Guest Perspective: What is Business?

"What is business? At its core, business is possibility in action. From the lemonade stand on the corner to the global boardroom, from Etsy stores to Amazon’s vast marketplace, business is everywhere. It transcends geography, politics, religion and everything in between. Business builds communities. It sparks entrepreneurship. It creates opportunities. And most importantly, it opens doors for those willing to see the present not only for what it is, but for what it could be.

Think about the countless forms business takes. An organic farm in Iowa. A tractor company in Wisconsin. An auto repair shop in Arkansas. Each one is different, yet all share a common thread: they employ people, feed families, and drive prosperity. Business is both deeply personal and profoundly communal as it shapes livelihoods, defines neighborhoods, and builds the foundation of our shared economy.

Here in San Mateo County, we sometimes forget the incredible range of business activity around us. We often think of the big names of the tech companies and life sciences firms that put us on the global map. Those companies are only part of the story. At the request of the SAMCEDA Board of Directors, we recently took a deep dive into our membership, examining who our members are and the industries they represent. What we discovered was illuminating; our membership mirrors the county itself, with no single industry dominating employment or identity."