"Location, Location, Location!" ~ Ruwayd Tamim, Nashaki Master Merchant, moments before he gets trampled by a runaway cart.
{{#pagetitle: Business Management}}
=Skill Scale Down 2021=
This skill has been impacted by the Skill Scale Down. The impact of this for this skill is as follows:
* This skill remains.
* All knowledge is left as is.
* For how to deal with XP, please see the page [[:Category:Skills Scale Down 2021 |Skill Scale Down 2021]] for links, information, and a player guide.
* The scope of this skill has not changed. Please ensure that you take this into account going forward.
=Overview=
What is Business management even? What sets it apart from the skills that contribute toward running a business, but fall short of skill at running an actual business?
In the battlefield of a competitive marketplace, where business interests are bound to clash, causing untold financial strife to the losers and unimaginable success and treasure flowing to the winners, business management is often the determining factor in who those winners and losers are. Skill at business management makes the difference between making a profit and taking a loss. Any expert at logistics can tell you how to run a supply line, to the point of what kind of skilled labor or security you'll need or how long provisions will last. However, one skilled in managing businesses will do it as effectively at a fraction of the cost, cutting wages to the bare minimum, just enough to keep the workers' appetites whetted for the next job without overpaying them, and procuring cheaper provisions.
This is the crux of business management. It's not the specific goods or resources that make the difference to the bottom line, or the manpower to bring an operation to fruition. A true business management master will ensure a profit regardless of circumstances, and turn small change and scraps into troves of nels.
Competition exists everywhere there are businesses, market forces that dominate areas of mortal interest. Even in the Immortal Forsaken wastes, there exist underserved and beleaguered communities that can benefit from a visit by an marketeer, bringing them what they need and absolutely making them pay with the life second-born child for the convenience of finding them where they are, and bringing what is needed.
Business is driven by supply and demand, mortal need and the means to fulfill it. A great business manager knows how to toe the line between highway robbery and charity, and regardless of the path chosen, or the goods carried on it, to come out richer for it every single time.
=Related Skills=
Socialization: Socialization, specifically the aspect that governs negotiation and persuasion would seem to be essential to business management. While it can be vital to any salesperson or person with some service to sell, it differs in a key way. Socialization can drive up the cost of a sale, sure, but business management ensures that the right sales are made, that overall strategy for the maximization of profit margins and business relationships are adhered to. Socialization allows one to make a sale, perhaps, or converts one into a paying customer, but Business management governs the overall strategy of these movements.
Logistics: Business management differs from logistics in a very important way. Where Logistics governs generally the organization and planning of broad strokes operations and how these aims are achieved, business management skill governs the efficiency with which this is applied to making profits, cutting corners, and generally ensuring the survival of business operations that rely upon trade and profit.
Politics: Business management differs from politics skill in terms of scope. Whereas politics skill can engender political interest or apathy (depending upon one's aims) in an established business, business management ensures that these aims line up to the benefit of a given business operation or faction, and that the business entity may survive and even thrive in the presence of political pressures that might otherwise have affected it.
Appraisal: Business Management differs from Appraisal in the manner value is aggregated. Whereas appraisal may govern the assessment and valuation of markets and commodities, Business management skill dictates how those assessments and valuations will impact business decisions. One can acquire an item that is priceless for the right price, and know the market it will be best matched to sell off to, but without Business management skill, those markets may prove out of reach or otherwise unavailable to them.
Leadership: Leadership is a skill that might appear on the surface to work hand in hand with business management, especially if one is directing a large staff in their business, or running a mercenary company. However it differs in that the Business Management side of things is focused on the ends being profitable and successful, whereas Leadership is based on the successful direction of people under one's care or command. One is focused on the process of leading people, the other is focused on the process and end result of a successful business venture.
Intelligence: Intelligence can be both the point of a given business (an information broker for instance) but also can be useful to any other business, to scout the competition and keep ahead of the curve when it comes to pricing, service, and scouting hired talent.
