Many people prefer buying products that are made in certain countries such as Japan or Korea rather than those that are made in China. There are people who are willing to shell out hundreds and hundreds of dollars to purchase famous branded bags such as Louis Vitton or Hermes. People will queue at a certain restaurant, no matter how long it is, just to satisfy their palates. Why is this so?

Consumers build their preferences not just on the value that they get from their purchases but on the name that a certain brand, maker or service provider has built throughout the years. People want to buy products or have the services of an enterprise they can trust, one that has a reliable and excellent reputation.

What is reputation? According to Merriam-Webster, it is the common opinion that people have about someone or something. It is the overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general.

What do the customers say about you as a business owner? How about your employees or subordinates, what do they think about you?

Handling one’s business and its resources with integrity, and creating products with excellent quality lead to good reputation. Gaining the trust of consumers entails building a relationship with them and this means hard work, patience and discipline.

Having a trusted reputation gives an excellent platform to display God’s glory and an open door to testify about His goodness and grace.

A good reputation is not easily earned. It is built through time. It is tested by time. It is passed on from one person to the other, and from one generation to another. On the other hand, as hard as it is earned, it can easily be destroyed. It can even happen overnight. A single mistake and a wrong decision can ruin and tarnish one’s good name. One’s reputation can be saved or sunk by word of mouth.

Every business wants to have a good reputation but not everyone can sustain it. According to Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” A clean name produces better results and greater rewards. May you have a reputation that reflects God’s excellence and favor in your life and in your business.