Business Glossary
Key terms and abbreviations you will encounter in business language
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If you are new to the business terminology and are learning the business jargon here are some business phrases used in the context of accounting marketing and other business areas. This short guide provides some handy definitions of selected business terms.
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Business jargon and terminology examples
Real life business terms
Here are some basic business terms you can come across in business-related conversations.
- Leverage – to use borrowed capital to increase profits. Another meaning of leverage is to maximise advantage.
- KPIs – key performance indicators
- Gain traction – to reach a point of fast growth and visible results
- Agile – adapting quickly after frequent assessments. It’s a term often used in project management.
- Assets – the value within the company, e.g. equipment, cash, properties, intellectual property.
- Liabilities – what the company owes to otters e.g. debtd, unpaid taxes, wages owed
- Revenue / sales Revenue/ turnover/ Sales turnover – the income received from selling products of services
- Expenses – money spent on running the business e.g. cost of work, rent, insurance
- Net profit – total revenue after expenses
- Gross profit – total revenue less the cost of goods or services sold
- Cash flow – the total amount of cash transferred into and out of the business
- ROI – return on investment
- B2B – business to business
- B2C – business to consumer (individuals)
- Added value – The increase of worth by a business
- Trademark – protected by law a, logo name or other features of a product or company
- SWAT – strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats it’s a term used in marketing
- USPs – unique selling points – the way that a business differentiates from others
- SMART – usually in relation to goals: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and with a time limit
- Benchmark – a company that we compare the business with can be a market leader
- SME – Small and Medium Enterprises
- Break-even point – when a company starts making profit
- Marketing mix – 4Ps – price promotion and place
- Affiliate marketing – advertising goods or services for a commission
- Black swan – an unpredictable event which can change the market conditions
- Boot strapping – starting or running a business at a very low cost
- Business angel – an individual investor providing capital for a share in the company
- Exit strategy – a plan to sell for leave the business by the owner
- Gross – the total amount of money
- Net – the amount of money remaining after the directions
- Working capital – that a business uses in its daily operations
- Yield – the income from an investment
- Crowdfunding – financing a business project through a large number of inversions contributing small amounts of money
- Organic growth – business growth through its own resources, without an external investment
If you are new to this, I hope that you got some clarity on the basic business language.
Are there any unusual or funny business phrases which you have come across? Please share in the comments below!
If you want to expand your business vocabulary further, check out these books:
An Oxford Dictionary of Business and Management
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