Most people work to pay bills, but owning a business can deliver both income and freedom, self-expression, and influence. The speaker rejects the idea that a business exists only to attract customers, arguing instead it should provide more life to owners, employees, and customers through products and financial resources.
What is the purpose of having a business? Why do we work? Those are the questions we're going to answer today. As I sit outside in my backyard and just kind of relax on this afternoon and listen to the birds and have a lizard or two climbing around on my little enclosed tent here. I'm pondering, you know, why would you want to start a business? And I think that probably you have to look at the purpose of work and the purpose of a business in order to understand why I think that starting a business is one of the most important things you can do. And I think that everyone ought to have some form of a business. And first of all, the reason we work— a lot of people tell you that we work for fulfillment, we work for things like that. But I think if you were to ask the average person, why do we work? Well, if you asked them on Monday morning, they're gonna say, 'Cause I have bills to pay.' If you ask them on any given day, it'll be, 'Cause I have to.' If you ask them as they're going back from lunch, they would say, 'Because I need the money. There's always something of need, and but rarely do people work— do they say, well, I work because it brings me greater joy, or I work because I get more freedom in life, or I work because I'm making a difference. Almost all the average people will say they work because they have to in some form or fashion, and yet all the experts will tell you that you need to do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life. So how do those two come together? Well, I believe in owning a business because it'll provide you both the things that you need and the things that you want. And here's how. You see, the purpose of a business— it's been said, and I've said in other videos, that Peter Drucker was quoted as saying something to the— some variation of the purpose of a business is to attract and retain customers. And I just think that's the biggest bunch of horse hockey I've ever heard. I used to believe it. I used to really buy into that theory, but it makes business so impersonal if you do that. You know, the purpose of a business, in my opinion, is to provide the clients, the people in it, and the owners more life. That's really it. If your business isn't providing greater life in some form or fashion, then your business is really useless. So, if you're interested in more life, then certainly you ought to have a business. The products or services you'll provide will provide greater life and enjoyment to the customers and clients. The products and services you provide will open up opportunities for them that they wouldn't have if you weren't there. And of course, the business and the revenue it generates will provide you with a greater opportunity to live more life. Anybody that tells you the money isn't important, hmm, they're not being honest. Money is very important in the money category. It's not the only thing, but it's the only thing that works in the money category. And you can argue about bartering and all of that, but we all know the weakest form of argument is arguing from extremes. Let's be honest, if you're going to function in today's society, you're going to need money to do it. So a business will provide you The opportunity to express yourself. The opportunity to freely make as much or as little money as you want to. The opportunity to influence other people and to make their lives greater and enrich them in ways that simply working cannot. Now, if you're employed right now and you like working for the company you're working for, you need to look at your business and your job as the same. You're in the business of providing greater benefit to the company you're working for. But if you're gonna do that, could you do more if you were offering it to more than one company? You see, everybody ought to have their own business because the only way to true freedom is through the work that you'll do for yourself and with others for yourself and for them, providing greater riches and greater opportunity for all. There's nothing wrong with wanting money. But you don't want money just for money's sake. You want money to provide you greater freedom for you and your family to enjoy the great things in life. And the interesting thing is, is that a business provides so much opportunity to do different things you've never done before. So I want to encourage you today to think about owning your own business. Think about the freedom it'll provide you. Think about the peace it will provide you. You'll never be fired again as long as you own your own business.
