Though monasteries accept donations to support their life and work, many people don’t realize they have to be self-supporting, so they need to find steady ways to earn money. When the Cistercian abbey of Our Lady of Spring Bank in Sparta, Wisconsin wanted to increase their income, they thought about starting a Christmas tree farm, building a golf course and conference center, and even growing shitake mushrooms.

One day it dawned on Father Bernard McCoy, O.Cist., the monk responsible for the “temporal” needs of the community, how high the mark-up is on the price of name-brand toner and ink supplies. He then found that many companies make compatible or remanufactured cartridges for far less. Here, he thought, the monastery might be able to sell these products and also pass along considerable savings to customers.

Their business, known as LaserMonks.com, began to grow. Then, two Colorado women who were looking to sell their online ink cartridge business contacted the monks. One thing led to another, and these two offered to help the monks with business development; eventually they moved permanently onto the monastery property to manage the business under the name MonkHelper Marketing, Inc.

LaserMonks have expanded to selling a full range of office supplies to businesses, educational and medical institutions, religious organizations, and individuals. They describe their enterprise as a win-win situation: The community has a reliable and growing source of income to support themselves and their charitable works around the world, and their customers save money. Through their focus on “people benefits,” the Spring Bank Cistercians seeks to integrate entrepreneurship with their 900-year-old monastic tradition of hospitality.
The LaserMonks have received national press coverage, and in 2003 their sales increased 700 percent; this year they anticipate 200 or 300 percent growth. They estimate that last year they saved their customers $200,000.