To be business, you need customers, and you need to be registered with broker or registered with finra to manage other people's money.
if you are just trading own money it's not a business. that is the misconception of people. and you don't make money trading, it's a expensive 'hobby' like 95% of people lose money in their brokerage account.
professional trade other people's money that is business , to do that you need to be registered with a broker/dealer and pay higher professional fees. and take training courses.
Just because you don't view trading as a business doesn't mean it's not a business.. If im trading fulltime and paying my bills with the money I make then what do you call that?.. Only profitable fulltime traders know what I mean..We take things more serious then others.. It's no hobby to us. . And you said a real business has customers? Well we do have customers .. If I sell a future contract there are buyers (customers) on the other side buying my contracts..