CHAPTER 2“Profit” Is Not a Dirty Word

PROFIT. What does that word mean to you? Too often, profit is seen as something dirty, something only greedy people are looking to gain. Many people think profit means that someone is taking advantage of someone else by charging too much. These perceptions bother me, as they should anyone else who understands business. Profit is an absolutely essential outcome of capitalism, and it is far from being a dirty word. In my view, profit is something similar to oil in an engine. For an engine to run effectively, it requires oil. For a business to operate effectively, it requires profit.

Profit can also be viewed as a scorecard of a company’s success and as the foundation of research and development. When a business ...

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