What is a “Business”?
In a meeting this afternoon, the speaker was talking about dealing with entities of different sizes, and made the observation that the larger the organization, the more it functions “like a business”. That comment lead me to ask, (rhetorically - not out loud for God’s sake - I have my career to think of), “Just what is a business?”
For example, a Mom and Pop operation, sells a product, takes in money, even makes a profit - to me they have a “business”. Perhaps Mom “keeps the books”, but they never call her the Chief Financial Officer. Pop always keeps the website up to date (let’s make this a modern example), but he doesn’t go by the title Chief Information Officer. That’s still a business.
As time goes by, Mom and Pop meet success and take on more help to meet the needs of their business and customers. Let’s say they have a dozen employees now. Is that a business?
Yes (to me), No (to the speaker).
OK, I’m making fun of this person, and I know what he meant. As a business grows in size it takes on the attributes of a business one encounters in business school: regular accounting, an organization that resembles a top-down flow chart, employees with titles that mean something to the outside world. But his lack of comfort with small entities was telling. I hope we are not ignoring those folks just because we don’t relate to them on the same terms. Lost opportunity if we do.
Also heard at the meeting: Someone said we had a lot of “synergy”, to which another replied, “Oh yeah, we got tons of synergy with that.” - - At this point I've made my peace with "synergy", but “Tons” of synergy??
Also, “talk to” - as in, “I can talk to that slide”. Does no one else find this phrase ridiculous? At its most literal, we have a man - alone in a room - addressing a PowerPoint slide. That’s very sad and lonely. Even if you know what it means - - Perhaps: During my presentation I will explain the content of that slide in more detail - - it’s just poor English
For example, a Mom and Pop operation, sells a product, takes in money, even makes a profit - to me they have a “business”. Perhaps Mom “keeps the books”, but they never call her the Chief Financial Officer. Pop always keeps the website up to date (let’s make this a modern example), but he doesn’t go by the title Chief Information Officer. That’s still a business.
As time goes by, Mom and Pop meet success and take on more help to meet the needs of their business and customers. Let’s say they have a dozen employees now. Is that a business?
Yes (to me), No (to the speaker).
OK, I’m making fun of this person, and I know what he meant. As a business grows in size it takes on the attributes of a business one encounters in business school: regular accounting, an organization that resembles a top-down flow chart, employees with titles that mean something to the outside world. But his lack of comfort with small entities was telling. I hope we are not ignoring those folks just because we don’t relate to them on the same terms. Lost opportunity if we do.
Also heard at the meeting: Someone said we had a lot of “synergy”, to which another replied, “Oh yeah, we got tons of synergy with that.” - - At this point I've made my peace with "synergy", but “Tons” of synergy??
Also, “talk to” - as in, “I can talk to that slide”. Does no one else find this phrase ridiculous? At its most literal, we have a man - alone in a room - addressing a PowerPoint slide. That’s very sad and lonely. Even if you know what it means - - Perhaps: During my presentation I will explain the content of that slide in more detail - - it’s just poor English
Comments
"Incentivize" "Ideation" "Touch-point meeting" it just never ends!