4 ms·

That'd be pretty to think so, but the wide majority of the Satmar community lives in poverty and is dependent on government benefits. The tendency towards entre

That'd be pretty to think so, but the wide majority of the Satmar community lives in poverty and is dependent on government benefits. The tendency towards entrepreneurship -- if there is one -- is more likely to be the result of being unwilling or unable to assimilate into a non-religious society. I can't speak for the LDSs, since I don't know them.

jonny_eh 7y ago
Exactly, it probably has more to do with setting your own hours plus not needing to ask permission to take off for religious holidays or even Saturdays.
undefined3840 7y ago
I grew up with a lot of Mormons...anecdotally would say their families were more often SMB owners than not. Utah also has a pretty happening tech scene nowadays.
- richeyrw 7y ago
  I am a Mormon SMB owner, and I agree with your point, but in the interest of full disclosure, there is a darker side to this tendency as well. Utah (read Mormons) is the MLM capital of the world, with other get rich quick schemes being pretty popular as well. https://talkingpointsmemo.com/theslice/mormon-utah-valley-multilevel-marketing-thrive-doterra https://talkingpointsmemo.com/theslice/mormon-utah-valley-mu...
  - jermaustin1 7y ago
    I had always wondered if there was a link between MLMs and Mormons. They are always overly upbeat and Christian (classic Mormon stereotypes) in their marketing, and so many of them are in Utah.
- jermaustin1 7y ago
  I grew up in a small Texas town with an outsized population of Mormons, and the ones I knew were either public sector or business owners.
  - Spooky23 7y ago
    That’s a common SMB and family farm model. Husband runs the business, wife works for the county/town/school for the healthcare and pension.
knicholes 7y ago
I grew up LDS my whole pre-adult life. There's a big focus on self-reliance. Also, the men are supposed to serve missions for two years (go teach about Jesus and the church). I imagine the skillset required to go door-to-door teaching people about something is very transferrable to other sales, which is very important when being an entrepreneur.
- markdown 7y ago
  > Also, the men are supposed to serve missions for two years Not just the men.
  - knicholes 7y ago
    Sorry, I should have said, "mandated" instead of "supposed to". Women aren't commanded to serve missions, but they can. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2013/01/young-women-and-the-mission-decision?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2013/01/you... Spencer W. Kimball said, "Every boy and many girls and couples should serve missions. Every prospective missionary should prepare morally, spiritually, mentally, and financially all of his life in order to serve faithfully, efficiently, and well in the great program of missionary work” (“Advice to a Young Man: Now Is the Time to Prepare,” New Era, June 1973, 9; italics added)."
- lb1lf 7y ago
  -Just out of curiosity, doesn't that same obligation to serve missions apply to women? I used to live right next to an apartment owned by the Mormon church in a small Norwegian town; on two occasions the missionaries were female. Oddly enough, the most efficient mission they did (whether they were male or female!) was to simply not make such a big deal of it; being a rather devout Lutheran myself, we quickly agreed there was no need to attempt converting each other - though they were always good conversation partners and with a seemingly genuine desire to be of assistance any way they possibly could. Apparently, the incoming ones were to an extent briefed on the locals by the departing ones - I had a chuckle being playfully greeted by a new pair of missionaries as "Oh, so you are that stubborn heathen we've been hearing about..." Missionaries with a well-developed sense of humour. Brilliant.

jonny_eh 7y ago

Exactly, it probably has more to do with setting your own hours plus not needing to ask permission to take off for religious holidays or even Saturdays.

undefined3840 7y ago

I grew up with a lot of Mormons...anecdotally would say their families were more often SMB owners than not. Utah also has a pretty happening tech scene nowadays.

richeyrw 7y ago
I am a Mormon SMB owner, and I agree with your point, but in the interest of full disclosure, there is a darker side to this tendency as well. Utah (read Mormons) is the MLM capital of the world, with other get rich quick schemes being pretty popular as well. https://talkingpointsmemo.com/theslice/mormon-utah-valley-multilevel-marketing-thrive-doterra https://talkingpointsmemo.com/theslice/mormon-utah-valley-mu...
- jermaustin1 7y ago
  I had always wondered if there was a link between MLMs and Mormons. They are always overly upbeat and Christian (classic Mormon stereotypes) in their marketing, and so many of them are in Utah.
jermaustin1 7y ago
I grew up in a small Texas town with an outsized population of Mormons, and the ones I knew were either public sector or business owners.
- Spooky23 7y ago
  That’s a common SMB and family farm model. Husband runs the business, wife works for the county/town/school for the healthcare and pension.

knicholes 7y ago

I grew up LDS my whole pre-adult life. There's a big focus on self-reliance. Also, the men are supposed to serve missions for two years (go teach about Jesus and the church). I imagine the skillset required to go door-to-door teaching people about something is very transferrable to other sales, which is very important when being an entrepreneur.

markdown 7y ago
> Also, the men are supposed to serve missions for two years Not just the men.
- knicholes 7y ago
  Sorry, I should have said, "mandated" instead of "supposed to". Women aren't commanded to serve missions, but they can. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2013/01/young-women-and-the-mission-decision?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2013/01/you... Spencer W. Kimball said, "Every boy and many girls and couples should serve missions. Every prospective missionary should prepare morally, spiritually, mentally, and financially all of his life in order to serve faithfully, efficiently, and well in the great program of missionary work” (“Advice to a Young Man: Now Is the Time to Prepare,” New Era, June 1973, 9; italics added)."
lb1lf 7y ago
-Just out of curiosity, doesn't that same obligation to serve missions apply to women? I used to live right next to an apartment owned by the Mormon church in a small Norwegian town; on two occasions the missionaries were female. Oddly enough, the most efficient mission they did (whether they were male or female!) was to simply not make such a big deal of it; being a rather devout Lutheran myself, we quickly agreed there was no need to attempt converting each other - though they were always good conversation partners and with a seemingly genuine desire to be of assistance any way they possibly could. Apparently, the incoming ones were to an extent briefed on the locals by the departing ones - I had a chuckle being playfully greeted by a new pair of missionaries as "Oh, so you are that stubborn heathen we've been hearing about..." Missionaries with a well-developed sense of humour. Brilliant.