Post originally by Herb at 2005-03-10 10:29:06
Converted from Phorums BB System

Seanchai wrote:
-------------------------------
Actually, no. The objective of business is making money. And while you could certainly define success as "a happy feeling inside," we're talking about business - where money is what matters.
-------------------------------

Actually, having worked at one, I'm amazed by both the number of vanity businesses (defined as one where profit is not the primary motive) and their durability. The one I worked at had been around two decades, is still there after I left two years ago figuring it wouldn't last another year (and is doing better) and is still run in a manner as f****d up as a soup sandwich.

They do have one defining characteristic: the owner has some other stream of income such that he doesn't need any from the business and can cover any loses.

In fact, I'd suspect most hobby stores (not just gaming ones) that last are vanity businesses that survive because they feed the owner's ego or occupy his time, instead of early (or normal) retirement (in my particular case the owner was in his 70s, could have retired in his 50s and did it because retirement bored him to death).

Is Troll Lords such a company? Don't know, but several game companies are (Man to Man, who keeps the Squad Leader flame alive, is for example).