Who is a business owner

        NOT APPLICABLE TO EVERYONE 

One term that we know, and employ is the term 'business owner'. That term cannot be applied to everyone. If we say that it can, we imply that everyone has a business to his name. That someone is addressed as a business owner implies that he owns a business.

An owner is someone whom ownership of something belongs to. He or she has the legal title and sovereignty over such a thing. Possession of something is what defines ownership. If you own a Donkey, it belongs to you. You are the owner of the Donkey. 

 So if we claim everyone is deserving of the title, we also vest ownership on everyone. The world is a stage filled with very many people. Estimations put the population of the world to be 7 Billion. This would mean that all seven billion residents of the world own a business. Since it is natural for some to own more than one business, then there would be more than 7 billion businesses in existence in the world.

This is not true as we know. Not everyone owns businesses. In every country only very few always own business. When you compare the number of those that owns business with those that do not, those who do not always outnumber. This is because, not everyone would have the interest and capacity to pursue business. Some would be interested in engaging in other human endeavours and be more capable of excelling in it. This fact about the number of business owners in a country, truly shows that not all in the world own it. 

No such claim has ever been made. No one has ever proved that everyone owns a business. No one has ever, if the claim has been made proved the claim. 

Minors and children that constitutes the population of the world, can never be refered to as business owners. Can they? Think about that high school student, who never established a business, who is still dependent on his parents, and still immature to own a business. Can he ever be considered a business owner? As we know, the world is replete with such people. Children constitutes a bulk population of the world. We are talking of very little children, that are still very inexperienced and unwise, and sometimes prohibited by their status to own businesses. The fact that they do not own business is a perfect testament or evidence that it is not everyone that owns a business.

Instead of referring to everyone as a business owner, only certain persons are refered to as business owners. That is indicative of something.

Just wait and think about it. Only few are called business owners; implying that the person it is refered to has certain attributes or nature. 

The title; sir is never refered to just everyone, but only the one that is a man. Women aren't called sirs. You must be a man to be called sir. Thus titles are used for identification, and distinguishes purposes. 

Traditionally only those whom own businesses are called business owners. They are usually associated with and synonymous with the business that they have established. When you refer to them as business owners, the business they own comes to mind.

Those who do not, are never business owner. Therefore the term is used to signify that someone is a business owner. When you call someone a business owner, you signify that he owns one.

It has been used to distinguish business owners from non business owners. 

When you classify someone or a group as business owners you make him distinct from those who do not.

To illustrate it, when you say one is a judge you are not only being revelatory of his profession but also making him distinct from those who are not judges.

The vesting of ownership of business on anyone demands evidence. If you say he is an owner, you would also indicate the business he owns

 When you tell someone that one is a business owner, he could ask you, of what business? 

The conventional application of the term to only those who owns businesses is wisdom. For if we call a non business owner, an owner, we would be liers.

As those whom are just and have high moral principles, we would not want to lie.

It is thus the wise thing to keep up with the tradition of considering as an owner, only one who owns a business.

WHAT DEFINES A BUSINESS OWNER?

                 IT IS NOT FORMATION 

Business formations have steps and  requirements. The steps required to forge business may include; business planning, material sourcing, capital sourcing, business registration etc. The legal requirements vary from one country to the other. They differ from one business to the other. A simple business logically would require simple steps to start. But a complex one would require otherwise. The requirements and steps are like routes to business formation. Whenever you ply them, what usually results is formation of business.

If you take them and fulfil the requirement, you would create a business. If you do not, business cannot be created. 

It may now seem as if taking the steps of formation is what characterises the business owner. After all, most of those who are considered business owners, that we know indulges in the steps that led to the formation of their business.

           1      ILLUSTRATION 

To illustrate it, the birth of a child never occurs except certain biological steps are taken. Two biological entities of different genders must mate for pregnancy to take place. Those who perform this role which eventually leads to childbirth are considered the parents of the child.

Due to the capabilities of business steps and requirements to lead to the formation of businesses, it may seem as if what defines the business owner is formation of business. 

Those who have formed businesses are like the father's of the businesses whose formations they are attributed to.

After all, what you create belongs to you, particularly if you have not commercialized it, but privatized it.

But formation which is one way to own a business is not what defines a business owner. It is simply because ownership is something that could be acquired by not playing formative roles. 

            2   ILLUSTRATION

Bob Marley was a very popular musician. But he was not only successful in music. He was successful also in business. Evidence shows that Bob Marley succeeded in building one of the most beautiful and luxuries estates ever built in modern times. According to a lore, once completed it became a tourist attraction of some sort. It received keen patronage. Everyone wanted to live in the estate. We are not surprised, it belonged to a very famous man. 

