So, You Want Your Business To “Help People?” Some Frank Advice

A lot of people get into the business game because they want to “help” their fellow human beings. They see numerous opportunities out there to make the world a better place. And they believe that they have the necessary skills to make it happen. 

But there’s a bit of a problem with this logic. Practically everyone who founded a company is in the business of “helping people.” That’s the whole point of starting a firm. So when fresh entrepreneurs say that they want nothing more than to help lift their fellow man, what are they really talking about? 

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More often than not, they’re considering starting a social enterprise that focuses on making merit goods, like health and education more widely and cheaply available. They’re not going into cigarette manufacturing or fast-food. Those might be popular businesses, but they’re a disaster for wellbeing. 

In this post, we offer some frank advice for people who want to use their business to help people. 

Always Keep An Eye On Profits

Many non-profits characterise making money from business as a bad thing. But that’s not the truth. 

Profits are just a measure of the excess value you’ve managed to create after you’ve paid for all the inputs you need to fund your enterprise. In other words, it’s a way of keeping score and ensuring that you’re doing something the society values. The higher the earnings, the better. 

If you notice your profits are dipping, it’s probably because you’re not providing your customers with enough value to remain competitive. What’s the point of using your services if your clients can get a better deal elsewhere? 

Maintaining steady profits is a surefire sign that you’re doing something right. 

Get The Proper Accreditation

You might want to help people, but unless you have the proper certification, you could break the law. Entrepreneurs, for instance, who want to get into the rehab business, need to get the right accreditation before being allowed to open any facilities. Many use CARF accreditation consultants to learn more about the process. 

The same applies to many therapy and medical roles. You need to have some sort of official documentation that says you’re allowed to practice. Without it, you could be breaking the law. 

Follow A Method

Helping people is one of the most challenging projects you’ll take on in your life. We all know that charity can and does go wrong regularly. You can give somebody money to help them out of a sticky situation, but if they don’t use the cash properly, it can lead to bigger issues down the line.

The best approach is to follow a method that allows you to discern the people you can help from those you can’t. Sometimes, it’s worth investing a lot of time and energy in somebody if you think that they will recover from whatever problems they currently have in life. But you shouldn’t throw good money after bad. Some individuals simply can’t change, and will just continue doing what they’re doing right now.