How to Define a Business

There are many different ways of classifying businesses but here are the main types:
Manufacturer. These take raw materials and make finished products, which they then sell. They make a physical good such as a car or a sofa.
Service businesses do not produce a physical product but offer a service to consumers. They make a profit by charging for their skills and labour.
Retailers and distributors. These businesses facilitate the chain of supply. They buy goods from the producers or wholesalers and sell them on to consumers at a higher price.
Agriculture and mining. These businesses are also known as extraction industries as they make their profit by taking raw materials out of the ground. Forestry, fishing and coal mining would be in this group.
Financial businesses include banks, insurance companies and investment funds. They offer financial services to consumers and other businesses and generate a profit by managing capital for others.
Utilities are companies that provide vital public services like heat, electricity, gas, water and sewage treatment.
Real estate is the business of buying, selling and developing land and buildings. These can range from homes to commercial properties to factories.
Transportation businesses move people and goods around the world. These would include taxi and bus companies, freight companies, shipping companies and airlines.