Know You Are in Business to Make Money

In Making Money Is Not Illegal, Immoral or Fattening, Art Freedman asks retailers a question:
"Why are you in business? There is only one good answer to that question: To make money.
"Sometimes when I ask retailers that question, I get, 'We're in business to support the community.' But for how long can you support the community if you are not making any money? Some people say, 'We are in business to support our employees and their families.' I say, 'Well, that's a wonderful thing. But for how long can you support them if you're not turning a profit?' How many families did Handyman Home Center support? They had about 300 stores. They're all gone.
"The home center, hardware, and lumberyard retailer of the year in 1984 in the United States was a company called Heckinger's. If you read anything about Heckinger's in 1985, you'd think they walked on water. They're gone. How many families do they support now? None.
"Do you know why they're not here any more? They lost one heck of a lot of money, and they went out of business. There is only one reason why you are in business, and that is to make money. This model is working in the United States, and it's working very well: Make money in your business, and take a portion of that, maybe two-thirds of the profits, to reinvest in your store. The first third goes to the store owner for what they risk on that business."
When circumstances force you to attend to hour-to-hour or even minute-to-minute decisions, it's easy to lose focus. So every business day, begin by motivating yourself with an affirmation that you are in business to MAKE MONEY. Then spend the rest of the day making decisions which turn this affirmation into reality.