GUEST POST from Don – Greed

NOT GREEDY

Most well off business owners I have met are not greedy.  They just look at money differently than most.  They don’t have vaults of money nor do they spend their weekends counting coin.  In fact, most of the things that come to your mind when you think of business owners are false.

First, why does a person start a business?  Is it to make loads of money by ripping people off?  Some do. Some doctors do.  Some dentists do.  Some classic car replacement part builders do.  The majority don’t.  They begin a business because they have a passion.  What they DO gives them more satisfaction than the dollars they earn.  Hopefully that is how YOUR doctor, dentist and car part provider live.  They aren’t greedy, they merely make money by being the best they can be.  

Second, wealthy business owners surround themselves with smart, talented people.  They hire people who are excellent at what they do … with engineering degrees, with law degrees, with accounting degrees, etc.  They don’t hire lazy, half-right people.  The result is that their companies excel and the owner makes money.  The other real result is that customers perceive that they received value from their purchase.  You can always find lower cost, but there is a “price” to pay for it.  The customer seldom wants mediocre.  

The third talent of good business owners is that they not only expect quality, they also produce it.  To produce quality they have to spend.  It takes time, energy, and vast investment to produce well.  The restaurant that charges $10 for a bowl of soup is not charging for the ingredients, but for costs like TAXES (the greedy government), RENT (the greedy landlord), INSURANCE (to protect against the greedy patron), and UTILITIES (the greedy electric company which charges to keep the lights on and the A/C running).  If the taxes were less (and we demanded less of government so they could charge less) the restaurant owner could charge less.

Fourth, those with a lower tolerance for risk wouldn’t do what they do.  If you pay attention, a significant number of businesses go bankrupt every year.  What looks like a man raking in money one year can be the same man who is broken by circumstances the very next.  If YOU knew there was a real risk that your investment of time, energy, and money would be for nothing, would you do that?  Many wouldn’t.  

Let’s be clear, however.  Greedy people do exist in this world.  I’ve seen the same moral failing among the poor.  The thief is greedy.  The man who chases skirts instead of relationships is greedy.  The woman who discovers she can have more by doing less and applying for government benefits … she might be greedy, too.  Greed is not the habitation of only the rich.  

Just watch heirs.  Someone will try to walk off with the jewelry or silverware.  Someone will demand MORE from another inheritor because “I deserve it more.”  There is no greed like familial greed.

Not only that, but sometimes we misinterpret motives.  No one can see a motive.  It isn’t a skin color.  It isn’t found in the choice of footwear.  Thus, motives are easy to misinterpret.  When someone is helping, others may think it is an attempt to take advantage, because some people DO just that.  But not all do.

What else could be misinterpreted as greed?

First, fear of lack.  Are those who fear loss … greedy?  Rarely.  But it is easily misunderstood.  For example, retirees seldom talk about the money they have saved up.  There are many good reasons to be silent.  Those who have money saved have to do things to keep thieves away.  But what do you hear on the news?  Some woman’s bank account was wiped out because she wanted to help someone in “need” and the false person manipulated her.  It reminds us to be fearful and not trusting of others.  Without the thieves, the person would have no need to fear and that person would be more likely to help others.  The problem is the greedy thieves, not the rich person trying to preserve some for the future.

Second, many folk like their independence.  It takes lotsa moola to ensure that they do not have to depend on others.  Some might imagine their motive is greed, but far from it, they don’t want to be a burden.  A dollar saved now is an extra cushion against that day.

Third, some misinterpret preparation as greed.  It isn’t.  “What if a financial catastrophe occurred?  Would I have enough to cover it, or would I have to sell my house?”  It is a sign of intelligence to put aside resources for the future.  I recommend it, in fact.  Have extra toilet tissue, a few cans of vegetables, some bottled water, or an alternative source of heat.  Smart!  When COVID hit we saw how utterly stupid it was to be living day-to-day.  People had no extra TP and they were ripping up sheets.  At our home we had seven weeks worth set aside, so we only had to find a few available here and there to make it through.  It is not irrational or unnecessary.  Most of all it is not being “greedy” to have reserves when others failed to plan.  Hoarding is totally different from preparing.  Preparation is having two pounds of flour in your cupboard.  Hoarding (greed) is running to the grocery store just before a snow storm and walking out with the last four loaves of bread on the shelves.

Fourth, protecting yourself is not greed.  If you or someone you know was swindled you aren’t going to make your money vulnerable.  It may seem like greed, but it really is self-preservation.  Trust should be earned not gifted.  I don’t know what term to use for those who give away trust to anyone who asks, but I would never term that as wisdom.  Wisdom is the proper application of knowledge.  

Finally, some interpret it as greed when one doesn’t feel obligated to generosity.  An emotionally healthy person knows that being generous is optional.  It is a gift.  Personally, I have disdain for “paying it forward” schemes.  I will gift someone WHEN I want to be generous, not when someone puts pressure on me to be generous.  Don’t call me stingy when I don’t submit to your pressure.  Charity is a choice, not an obligation.  I know many who are CAREFUL and PURPOSEFUL with their giving.  Those are positive traits.

What IS greed?

First, expecting someone else should clean up your mess.  That’s just rude.  Take care of your own trash.  Take your beer can home to put in the trash.  Your McBurger wrappers, too.

Second, expecting someone else to give up something they paid for.  That person PAID to sit on the aisle seat, but you want it?  Tough.  Or you COULD offer to reimburse him beyond the price he paid?

Third, asking for handouts, automatically taking the leftovers you didn’t prepare, taking seconds before everyone else had a chance at firsts.  That’s real greed.

Finally, expecting to be paid a wage just for showing up.  If you’re not a benefit to the owner or her customers, you should resign.  Why be so greedy!

Copyright 2026 Donald Whelpley

[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
ALSO, Don is always open to offer his thoughts on various topics. If you have a specific request, you can let him know in a comment; he reads – and replies to – them all. ~ Sherry]

See more GUEST POSTS from Don