You buy something for 100 and sell it for 200. On paper you are delighted with a 100% profit. In reality, you may already be running into a loss, not just on this transaction but on the customer, the vendor or even the market segment as a whole.

The problem is simple. Businesses often look at selling price minus purchase price and call that profit. But in a real business environment, cost is far more complex. Let us look at where the illusion of profit disappears.

Sick industries and distressed businesses are a reality across sectors. In regions like Jammu and Kashmir, units in textiles, handicrafts, food processing, agro-based industries and even small-scale manufacturing have struggled due to outdated processes, inefficient management and inability to adapt to modern markets. While government revival packages often provide short-term relief, the real cure lies in structural transformation.