'The bones of something' can refer to the essence or core of something. The bones of a business or a project can refer to the basic design or foundation of something upon which other decisions are made. The bones in a body make up the skeleton or the scaffolding on which everything else relies on in order to exist, move and thrive. 'The bones of a business' therefore are the fundamentals on which everything else depends.

1. Before starting her new job at the company, Alice attended a training day where she learnt all about the various inter-workings and components that make up the bones of the business.
2. The bookshop owner tried to incorporate a coffee shop into his business, but it ended up costing too much to run. In the end, he decided that it would be best to stick to the basic bones of the business - selling books.

1. I always write the bones of my essay first and go back to flesh it out later.
2. We're moving house. The bones of it is, that the rent has increased so much that we can't afford to live there anymore.