You’ve probably heard the phrase, “It’s not personal, it’s just business.” Maybe you’ve even said it yourself.
It’s a comforting abstraction, isn’t it? Business becomes this impersonal force, a machine humming along, making decisions on spreadsheets far removed from the messy, emotional reality of human lives.
But here’s the thing: that’s a lie. Everything is personal because business, at its core, is human.
Every decision (every product launched, every policy written, and every email sent) is made by a person. And those decisions ripple outward. As they do, they affect the lives of other people and the planet we share.
Sometimes those ripples create something beautiful, like a sustainable farm or a thriving community. But just as often, they wreak havoc, leaving poverty, pollution, and inequity in their wake.
The good news? If all of this is human-made, it can be human-remade. But first, we need to stop hiding behind the idea that “it’s just business.”
The Comfort of Abstractions
Humans are storytellers. It’s how we make sense of the world. But some of the stories we tell ourselves are dangerous. We create abstractions like “the market,” “the economy,” or “the corporation,” and we use them to distance ourselves from the consequences of our actions.
After all, if someone loses their job and then their home, it’s not our fault. It’s just the economy. It’s the market adjusting to different forces.
But there’s really no such thing as “the market”. What we take as market adjustments are the ripples caused by people buying and selling company shares (another imaginary something) because of fear or greed or some other emotion.
Take national borders. They’re nothing but imaginary lines, agreed upon by people long dead. Yet we use those lines to justify who gets clean water, who doesn’t, and who must risk their life crossing a desert for a shot at safety. Or consider the stock market, a giant game of make-believe where numbers on a screen dictate whether a rainforest lives or dies.
Poverty? That’s another human construct. There’s no natural law that says some people must go hungry while others have more than they could ever use. Poverty is the result of choices made by individuals who act within governments and businesses, choices that prioritize profit over people.
And here’s where business comes in. Every time a company slashes jobs to boost shareholder value or markets a product it knows will harm the environment or human beings, it’s not some faceless entity pulling the strings. It’s people (CEOs, marketers, and boards of directors) making those decisions.
The Personal Consequences of “Just Business”
Let’s bring it down to earth. Picture a fast-fashion brand rolling out a new collection. To hit that price point, someone—an actual person—signed off on sourcing materials from a supplier that pollutes local rivers. Another person approved wages that keep factory workers living in poverty. A marketing team crafted ads to convince you that those $10 jeans are a steal, not a theft from the planet.
Or think about a tech company that builds an algorithm designed to maximize engagement. The people who wrote that code knew it would drive division, amplify disinformation, and harm mental health. But the trade-off (eyeballs for ad dollars) was considered worth it.
None of these decisions were inevitable. They were made by people, knowing full well the harm they’d cause. It’s not the company that acted; it’s the humans behind it.
Ethical Business Starts with Ethical Humans
If a person makes every harmful decision in business, then every ethical decision can be, too. That’s the power, and the responsibility, of being human.
Here’s the truth: businesses aren’t separate from society. They are society. The people who run them are your neighbors, your friends, maybe even you. And the choices they (and we) make determine the kind of world we live in.
That polluted river? It’s our (collective) fault. That homeless person? They’re homeless because of us. That child worried they’re not going to have enough to eat? Their starvation is made of our decisions.
Ethical business doesn’t mean abandoning profit. It means recognizing that profit isn’t the only metric that matters. It’s about creating value without destroying lives or ecosystems. And it’s about understanding that every decision, no matter how abstract it seems, affects real people.
The Role of Ethical Marketing in a Made-Up World
Marketing sits at the intersection of business and storytelling. It’s where companies tell the world who they are, what they stand for, and why you should care. When marketing is done ethically, it builds trust and creates genuine connections. When it’s not, it manipulates and exploits.
Think about the stories you tell as a business owner or decision-maker. Are they grounded in honesty, or are they designed to obscure uncomfortable truths? Are they about fostering long-term relationships, or just closing the next sale?
Ethical marketing means telling the whole story, not just the convenient parts. It means showing the impact of a product, not just its price tag. And it means respecting your audience’s intelligence and autonomy, not exploiting their fears or insecurities.
Reimagining Success
If we want a more equitable world, we need to rethink what success looks like—not just for businesses, but for all of us. Success shouldn’t be measured by quarterly earnings or market share. It should be measured by the well-being of people and the health of the planet.
What would happen if businesses prioritized flourishing over growth? If they focused on creating products and services that genuinely improve lives, instead of chasing trends or maximizing margins?
This isn’t a pipe dream. There are plenty of examples out there of companies that are profitable but still put the planet and people first. We just need more of them to create the sea change needed.
A Call to Action
The next time you hear, “It’s not personal, it’s just business,” remember this: it’s always personal. Every decision, every action, every consequence can be traced back to a human being.
So, let’s stop hiding behind abstractions. Let’s take responsibility for the worlds we create, both as individuals and as businesses. And let’s use marketing and storytelling to connect, not manipulate. To inspire, not exploit. To build a world where success isn’t measured in dollars but in the depth of the relationships we’ve nurtured and the good we’ve left behind.
Because if everything is made up, we might as well make something better.