Pursuits Beyond Profit
Good companies don’t just ask “can we make money?” — they first ask “is this the right thing to do?”
📌 Concept Analysis
Pursuits Beyond Profit = Placing consumer needs ahead of company short-term interests; when encountering problems, asking first “is this the right thing?” rather than “is there money to be made?”
A restaurant faces rising ingredient costs; owner has two choices: secretly switch to cheaper ingredients, or raise prices and inform customers. A boss with “pursuits beyond profit” chooses latter — not because of calculation but because “deceiving customers isn’t what I should do.” Short-term might earn slightly less, but 20 years later, this restaurant still exists while that one switching ingredients long ago closed down.
💡 Core Understanding
1. Pursuits beyond profit ≠ profit maximization — meaning is precisely opposite.
This concept comes from Built To Last, referring to visionary companies guided by core values beyond merely making money. Most companies when facing problems ask “is there money to be made?”; companies with pursuits beyond profit ask “is this the right thing?” first — difference seems small, but 20 years later difference becomes huge.
2. Companies with pursuits beyond profit more easily persist in doing right things, not led astray by short-term temptations.
Such pursuit makes companies easier to see essence of matters, less likely to do wrong things. 苹果 (Apple) represents most typical case — when launching environmental initiatives and protecting employee safety, they “wouldn’t consider that damned ROI” — this IS pursuits beyond profit.
3. This is necessary condition for good enterprises, but not sufficient.
Enterprises with pursuits beyond profit have much higher probability of becoming good companies compared to average ones; longer time horizon means greater difference. But it’s insufficient — still need good 生意模式 (business model). Good 企业文化 roughly refers to pursuits beyond profit, while “profit-maximizing” culture represents worst corporate culture.
4. Pursuits beyond profit = placing consumer needs ahead of company short-term interests.
Most companies when encountering problems discuss whether there’s money to be made; companies with pursuits beyond profit might ask first: “Is this the right thing? Is this money we should earn?” Difference seems small, but 20 years later it’s huge.
5. This pursuit applies at all levels, not only CEO’s responsibility.
(2013-03-03, Business Logic Chapter)
❓ Selected Q&A
Q: What are pursuits beyond profit?
A: Pursuits beyond profit refer to placing consumer needs ahead of company short-term interests. Most companies when encountering problems discuss whether money can be made; companies with such pursuits might ask first: Is this the right thing? Is this money we should earn…? Difference seems small, but after 20 years it’s huge. (2020-07-10, Business Logic Chapter)
Q: Will companies with pursuits beyond profit definitely succeed?
A: Having “beyond-profit” pursuits isn’t a sufficient condition for being a good enterprise, but enterprises with such pursuits have far higher probability of becoming good companies than average — the longer the timeframe, the greater the difference. (2013-03-03, Business Logic Chapter)
Q: Where does Apple’s beyond-profit pursuit manifest?
A: He said: “When we work hard so blind people can also use our devices, I wouldn’t consider that damned ROI.” Same applies when Apple launches environmental initiatives, protects employee safety, and other policies. — THIS is called pursuits beyond profit! (2019-06-27, Business Logic Chapter)
Q: How did Jobs understand pursuits beyond profit?
A: (Quoting Jobs’ own account) “My passion lies in building an enduring company where people are passionately creating great products. Everything else is secondary. Of course, making money is great because then you CAN manufacture great products. But motivation comes from products, not profits. Sculley inverted priorities, treating profit-making as goal. This subtle difference influences everything: who you hire, who you promote, what gets discussed in meetings.” (2014-02-01, Business Logic Chapter)
📖 Case Study Breakdown
Apple: Most Complete Embodiment of Pursuits Beyond Profit
Duan opens Business Logic chapter quoting Jobs’ self-account, evaluating: “Jim Collins in Built To Last once summarized one characteristic of great companies as ‘pursuits beyond profit.’ Jobs and his Apple gave most perfect interpretation to this characteristic.” (2014-02-01)
Jobs’ core points:
- Motivation comes from products, not profits
- Sculley treating profit as goal was root cause of Apple’s decline
- Great companies build “enduring enterprises,” not make money then leave
Bubugao/OPPO: Not Earning Money That Shouldn’t Be Earned
Duan says: “Our company belongs to category knowing some money shouldn’t be earned.” Specific manifestations:
- No OEM (even rejecting Walmart’s 1-million-unit order)
- No bargaining (identical pricing for all customers, no discounts)
- No credit sales, no delayed payments, no late salary payments
Behind all these “things NOT done,” there’s always questioning “is this the right thing?” rather than “is there money to be made?”
