Secret to My Success: Hobby Lobby Founder on Lasting Success
David Green has been highly successful as founder of Hobby Lobby and Mardel Christian & Education stores. But at age 84, he is convinced that true success is measured not by what people get but what they give to others.
“The Bible talks about our life being nothing but a vapor,” Green told “The Christian Post.” “That helps us decide what we’re going to do with our lives. We’re here for a short time, so what are we going to do with it?”
Green shares his story in the new book “The Legacy Life,” which he wrote with Bill High, a longtime leader in the Christian giving community, both in Kansas City and nationally. He learned the importance of serving others from an early age.
“I think what helped us shift was our parents,” Green said. “We knew what was important to them. My mother loved the Lord, had children who served the Lord and had a strong marriage. On her dying bed, she said, ‘Do you see them? Do you see them?’ And she was seeing angels.”
That moment, he said, clarified what truly lasts. “Just acquiring a lot of stuff is not what makes someone happy,” he said. “God’s been very good to us in business, but we want to do it for a reason bigger than this vapor life.”
For young entrepreneurs hoping to honor God while building successful businesses, Green offered the reminder that everything belongs to God. “We see ourselves as stewards,” he said. “We say God owns it, but then we treat it like we own it. If he owns everything, then we don’t own it. We’re stewards.”
Green’s ultimate vision remains centered on faith rather than fortune. “My greatest aspiration isn’t financial,” he said. “It’s using what we have to tell as many people as possible about Jesus. We don’t have this set up so we can sell it and sit on the beach. It’s his, and we just want to be good stewards as long as we can.”
–Alan Goforth
