Good Business

I hope that you agree that I have some sense of politics, such as either-or, all-me, give-and-take, and the purpose and lack of purpose of some of our institutions.  However, while I think I have political sense, I never  thought I had any business sense.  Business never made sense to me, because I cannot fathom a world where the primary goal is profit, and short-term interests reign supreme.  Not everyone is lacking in business sense, though, and not all businesses are boring places for their customers.  From my friend Felicia, writing about cupcakeries,

that is what this bakery is really about- while its business objective may be to sell a lot of cupcakes, it really needs to sell the idea of fun. Some customers may dash in just to grab a treat and go, but there needs to be an environment that welcomes customers with more time on their hands to sit around and stay a while. This particular bakery has board games all over the place, a good way to encourage customers to see the shop as a hangout spot rather than a version of a fast food joint. Keeping a customer in a store longer is generally good idea given the chance for add-on purchases, unless that extra time is spent waiting in line for a ridiculous amount of time (in which case the customer will be antsy. Very antsy). But in this case it also increases the likelihood of positive association with the bakery’s brand. Remembering a bakery for its yummy treats is one thing, but remembering a bakery for its treats PLUS the experience you had while there is a whole other trick.

I’ve been in businesses like this, where the pleasant atmosphere is part of what you pay for, even though you don’t pay extra, and you can sit there and pay for nothing at all. It is a welcoming sort of world, where I’ve played games of chess and scrabble and listened to music and done nothing at all. Business as usual can be about atmosphere, not profit, and still prosper all the while, because it makes people happy.