"In retrospect, of course, I didn't realize it then when he said, ‘Son, I don't give positions. I give opportunities. We'll see what you can do.’ But you know, now I sit here as the owner of the company, some 30 years later, and I've worked every position getting up to here, so I know how the company runs." ~Jim Henderson

Faith and fasteners may not seem like an obvious fit. For Jim Henderson, president of Dynamic Sales Company, Inc out of St. Louis, his beliefs and his business couldn’t be more compatible.

Jim shares his levelheaded business advice as well as some refreshingly honest insight into the role religion plays in his Christian-based company.

“The four points of our star logo are service, quality, commitment, and integrity. And those all line up with those principles that we gather from our faith.” Jim isn’t shy about his relationship with God. His religion is a tool for creating opportunities and maintaining an inclusive, successful family-run company.  From tithing on behalf of the company to incorporating two scripture passages into the Dynamic logo, Jim’s spiritual values are woven throughout the fabric of his life. 

The value of deep connections informs Jim’s recruiting style as well. He’s a master at finding the right people for the right positions through seemingly unconventional relationships, finding candidates in unlikely places: a car dealership and a newspaper route.

“One of the things I try to find is what my brother and I used to term a servant's heart, someone's who is willing to serve the customer and put the customer's needs before their own.” Jim still uses traditional resources like LinkedIn and Indeed but he’s always on the lookout in his day-to-day interactions for fresh, forward-thinking talent. 

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Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.   

http://www.distributionteam.com

This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios.

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbader/

Connect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-henderson-83280312/

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The value Jim places on service and relationship-building is also evident when he speaks about STAFDA, the trade organization his father helped start. He’s baffled by members who pay their dues but sit on the sidelines.

“Being able to use my network - and I have used that from coast to coast, North, South, East and West - and being able to connect with people,” he says, “they're always willing to help a fellow STAFDA member out.” 

Likewise, Jim’s commitment to customer service has seen the industrial sector of Dynamic’s business grow considerably. That success is a credit to his expertise at pursuing relationships as avenues for growth, making sales calls instead of micro-managing from behind a desk. “I work on the big picture stuff,” he laughs. “I don't worry about the minutia of everything. That's handled by everybody here and I just focus on customers and I enjoy it.”

If you’re interested in the scriptures Jim quotes, they are John 14:6 and Matthew 6:33. He also mentions the following books: Business By The Book by Larry Burkett and Talk The Walk: How To Be Right Without Being Insufferable by Steve Brown.