Are you running a business or a charity?

Malini DevadasBlog

The purpose of a business is to make money. I know that a lot of people don’t like to think about money. In fact, there is an idea held by some editors that we should focus on being ‘kind’ and ‘helpful’ to our clients rather than being ‘greedy’ by focusing on money. However, to my mind, these two things are not mutually exclusive: we can be kind while making a profit. And when we have bills to pay and mouths to feed then avoiding thinking about money is not useful.

I look at it this way: once I have earned enough for our family, I can choose to spend any extra money on people or organisations that I want to support. I can do work for free or at a reduced rate, I can donate to charities or I can work a bit less one week and volunteer my time somewhere.

If you feel that people who earn a “lot” (noting that this amount will be different for each of us) or who focus on their profits are somehow inherently greedy then I would gently suggest you question where that idea may have come from. Perhaps it is something you were told as a child, or perhaps it is something you have internalised based on the way some people with money behave. Whatever it is, it’s not uncommon for people to subconsciously limit their income because of the way they feel about money or wealthy people. That may sound ridiculous, but it can happen.

In essence, I’d encourage people to treat earning money through a business and charitable giving as two separate things.


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