How to Do Business With the Amish
The Amish are a Christian group whose members purposefully live a simple agricultural life of farming and manual labor in their own communities. Amish communities are mainly found in some of the Midwestern states of the U.S. and in Ontario, Canada. Due to their isolationist way of life and reluctance to use modern technology, doing business with the Amish can prove difficult. However, by using cultural and business techniques, a working relationship with an Amish community can be established.
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Instructions
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Locate an Amish community in your vicinity. Many Amish communities do not use email or the telephone, which will mean traveling to the community to do any deal. Carefully consider the nature of business you wish to conduct with the Amish. Typical Amish businesses include furniture making, farming and textiles. Some business areas, particularly high-tech or service businesses, will not be suitable to pitch to Amish communities.
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Find a non-Amish business contact operating near the Amish community you are targeting. Due to their isolated nature, Amish are often indifferent to non-Amish, or "English" as they are called. Using an established intermediary could circumvent this problem, as you will not be coming to the community as an unknown outsider but as the friend of a known entity. Ideal middlemen for communicating with the Amish include businessmen already engaged in business with an Amish community, and members of local business organizations, such as chambers of commerce.
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Arrange a visit to the Amish community through your contact. Visiting will allow you to meet businessmen or suppliers in the community and build a rapport with them, and it will show a commitment to engaging in business with the Amish. When visiting, dress in plain clothes. Female visitors should wear long skirts rather than trousers. Normally, the men in Amish communities make the business decisions and should be addressed before women, but all Amish groups differ, so check with your contact first. Above all, be accommodating and friendly.
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Maintain a relationship with the community through your contact, as this relationship will prove vital in building a business connection. Treat Amish business partners with respect and courtesy, allowing leeway and concessions in order to build the relationship. Amish businesses are judged first and foremost on their sustainability and ability to provide for the community, and are often financially involved in community-outreach and support projects. These elements of the relationship should be kept in mind when setting up business with an Amish community, as well as a reluctance to resort to litigation in disputes with suppliers.
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References
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