Do you still think that the purpose of a business is to make money? So, do you have a tree to grow money or a machine to print it? NO, the purpose of a business is to create a customer, because the customer is your source of income, not the product or service that you sell. The next step is to retain that customer, which entails careful planning and strategic thinking to build a sustainable business model.
A business is an economic activity that involves the exchange, purchase, sale, or creation of goods and services with the goal of profit and customer satisfaction. So many people think that they can capitalise on an idea or sudden need to make a quick buck. When load shedding starts, they quickly import the commodity or product required which may have nothing to do with their current business or profession.
We’ve seen that with the onset of load shedding. Every Dick Tom & Harry started importing generators and so many burnt their fingers because that was not their core business, and they knew nothing about the industry. The same is now happening with solar power.
These are not business ideas and are not sustainable. These are schemes to make money. You may just as well go and gamble at the casino, that is also a scheme to make a fast buck and most of the time it doesn’t work!
The purpose of a business, in other words, is not to make money. It is to make a profit so that the business can do something more or better. That “something” becomes the real justification for the business.