The business of business

I have been working since I turned 18 years of age. However, it wasn’t until I was around 25 when I had my first full-time, “real” job. I accidentally landed a well-paid job teaching English as a second language at a large international company operating in Venezuela at the time. Little did I know I had just started a big adventure that would take me around the world, but that story is for another post.

For more than 15 years, I have experienced what it’s like to work in the big corporate world with renowned companies most people have heard about.

And I’ve learned a lot. I’ve grown and have gotten an education that no university program would ever prepare you for.

I’ve also been witness to a lot of inefficiencies, waste, and bureaucracy, or what I like to call the business of business.

Today, I experienced it again, as I took part in an audit close-out meeting where around 6 auditors from an internationally-reputable certification body sat praising us auditees for our display of “control”, best practices, use of data, efficiency, and systems.

I was sickened. How much money were we as a company paying this other company to spend 40 hours auditing us to only hear they found “nothing”! Let alone the time spent by auditees in the feeble process.

The business of business is one where every player knows the game is set to perpetuate the players, their systems and their symbiotic existence.

Not every aspect of this is wrong, like not every audit is like this. I don’t mean to be all negative about it, especially because I am part of the system, and therefore the problem.

I guess when I reflect about this, it is just one other reason I am drawn to creating my business(es) of one. Work for me, rid myself of the corporate BS and break imaginary rules.