---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The true business of every company is to…"
description: "\"The true business of every company is to make and keep customers.\" — Peter Drucker"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/peter-drucker-393_business_the-true-business-of-every-company-is-to_1476996.png"
---

#  The true business of every company is to make and keep…

![“The true business of every company is to make and keep customers.” quote by Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/peter-drucker-393_business_the-true-business-of-every-company-is-to_1476996.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/peter-drucker-393_business_the-true-business-of-every-company-is-to_1476996.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/peter-drucker-393_business_the-true-business-of-every-company-is-to_1476996.png)

> “The true business of every company is to make and keep customers.”

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A company's core purpose is acquiring and retaining customers, not just products.

**In simple terms:** Customers are the business core.

Key Takeaway

Focus on customer value and loyalty.

Themes

business marketing customer focus strategy

Mood

analytical strategic

Type

business management

When to use this quote

- sales training
- product design
- customer service
- CRM systems

Key Concepts

customer retention value creation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you measure true customer satisfaction?
- What strategies improve retention?

A Different Perspective

Short‑term profit can eclipse long‑term loyalty.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

## Related quotes

> [Make your customers comfortable and they will give you their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-orfalea/make-your-customers-comfortable-and-they-will-give-you-their-lives/)

[Paul Orfalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-orfalea/)

> [We don't need to take the world by storm. We just need to make our customers happy, and when we do that, the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-kelman/we-don-t-need-to-take-the-world-by-storm-we-just-need-to-make-our/)

[Glenn Kelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-kelman/)

> [Ultimately, we're making and selling a consumer good that needs to work and that needs to make customers happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-weiss/ultimately-we-re-making-and-selling-a-consumer-good-that-needs-to/)

[Emily Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-weiss/)

> [“Always remember this: Make it about your customers’ needs. A great utility is something that adds tremendous value to individuals’ lives – and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-joel/always-remember-this-make-it-about-your-customers-needs-a-great/)

[Mitch Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-joel/)

> [I’m moving away from the business, from the company, from all this kind of stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/i-m-moving-away-from-the-business-from-the-company-from-all-this-kind/)

[George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/)

> [Whatever business you are in, every company can shoot for the start in their own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/whatever-business-you-are-in-every-company-can-shoot-for-the-start-in/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Make winners out of every business in your company. Don't carry losers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/make-winners-out-of-every-business-in-your-company-don-t-carry-losers/)

[Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/)

> [A P2P business is a company that creates a platform which allows individuals or 'peers' to directly buy and sell from each other. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/a-p2p-business-is-a-company-that-creates-a-platform-which-allows/)

[Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/)

> [For me the true business of photography is to capture a bit of reality (whatever that is) on film...if, later, the reality means something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/for-me-the-true-business-of-photography-is-to-capture-a-bit-of/)

[Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/)

> [“It is possible to argue that the true business of faith is not to produce emotional conviction in us, but to teach us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-knox/it-is-possible-to-argue-that-the-true-business-of-faith-is-not-to/)

[Ronald Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-knox/)

> [“True business can never be left in any shop. It is a care, white or black, that sits behind every horseman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/true-business-can-never-be-left-in-any-shop-it-is-a-care-white-or/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [“The true business of the philosopher, though not flattering to his vanity, is merely to ascertain, arrange and condense the facts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leslie/the-true-business-of-the-philosopher-though-not-flattering-to-his/)

John Leslie

> [“The Suzy Kassem quote, “Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will” rings all too true for many business owners.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-wright/the-suzy-kassem-quote-fear-kills-more-dreams-than-failure-ever-will/)

[Christy Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-wright/)

> [For me, it's about constantly reinventing the business, but also staying really true to who you are as a business, rather than over-stretching, over-reaching,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-francis/for-me-it-s-about-constantly-reinventing-the-business-but-also/)

[Ben Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-francis/)

> [The true business of people should be to go back to school and think about whatever it was they were thinking about before somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-true-business-of-people-should-be-to-go-back-to-school-and-think/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

## More by Peter Drucker

> [One reason for the tremendous increase in health-care costs in the U.S. is managerial neglect of the "hotel services" by the people who dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-reason-for-the-tremendous-increase-in-health-care-costs-in-the-u/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [No executive has ever suffered because his subordinates were strong and effective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/no-executive-has-ever-suffered-because-his-subordinates-were-strong/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [Results is all that separates one company from another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/results-is-all-that-separates-one-company-from-another/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. Peter Drucker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/there-is-nothing-so-useless-as-doing-efficiently-that-which-should/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [Our society has become an employee society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/our-society-has-become-an-employee-society/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [Replace your pursuit of success with the pursuit of contribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/replace-your-pursuit-of-success-with-the-pursuit-of-contribution/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [Management means, in the last analysis, the substitution of thought for brawn and muscle, of knowledge for folkways and superstition, and of cooperation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/management-means-in-the-last-analysis-the-substitution-of-thought-for/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [Don't try to innovate for the future. Innovate for the present!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/don-t-try-to-innovate-for-the-future-innovate-for-the-present/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [The critical question is not "How can I achieve?" but "What can I contribute?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-critical-question-is-not-how-can-i-achieve-but-what-can-i/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [We can say with certainty - or 90% probability - that the new industries that are about to be born will have nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/we-can-say-with-certainty-or-90-probability-that-the-new-industries/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [When it rains manna from heaven, some people put up an umbrella. Others reach for a big spoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/when-it-rains-manna-from-heaven-some-people-put-up-an-umbrella-others/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [The enterprise can fulfill its human and social functions only if it prospers as a business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-enterprise-can-fulfill-its-human-and-social-functions-only-if-it/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [The computer actually may have aggravated management's degenerative tendency to focus inward on costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-computer-actually-may-have-aggravated-management-s-degenerative/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [Nobody can predict the future; the idea is to have a firm grasp of the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/nobody-can-predict-the-future-the-idea-is-to-have-a-firm-grasp-of-the/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [An executive should be a realist; and no one is less realistic than the cynic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/an-executive-should-be-a-realist-and-no-one-is-less-realistic-than/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

[Explore all 603 Peter Drucker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The true business of every company is to make and keep customers.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Drucker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-true-business-of-every-company-is-to-make-and-keep-customers/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-true-business-of-every-company-is-to-make-and-keep-customers/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/peter-drucker-393_business_the-true-business-of-every-company-is-to_1476996.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/peter-drucker-393_business_the-true-business-of-every-company-is-to_1476996.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a3/peter-drucker-393_business_the-true-business-of-every-company-is-to_1476996.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The true business of every company is to make and keep customers.” — Peter Drucker",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Peter Drucker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The true business of every company...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-true-business-of-every-company-is-to-make-and-keep-customers/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-true-business-of-every-company-is-to-make-and-keep-customers/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
