There’s a phrase I hear a lot in business.
“We need to define our purpose.”
So everyone gets together.
There are Post-it notes.
There’s a flip chart.
Somebody has inevitably brought coloured pens.
We talk about values. We discuss mission statements. We debate whether we should use words like “empower”, “inspire” or “transform”.
And eventually, after several coffees and considerably more discussion than anyone anticipated, a beautifully polished purpose statement appears.
Job done.
Except it isn’t.
Because I don’t think you find your purpose in a strategy meeting.
I think you discover it through what you actually do.
Purpose Isn’t Something You Invent
I’ve spent years thinking about purpose.
Through building The Wellbeing Farm, becoming B Corp Certified, speaking about conscious leadership and trying – sometimes successfully and sometimes not – to build businesses that make a positive difference, I’ve realised something.
Purpose usually isn’t something you need to invent.
There are clues everywhere.
Look at the things you care about when nobody is watching.
Look at the problems that frustrate you.
Look at where you naturally put your energy.
Look at the decisions you make when there isn’t an obvious commercial benefit.
Look at the things you keep coming back to.
That’s often where purpose is hiding.
The challenge isn’t necessarily finding it.
The challenge is having the courage to build around it.
Purpose Isn’t the Same as a Mission Statement
A business can have a wonderful mission statement and absolutely no sense of purpose.
Equally, I’ve met small business owners who couldn’t give you a polished definition of their purpose if you asked them – yet you can see it in everything they do.
You see it in how they treat people.
You see it in the suppliers they choose.
You see it in how they respond when something goes wrong.
You see it in what they contribute to their community.
You see it in the things they refuse to compromise on.
That, to me, is purpose.
Purpose is behaviour.
The words are useful.
But the behaviour is what matters.
Ask Yourself What Would Still Matter Without the Marketing
Here’s a question I love asking businesses:
If you weren’t allowed to tell anyone about it, would you still do it?
Would you still support that charity?
Would you still make the more responsible purchasing decision?
Would you still invest in your team?
Would you still reduce waste?
Would you still help your community?
Would you still choose the option that creates the better long-term impact?
It’s an interesting test.
Because purpose can very easily become marketing.
And there’s nothing wrong with talking about the positive things your business does. Sharing good ideas can encourage other people to act too.
But the action has to come first.
Purpose Can Make Decisions Easier
One of the unexpected benefits of having a clear sense of purpose is that it can make business decisions simpler.
Not necessarily easier.
But clearer.
When opportunities appear, you have another filter through which to assess them.
Does this move us towards the kind of organisation we’re trying to become?
Does this fit our values?
Will this create the impact we want to create?
Is this good for our people?
Is it good for the business?
Does it feel right?
Purpose doesn’t replace financial thinking or strategy.
Businesses still need to make money.
But it gives you something alongside the spreadsheet.
And sometimes that’s incredibly valuable.
Profit and Purpose Are Not Enemies
I think we’ve created a strange idea that businesses must choose between making money and doing good.
I don’t believe that.
Profit matters.
Without it, a business can’t employ people, invest, innovate, pay suppliers, support communities or survive.
The question isn’t whether businesses should make money.
Of course they should.
The more interesting question is:
What do we do with the power that successful businesses create?
Can we build profitable organisations that also improve people’s lives?
Can growth create more positive impact rather than simply more consumption?
Can commercial success allow us to contribute more?
I believe it can.
That’s why I talk about purpose-led business rather than purpose instead of business.
Your Purpose Will Be Tested
Purpose is easy when everything is going well.
The real test comes when following your values becomes inconvenient.
When there’s pressure on margins.
When the quicker option doesn’t align with your principles.
When a difficult conversation needs to happen.
When doing the right thing costs more.
When nobody outside your organisation will ever know which decision you made.
Those moments tell you far more about an organisation’s purpose than its website does.
I’ve had plenty of moments in business where the neat theory of purpose has collided rather spectacularly with reality.
That’s normal.
Running a conscious business doesn’t mean getting everything right.
It means continuing to ask the questions.
Sometimes Purpose Changes
There’s another thing we don’t talk about enough.
Purpose can evolve.
We’re allowed to change.
Businesses change.
People change.
Life happens.
Things that once seemed enormously important can become less so, while experiences we never expected can completely change our priorities.
I’ve experienced enough unexpected twists in my own life and business journey to know that rigid plans rarely survive forever.
And perhaps that’s okay.
Purpose doesn’t have to be a destination.
It can be a direction.
Stop Trying to Sound Impressive
If you’re trying to define the purpose of your business, my advice is to stop worrying about how it sounds.
Don’t start with the sentence you’re going to put on the website.
Start with the truth.
Why does this business matter to you?
Who benefits because it exists?
What would you like to change?
What do you want people to experience?
What are you unwilling to compromise on?
What would you be proud to have contributed when you eventually step away?
Those answers may not sound like marketing copy.
Good.
They’re probably much more useful.
Purpose Is Something You Practise
Ultimately, I don’t think purpose is something a business can complete.
You don’t finish the workshop, laminate the values and tick the box.
You practise it.
Every day.
Sometimes brilliantly.
Sometimes imperfectly.
Sometimes while wondering what on earth you’re doing.
But you keep asking whether your decisions match the organisation you’re trying to build.
Because purpose isn’t really about what you say.
It’s about what you repeatedly choose to do.
And you don’t need a strategy meeting to begin doing that.