When exactly Bob Marley started to build his estate, if you never research you may not know. He it was that took steps to form it. He sourced the capital, contracted architect to design it, constructors to register it, and even registered it to his name. You cannot deny one fact; that you didn't take part in the formation process. 

But that does not make it impossible for you to own his rich business: his lucrative estate. Do not doubt my claim for I could prove it. 

What makes it possible for you to own his estate is transfer of ownership. 

The capability of Wills to be used to transfer the ownership of businesses makes it possible for one who never engaged in formation of business to receive its ownership from the forger.

And the greatest evidence that you can, is that when he passed away, his successor inherited the business; the lucrative estate. So if it was you that he named as successor, you would simply inherit the estate from him, though you never formed it. Though you never did, you can become the owner of the business.

The claim that Bob Marley's businesses were inherited by his children, wives and relatives is a fact proved by records. The fact that they were able to inherit business from him, is evidence that it is humanly possible to inherit a business. 

Ownership is something that can be traded. When one transfers ownership, he in a sense gives it to another person.

Thousands of business owners today did not start their business, but received it as an inheritance. The owners would name them successor, and when they pass away, they would receive it from them. Whoever is named a successor usually inherits a business. 

                  3. ILLUSTRATION 

A father who started a business before his son was born, can be likened to a farmer. He grew the farm. All the resources used in growing the farm were sourced by him. This may happen before his child is born. His child never contributed in the formation of the business, but may come to own it. His father may make him the successor, of the business. When he passes away, the child would become the business owner.

He never engaged in the formation process, but has come to become the owner. It is due to the power of inheritance. Whoever inherits anything becomes the owner. Once someone is named a successor of business he becomes a potential owner of it. And successors usually inherit the businesses bequeathed to them. They never started the business. But however because the ownership was transfered to them, weather or not they paid for the ownership they would become the owner of the business.

                        EXAMPLE

Stefan Quandt inherited about 17.4 percentage of B.M.W from his father. He was never the person that formed the B.M.W business. But he became a shareholder of it, simply because he was made a successor. 

And what about numerous other business men that inherited their fathers wealth and business when they died? Think about Donald Trump. We are not certain about the exact amount of wealth he inherited from his father. But we know that he inherited from his father so much wealth. 

Newspapers often feature the wills of famous men. It is common for them to will such things as; estates, houses, buildings, business and monies to them. 

Since transfer of business ownership can be done from the former to the non-former, and human experience have shown that one can become a business owner without forming one, it is not therefore the hallmark of a business owner, formation of a business. 

If it is, then all those who became business owners through inheritance can not be considered business owners. They, on the contrary are considered business owners; an evidence that formation does not define a business owner.

It can also not be the possession of any quality. For their are many business owners, that lack managerial skills, but entrust the management of their business with managers that are skilled. Those people, skilled, manage their business successfully. 

It can also not be participation. For there are many who start business but are not actively involved in the affairs of their business. They simply employ others to engage in the activities of their business. Some choose not to identify as the owners of their business. They conceal their ownership from the public. 

What then defines a business owner, you may wonder?

                   CERTIFICATION 

What defines a business owner is certification. Consider this illustration. Two men both claim ownership of business. Mr A, claims to be the owner of the business and deserves right to exercise sovereignty over it. Mr B, claims the same thing. Both of them have deep knowledge of the history of the business. Mr B, supports his claim by making reference to his active participation. With all of them having deep knowledge of their field and being enthusiastic about their claim, it is difficult to say which of them is the real owner. Each party does not allow the other to exercise sovereignty. This resulted in an escalation of the dispute until they resolved to go to court. How could the judge determine who the real owner of the land was? Not by asking them, they has all made the same claim. Not also by equating verses knowledge and active participation with ownership, anyone can learn about a business and personnels could be active in the affairs. 

Every business owner usually registers the business he establishes to his name, and receives documentation of his registration which is an evidence that he owns it, a recognition from the government and signifies their approval of his business. Whoever posssese it then is the owner. Except he transfers ownership of it, it usually remains with him. And when ownership transfer is done, it is indicated in a document, which would stand to testify that the person has inherited the business. So, the judge would simply ask them to prove that they own it, by providing ownership document. Whoever provides the document is the owner. An owner must possess evidence of ownership in form of a document or permit by the government.

 What defines the business owner is certification. The reason is because, though forging a business is one way to own it, some who own businesses never forged it; they never gave birth to the idea that led to the formation, they never sourced the capital used in it's formation, they never sourced the materials used in the business, they never designed the business, and never participate in the operations but simply inherited the business.