The unintended charity of money-making
When it comes to (for-profit) business, there is often a tendency to focus solely on the money. Rightly so too, as money is, and should be, the bottom-line.
But oft forgotten is the amount of value that businesses actually create for society, and how the money they create is inextricably linked to the amount of value they create. For if a business wishes to gain money from somebody, the business must provide enough value to the individual so that he or she would actually be willing to give up their money. And if the business manages to do it efficiently with as few resources as possible (hence, minimal costs), they will most likely be reaping the rewards of their profits as well.
As Adam Smith wisely stated:
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.
So the next time you feel "dirty" about making money, just think about the value you are bringing to others in doing so.
Money is just a way of keeping score of how much society is indebted to you.
