From: noring@netcom.com (Jon Noring)
Subject: Re: Food for Thought
Date: Sat, 05 Sep 92 00:57:07 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 

In article curtj@sequent.com (Curt Jutzi) writes:
>In article aryeh@cash.ucsc.edu (Aryeh Friedman) writes:

>>As I have stated before the primary reason for starting a business should not
>>be to make money.

>	My Friend.. you have obviously not owned your own business. That may
>	not be why you started the business, but you'll find that once you 
>	have, it will (and should) be one of your primary goals. (of course 
>	as long as your business decissions are made ethically and morally).
>	
>	If you have employees your obligation IS to make money.. There is 
>	NO WAY to run a business for any length of time if your focus is not
>	on making money.. 


Actually, both are right.  Aryeh Friedman is sincere in his beliefs that, to
him, the primary purpose for starting a business should not be to make money,
rather it is to produce some net value to society in the form of material
production (value added) for the good of all (I assume that is Aryeh's
purpose based on my interpretation of prior posts).  However, even though he
may be dogmatic in such a belief, and try to convince others of that belief
system (which he has a right to do), it's sort of like a particular religion -
you can believe in it with all your heart, and believe everybody else should
feel the same way because there are, to you, very good reasons why they should,
and then you go out and preach the good news and help people see the light.
And some will be converted, but many others will not be convinced and still
believe in some other faith.

Getting back to business, I know many entrepreneurial businessmen (by the
definition of entrepreneurial which excludes network marketers) whose main
motivation is money.  My brother is such a person - he knew that he would not
become financially independent and adequately provide for his family working
for somebody else (and he was very high in the corporate structure).  Thus,
he started his own business (in the petroleum products industry) and he is
doing very well and is financially independent.  I know of many whose
motivation is status.  I know of many whose motivation is personal
accomplishment.  Thus, there are many disparate reasons why a person would
start a traditional entrepreneurial type business (I'm staying away in this
post from tying network marketing to Mr. Friedmans definition of business),
and these reasons can even contradict one another.  Mr. Aryeh Friedman has
his reason, and I applaud that he has a clear focus on his reasons, but his
reason is not absolute for other people.


In the book "Bringing Out the Best In People", by McGinnis (a great book),
a CEO for a large corporation commented on what his company's purpose is
(quoted to the best of my memory):  "The reason for the existence of my
company is to help the employees to personally grow, to become better
individuals.  We happen to manufacture and sell products at a profit to pay
for this endeavour."  In a nutshell, this CEO expressed what I believe to
be the highest calling of any businessman, whether he/she is starting up a
new endeavour or getting involved with a turn-key business such as network
marketing, and that is to help people to reach their highest potential.
Wealth, prosperity, and the stabilization of society will naturally and
inevitably follow when we help enough people to reach their full potential,
to become self-actualized.  That, I believe, is the highest of all the
multitude of purposes of starting a business, and that is one of the reasons
that I am very attracted to network marketing.

Jon Noring

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Newsgroups: alt.business.multi-level,misc.entrepreneurs