What's the Purpose?

I have a feeling that most people think that the purpose of a company is to make money. This seems backwards to me. A company's purpose should be to bring value to people. If you're not bringing value, no one will care and the company might as well not exist. In fact, it won't once people figure out you're not really there to help them.

The reason I bring this up is, shouldn't every decision made by a business be led by it's purpose? Shouldn't every decision, every single one, be made by asking, "How does this help people?"

Should you quit your job and work full time on the business? Yes, if it means you can spend more time on helping the people your trying to serve.

Should you give yourself a raise? Yes, if it allows you to focus more on providing value to your customers.

Should you stop offering a product? Yes, if it means that you can focus on products the offer more value.

The people who derive value from the company is the company. The only reason any company should exist is for that purpose; to bring value to people. Any decision that increases that value is the right one. Any decision that decreases that value is the wrong one. Without those people, you're nothing; with them, that's all you need.

There is no other reason to have a company than to give value to the people you serve. Many may not agree, but the more I think about this, the more it just makes sense.