In business, revenue is the gross. But in the end, it’s not a very interesting figure.
For instance, it’s possible for a $1 trillion revenue company to have $1.1 trillion in expenses, effectively putting them a billion in the red.
Profit, on the other hand, is much more interesting. This is the difference between what you bring in and what you keep.
A small $1 million dollar (revenue) business with a relatively huge $0.9 million in profits is much more interesting than a business a thousand times bigger with razor-thin margins.
Why?
Because they are essentially the opposite. The first is not sustainable, while the second is a wellspring of opportunity.
The trick, though, is that the bigger company always seems more impressive from the street view. Even when it’s not.
Writing to a church divided by competing interests, Paul discusses a similar issue. Only on spiritual terms.
His advice to them is to keep focusing on the profit. The good work. The value that will last.
“There is going to come a time of testing [and] everyone’s work will be put through the fire so that all can see whether or not it keeps its value, and what was really accomplished” (1 Corinthians 3: 13).
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