Today we’re continuing our questions related to business. Here’s what’s included:
- How do you price your products?
- Is this business national or international?
- The name of your business is “For God’s Glory Designs”, is your target group only Christians?
- Who is this business catered for?
- How do you see your business going in the future? What development and products are we going to see in the near/far future?
- Did you know at the beginning of marriage you wanted to go into business together?
- What’s the best and worst thing about working with your spouse?
How do you price your products?
As we develop our business and the product quality, our pricing will change. Currently we take the cost of material and add labor cost based on time to make the product. We add another markup value to that amount. We then look at comparable products and if necessary adapt the price to be competitive. Currently we are way under the pricing values given to products manufactured through artisan crafting techniques, that is because we are still refining our craftmanship.
Is this business national or international?
The business will be developed in the United States, but we plan to make products available both in the U.S. and Europe.
The name of your business is ‘For God’s Glory Designs’, is your target group only Christians?
Not at all, we desire to sell our products to anyone who is interested in them.
The ‘For God’s Glory’ in our name testifies to the purpose for which we live and breathe. Therefore, everything we do and make is in honor of God who has given us our abilities and interests.
Who is this business catered for?
Anyone who enjoys the quality and the workmanship of handcrafted items and is willing to spend a little more knowing that the products are made with care.
How do you see your business going in the future? What development and products are we going to see in the near/far future?
This is probably a question that needs to be answered on a regular basis as we believe it should be constantly growing and improving. We hope that we will regularly be able to say that we have new products available. However, what those products will be is still to be determined. We obviously currently have wooden kitchen utensils, pendants, rings, and cards (which will soon be remarketed as art). And even though some of our family and friends have already received one of our new products (for testing purposes), we hope to fully launch it at the end of the year.
In the near future (5-10 years), we hope that we will be able to provide for four generations and be able to move to a location where our individual families can be in fairly close proximity to one another for support purposes as well as enjoying the fellowship as we work on our different projects together. Lord willing, it would be very nice if this could be somewhere more in the country or a small town.
Very far in the distant future, if the Lord will allow us to get this far, one of our dreams is to open an actual storefront shop. This may be way beyond our capability at this point, but it is something we work towards. The near future will present some changes to the business. One major change is happening next month (Lord willing)…be on the lookout.
Did you know at the beginning of marriage you wanted to go into business together?
Jonathan – When we started our marriage together I was already self-employed and naturally thought it would be a joy to have my wife apart of things but did not necessarily know how the details of that would work out together. As we have grown together, we have seen each other’s strong and weak points and I believe that we balance each other out very well.
Lydia – A marriage IS going into “business” together. God has brought us together to submit and to glorify Him within the union of marriage. No matter what would cross our paths we are in this together as husband and wife.
Shaun – To be honest, I had no idea what the future would hold for us and I would have never thought we would being going into business together. At the beginning of marriage, I was more interested in playing video games than starting a business, but by God’s grace that has now changed.
Elisabeth – Personally, I have always wanted a family business. I had thought a lot about whether the Lord would provide for a husband that would have that same desire. When Shaun and I first got married, I didn’t think that this is what the Lord had in store. Praise be to God for granting this desire!
What’s the best and worst thing about working with your spouse?
Jonathan – To be frank, for me, I don’t really see any negatives with working with my wife. There is no greater blessing on this earth than to be able to function with your spouse in raising a family and enjoying working together to accomplish an endeavor as this. Do we have differences of thought? Sure, but we work through them. Working together in a business means you have more time together, more time to grow together and more time with your kids. What more could you want? It can certainly be challenging at times but it helps us become more dependent on God and at the same time it helps us grow closer together as a couple and family. I don’t see those things as negative but positive!
Lydia – The best thing about working together with my spouse is that we are spending lots of time together and we get to know each other very, very well. Even though we are two different people with different personalities, different strengths and weaknesses, we balance each other. Where the one is weak the other one is strong and vice versa. It takes lots of patience, discipline, humility, a willingness to listen and to be open to learn from each other, and to submit to each other.
The worst thing about working with my spouse WOULD BE if we were to do it in our own strength. Without God’s help, it would be impossible to work together in unity. It doesn’t mean we don’t or will not have challenges. But when our focus and striving is “to glorify God” in everything we do with all humility and submission to God and each other, we can trust the Lord in helping us work together to honor Him.
Shaun – We enjoy crafting things together, for example a spoon that has also been wood burned. However, the worst thing is allowing our desire to do our craft get in the way of spending quality time together, this is an area we are having to grow in.
Elisabeth – I’d say the best thing: we get to both be together doing things we love with the person we love. And often, our products work hand in hand with each other (i.e. a burned wooden spoon).
The worst thing: Hmm…during the cold winter months here in England, Shaun has had to whittle inside because it was too cold to do so outside…that makes a mess. But then, again, he does wonderfully clean it up when he’s done. So, not sure if that’s really that bad.
Next week, we’ll look at part 1 of our marketing questions!
