A $37 Bet on God
In 1936, Stanley Tam started a business with $37 in capital. He sold silver reclaiming products from his kitchen table in Lima, Ohio. It was modest. It was slow. It was barely enough.
But Tam had an idea that most people would call insane. He decided to make God his senior partner — not metaphorically, but legally. In 1955, he transferred 51% of his company, United States Plastic Corporation, to a foundation dedicated to missions. By 1955, he'd given over the remaining 49%.
God owned 100% of the company. Tam was now an employee of his own business.
From Kitchen Table to Global Enterprise
Here's what happened next: the company exploded. Revenue grew year after year. United States Plastic Corporation became one of the largest plastic distribution companies in America, generating over $140 million in revenue.
Tam channelled the profits into global missions. Over his lifetime, he funded missionary work in dozens of countries, supported Bible translation projects, and helped plant churches in places most businesspeople would never think about.
He didn't slow down, either. Stanley Tam remained active in business and missions until his death in 2019 at the age of 107.
Not a Theory — A Life
What makes Tam's story different from motivational business books is the sheer scale of time. This wasn't a burst of generosity that faded. This was 83 years of giving. From 1936 to 2019, through recessions, wars, market crashes, and industry disruptions, the pattern held: give everything, and God provides more to give.
Tam once said: "A man can eat only one meal at a time, wear only one suit of clothes at a time, drive only one car at a time. All the rest is just to keep score."
What This Means for You
You probably aren't going to sign your company over to a foundation tomorrow. That's fine. Tam's point wasn't the specific act — it was the orientation. He treated his business as something he was stewarding, not something he owned.
What would shift in your relationship with money if you stopped thinking of it as yours? Not in a guilt-driven way, but in a liberated one? Tam lived to 107 and never seemed stressed about cash. Maybe there's a connection.