Word: gadow
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Religious hard sells like Trammell's can "absolutely risk alienating" non-Christians, says Irene Dickey, a Christian branding expert. When Mark Gadow of Preston, Md., registered his Christian Faith Driving School at the Department of Motor Vehicles, a worker there urged him to change the name. Gadow, a burly former policeman, persisted, painting giant fish on the sides of his Hyundai Tiburons. But when he dropped off applications at a public school, he later found them tossed in the trash. And one student angrily denounced God in class...
With 4 out of 5 Americans calling themselves Christians and 40% of the population born-again, however, the possibility of alienating customers is "a risk business owners feel they can afford to take," says Dickey. It often pays off. Despite early setbacks, Gadow's driving school has expanded to three locations; he was even able to persuade the angry student to return to church. But some Christian entrepreneurs want it both ways. In 2002, Maryland real estate broker Philip DeLizio, 47, joined the Christian Real Estate Network. Launched by Orange, Calif., broker Bart Smith to connect Christian home buyers with...