Business Glossary

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!