Ignore at your peril

If you want to make money will you have to pay attention to certain things

Because of you, I have started to watch the Business Channel...the words of my cousin in a recent email.

A good thing I said in my reply, but more important is your recognising how business works, what money is, how it's made, and where you fit in.

You see, money is one thing you need to know about. Through the tools it buys and the freedoms it offers, money allows you the opportunity to discover your latent talents, to realise your inner potentials, and to achieve your personal goals.

Living a successful life is also about becoming what you want to be and you can do that only by making use of things, and you can have the free use of things only as you become rich enough to buy them. Money like air is a necessity.

Oh!, by the way, don't try equating money to something evil or any other myth you've heard, the only evil thing on this planet is "man". Be honest, you, like everyone else, need money.

In fact, you may want to stop for a minute, and admit to yourself that you need, want and like money. Seriously, take a minute, admit it and let go of all the pretence. Do you feel better? Good.

I will presume you don't know what business means - I have a reason for this. A simple definition of business is, "A person, partnership or company engaged in the purchase and sale of goods or services for a profit. While money is defined as a medium of exchange, a means of payment for goods and services, which means money is made by offering goods and services.

Here is where you fit in. Do you see yourself as a business? Possibly not, most people don't, that is why I assumed you didn't know the definition of a business. You are a business regardless of what you do, because you sell your skills (teacher, bus driver, accountant etc) for a profit.

If you agree that you are a business, then you will also agree every business needs money to survive. Like Google, BP or Nokia, you need to know how to boost your services, be the best, and, make and keep most of the money you earn. In essence, you must know how to oversee "your" business.