Gratitude may be one of the most overlooked competitive advantages in business.

Not because positive thinking magically makes everything better. And not because saying “thank you” is a clever marketing tactic.

Biblical gratitude is something much deeper: the practice of seeing God’s reality truthfully—recognizing what He has already provided instead of allowing circumstances, frustration, or ambition to distort what is actually true.

In this first episode of Better Bible Business, Paul Erickson explores what gratitude has to do with entrepreneurship, leadership, customer loyalty, workplace culture—and even your bottom line.

You’ll hear the story of a car radiator company Paul still remembers decades later, discover why ingratitude is more spiritually serious than we often realize, and walk away with practical ways to build genuine gratitude into the way you lead, serve customers, work with employees, and even treat your vendors.

But don’t try to do everything.
Choose one idea from this episode. Spend 15 minutes developing it. Then put it into practice.

Because better business isn’t merely about knowing more. It’s about faithfully doing something with what you know.

Be smart. Be good. Be humble. Be active.

💡 PRACTICAL WAYS TO PUT GRATITUDE TO WORK
Here are the ideas mentioned in this episode. Don’t try to do all of them. Pick ONE.

1. Write your “5 Things.” Start the day by writing down five things you’re thankful for.
2. Send physical thank-you notes. A handwritten note can communicate gratitude in a way another email can’t.
3. Pray for your clients and customers. Turn your client roster into a prayer list.
4. Express gratitude to your employees and team. Consider a simple one- or two-minute gratitude huddle.
5. Make gratitude part of your culture. Don’t save appreciation for annual awards or special occasions.
6. Really listen to your target audience. Giving someone your full attention communicates that they matter.
7. Thank your vendors. The people who serve your business see more of your organization than you may realize.
   Your challenge: Choose one idea and spend 15 minutes developing a practical way to put it into action.

🎁 FREE: 7-DAY BIBLICAL ENTREPRENEUR DEVOTIONAL
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https://BetterBibleBusiness.com/7days

Better Bible Business helps Christian entrepreneurs apply biblical truth to the practical realities of business, leadership, marketing, work, and life.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

Gratitude and workplace productivity:
Harvard Health Publishing/Wharton — “Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier”
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier

Gratitude Journal for Decision-Making:
Journal of Applied Psychology — “A 2021 Journal of Applied Psychology study found gratitude journaling boosts focus by 30%, speeding up tasks (e.g., save 2 hrs/wk).”
https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/apl-apl0000903.pdf

Client Thank-You Notes:
HubSpot — “A 2023 HubSpot report says personalized gratitude increases repeat business by 25%.”
https://blog.hubspot.com/service/state-of-service-2024

Daily Team Gratitude Huddle:
Gallup — “A 2022 Gallup study shows gratitude boosts engagement by 15%, cutting turnover costs (avg. $4,000 per employee).”
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/285674/improve-employee-engagement-workplace.aspx

Public Social Gratitude Posts:
Sprout Social — “A 2024 Sprout Social study shows authentic posts boost engagement by 40%.”
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-statistics/

Gratitude-Driven Vendor Partnerships:
Forbes — “A 2023 Forbes study says strong vendor ties cut costs by 10–15%.”
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2023/10/04/how-to-create-a-vendor-ecosystem-that-makes-the-most-of-your-companys-it-investments/

Transcript

[00:00:00] Intro Voiceover: You’re listening to the Better Bible Business Podcast with the world’s greatest host, Paul Erickson. Is that good, Dad?

[00:00:13] Paul Erickson: Howdy, friend, and welcome to Better Bible Business. I’m Paul Erickson. I’m going to start with a confession. The title of this episode might sound a little clickbait-ish, but that is intentional. Not because I wanna trick you, but because if I titled it plainly, most people probably wouldn’t listen. But I believe what we’re about to talk about truly is a secret weapon of your business, and one of the most underused competitive advantages in business, and my job today is to earn that claim.

[00:00:49] The topic is gratitude. I know. Don’t click away. Stay with me for a few minutes, and I think you’ll see why this matters far more than we’ve been taught to believe. And by the way, let me mention it’s one of the best returns on your investment. Hopefully, that gets your attention. The thing to remember is this: gratitude is the practice of seeing God’s reality truthfully.

[00:01:17] Let’s dive in today and find out why Story time. A number of years ago, before Amazon became well-known and before online shopping became what it is today, and I really am that old, I ordered a car radiator, but received a valuable lesson. I could have purchased a radiator from one of the well-known auto parts brick-and-mortar stores, but this company specialized in car radiators, offered free shipping, and offered a heavy-duty radiator for the price of a standard one.

