Understanding Business

I don’t know how many times I have said it to others and more often to myself that I will do my own business. I want to build my own organization. Nothing new. So many have the same dream. So many pursue it too. But do I really understand its meaning or I just want to follow the crowd. Let me explore its true meaning just sitting alone and finding the true essence of it. After all its my business.


What is business?
Making profit…? Selling products…? Sustaining growth…? Eliminating competition…?

I am not an MBA kid. I don’t pose the bookish knowledge or definition of Business. But to start with first let me explore the basic or fundamental of it. It is not only what is business. It is why do we do business. What is the objective of doing it…pursuing it. The true nature of business…where does its spirit lie?

Is it money, which drives business? Then again, there are so many methods to own money.
Is it like, since I am not capable of doing others things, so business. Believe me no one would like this idea.
Is it buying and selling the products and creating the market for it fascinates me. That’s why I am doing business. This sounds like a complete sentence. But is it the only thing which fascinates me?


Allow me to go a bit further and deeper.
Business or trade is a basic and ancient human behavior. I believe it is one of the most noble characteristics developed within men. It has dramatically put human species miles ahead of other species. Initially before this trade or business concept human must be snatching or stealing the object from the possessor without giving anything in return. A typical animal behavior. What it would lead to? Not letting any motivation arise to generate idea or innovation or desire to produce something worthy. The kind of war between tribes or individual were the result of the same. Lack of business practice. Otherwise it would be a hand shaking process. Smooth and pleasant. Give me that, take equivalent this in return. Both happy, both satisfied.
This process of exchange made people more productive, innovative and motivated. It lead to believe individual that if they produce something worthy, they can earn their most desired luxury on return. They can exchange their product with others who has something which can be traded in return.

It made the society. It nurtured the civilization. It has organized every single thing. Actually it has chanellized the whole available energy and capabilities in a proper way. The person who was capable to produce became the leader of the society. The one who refused or unable to produce became the slave. Serve your masters and earn your salary. Again this service term is generated form the same business practice.

From here I can derive my definition of business. It’s a process of exchange or trade to get the desired object in return of what I can offer to other who find it worthy. It’s a give and take process.

Money, which is just an invention in the field of business or method for exchange, drastically made the whole process of business so flexible and versatile. It is just a byproduct of business.
It can be imagined as the center of the whole business process. All different business process is assumed at the peripheral of the circle and money is at the center. If you want to trade of two product, just come to the center from first product and move to the other product from here. It has created a well defined method and path. In a nutshell, Money is the Unified Theory for the business process and practice.

So here comes my understanding or the steps of the business.
Ø Find or develop the capability to build
Ø Arrange resources to build or create it.
Ø List your desired product or wish
Ø Get the person interested in your product.
Ø Trade it directly for your desired product or indirectly, i.e. through the money exchange process.

Here most of the time we consider the step of exchanging as a complete business, which is incomplete statement according to me. That is just a part of business, not a complete picture.
Manufacturing the product and at the last step getting the desired product, completes the circle of business.
Now again each step has and require different set of skills set and capabilities, like from idea to product, from product to market and from market to customer. Most of the time one is not capable of doing all things individually. One may be good in one part but may not carry the skill set require for the other area of business. Here again money comes as a solution for it, which allow you to buy the support require to run the complete process.

Now I believe I have a complete 360 degree view of the business process. From desiring to achieving in a manner which is beneficial for all the persons involved in the loop.
Now after reviewing all previous definitions make sense to me and all of them are falling at right places.
Ø Making money: Refers appropriate exchange value for my product which will in return get me the desired product eventually.
Ø Selling product: So that I can exchange it for my wish list.
Ø Sustaining growth: So that I can continue to get my desired product. Again note here that men desires are endless.
Ø Eliminating competitors: It looks like the dark side of the business from outside. But look deeper, it eliminates the monopoly of a single person and at the same time makes the market and create an environment, where products are finer day by day. Improve or vacant that place for a better and more eligible manufacturer or businessman. It will lead to innovation and growth for the whole human race.

Business process reflects the true capability of a human, which is more intellectually than physically. The motion in the society is the result of its practice. Without it stagnation of growth is guaranteed. It creates a parameter for a society as per its ability to create. Want to see a happy society, check its business practices.

This ancient practice has come a long way and there are lots of changes and modifications occur in this area which has made this process versatile and relevant to current culture. But the real essence is still intact….getting by giving.