(Today's article continues with wisdom from Peter Drucker in "The Effective Executive".)

There is nothing at all wrong with making money. That's why we are all in business, right?

Actually not. According to Drucker, profit is NOT the explanation for the behavior of a business. Rather, it is a test of the validity of the business. All businesses need to make money to survive and grow; that's an absolute requirement. A company that isn't a valid business will ultimately disappear. They might make some money before that happens, but they won't last.

Here at ArcaMax Publishing, we're proud that we are approaching our 13th anniversary in business. Just the fact that we're here to discuss it puts us ahead of 2/3 of the companies that get started in this country. Thankfully business is strong and we are continuing to grow.

The biggest challenge that many small businesses face is that they think of themselves as small businesses. They don't develop enduring, documented systems and processes that define how the work is to be accomplished within the company. There is no "how we do it here" mentality; they might work hard to get things done but they don't build a company. They merely have a way of making money for the time being that will continue as long as nothing changes.

Unfortunately, everything changes, sooner or later.

Companies survive and succeed when the leadership and employees show up every day to work on the business, not just in the business. This approach has to be built into the company's culture.

We believe this perspective makes the difference when building a company designed for the long haul. It affects every decision made in the business and creates a thriving company that puts the customer first. This is the key to those long-term profits we're all working for. And there's nothing wrong with that.