Erik Wesner | Entrepreneur: We're having an Amish moment

We're having an Amish Moment

By Geoff Williams | November 2009

"AMISH ENTREPRENEURS" may sound like two words that don't belong in the same sentence, but the Plain People have moved far beyond selling butter and cheese on the roadside.  In fact, Amish business owners run everything from stores and restaurants to auto repair shops and bookkeeping services.  A book about Amish business wisdom, Success made Simple, is due out in March, and its author, Erik Wesner (SW: '98-'07), recently pointed out that the deeper we get into the 21st century, the clearer it becomes that the Amish haven't caught up with the rest of us.  We're catching up with them.  Think about it:

The Amish are ethical.  "Not that there have never been bad apples, but traditionally a word is an Amishman's bond," Wesner says.  Of course, it took the rest of us awhile before "accountability" became a watchword in this post-Enron, subprime mortgage, Bernie Madoff era.

DIY?  They invented it.  The do-it-yourself ethos may rule among hipsters, but what do you think the Amish have been doing all these years?  They probably chuckled when first lady Michelle Obama inspired people around the country to grow their own vegetables.

They're really, really green.  Amish-owned businesses don't use electricity, or if they do, it's in environmentally friendly ways.  For instance:  Daniel Miller's store, Miller's Furniture, does a brisk business in West Union, Ohio, using a wind turbine and solar panels to power lights, fans, refrigeration--and the credit card machine.

They network.  The Amish treat everyone well, from customers to competitors.  "Another business owner is not only a competitor but a source of advice as well as a potential partner," Wesner says.  "A customer is not only important today but is also a key driver of future business--many Amish rely on word of mouth to build their firms."

They've got the work-life thing figured out.  The Amish are experts at separating their personal and professional lives.  For instance, they would never own a car, but according to Wesner, at least one Amish man around Lancaster, Penn., owns a garage.  And for years, telephones in the house were a no-no:  Allowing the outside world to call anytime, day or night, was an intrusion.  Imagine that.  Recently, some Amish have begun using cell phones, which can be turned off, and even email.  Still, most Amish entrepreneurs are able to focus on family and religion at home, and leave work behind at work.