About business

3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Philippians 2:3-4, The Bible

They run from you because you drool for cash;
They know that that's your one and only task;
They wish you understood all of their pain;
They know you have no interest in their gain.

I just recently finished reading a book called Company of One and it got me thinking about everything I've learned about business over the years.

Here's a list of points that come to mind.

You need a passion for pain.

It may sound ironic, but it's true. In business, you have to be obsessed with the problem. Through that obsession, you can find solutions for your customers and your customers will be willing to compensate you.

The keyword here is pain. I use that word very intentionally. Whatever your customer is facing has to be equivalent to body pain. And just like we are when we have body pain, we are desperate to alleviate it, even if it costs us a fortune¹.

You need to satisfy at least one customer.

One customer. That is all you need at first. If you can make one customer happy, 2 is a piece of cake, then 3, and so on.

It's very similar to the gospel.

I know this may sound like a stretch, but the gospel has the same format:

1. As a Christian, understand the God-man problem. God wants to fellowship with us, but sin provides a barrier. Therefore, God sent his only begotten Son to save humanity.
2. Go about looking for those in need of help.
3. Offer the solution to a person in need. The solution is the good news (i.e. the gospel) of Jesus Christ dying to save us. This is evangelism.
4. Ask the person if he/she believes. If so, he/she is instantly saved by Jesus. This is an agreement between the person and Jesus that Jesus will give him/her everlasting life.
5. Keep a relationship with the person to ensure he/she is growing in Christ.
6. The new convert repeats the cycle.

Compare this to the business format:

1. Understand the problem.
2. Understand the demographics that need help.
3. Offer a solution (i.e. product or service) to your customers.
4. Enter into a contractual agreement with your customers.
5. Keep up with the customer to make sure the solution still works.
6. If the customer is happy enough, he/she would most likely let others know about your solution.

Both formats start with empathy. Understand the customer's pain, then develop a passion that would lead to the solution.

It's similar to marriage.

Once again, there are similarities with business and marriage:

1. Understand the problem. This involves understanding the shortcomings of your to-be spouse.
2. Understand who else might be involved (like children) that you may have to also help.
3. Offer the solution i.e. marriage.
4. Enter into a contractual agreement with your spouse i.e. marriage.
5. Ensure your spouse is well taken of.
6. If both are happy, the relationship would last until death.

Learning the "Company-of-One method" is helpful in the workplace.

You don't have to be an entrepreneur to apply the principles of the book Company of One. You can do it even at your workplace. It's more of a mindset. With that mindset, your thinking aligns more with the goals and vision of the corporation you work at.

Bottom line

The foundation of business is simple and is not very different from patterns we already engage in. It is up to business owners to recognize the similarities and apply any principle that works with their customers.