💬 Original Quotes
“Pursuits beyond profit refer to placing consumer needs ahead of company short-term interests. Most companies when encountering problems discuss whether money can be made; companies with such pursuits might ask first: Is this the right thing? …Difference seems small, but after 20 years it’s huge.” (2020-07-10, Business Logic Chapter)
“When we work hard so blind people can also use our devices, I wouldn’t consider that damned ROI.” — Cook (quoted by Duan Yongping, 2019-06-27, Business Logic Chapter)
“Having ‘beyond-profit’ pursuits isn’t sufficient condition for good enterprise, but enterprises with such pursuits have far higher probability of becoming good companies than average — the longer the timeframe, the greater the difference.” (2013-03-03, Business Logic Chapter)
“Actually truly good sustainable enterprises mostly don’t focus on profit — profit is merely natural result,所谓 letting profit chase after you.” (2011-01-28, Business Logic Chapter)
⚠️ Common Pitfalls
-
❌ “Pursuits beyond profit = doing charity, not making money” — “Meaning of pursuits beyond profit isn’t profit maximization — meaning is precisely opposite” — it doesn’t mean not making money, but while earning, placing consumer needs ahead of short-term interests. 苹果 has both beyond-profit pursuits AND ranks among world’s most profitable companies.
-
❌ “Having pursuits beyond profit guarantees company success” — “‘Beyond-profit’ pursuits aren’t sufficient condition for good enterprise” — it’s necessary condition but insufficient. Also need good 生意模式 and 能力圈.
-
❌ “This concept applies only to large companies or CEOs” — “If you’re a manager with ‘beyond-profit’ pursuits, you’ll find many ideas” — this mindset applies at every level.
🔗 Related Nodes
Upstream Concepts (prerequisites for understanding this concept): 本分 · 企业文化
Downstream Concepts (conclusions derived from this): 生意模式 · 护城河 · 好公司的标准 · 长期主义
Company Case Studies 苹果 · 步步高 · OPPO · New Oriental (新东方)
Reference Books: Built To Last · Good To Great
利润之上的追求
好公司不只问”能不能赚钱”，还会先问”这是对的事情吗”
📌 概念解析
利润之上的追求 = 把消费者需求放在公司短期利益前面，碰到问题先问”这是对的事情吗”而不是”有没有钱赚”。
一家餐厅，食材涨价了，老板面临两个选择：偷偷换成便宜食材，或者涨价告知顾客。有”利润之上追求”的老板会选后者——不是因为算了一笔账，而是因为”骗顾客不是我该做的事”。短期可能少赚一点，但20年后，这家餐厅还在，那家偷换食材的早就关门了。
