Some people will tell you,
“Just focus on your business. Government doesn’t concern you.”
That sounds nice.
But it is not true.
If someone says that, one of three things is happening:
• Their business is still very small.
• They don’t understand how things really work.
• Or they have never grown big enough to feel the impact of government decisions.
The truth is simple:
Government policies affect businesses—whether you like it or not.
A Simple Story From My Own Life
Between 2022 and 2023, I was running a poultry business.
Every day, we produced about 350 crates of eggs.
Buyers came to the farm gate to buy eggs in bulk.
Now, here is how the system worked:
• Our direct customers paid us by bank transfer.
• But their customers—the people they sold eggs to—paid them in cash.
So even though we were receiving transfers, those transfers depended on cash moving at the end of the chain.
That detail matters.
When Cash Was Choked, Everything Froze
Then the government introduced the cashless policy.
The goal was political—to stop vote buying and cash abuse during elections. But the policy did not stop with politicians. It affected everyone.
Suddenly:
• Cash became scarce.
• Retail buyers could not get cash.
• So they could not pay our customers.
• And our customers could not pay us—even by transfer.
Why?
Because if cash does not enter the system at the bottom,
bank transfers stop flowing at the top.
Money is a chain.
Break one link, and the whole chain suffers.
When Eggs Started Piling Up
At first, we thought it would pass.
We held the eggs, hoping buyers would recover.
We reduced prices.
We shared thousands of crates free.
But eggs do not wait.
Sales slowed badly.
Eggs began to spoil.
Eventually, we had to bury thousands of crates of eggs.
That is not a metaphor.
We literally buried eggs.
What Most People Never Saw
Here is the part many people never see.
During this period:
• The business was losing money steadily.
• This went on for about six months.
• Cashflow was under serious pressure.
But throughout all of this,
the business continued paying salaries.
Staff were paid.
Operations continued.
Employees were shielded.
This is what entrepreneurs do:
They absorb problems so others can work.
Why This Matters
Two big political forces were fighting.
And businesses at the base of the economy suffered.
This was not because we were careless.
It was because a policy designed for one purpose affected many people who were not the target.
That was when something became very clear to me:
You cannot separate business from government.
Why Big Businesses Pay Attention to Government
As I observed more closely, I noticed something else.
Large businesses:
• Access loans at very low interest rates.
• Get support from government institutions.
• Receive incentives and protection.
• Can survive policy shocks better.
Why?
Because they understand government.
They plan for policy.
They engage with governance.
Government is not noise.
Government is leverage.
Why Small Business Owners Must Pay Attention
If you sell:
• food
• transport
• eggs
• clothing
• services
Government policy affects:
• how money moves
• how customers pay
• how fast cash circulates
• how businesses survive shocks
You may not feel it today.
But if your business grows, you will.
Ignoring government does not protect you.
It only makes you unprepared.
Why Workers Should Care Too
Some workers say,
“Politics doesn’t concern me.”
But politics decides:
• whether your company survives
• whether salaries are paid
• whether jobs exist
• whether businesses can grow
When businesses collapse,
it is not only owners who suffer.
Understanding the bigger picture helps workers:
• stay calm under pressure
• trust leadership decisions
• grow into better professionals
The Simple Lesson
Business is not just selling.
It is understanding systems.
It is surviving policy.
It is preparing for change.
Entrepreneurs will continue to carry pressure so others can work.
But healthier societies are built when:
• business owners understand government
• workers understand business
• citizens understand leadership choices
Closing Thought
You cannot run away from governance.
You can only choose to understand it—or suffer it blindly.
Government decisions affect:
• money in circulation
• eggs at farm gates
• salaries at month-end
• food on tables
The earlier we understand this,
the wiser we become.
And wisdom, in business and in life,
is knowing what truly shapes your future.
