No business for revenge in business

Mang Carlos, who’s notable for his gracious manners, was awakened at four-thirty in the morning by his ringing telephone.

“Your dog’s barking and it’s keeping me awake!” said an angry voice.

Mang Carlos thanked the caller, and politely asked for his name and number before hanging up.

The next morning, at precisely 4:30 A.M., Mang Carlos called his neighbor.

“Good morning, Mr. Santos! I just called to say that… I don’t have a dog.”

You know what this is called? This is called the business of revenge.

Speaking of business… what is the initial goal for starting a business?

“To make a profit” would most likely be the general response of students in graduate school. If I were their teacher, I would have to give those students failing marks. To make a profit may be the end goal of doing business, but it’s not necessarily the goal for starting one.

Some student may answer that the main goal for starting a business could be job creation – to provide employment opportunities, contribute taxes and help the government, and promote the welfare of society. While such altruistic goals and ideals are admirable, I would not in any way employ that student. I am not running a non-profit enterprise after all, and neither am I creating a charitable foundation.

Let’s talk about business and entrepreneurship.

With platitude and text book explanations of what entrepreneurship is, let me give you my simple take on the initial goal for starting any business.

The initial goal of every business is to survive long enough to see whether or not it’s viable. It doesn’t matter what business we’re talking about, or how much capital you have. You never know for sure if a business is viable until you do it in the real world.

Feasibility studies will not be able to reflect this. Your Ivy League university can guide you, but it’s no guarantee for business success.

You recognize a need that you can supply. The market is open, the time is right. Resources are available. You know that you can add value to the market with what you want to do. And you know how to run the operations and the numbers. That’s what business is all about.

There are people who enter business because they simply want to get even with their previous company. Maybe they have been cheated, maybe they have been victims of grave injustice – whatever the offense committed, it caused them to nurse a grudge and open up a business with the goal of exacting revenge on their former company.

This is really senseless and illogical. This will not bring them anywhere except maybe to some burnt bridges.

Revenge clouds the mind, affects decisions and closes doors. Revenge should never be the goal of any business. If to be financially independent, or to take on work challenges that will make you grow into a better person are your goals, you need to get vengeful emotions out of the way.

Novelist and writer James Baldwin said, “One of the reasons people cling to their hate so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.”

In getting into business, consult the wise and the experienced. Get help. Ask counsel. Most important, leave the revenge business to God, and just do what is right.

There is no business if revenge is your business. Never forget that.

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