Tim McTavish was working late one evening when an unexpected exchange with one of his employees stopped him in his tracks.
“This young man with a very intimidating punk–rock style – tattoos, spiked hair, chains, the works – approached me after work in the call center when everyone else was gone for the day,” Tim says.
Tim was sitting in a cubicle directly behind him. As the young man finished up his phone call, he turned around, put his elbows on the little half wall between them, and looked down as he said, “Tim, do you know Jesus?”
This was a turning point for Tim, because he did, in fact, know Jesus. He was a Christian and very active in his church. But in this moment, he realized how much he had compartmentalized his faith and his work life.
“It really shocked me that this kid, who didn’t fit my profile of a Jesus follower, had the guts to evangelize me, his boss,” Tim says. “He really exposed my lack of faith in the workplace. It really hit me pretty hard.” Up until that moment, it had never occurred to Tim that his business could be his ministry.
From turnover to turning point
At this point in his life, Tim was a young, driven entrepreneur running an innovative start–up built on his idea for matching consumers and insurance agents in a competitive way. But the company had a big problem. Their average turnover was about 300 percent and the average length of stay for an employee was only four months.
“Due to the harsh behavior of some upper management, we had people quitting in tears or going on their lunch breaks and never coming back,” Tim says. “It was an odd, ugly work environment, and one that I was not very proud of.”
The final straw
Tim knew things had to change, but another heartbreaking event cemented his resolve to transform his company. Tim’s office manager, Terry, was hospitalized and underwent surgery to have his kidney removed. After Terry had been in the hospital for a week, Tim got a call from the nurses’ station. Terry asked Tim to come see him.
When he arrived at the hospital, Tim was unprepared for the scene in Terry’s room. “He was in intensive care on dialysis with tubes coming in and out of his body,” Tim says.
“He couldn’t talk, but he mouthed the words, ‘Pray for me.’ He knew that I went to church, but I had never prayed for people like that, publicly. I promised to pray for him, and then I went home.
Soon after that visit, Terry passed away. As Tim sat at Terry’s funeral a few days later, his heart was crushed. “As I sat in a church that Terry had never stepped foot in, listening to a pastor that Terry had never met give his eulogy, it just hit me that I was Terry’s pastor,” Tim says.
“I was the closest connection that Terry had with anybody who supposedly knew Jesus, and I had let him down in his hour of greatest need.”
Building a business by the Book
Within days of Terry’s death, Tim was given a copy of Larry Burkett’s Business by the Book. As he read it, he realized that his business could be a powerful platform to demonstrate the love of Christ. “Right then and there, I committed my business to the Lord,” he says.
He and his employees developed core values for the company – love, integrity, leadership, and innovation – things they wanted to be known for. Then, they put in systems to embed those values into their culture.
“We began tithing on our proceeds,” Tim explains. “And with that money, we created an employee giving program. I told my team they could give to any organization that didn’t oppose anything Jesus would stand for and left it at that.”
The company matched three to one what the employees gave to charitable organizations, up to $10,000.
Then they set some goals. For example, one quarterly goal was to get to 90 percent of employees contributing at least $100 a year, or $5 a paycheck, to a nonprofit.
“I said if we got to 90 percent they could shave my head,” Tim says. “That was in January, in Colorado. Let me tell you, that was a cold winter for me!”
They also set up a volunteer service program. Any employee or member of their household could go on a volunteer service trip, and the company would cover up to half the cost, plus half of the time off.
Soon, employees were going on home building trips to Mexico, to work in orphanages in Africa, and many other worthwhile endeavors. “I was so impressed with their giving,” Tim says, “and it really opened my eyes to the power of workplace generosity.”
Tim said if 90 percent of his employees gave at least $100 a year to a nonprofit, they could all shave his head. That was a cold winter.
Bottom-line blessings and beyond
The company experienced another unexpected benefit – the positive impact to their workplace culture. The company was ranked in the top 25 best places to work in America in the small business category for four years. One year, they were number two on the list.
“It was such a fun environment,” Tim says. “I could hardly wait for Monday morning. Our turnover was under 10 percent, and we grew to about 75 employees.”
All in all, Tim spent 16 years with his company before he had the opportunity to sell it. “For the first eight years, we struggled and struggled,” he says. “We were focused on the bottom line and never had one.” But things changed dramatically when they started creating what he believes was a God-honoring workplace.
From the corporate world to college
Today, Tim teaches a class in personal financial planning at Colorado Christian University. “It’s a real joy to teach in a Christian context,” Tim says. He uses a textbook by Ron Blue and covers the basics of money management, along with stewardship, generosity, and what it really means when God owns it all.
He is also involved with a variety of impact investments and was one of the executive producers of the Sound of Freedom movie. And he loves being part of his local Colorado generosity community through NCF Rocky Mountains.
“After I set up my Giving Fund (donor-advised fund) with NCF, I was introduced to other like–minded Christian entrepreneurs, givers, and faith–driven investors who have shaped my thinking about how to give, invest, and wisely steward my resources,” Tim says.
Encouragement for entrepreneurs
While he has been retired from the corporate world for some time now, he hopes that telling his story will help other Christian entrepreneurs avoid the same early mistakes he made.
“Instead of focusing solely on the bottom line, I encourage you to place the priority on people, generosity, love, and your culture. And see the blessing God has in store for you!”
Photos: Colorado Christian University and prweb.com
