room for improvement. As to business development and policy we can only say that the foundation is solid and the future promising. Growth and refinement are part of what we anticipate in the coming months and years for FGG Designs.
Are you planning to go mainstream with this business?
It depends on how you interpret mainstream. Can we compete with computerized mass production? No, and we don’t want to. Our products will, and cannot by nature, be as affordable as mass produced products. But we strive to make high quality and useful items that people want to buy. It is not our intent to compete with technology, but we desire to develop this business in such a way that it will be able to provide for at least three generations of our family. To do that, it will need to become substantially bigger and more productive. We desire to excel in our individual crafts and get better at working together, if the Lord chooses to grow our business, we shall proceed in faith.
How can we support this business?
Here are some ways people can support our business:
- First and foremost, one can support us through prayer. We have named this business “For God’s Glory Designs” because we desire to live our lives for God’s glory alone. The only way we can accomplish this is by God’s grace; thus, prayer is a vital part to our business.
- Second, by purchasing our products.
- Third, by referring others to our website or sharing our products with others.
- Fourth, reviewing our products that you have purchased or received.
- And finally, of course anyone is welcome to make donations that contribute to the promotion of artisan crafts and encourage our family in their quest.
