I started my own PC/networking service business last December. I signed up for an entrepreneurship course at the local university to provide myself with some knowledge of setting up and running a business. Of course, the class was entitled "entrepreneurship," so I knew that it would have that slant. The course started in January and finished this month. I attended the "graduation" last night. So naturally I have some observations.

First of all, the course was extremely helpful. If you are a small business owner, or you are thinking about starting a small business, consider taking this course. It is the Fast Trac Entrepreneurship Training Program. You can find details here.

I took the course at Baylor University, which is where I earned my Bachelor's degree years ago. Baylor's program, I discovered, put an innovative spin on the program by bringing in upper-level business students to work with the Fast Trac participants. It was so successful and useful that I am surprised Baylor is the only university that does that. Maybe it is just a lot of work and no on else wants to go to that much trouble. Baylor's program was outstanding, though.

Anyway, I knew what I was in for the first class session when we reviewed the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur and the final step was "take the money and run." Well, okay, that's not EXACTLY what it said, but that was what it meant. A successful entrepreneur creates a business, builds up a business, then cashes out and goes on to the next project, leaving the other people who worked hard to make the entreprise a success holding the bag.

That really only reinforced my poor opinion of entrepreneurs anyway. Entrepreneurs have no obligation to anyone but themselves and their bank accounts. Some of them might thrive on the challenge of building a new business from the ground up, but the payoff isn't seeing the business through to a successful and sustainable entreprise; the payoff is getting it to the point of maximum profitability and then cashing out, with no regard for what that might do to the business itself. All hail Capitalism and worship the God of the Almighty Dollar.

It is funny that I took the course at Baylor University, which is associated with the Southern Baptist religion. It brings to mind the funniest joke I ever heard in my life, which made me laugh out loud. Are you ready for this? This is hilarious:

"Christian Businessman."

I still can't hear, say, or read those words without smiling. It is one of the greatest oxymorons I have ever encountered. Now, I'm not saying there aren't people who REFER to themselves as "Chrstian Businessmen," because there are. America lacks for nothing if not hypocrites.

The bottom line is this: A businessman is concerned with profit. Period. Without profit there is no business. And everything else is secondary to profit. A business is not accountable for anything except turning a profit. It is not accountable for destroying the environment. It is not accountable for negative impacts on communities. It is not accountable for the well-being of its employees. It is not even accountable for the well-being of its customers. It serves but one purpose: to make money.

Now, only the most jaded Christian, who has an uncanny ability to rationalize almost anything, could possibly reconcile that with the teaching of Jesus, which is the basis of Christianity. A good Christian could not elevate the well-being of a company over the lives and livelihoods of people. A good businessman would never let the well-being of mere people interfere with profitability. While it may be possible to START a business as a Christian, hard business decisions will need to be made that will compromise a true Christian. A good Christian would fail as a successful businessman, and a good businessman bears no resemblance at all to a real Christian.

If you stop to think about it, you know I am right. I can give concrete examples, but it should not be hard to figure some out yourself.

Fortunately, I am a business of one right now. I have no employees to exploit and betray. I have no investors to whom I have sold my soul. I have no properties to negatively impact communities or the environment. I can serve my customers and make a living and it is a win-win solution. But I have no illusions about being an entrepreneur.

Wouldn't it be cool if our heroes and role models were people who profited people and society instead of investors and corporations?