Michelle Raymond: Running a business built on faith
Michelle Raymond is an entrepreneur with a high profile in the Christian and business world. She is CEO of The People’s Partner, a business that helps clients with contracts, policies and workplace practices; founder of The Diverse Business Summit conference; provides leadership development coaching; and published her debut book, David’s Guide to Goliath: Strategies for Small Business Owners to Land Large Contracts, last year. Michelle shared with Keep The Faith her entrepreneurial journey, the role faith plays in her life and business, and her aspirations for the future.
KEEP THE FAITH (KTF): Your entrepreneurial journey has inspired so many. How did The People’s Partner come about?
MICHELLE RAYMOND (MR): My entrepreneurial journey didn’t begin with a big plan or a desire to run a business. I attended an event with my husband, Peter, and during one session, the moderator asked if anyone wanted to come on stage to talk about their business. I was completely relaxed because I didn’t have one. Then my husband nudged my arm into the air, and out of a room of 400 people, I was chosen.
I felt nervous, but on that stage I spoke about what I did know: HR, people dynamics, and why strong people practices are critical for business success. When I stepped down, people surrounded me, asking for help with contracts, policies, and workplace challenges.
That night, I prayed for direction. The name The People’s Partner came clearly. I registered the business and have never looked back. Ten years on, it continues to grow and adapt.
KTF: You’ve gone from adversity to influence. What mindset shifts were essential for you to build a thriving business despite past challenges?
MR: The biggest mindset shift was realising my past did not get to define me. I had to see that what I went through strengthened me, built resilience, and prepared me for what came next. That changed how I showed up in business.
Practically, I focused on consistency. I kept showing up, even when my confidence was low. That consistency built character and credibility. Over time, I learned to separate my identity and other people’s perceptions from the results I knew I could deliver.
When I shifted my focus back to genuinely helping people, opportunities followed. I’m still a work in progress.
KTF: You work a lot with women and Christian business owners. What one quality is it essential for women to have if they want to succeed in their business or career?
MR: Identity. Knowing exactly who you are in Christ. When you’re rooted in that, you stop shrinking, apologising and playing small. You start to understand just how important you are. Many Christian women are still asking for permission to be great. Undeserving, underselling, underrepresenting. It’s one thing to know God, but another thing to understand the principles of God and who WE are in Him! Every woman, who understands who she is in Christ, carries a strength that makes long-term success possible.
KTF: You recently published your debut book. What inspired you to write it, and what “giants” were you personally determined to defeat?
MR: David’s Guide to Goliath: Strategies for Small Business Owners to Land Large Contracts is written for people who want to face the giants in their life and in business. I wrote it to give entrepreneurs and professionals a practical blueprint for standing firm when things feel overwhelming. But it also comes from my own battles.
One of my biggest giants was the label placed on me in 2009 – “wife of a paedophile”. I carried that shame for years and made a conscious decision that it would not define my future. People often ask why I work so hard or how I access the opportunities I do. The truth is, I’ve done the inner work. I needed to prove to myself that I could face and defeat my own giants.
Writing this book was about defeating invisibility and limitation, while equipping entrepreneurs and small business owners with the mindset and strategies to win large corporate contracts and step confidently into bigger rooms.
KTF: Your faith plays a very important role in your life. What role did faith play in your early years growing up, and what aspects of your childhood shaped who you are now?
MR: Growing up in church from the age of seven, faith and prayer were the norm in a world that often felt unpredictable. My mum kept our home grounded in prayer, discipline and Bible reading, so I know no other way to live.
When life threw challenges and I started to second-guess my walk with Christ, at the back of my mind I always knew God would deliver me. I’ve proven Him time and time again.
I was brought up in a church movement called Bibleway, from the old-school era: prayer and fasting, all-nighters, hat-wearing, no trousers, no jewellery. And though things have changed significantly, I hold fast to those days of being at the altar. I’m not perfect – far from it – so I depend on God even more.
KTF: You’ve faced extraordinary personal challenges, including discovering that your former husband was accused of a serious crime. How did your faith anchor you during that season?
MR: I couldn’t believe that I was in this situation. At times, I wanted to give up totally, especially when I fell into depression and social services threatened to take my daughter away from me.
But one Scripture that has comforted me throughout was Psalms 30:5 – ‘Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.’ My faith, family and good friends kept me standing during that season.
I had to re-learn how to trust Him, and that’s where my mum and aunt became like my guardians. They knew that this was for a season and prayed me through it – even when I could no longer pray. I learned that God’s presence doesn’t remove the pain, but it gives you the strength to survive it without losing yourself.
KTF: Many Christian entrepreneurs struggle with balancing faith and business demands. How has your relationship with God guided your decisions, especially during moments of uncertainty?
MR: Faith has never been something I switch on only when things go wrong. In moments when business isn’t working, when you’re doing everything you can to bring income in, and logic and strategy still aren’t enough, you’re forced to pray, even when you don’t feel like it.
Faith taught me that obedience often comes before understanding. That’s uncomfortable in business, but it’s powerful. Now I pray before every proposal is sent and before every meeting takes place. I don’t go alone. I can’t afford to.
KTF: You’re now living in Dubai to support your daughter as she builds her career as a realtor. How has this new season broadened your vision for business, faith and family?
MR: Living in Dubai to support my daughter has been a gift I didn’t expect. Watching her build her career here and grow into the elegant young woman she’s becoming has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Being in a Muslim country has also deepened my faith in unexpected ways. The discipline around prayer, community and reverence for God has challenged me as a Christian, in a good way. It’s made me reflect on how easily we can take the Name of Jesus for granted. My faith hasn’t weakened here. Instead, it has become richer and more intentional.
Professionally, this season has expanded my vision. Opening a UAE arm of my business and working with high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and corporates across Dubai and Saudi has confirmed that I’m in a season of growth, and any trace of imposter syndrome has had to go.
KTF: Looking ahead, what future projects or assignments do you feel God is leading you towards, and how do you hope your story continues to empower others?
MR: I feel a strong sense that God is leading me into a season of expansion and responsibility. There are real opportunities opening up for my work within oil and gas, and professional services here in Dubai, and increasingly in Saudi as well.
I have plans to build a global ecosystem of suppliers, bringing together talent and expertise from different parts of the world to serve organisations across the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). That kind of collaboration feels right to me and definitely leans into my desire to help more people, globally.
My hope is that my story continues to show people what’s possible when you commit fully and take a risk. It was not an easy decision moving to the UAE, but if my journey gives someone else permission to believe that anything is possible, then my job here is done.
