Focusing on abuse and violence against businesses and their employees, this article discusses how incidents of violence are triggered within the business environment. Following a discussion of previous research explaining abuse and violence against businesses, the author proposes that aggression against businesses is triggered when a rule or norm is violated. Suggesting a series of norm violating behaviors such as customer complaints as possible violence triggers and discussing escalating and de-escalating events, the author addresses the conditions under which customers and business staff become offenders and victims. Presenting a series of case studies illustrating abuse, violence, criminal damage, shop theft, refusal to serve those under age, anti-social behavior, and complaints over goods, this article develops and presents a conceptual framework for exploring incidents of abuse and violence against businesses. Arguing that in each case study, there is an identifiable trigger for the violent incident, this article maintains that it is therefore possible to predict the types of businesses that will provide suitable contexts for abuse and violence. The author concludes that identifying clear business violence triggers, escalating, and de-escalating events are necessary to prevent violence against businesses and business employees. Tables, notes, references