Henry Ford didn’t say business exists to maximize shareholder value.
He didn’t say it’s about crushing the competition.
He said, “Do the most good for the most people.”
That is a winning strategy.
Ford paid his workers enough to buy the cars they built.
He didn’t see wages as a cost to cut.
He saw them as an investment.
That decision created a middle class.
It also created a self-sustaining market for his products.
Amazon did something similar.
It didn’t chase profits.
It is obsessed with excellence.
Excellence enriched the customer experience—faster shipping, lower prices, and more selection.
In doing so, it built an empire.
Every great business plays this game.
Tesla made electric vehicles aspirational.
Apple redefined personal technology.
The most successful companies serve people at a level their competitors can’t imagine.
The irony?
When you focus on doing the most good, profit follows.
When you focus only on profit, you squeeze customers, team members, and suppliers until there’s nothing left.
Business isn’t a race to the bottom.
It’s a race to the best.
“The best businesses don’t chase money. They chase impact—and the money catches up.” – Mike Brewer