You ask a lot of questions. I gave a lot of answers. You might want to get a cup of coffee for this one.
You built this company, didn't you ?
Yes, I did. Since I am not working at this time, I am answering from the perspective of a position that I previously held, with a company that I helped build. I did not financially or legally own the company. But, I took "ownership" in my attitude, performance and dedication to that company. I operated within my own sense of personal integrity and fairness as though the company was mine. I valued my personal reputation and the reputation of the business in keeping my word, providing dependable, fair and high quality service and products at a reasonable cost. I also put much focus on frugality of expenditures and profitability for the company.
Who made the asphalt that built the road to your company ?
A different company made the asphalt (well concrete) that built the road. I value that company, too.
Who built the street that connects your company to the highway ?
A municiple road crew, or contracted road crew, built that road. It was paid for
with tax dollars paid by people and businesses that came before us. Our tax dollars went to build different roads or maintain those roads. I value roads and the people that build them.
Who lights the night and powers the power lines, and provides power to your company ?
A different company supplies the power. We paid for it with money. It's a win/win. I value electricity and other services and the people that provide them.
Who owns the trucks that supply the materials needed for your company to sell or manufacture with.
A trucking company owns the trucks. That trucking company pays lots and lots of tax dollars for operating that truck. Those tax dollars and other costs are part of the price we pay them for their service. I value trucking companies and the people that operate them.
What companies in the orient supply most of what is needed to run YOUR business ?
None that I am aware of.
What companies produce the materials that are needed to further new business ?
Various other companies. Please provide that data if you know the answer.
What company borrowed the money with which to pay and sell other products for your company to process or sell with ?
I have no idea. Please provide that data.
What company built the companies that build the products from which all the other products are made....and on and on.....
But......who really built your company ?
More rhetorical questions. I am sure you don't really expect an aswer.
I do understand, and in a sense, share the perspective in that there is nothing that any of us can think, do, or say that has not been provided to us or is not in some way related to
standing on the shoulders of those that came before us. If left to our own devices no human being would likely make it past the first few days of life. And, what we may be so proud to think of as our own personal brilliance, is highly dependent upon the thinking and accomplishments of huge numbers of other people -- over a vast expanse of time.
That does not diminish the fact that the company
would not exist as the company, without those that actually formed it, financed it, built it up bit by bit -- and operated it. If you accept the argument that the people who began, financed and operated a business -- who took the risk and put in the effort -- did not actually build it and do not get credit for it -- then IMO you have provided an argument that no one deserves credit for any sort of human endeavor, whatsoever -- and does not own the fruits of their labor. I disagree.
Now I have a few questions that you didn't ask:
Who made sure to their employees, their rent, their utilities, their taxes, their supply and inventory invoices were paid up before paying themselves?
The two owners.
Who, in the first three years, went without paychecks during numerous pay cycles -- in order to build a solid business, without debt, rather than simply borrow money to relieve the momentary discomfort of not enough money?
The owners. (I don't see "the government" willing to do that.) I know the owners did this, and not just a few times -- because I handled all the finances/payroll/taxes. I also knew them personally and closely. They didn't magically get a bunch of personal money in the bank -- to fall back on -- just because they started a business.
Who payed ME more than they paid themselves for a few years, because I was worth it, they knew it, and the cash flow was not yet sufficient to pay us all the same thing?
The owners.
Who had to listen to employees' snide comments like "oh, just getting in" when they had spent the morning running business related errands, or slept in a little -- after having spent the entire weekend revising the warehouse, or making other changes, to make order-pulling more efficient and easier on the staff -- because they didn't have the money to pay over-time, at a time when they weren't even getting a check themselves that pay period?
That's right -- the owners.
Who had to listen to "you're just lucky" from the very people that worked for them -- when those same people would bolt out of the door at closing time (not faulting them there for leaving on time) but had no idea how late the owners actually worked?
The owners.
And, who had to listen to those same (really nice employees) express feeling "put upon" to have to vaccum the office area or clean the bathrooms when the owners had been doing it for years before being able to offer anyone a job? That's right, again.
The owners.
Now, who showed up, with no electricity, after her
2nd residence within two months had been destroyed by a hurricane? Who took orders off of the voice mail and hand-wrote packing lists, labels and UPS log with only the natural light coming in through the windows, and in sweltering heat? Who got those orders out, in spite of feeling of personal loss, fear and being alone -- because no one else showed up -- and the owners had travelled farther away in the evacuation and weren't back yet?
I DID.
I don't need to be reminded that other people that I do business with, and that contribute to and built a wonderful society are valuable assets to my life. I helped build a wonderful business that was wonderful because it already knew that and honored the value in others.
You know why I think they deserve the profit portion of the fruits of MY labor? They deserve it because they paid me an agreed upon amount of money, they offered me benefits -- but only once they could afford to do so. They took the risk, and the financial hit when times were slow or unforeseen things like weather, or a UPS strike inteferred with business. They deserve the profit of a business well-run.