[00:01:53] I mean, this was a deal the traditional parts stores couldn’t beat. But that’s not what I remember most about the company. When the package came, I got my car ready, I got out my tools, and then opened the box, and the first thing I pulled out was a bag of candy. Attached to the bag was a thank you card hand-signed by everyone that was a part of the fulfillment process.

[00:02:21] I mean, wow. I called to my wife, “Hey, honey, you have got to check this out.” And I showed her the new shiny radiator. No. No, not at all. I showed her the candy and the card. I mean, it’s just a radiator, right? It’s just candy, right? No way. What they sold me was an experience. The radiator itself was great. It lasted for the life of the car.

[00:02:50] I don’t remember if we ate all the candy, but I do still remember the company’s name, and I remember exactly how they made me feel. You see, most people think gratitude is a nice add-on. I’m convinced it’s one of the most underused competitive advantages in business. But I’m not the only one that thinks this.

[00:03:11] A combined twenty-twenty one Harvard University and Wharton study found that grateful workplaces boost productivity by fifty percent, five zero percent. Now, think about that. All right, so what is gratitude really? Specifically, biblical gratitude I’m going to mention this a few times because of its importance.

[00:03:35] Biblical gratitude is the practice of seeing God’s reality truthfully. By God’s reality, I mean reality as it actually is, not merely as we feel it in the moment or what we think our perception of it is. In other words, gratitude sees the whole picture objectively. Gratitude isn’t about ignoring what’s missing or what we don’t have.

[00:04:01] It’s about correctly identifying what’s already been given or provided. Gratitude is not an empty optimism or emotional positivity. We shouldn’t pretend that everything’s fine, situation normal. Gratitude doesn’t lie about what’s missing. Gratitude tells the truth about what God’s already provided.

[00:04:24] Gratitude is an act of remembering, honestly, objectively. To demonstrate, the Apostle Paul reverse engineers the problem of the reprobate or morally degenerating mind in Romans 1:21, which says, “Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened.”

[00:04:58] First, did you notice that the reprobate mind knows God exists, but refuses to acknowledge his existence? Second, the reprobate mind is unwilling to give God the glory due his name and character. Third, the reprobate mind is unthankful. There it is. And notice the result that their internal dialogue becomes empty, vapid, and what little soul intelligence they have is obscured from reality.

[00:05:29] Yes, that sounds harsh, but I think Dr. Bob Jones Sr. summed it up well when he said, “When gratitude dies on the altar of a man’s heart, that man is well-nigh hopeless.” And why did the children of Israel wander in the desert for forty years? Ingratitude because of unbelief. They simply were not willing to trust God who had done so much for them.

[00:05:56] Unbelief becomes ingratitude However, biblical gratitude corrects forgetfulness. In other words, thankful people remember better. Hey, Christian, here’s a starter. Do you wanna know God’s will for your life? I mean , isn’t that a question we frequently ask ourselves? Well, here it is. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

[00:06:30] Yes, God’s will for your life, in part, is to express gratitude, and we should be characterized by a thankful spirit. Okay, let’s sum up and see where we’re at so far before we move on. Biblical gratitude is the practice of seeing reality truthfully by acknowledging what God has already provided, regardless of our circumstances.

[00:06:55] Okay, right now you might be thinking, “That’s great, Paul, but how does the biblical principle of gratitude translate into my business or workplace?” That is an excellent question, and I’m so glad you asked. All right, so let’s get practical. Here are a few ideas on how you can incorporate gratitude into your workplace or workflow practically.

[00:07:19] I’ve also listed these ideas in the episode notes. First, get a guilt-free journal if you don’t already have one. Start your day by writing what I call your five things, five things that you’re thankful for. It doesn’t have to be super spiritual. It can literally be anything. The pen or pencil you’re writing with, a good cup of coffee, I mean, that’s one of my favorites, beautiful clouds, your kitchen refrigerator, anything, literally.

[00:07:51] And while I’m mentioning it, by simply journaling your five things, you can boost your daily focus by around 30%. All right, next, make it part of your workflow to send physical thank you notes, not electronic thank you notes, but actual postal thank you notes. A 2023 HubSpot report says personalized gratitude increases repeat business by 25%.

[00:08:18] Talk about return on your investment. Some ideas. If you’re a freelancer or sole proprietor, buy a box of professional-looking thank you cards, and then send a simple handwritten thank you when you get a new client or a new project or finish a project or just because. In a corporate environment, have cards professionally printed.

