Business Quote by Theodore Levitt
“The true purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer, not to make you money.”
About This Quote
A business’s core mission is to serve customers sustainably; profit follows when value is consistently delivered, not the other way around.
In simple terms: Serve customers, profit follows.
Key Takeaway
Customer focus drives lasting profit.
Themes
business
customer value
profit
sustainability
Mood
pragmatic
optimistic
Type
business advice
When to use this quote
- product development
- service design
- marketing strategy
- customer support
Key Concepts
value creation
market orientation
Practical Applications
- measure customer satisfaction regularly
- align incentives with customer outcomes
Questions to Reflect On
- How can companies resist profit‑first temptations?
- What metrics best capture long‑term customer value?
A Different Perspective
Short‑term profit pressures can tempt firms to prioritize revenue over genuine customer value.
![“[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, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)