Built on Purpose — The Real Secret to a Business That Lasts
Aug 19, 2025Trends fade. Markets shift. Algorithms change overnight.
But what remains when the noise quiets?
Purpose.
It’s the thread that sustains a business when uncertainty strikes, when growth feels messy, or when the world asks you to reinvent yourself again and again.
I’ve seen this firsthand — in my own journey and in the stories of the women and founders I’ve supported around the globe. Strategies evolve, products pivot, and entire industries transform, but those who are anchored in purpose are the ones who endure.
Because purpose is not a marketing tagline. It’s not something you manufacture after the fact. It’s the heartbeat of your work. The reason you exist. The North Star you return to when doubt, failure, or fatigue creep in.
Without it, it’s easy to burn out, to chase every shiny new thing, or to lose your sense of self in the process. With it, you gain resilience, clarity, and a kind of magnetic energy that draws the right people, partners, and opportunities your way.
When I’ve worked with global brands, whether helping REI spark a movement for women in the outdoors or guiding Patagonia store leaders through belonging and inclusivity workshops, the projects that left a lasting mark weren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or trendiest tactics. They were the ones built on a clear purpose: to create equity, to foster belonging, to make the outdoors accessible for all. Purpose gave them staying power.
The same is true for founders. I’ve mentored women building companies across industries — from tech to wellness — and again, it’s not the business plan that carries them through the hardest moments. It’s their “why.” When they’re rooted in a vision beyond profit — to heal, to innovate, to connect, to create a better future — they find the courage to keep going.
Purpose is the strategy that doesn’t expire. It’s the one that allows your business to evolve without losing its soul.
So ask yourself: What are you building for? What endures when everything else changes?
Because the real secret to a business that lasts isn’t found in the latest playbook. It’s found in remembering your purpose — and daring to build from it.
🎧 Listen to more on this theme in the latest She Ventures Podcast episode, Women Are Sacred: Living Your Why.
In it, I share my journey from scaling mountains to leading global movements for women and the planet, exploring how purpose sustains us through challenges and how our “why” can spark meaningful collaborations and change.
