More is MOre
For years, I approached business the way many entrepreneurs do: How can I pay less and still get the deal?
I evaluated subcontractors, vendors, and even employees through the lens of cost efficiency. How could I squeeze the greatest profit out of each job? How could I negotiate the lowest number possible? It’s a socially accepted approach. In fact, it’s often applauded.
But it never quite sat right with me.
About fifteen years ago, I experienced a shift in my thinking. Instead of asking, How can I pay less? I began asking, How can I pay more?
How could I make everyone involved incrementally better off because they worked with me? How could my subcontractors thrive? How could I structure projects so that clients, owners, and partners all did well? Sometimes that meant creating better systems or environments that allowed others to be more profitable. Sometimes it meant paying above market rate.
On paper, it might have looked like I would make less. But in reality, the opposite happened.
Loyalty increased.
My reputation strengthened.
I didn’t have to invest heavily in business development.
I received repeat work.
More truly became more.
A Different Lens on Negotiation
Scripture speaks directly into our business practices. “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act” (Proverbs 3:27). When we have the ability to bless someone through fair pay, honest margins, or generous terms, we are called to act.
Book of Proverbs 20:14 (AMP) describes a common marketplace scenario: “It is [almost] worthless, it is [almost] worthless,” says the buyer [as he negotiates the price]; But when he goes his way, then he boasts [about his bargain].”
How often is negotiation built on diminishing value? We downplay someone’s work, minimize their contribution, or press them to the lowest possible number—only to walk away congratulating ourselves. The proverb exposes that behavior for what it is: insincere and self-serving.
There is a better way.
The Kingdom Economy
In the Kingdom of God, generosity is not weakness; it is strength. Jesus taught, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). And Proverbs reminds us, “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).
When we choose to create equitable deals—where everyone wins—we reflect the heart of God in the marketplace. This does not mean abandoning wisdom or ignoring margins. It means refusing to build profit on someone else’s diminishment.
An equitable deal asks:
Can my subcontractor provide for his family and grow his business?
Does my client feel served rather than squeezed?
Am I building long-term trust instead of short-term gain?
When the answer is yes, something powerful happens. Trust compounds. Relationships deepen. Opportunities multiply.
Redefining Success
“Less is more” may work in design and minimalism, but in Kingdom business, more is more.
More generosity.
More partnership.
More shared success.
More long-term thinking.
When everyone involved in the deal does well, the pie gets bigger. Profit becomes sustainable. Reputation becomes an asset. And business becomes ministry.
The world teaches us to extract. The Kingdom teaches us to expand.
More is more.