Psychology: Knowing the psychology of a potential client or customer, whether that be an individual or group of individuals, is an important aspect of running a business. Where it differs from Business management, is that psychology tends to be focused more on understanding. Business management is more focused on how to turn that knowledge toward the need to patronize one's business, and employ sweeping strategies for the acquisition of clients, customers, and getting them in the mood to give you money.
Business-Related Skill: For those running a business, there's often one overriding skill that governs the business. Whether a mercenary company requiring skill at arms, or a pawn shop dedicated to appraisal, every business has some skill that they put to use bringing customers what they want, and selling the fruits of that skill. Business Management on its own is enough to run most types of enterprises, but without something of value to sell, one is limited to catering to a less monied and less varied clientele.
=Skill Ranks=
==Novice (0-25)==
In the absence of competition, perhaps a novice might get away with some success. However one will not succeed for long at business at this level, without compromise or loss. One can keep a business operation running at this level indefinitely perhaps, but they won't get much more out of it than they put in. In the long run, they will find their way drifting into the red, unless they learn better business practices. Without luck, and perhaps avoiding the attention of bigger business heads crushing them like the bugs they are, they will find themselves failing more often at business than not.
==Competent (26-75)==
The business operator at this point has a head for what it takes to run a profitable business, reducing costs and making acquisitions at lower rates. Perhaps they shore up their ability to raise the bottom line with supplementary talents, but all of this is in vain if they do not have the skill to recognize what is necessary to truly turn out a profit from their business. They'll still frequently succeed, and even perhaps run a marginally successful business. But unless they push themselves harder, they'll scarcely be able to play with the big players, the financial giants with several businesses under their belt who as luck would have it don't see them as enough of a threat to even stamp out their business.
Still, competent managers at this level will have found enough success to inform further successes, and get on the way to finding out their method of improving their prospects. They will have succeeded in acquiring greater profits, while keeping margins and costs low.
==Expert (76-150)==
At this level there's no denying that the manager has acquired success. Top businesses count experts among their managers, and often they will have a series of businesses perhaps crossing town or even national borders. These are the budding tycoons, the sterling financiers who have begun to acquire their own nest egg for expansion. At this point, few things can get in the way of their profitability other than extenuating circumstances outside of their control. But in business, they are quite capable of fending off financial challenges of most kinds.
==Master (151-250)==
A master manager may give Chamadarst a run for his money. At this stage, they will have acquired not only the ability to generate capital, but capital enough to buy out all manner of inventory, turning buying into a financial weapon to beggar their competition and thus driving up the costs by cornering the market. Monopoly runners and trust-builders are masters of business management, and can turn nations inside out with their financial chicanery. And they would, if it proved profitable to them and their designs personally. That as always is a function of their moral code, more often than not, yet a loose code of morals can more easily enrich the few, while beggaring the many. Conversely, a charitable business management master may spread the wealth, giving way to waves of prosperity for their community.
Beyond this level, the limits of profit generation are nigh impossible to gauge.
=Progressing Business Management=
* [[:Category: Business Management Capstones |Capstones]]
* [[:Category: Business Management Grandmaster |Grandmasters]]
* [[:Category: Business Management Tier 2 | Tier 2 PCs]]
= Business Management Knowledge =
The collapsible below has examples of [[Skill Knowledge]] for this skill. If you are unsure of what Knowledge is, please check the [[:Category: Knowledge | Knowledge Primer]] for details. Please remember that our Peer Reviewers will be checking to make sure that your Knowledge claim is appropriate to what you have learned in the thread and ensuring that you are not duplicating knowledge.
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A guide to knowledge can be found [viewtopic.php?f=242&t=7463 here] (this link takes you to the site) and the person reviewing your thread will do so following the steps laid out in the [[Peer Reviewer Guide]]. If you wish to use one of these knowledge in your request, please ensure that it is appropriate to your thread.
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<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="max-width:90%; overflow:auto;">
'''Business Management'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
*Business Management: Maximum profit for minimum outlay
*Business Management: Target your product to a specific market
*Business Management: Supply and Demand of the Slave Trade.
*Business Management: Promoting a business through contests and prizes
*Business Management: Working around customers
*Business Management: Always please the customer
</div></div>
[[Category:Skills]]