[00:08:39] Even professionally printed single-sided three-by-five cards work great, and include them with everything that you ship to a customer, or print smaller ones you can slip into an envelope. Don’t think of them as a sales tactic, because it isn’t. Genuinely express gratitude, and then trust God for the outcome.

[00:08:59] Third, pray for your clients and customers. This is important. Turn that client roster into a prayer list. If you’re a large corporation with a large customer base, client base, then simply pray for them as a whole. You don’t have to tell them you’re praying for them unless you feel compelled to, but, but just pray for them.

[00:09:18] I mean, put yourself in their shoes. Wouldn’t you like to know that someone’s praying for you? Well, of course. Fourth, if you have employees or work within a team, yes, be sure to be gracious with them. Thank them. But seriously, consider having weekly or even daily gratitude meetings at the start of the workday or shift.

[00:09:39] Now, don’t make it awkward. Just a one or two-minute huddle. “Hey, guys, someone share something you’re thankful for today,” and that’s it. Keep it simple, then dismiss everyone to do their thing. If that’s not possible, then simply ask people randomly, “Hey, Jim, what are you thankful for today?” And don’t grade them on their answer.

[00:09:58] Just let them share. And let’s not forget about turnover. The number one reason why people leave jobs isn’t because of money. It’s because they don’t feel appreciated. If a business has a high turnover rate, they are hemorrhaging money at an annual average of four thousand dollars per employee because of the time and money involved in retraining and downtime, and it’s all because of ingratitude.

[00:10:26] And that’s pretty incredible. Which leads us to fifth, make gratitude part of your daily culture at work and at home. Having a once-a-year award ceremony, that isn’t enough. Make it part of the fabric and culture of your organization. Praise the person, not the project. Don’t reward sales. Reward a person’s helpful spirit.

[00:10:51] Create a culture of gratitude, and the sales will naturally follow Sixth, listen to your target audience. I mean, really listen. Our culture is generally over-marketed. The result is people online are becoming more demanding of authenticity. When you, as a person, devote your full attention to listening to someone else, that someone else feels appreciated.

[00:11:18] Well, the same is true in business. Listen to your audience. They may not always be right, but listening to them lets them know you considerately care. When you can, when appropriate, mirror back to them what they just said to you. Repeat it. That lets them know you heard them, and that communicates you’re concerned with their concerns without agreeing on something they may actually be wrong about.

[00:11:44] The goal isn’t resolution at this point. The goal is to simply let them know you’re listening because you care. And finally, this one is frequently overlooked, but it’s huge. Express gratitude to your vendors. Okay, vendors may not ever convert to customers, but vendors often get an inside view of your organization without the admission price of being an employee, which means they are actively viewing the inner workings of your business without spending a dime.

[00:12:16] And what they know can often be shared, spreading around your reputation behind the curtain, as it were. You could be losing or gaining customers because of your vendors. A business run on gratitude, a happy, thankful workplace, will be the talk of vendor town. They can often become your evangelists. I mean, think about that.

[00:12:38] So, I hope some of these ideas trigger creative thinking in you. If so, hey, do something about it. Be active. But please, don’t do all of them or you’ll do none of them. Just pick one, only one, the one that makes the most sense for your business, and then spend the next fifteen minutes. That’s all. Fifteen minutes giving God thanks and developing that idea, a way that you or your organization can express gratitude to your customers, vendors, and your staff.

[00:13:14] It all comes back to this: gratitude is the practice of seeing God’s reality truthfully I purposely chose to make the topic of gratitude the first episode because it’s a tremendous foundation for everything that can follow, and that’s true for all of life, not just business. And aren’t thankful people generally more pleasant to be around?

[00:13:38] I’ve noticed that to be true. As the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:3, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” So my friend, thank you. I pray it’s been a blessing to you. If so, please subscribe, and then go grab my completely free gift, the seven-day Biblical Entrepreneur Devotional. It’s seven short daily readings sent to your inbox that will realign your heart, head, and business with God’s heart in one week.

[00:14:08] The link is in the show notes below, or visit betterbiblebusiness.com/7days today. Thank you again for taking time to listen today. And remember, be smart, be good, be humble, be active, and we’ll see you in the next episode.

[00:14:28] Outro Voiceover: Thank you for listening to the Better Bible Business Podcast with your awesome host, Paul Erickson.

[00:14:34] Awesome? Really, Dad? Anyway, you can subscribe to this podcast and social media channels at betterbiblebusiness.com. So smash that like button, hit subscribe, ring the bell, and follow on social media. All right, Dad. Five bucks is five bucks