When Trudy Cathy White, the daughter of Chick-fil-A CEO Dan T. Cathy, was asked the secret of Chick-fil-A she could have answered the question many different ways.
White could have pointed to smart business skills, a killer worth ethic, or being smarter than the rest. Not that it’s wrong to have business skills or work hard but White knew it was more than these qualities which made Chick-fil-A thrive.
Instead, she began to reveal the secret success of Chick-fil-A and how their family business has continued to grow and flourish even with repeated attempts by secular America to shut its doors.
And once you hear from White in her own words about the secret to Chick-fil-A, you’re bound to be encouraged by her testimony and family legacy.
Some say integrity is what you do when no one is watching. While this is true, an even better way to phrase it would be “integrity is what you WHEN everyone is watching.”
After all, it is often the pressure of success and the approval of the world which cause many Christians to stumble and fall publicly.
But Chick-fil-A is a bright example of what a business can achieve by simply staying faithful to true Biblical principles without apology.
Dan Cathy has spent his career living out this principle. And with Trudy Cathy White, you can tell right away the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.
Christian Post interviewed Trudy Cathy White about her personal life and her family’s business.
White shared her heart and all the powerful life-long lessons her father taught her. She also publicly demonstrated that every perfect gift is from above and she rightfully gave the glory of her success to the one who made it all possible.
Here are the top highlights of the interview Christian Post had with Cathy Trudy White (listed as TW in the interview) that highlighted the depth of White’s faith.
Christian Post reported:
CP: People throughout America love Chick-fil-A. We have to ask, what’s the secret?
TW: We do appreciate the fact that we feel like God is blessing our business. I don’t know that there’s really a secret to it. My dad built this business based on biblical principles. He felt like his business decisions kind of go hand in hand with biblical principles. That’s no secret. There’s a lot of things that we are taught in God’s Word and we’ve been able to put it into practice in our business.
Above everything, I think at Chick-fil-A we’ve gotten real clarity of our purpose of why we’re in business. That’s been really important to us. Back in the early ’80s, we recognized the fact that we didn’t have a real clear direction as to why we were in business. But we know today that we’re in business to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that’s been trusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.
CP: What are the most valuable lessons you learned from your father?
TW: I think the most important thing we have to do is to be faithful to the calling that God has put on our hearts and to live that out consistently. I greatly admired my dad as one who lived a very consistent life. It didn’t matter whether he was at home, whether he was at the office, or whether he was in a meeting with other CEOs, he was just always the same.
I think that we bear great witness to who God is and His faithfulness when we can be faithful as well in how we live out our life. One of the things that my parents taught us is that the important things can’t be bought with dollars and cents. The important things in life are people looking for joy, peace and hope, and you won’t find those things for sale or in a store. Those things you will find in the truth of God’s Word and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Trudy Cathy White nailed it! She highlights the fact that her father was the same – he was a Christian whether at home or at work. And because of his faith, his values didn’t change while he was running a business.
In addition, White points to the truth that the Bible tells us how to live our lives whether running a business, raising a family, or standing for conservative values like traditional marriage.
While Chick-fil-A has achieved continued success throughout the years not everyone has been happy with a company publicly standing for Jesus.
Gay activists have long been upset with Dan Cathy for his pro-traditional marriage statements over the years.
Cathy has warned that by celebrating things like gay marriage, we are essentially shaking our fist at God, claiming we know more than Him about what constitutes a marriage.
In response to his Christian statements, gay activists have done everything from vandalize Chick-fil-A locations to organize boycotts. And as Christian Life Daily reported, their latest boycott was the most unsuccessful boycott in history.
If anything, all the attention on Chick-fil-A further encouraged Christians to hold true to their convictions while facing controversy. Chick-fil-A is a shining example of how a business can still stand for Christian conservative values and be successful.
With so many businesses these days wavering on their values in order to pander to a secular society, it is refreshing to see Chick-fil-A continues to boldly stand for truth without apology.
As Christians, we can learn from the example of the Cathy family and stay steadfast in our own lives even if the consequences of standing for Jesus could cost us. Standing on the Biblical truth of marriage and on the right side of history is nothing to be ashamed of!
For a more detailed insight to the Cathy family, Trudy Cathy White recently released a book titled Climb Every Mountain which is sure to be an inspirational read designed to encourage those to keep the faith even when trials and struggles come.
The book also includes White’s raw honesty on how her faith personally helped her survive the storms of life.
CBN reported:
“White shares that part of the great Christian foundation she received as a child included her father’s lesson of sharing the love of God with others.
“I think one of the things that my dad taught me was how to care for other people. My dad told me this since I was a little girl, he said, ‘Trudy, if you will help others get what they want in life, you will eventually get what you want out of life,'” said White. “Dad helped me understand this concept that we can look at others and see what their needs are and help them to accomplish what they want to accomplish, and we’ll find some great reward out of that. Jesus said it real simple. He said, ‘It’s better to give than to receive’.”
If you’re looking to purchase Trudy Cathy White’s book, you can do so here.
So tonight, treat your family to a little Chick-fil-A meal and know that your money is going to a business who upholds the truth of God in any and all circumstances!
Do you agree with Trudy Cathy White on her reason for the success of Chick-fil-A?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments below! And be sure to share this story to tell the world the real secret of Chick-fil-A’s success.
