‘With God, everything; without God, nothing’: guiding principles of a Catholic family business

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 17, 2024 / 08:00 am

“With God, everything; without God, nothing”: This maxim of her mother left a deep impression on Luz Maribel Jiménez, director of human resources at Carnicerías Jiménez, an award-winning Catholic family grocery store chain in Chicago. 

In an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Jiménez shared her family’s guiding principles to inspire entrepreneurs who aspire to lead a business with values ​​and purpose.

“The most important lessons I learned from my parents include putting God and family first, maintaining a strong work ethic, feeling pride and love for what you do, treating everyone with respect, and offering help whenever possible. These are just some of the lessons,” said Jiménez, one of the family’s daughters.

A legacy born from faith, effort, and sacrifice

In 1975, José Jiménez and his wife, Guadalupe, opened a fruit store on the corner of 26th and Pulaski, marking the beginning of the Jiménez family’s legacy in Chicago. From that first business, they were able to expand and transform their venture into Carnicerías Jiménez, now a chain of eight stores that offers fresh produce to the community.

Today, José and his children manage the business, which is much appreciated for the contribution it makes to the local community. In addition, the company’s employees appreciate its family atmosphere. 

“My parents built this business from scratch. They built it on a foundation of faith, love, respect, hard work, dedication, and sacrifice,” Luz Maribel Jiménez shared.

Guadalupe, the mother of the family and one of its pillars, passed away on Feb. 7, 2022, leaving a great void but valuable lessons, her daughter related.

“Without a doubt, the most significant challenge we have encountered as a family and as a business has been the death of my mother. Although she will always be in our hearts, she played a huge role in our lives.”

Jiménez, who continues her legacy, shared with ACI Prensa some of the lessons her mother lived by.

1. ‘Faith is fundamental.’

According to Jiménez, the Catholic faith has been the driving force that undergirds the family in all its decisions. “My parents always put God as the basis of every action, from the smallest to the most consequential.”

A clear example of this was when the family opened its store on Fullerton Avenue. José, the patriarch of the family, decided to build a private chapel in the store to keep alive his devotion to St. Martin de Porres, which he practiced growing up in Mexico. This decision allows him and his team to pray to the saint and also to the Virgin of Guadalupe and St. Jude Thaddeus.

“Faith has been fundamental” in the development and growth of the business,” Jiménez said.

“Prayer and reflection have been guiding forces, helping us clarify our vision and make crucial decisions. It has strengthened our resilience during difficult times, allowing us to maintain a positive attitude and continue moving forward,” Jiménez explained.

2. ‘Sustaining and transmitting family values.’

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The continuity of family values, according to Jiménez, is another of Carnicerías Jiménez’s mainstays.

“My parents have upheld and passed down our family values ​​throughout the generations by fostering open communication, sharing stories, encouraging participation in traditions, and leading by example,” she recounted.

In particular, her father has been an exceptional storyteller: “For as long as I can remember, he would engage us directly, using examples from his experiences to illustrate his points, always concluding with a moral lesson.”

In this regard, she addressed future generations of Latino youth to urge them to “always remember their roots and embrace and celebrate their faith, family, traditions, and talents.”

“Their faith will guide them on the right path, while gratitude for their blessings will empower them. Family traditions and the shared values ​​they maintain are vital connections to the future,” she advised.

3. Be grateful: ‘We cannot achieve success alone.’

Another of the main lessons that the Jiménez family can leave to future generations of Catholic entrepreneurs, she said, is having learned “to lead [their employees] with integrity, respect, and gratitude.” 

“Although business and financial growth is crucial, we recognize that we cannot achieve success alone. We must be grateful to our employees, customers, the communities where we are located, suppliers and advisers: all those who have contributed to building our business,” she noted.

4. Constantly educate yourself; ‘never lose sight of your dreams.’

Jiménez also advised entrepreneurs to commit to continuous learning since, according to her, “education is essential to create positive changes in your life and in the lives of others.”

“Never lose sight of your dreams; you have the ability to achieve them. Also, always remember to appreciate those who supported you on your path to your goals,” she added.

5. ‘Maintain an environment where employees feel like family.’

One of the priorities of the Jiménez family has always been the well-being of its employees. Jiménez emphasized that the company has worked to create “an environment in which they feel like family, valued and appreciated.”

“Our mentality has been to provide for our employees, our community, and all those who have helped us reach our 50th year in business,” she said.

In addition, she recalled that the company’s policies are based on solid principles of “honesty, humility, service, and gratitude.”

6. ‘Money is a tool, never an end.’

For the Jiménez family, business should not be just a means to make a profit. The human resources director emphasized that “business for the sake of making a profit is never the way” and added that “the end result and decision-making based solely on numbers should not be the only metric to define whether our business or company is profitable.”

“Money is a tool, never an end,” she pointed out, emphasizing that the true measure of their success is what they can do for the community.

“Our business has always measured itself and its profitability by what we can do to continue to provide employment and stability in our neighborhoods. We do our best to provide/donate financial assistance to the local community, the Catholic Church, and on the global level,” Jiménez noted.

Being a successful business, Carnicerías Jiménez has managed to engage locally by donating financial and food assistance to charities, churches, and schools. In addition, it sponsors community events and offers educational programs and job training for disadvantaged groups.

Globally, the company — under the leadership of José Jiménez — has provided disaster relief, sending supplies to diverse regions such as Mexico, Central America, Haiti, and Puerto Rico, and helping to build schools, clinics, and homes in impoverished areas.

7. One last piece of advice: ‘Pray always; always pay attention to the words of Jesus.’

At the end of the interview, Jiménez emphasized to young people that the key to running a business with values ​​is to always remain in prayer: “Always pray; always pay attention to the words of Jesus, his teachings, and his example in everything we do in this life.”

She also emphasized the importance of cultivating both oneself and one’s employees, avoiding the temptation to exploit resources for financial gain alone. 

“Know that the quality of life you create, the quality of the work environment for yourself and your people will have a huge impact on the profitability of your efforts,” she explained.

Finally, Jiménez shared two quotes that have always accompanied her and sum up her philosophy of work and life:

• “No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence” — Martin Luther King Jr.

• “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” (“For the greater glory of God”), the motto of the Society of Jesus

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.