Commonly, the public views business as avaricious, naughty, selfish, and dishonest. While sometimes true (as in any discipline there are rogues) for the most part, each of these misconceptions can be easily refuted (which is done at the end of this paper). In this discourse, I turn your attention to what I earnestly believe is the beauty of business which you, in all probability enjoy, and perhaps, do so quite unknowingly.
A few minutes of reflection should bring us to the probable conclusion that everything we have achieved in this world of ours falls from the lap of business – the car you drive, the books you read, the television and movies you enjoy, the clothes you wear, as well as the bridges and tunnels you traverse.  The list of personal benefits from business, including the use of airplanes, sea vessels, rockets, your home, underwear, and so on, is endless.

Religious entities, social clubs, and new countries in their formative declarations, often author laws, rules, commandments, and testaments expounding their purpose or values.  I humbly submit the value-list for business.  At the end of this paper, I heartily welcome the reader’s counter-thoughts and arguments.

BILL’S 25 LAWS OF BUSINESS

Working in ‘business’ affords, or presents the need to, or the learning of, or the how to, of:

  1. Balancing the working budget, that is, ensuring “in” equals “out” constantly
  2. Appreciating the utmost importance of timeliness
  3. Sharing the load through the process of delegating and assigning unchallenged or irreversible authority
  4. Constantly innovating (and not allowing innovation to be held back)
  5. Delivering what is needed (packages, services, or results), how and when desired
  6. Putting others’ needs ahead of your own
  7. Operating with frugality (efficiency), avoiding waste – as part of survival in order to stay up with, or move ahead of, the competition

I interrupt the list to state that not-for-profit organizations and governments (including government-sponsored bodies such as schools, police, hospitals, and lawmakers) often have difficulty adhering to this first list of 7 principles.

To continue, businesses assist participants to:

  1. Assigning individual responsibility
  2. Realize the importance of respect
  3. Learn to listen, even to those with whom you disagree
  4. Allow all speakers to finish their thoughts without your interrupting them
  5. Gather the value of order, place, cleanliness, and organization
  6. Learn the importance of frequent and clear communications
  7. Engage in cooperation and teamwork
  8. Only make commitments you can meet
  9. Avoid extremes in every endeavor
  10. Not waste time
  11. Always be doing something useful
  12. Always speak in a way that benefits others and yourself
  13. Learn how to fit in with those who are different from you
  14. Discover that, always, your own deceit and malicious behavior will come back to haunt you – sooner than later
  15. Enjoy how a small amount of business success confers prestige on the achiever
  16. Continue to dream of amazing success
  17. Realize how your participating in business in the effective way above, gives added purpose to your life.
  18. Constantly, train others whom you can reach, in all of the above

 

Adherence to these 25 laws creates the result of profits which in turn allows the business the luxury of investing in the expansion of its reach.

Dispelling the ideas of business as avaricious, naughty, selfish, and dishonest

Avarice or, ‘doing anything to make a buck’ flies in the face of two facts of reality.  (a) Most businesses do not make a profit.  (They are trying to, but the target is extremely difficult.)  (b) The largest, wealthiest and most successful companies in the world, year after year, average only 5 to 6% profits.

The airline industry has operated for a century without achieving a collective profit.  Many of the other benefits (encased in the 25 laws) have continued to make their business worthwhile for participants.  Just as not all actors become box-office idols, most business people do not become disgustingly rich.

Naughty and dishonest behavior towards clients, or other business people, quickly turns sufferers and their large group of friends against such malpractitioners – as noted in rule #21.

Selfish is tantamount to failure in enterprises, as business success comes only from high degrees of cooperation (see Laws #13 and 14).

Now it’s your time to turn on the counterarguments.

Bill