What Business Are You In? - Issue: 2001 Qtr 3
Perhaps a few dot-coms should have asked Peter Drucker.
"At the inception of a business, the questions of 'what is our business' cannot be raised meaningfully. The man who mixes up a new cleaning fluid and peddles it door to door need not know more than that his mixture does a superior job taking stains out of rugs.
"But when the product catches on; when he has to hire people to mix it and sell it; when he has to decide whether to sell it directly or through retail stores; what additional products he needs for a full line; then he has to ask and answer the question 'what is my business?'
"If he fails to answer it when successful, he will, even with the best products, soon be back peddling door to door."
Peter Drucker
Back to top