My name is Jerry Kennedy. I’m a Christian, a husband, a dad of 3 uniquely beautiful kids, a former chiropractor, and the founder of Purpose Local. 

When I was 24-years-old, I opened my chiropractic practice and began my journey of small-business ownership. Like most small-business owners, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, and it was much harder than I thought it was going to be. 

It’s a miracle that I didn’t have to close my practice in those first few years. I was a hot mess, but I was bound and determined to make it work. By the grace of God, and with a lot of trial and error, I started to make sense of my local business. 

But unlike most chiropractors, it turns out that I liked being a business owner more than I liked being a chiropractor. So after 9 years in practice, I decided to close up shop. I very much appreciated my patients and the time I spent in practice, but I felt like life was taking me in a new direction.

Over the past few years, I have been a mentor/consultant for chiropractors. My job has been to help young and struggling chiropractors better understand their business and get their practices on track. It’s a role that is near and dear to my heart because of my own struggles as a young chiropractor. 

But when you really look at it, most of the business struggles that chiropractors deal with are not uniquely chiropractic struggles. In general, small business owners struggle with understanding how to improve their businesses and have the kind of impact in their community that they would like to have.

When I decided to start Purpose Local, I had two things in mind. First, I wanted to help Christian small-business owners better understand and improve their local business, as I have for so many chiropractors. Second, I wanted to create a place where Christian small business owners can not only get help growing their business but also their faith.

As a Christian and a small business owner, I know that those two parts of my life are NOT mutually exclusive. My faith is at the core of how I treat people and how I run my business. Ultimately, I can not fulfill my purpose as a small-business owner independent of my greater purpose, to glorify the Lord. The two go hand in hand.

Colossians 3 tells us that whatever we do, we should do it “as to the Lord and not to men.” Owning a small local business isn’t for everyone, but it is for some. It’s our calling. My hope is Purpose Local provides Christian business owners with tips, services, and tools that help them walk more worthy of their calling. 

God First:

My purpose in life (both personally and professionally) is to glorify God.

People Matter:

My business practices and recommendations reflect that.

Excellence Matters:

If I am going to do something, I am committed to doing it well.

Integrity Matters:

I do what is right because it is right, not because it is easy or because someone is watching.

God:

There is one God and He exists eternally as 3 persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus:

Jesus is God in the flesh. He was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life. He died as a sacrifice for sin. He rose from the grave on the 3rd day. He ascended to Heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father. 

The Holy Bible:

The Scriptures are God-breathed. They are inspired, inerrant, and authoritative. 

Salvation:

Salvation is by grace through faith. It can not be earned. It is the gift of God, purchased by the blood of Christ, and available to all who receive Jesus as Lord. 

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