From E-Commerce Success to near Bankrupcy: The Greed That Can Destroy Godpreneurs and How to Overcome It!

Back in 2021, I found myself caught up in the pandemic e-commerce hype. A client approached me with a business opportunity to buy and sell products from China through Facebook ads.

And it worked! The client brought me in as a partner and our product sales were booming. We had the right combination of ads and sales, profit margins were healthy, and more and more money kept flowing into the bank account.

But then, my partner started spending money on materialistic possessions and luxury items. His desires became so insatiable that he started taking money from the business account (our money) to pay for his upgraded lifestyle.

One day, our Facebook ads stopped working, sales dropped to ZERO, and the company was left in massive credit card debt because my partner had spent all the money that was supposed to be used to pay down the cards. This nearly bankrupted me since all of the debt was on my personal business credit cards.

I was a firsthand witness of my business partner’s overwhelming desire for more — more success, more recognition, more wealth. It was a desire that seemed insatiable, and it overshadowed the very values and faith that my personal entrepreneurial walk was built upon.

In the world of entrepreneurship, where success is often measured by material gains, it's easy for us Godpreneurs to get caught up in the chase for more. Greed can subtly creep in, masquerading as ambition or the drive for excellence, and before we know it, our priorities shift away from God and towards worldly gains.

The Apostle Paul warns us about this very danger in Colossians 3:5, saying,

"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."

Greed isn't just a harmful trait; it's equated with idolatry. When we allow greed to rule our hearts, we're essentially placing it above God, dethroning Him from where He rightfully belongs.

Are there any areas of your business where greed may have begun to take root? Maybe you find yourself obsessing over cryptocurrency or an e-commerce venture? Maybe your heart has become fixated on your agency’s monthly recurring revenue (MRR)? Are there decisions you've made or attitudes you've adopted that are more about serving your own desires than honoring God? It's time to confront these, to confess them to God, and to realign your heart and business with His Kingdom values.

UPDATE: To update you on my failed e-commerce venture, my former partner was remorseful of his ways and began paying back all of the debt he accumulated. He confessed he was wrong and we have kept a close relationship ever since because my heart was to help him recover from his mistakes, overcome the adversity, and propel into a more fruitful entrepreneurial journey.

Imagine a community of Godpreneurs who operate not out of greed, but out of generosity and contentment. We would not only be guarding our own hearts from the destructive power of greed but also setting a powerful example for the business world. We can show that success is not about how much we accumulate but about how much we reflect God's love and goodness in our ventures.