💡 核心理解
1. 利润之上的追求 ≠ 利润至上，意思正好相反。
这个概念来自《基业长青》，指的是有远见的公司受核心价值观引导，而不仅仅是赚钱。多数公司碰到问题先问”有没有钱赚”，有利润之上追求的公司先问”这是对的事情吗”——差别很小，但20年后差别很大。
2. 有利润之上追求的公司更容易坚持做对的事情，不被短期诱惑带偏。
这种追求让公司更容易看到事物的本质，更不容易做错的事情。苹果是最典型的案例——在发起环保倡议、保护员工安全时，“是不会考虑该死的ROI的”，这就是利润之上的追求。
3. 这是好企业的必要条件，但不是充分条件。
有利润之上追求的企业成为好企业的概率要比一般企业大很多，时间越长差别越大。但它不够——还需要好的生意模式。好的企业文化大概指的就是利润之上的追求，而”利润至上”的文化是最差的企业文化。
4. 利润之上的追求 = 把消费者需求放在公司短期利益前面。
多数公司碰到问题时讨论的都是有没有钱赚的问题，而有利润之上追求的公司碰到问题时可能会先问一句”这是对的事情吗？这是应该赚的钱吗？“其实差别很小，但20年后差别很大。
5. 这个追求在任何层级都适用，不只是CEO的事。
（2013-03-03，商业逻辑篇）
❓ 精选问答
问：什么是利润之上的追求？
答：利润之上的追求指的是把消费者需求放在公司短期利益前面。多数公司碰到问题时讨论的都是有没有钱赚的问题，而有利润之上追求的公司碰到问题时可能会先问一句，这是对的事情吗？这是应该赚的钱吗……？其实差别很小，但20年后差别很大。（2020-07-10，商业逻辑篇）
问：有利润之上追求的公司一定能成功吗？
答：有”利润之上”追求并不是好企业的充分条件，但有”利润之上”追求的企业成为好企业的概率要比一般企业大很多，时间越长差别越大。（2013-03-03，商业逻辑篇）
问：苹果的利润之上追求体现在哪里？
答：他说：“当我们付出努力，为了让盲人也可以使用我们的设备时，我是不会考虑该死的ROI（投资回报率）的。“苹果在发起环保倡议、保护员工安全和其他政策时也是如此。———这就叫利润之上的追求！（2019-06-27，商业逻辑篇）
问：乔布斯是怎么理解利润之上的追求的？
答：（引用乔布斯自述）“我的激情所在是打造一家可以传世的公司，这家公司里的人动力十足地创造伟大的产品。其他一切都是第二位的。当然，能赚钱很棒，因为那样你才能够制造伟大的产品。但是动力来自产品，而不是利润。斯卡利本末倒置，把赚钱当成了目标。这种差别很微妙，但它却会影响每一件事：你聘用谁，提拔谁，会议上讨论什么事情。“（2014-02-01，商业逻辑篇）
📖 案例拆解
苹果：利润之上追求的最完整诠释
段永平在商业逻辑篇开篇就引用了乔布斯的自述，并评价：“吉姆.柯林斯在《基业长青》中曾经总结过伟大企业的其中一项特质是’利润之上的追求’，乔布斯和他的苹果给予了这项特质以最完美的诠释。“（2014-02-01）
乔布斯的核心观点：
- 动力来自产品，而不是利润
- 斯卡利把赚钱当成了目标，这是苹果衰落的根本原因
- 伟大的公司是打造”可以传世的公司”，而不是赚了钱就走
步步高/OPPO：不赚不该赚的钱
段永平说：“我们公司是属于知道有些钱是不能赚的这类公司。“具体体现：
- 不做OEM（即使沃尔玛下100万台订单也拒绝）
- 不讨价还价（所有客户价格完全一样，没有折扣）
- 不赊账、不拖付货款、不晚发工资
这些”不做的事情”背后，都是”这是对的事情吗”的追问，而不是”有没有钱赚”。
💬 原文金句
“利润之上的追求指的是把消费者需求放在公司短期利益前面。多数公司碰到问题时讨论的都是有没有钱赚的问题，而有利润之上追求的公司碰到问题时可能会先问一句，这是对的事情吗？……其实差别很小，但20年后差别很大。“（2020-07-10，商业逻辑篇）
“当我们付出努力，为了让盲人也可以使用我们的设备时，我是不会考虑该死的ROI（投资回报率）的。“——库克（引用自段永平，2019-06-27，商业逻辑篇）
“有’利润之上’追求并不是好企业的充分条件，但有’利润之上’追求的企业成为好企业的概率要比一般企业大很多，时间越长差别越大。“（2013-03-03，商业逻辑篇）
“其实真正好的能持续经营的企业大多都不是着眼于利润的，利润不过是水到渠成的结果而已，就是所谓让利润追着自己跑的那种。“（2011-01-28，商业逻辑篇）
⚠️ 常见误区
-
❌ “利润之上的追求就是做公益、不赚钱” — “利润之上的追求的意思不是利润至上，意思正好相反”——它不是不赚钱，而是在赚钱的同时，把消费者需求放在短期利益前面。苹果既有利润之上的追求，也是全球最赚钱的公司之一。
-
❌ “只要有利润以上的追求，公司就一定能成功” — “有’利润之上’追求并不是好企业的充分条件”——它是必要条件，但不够。还需要好的生意模式和能力圈。
-
❌ “这个概念只适用于大公司或CEO” — “如果你是一个有’利润以上’追求的manager，你就会找到很多ideas”——这个思维方式在任何层级都适用。
🔗 关联节点
下游概念（由此推导出的结论）： 生意模式 · 护城河 · 好公司的标准 · 长期主义
参考书目： 《基业长青》（Built to Last）· 《从优秀到卓越》（Good to Great）