How old is the oldest still-running business in the world?

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Phil

Great subject...

Could make for some very interesting {Discussion(s)} regarding a few other Particular businesses, industries and Ideas throughout All those years...

“We’re entrepreneurs; we’re in a business for ourselves,” Brooke Taylor said in a recent New York Times article describing those who work in the world’s Oldest profession...
http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/03/en...rofession.html

Hi Phil,

Interesting article on those in the "world's oldest profession!"

Talking about the world's oldest still running companies... I wonder who's the oldest still-working person in the world's oldest profession...?

...Ergh, maybe that's not such a great topic!

Along these lines, here's an article that actually sparked my interest in this topic...

Which of today’s technology giants might still be standing tall a century after their founding?

The essence of this article is that, if your business is based around an idea (which can "transcend" technology), then it could be longer-lived than a business based solely on a product...

IBM was started almost exactly 100 years ago - on June 16, 1911. How did a technology company survive so long?

According to the article...

'IBM’s secret is that it is built around an idea that transcends any particular product or technology. Its strategy is to package technology for use by businesses. At first this meant making punch-card tabulators, but IBM moved on to magnetic-tape systems, mainframes, PCs, and most recently services and consulting. Building a company around an idea, rather than a specific technology, makes it easier to adapt when industry “platform shifts” occur.'

Apple - which is now 35 years old - is also based on an idea. According to the article...

'...It has a powerful organising idea: take the latest technology, package it in a simple, elegant form and sell it at a premium price. Apple has done this with personal computers, music players, smartphones and tablet computers, and is now moving into cloud-based services. Each time it has grabbed an existing technology and produced an easier-to-use and prettier version than anyone else. This approach can be applied to whatever technology is flavour of the month: Apple has already shifted from PCs to mobile devices.'

In contrast, Microsoft is NOT based on an idea that transcends technology, according to the article...

'Microsoft (1975) is hugely dependent on Windows, which is its answer to everything. But software for a PC may not be the best choice to run inside a phone or a car.'

Anyway, it's a fascinating concept... I'm still "digesting" the idea, as it's easy to understand - but how do you apply it to your own business? It requires some thought...

- Dien (still chewing things over)