Lasermonks

No longer monks sitting in monastery copying books. A small order of Cistercian monks in Sparta, Wisconsin, Our Lady of Spring Bank Cistercian Abbey was struggling to find a means of supporting the community. Many ideas had crossed the minds of the five monks and some ventures were attempted. When Father Bernard found that the toner for his laser printer needed replacing, the seed of what would become LaserMonks.com was planted. He realized that if his community was struggling with the high cost of these necessary everyday office items, so too were other religious communities, school and nonprofit organizations. It dawned on him that if he could find a way to save money on these items, he could pass the saving on to other organizations in similar need.

By 2007, this seed of an idea has become what is one of the most complex business models run by a monastery. Ink and toner is a huge industry. Lasermonks online database now boasts more than 35,000 different products and a high-tech online business to hand the 300 to 500 orders a day. http://lasermonks.com/

The monks do struggle with the conflict of peaceful serenity of monastic prayer and charity.
Lasermonks is cited as an example of how to incorporate charity into a business model. It might be a better world if more companies could adopt some of the monks' philosophies.