Sam Stoltzfus doesn't rely on a computer in his business.
Indeed, Stoltzfus doesn't even have a telephone-at least, not
in his shop. But the 52-year-old business owner, who crafts bazebos
and storage sheds, isn't unusual by his community's
standards. That's because Stoltzfus is one of a growing number
of Amish entrepreneurs.
"When I was going to school, I could count on one hand all
the Amish [business owners] who were making a living from their
shops," says the Gordonville, Pennsylvania, entrepreneur, who
opened his Irshtown Shop more than 10 years ago. "It used to
be thought impossible that a man could make a living [this
way]."
Not anymore. As Donald B. Kraybill and Steven M. Nolt detail in
their recently published book, Amish Enterprise: From Plows to
Profits, (The Johns Hopkins University Press), times are
changing for the Amish. Greater urbanization and the dimished
availability-and affordability-of farmland have led this
traditionally agrarian society to embrace entrepreneurship.
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"They're sort of being forced into this," says
Kraybill, who selected the Amish settlement in Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania, as the focus of his book. "They're deciding
to stay and move into business rather than migrate to more rural
states."
According to Kraybill's estimates, there are approximately
1,000 small businesses in the Amish community of Lancaster County,
300 of which started in the last five years. Fourteen percent
produce annual sales in excess of $500,000. Even more impressive,
the failure rate for these typically furniture- or
construction-oriented businesses is only about 5 percent.
Kraybill cites close community ties and a strong work ethic as
factors contributing to the success of Amish enterprises. Also,
because they are forbidden to attend high school, the Amish stress
the importance of apprenticeship.
Stoltzfus, for one, credits his grandfather for teaching him his
craft. "He was my inspiration," he reflects.
"Grandfather just always said, 'Now, Sam, this is the way
you do that.' I'll never forget it, and I hope someday to
pass that on to my children and grandchildren."
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