Do business means to work with a person or company as a partner or client: buy, sell, cooperate. Who with follows with, and where follows in: do business with a supplier, do business in Asia.
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do business with + company/person; do business in + country/market
- Our company has done business with this supplier for over ten years.
- If you want to do business in Japan, learn how people there exchange business cards.
- I prefer to do business with people who answer emails on time.
What changed
First versionWe want to make business with Chinese companies.
RevisionWe want to do business with Chinese companies.
Make can seem right, especially since money goes with make: make money. But trade and cooperation are described with do: do business with Chinese companies.
Owning and managing your own company is run a business: She runs a small business from home. Do business is about your dealings with partners and clients: We do business with three banks.
Your turn
We'd be happy to ___ business with your company next year.
Show the answer
do — This is about working with a company, and business in this sense only goes with do. Native speakers don't say make business.
Imagine you're writing to a partner abroad. Name their company and say why you want to work with it.
We would like to do business with your company, GreenLine, because your products have an excellent reputation in Europe.
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