Profit for Purpose: How to build a business that makes an impact and a living

When people dream of starting a business that changes the world, they often imagine choosing between two paths, one that makes money or one that makes a difference. The truth is, you can do both.

For the past decade I’ve supported hundreds of founders through Social Starters, and I’ve learned this: the most resilient, inspiring businesses are the ones that treat profit and purpose as partners, not opposites.

Rethinking Profit

Too often, “profit” is treated like a dirty word in purpose-driven circles. But profit is what keeps the lights on, pays your people, and gives you the freedom to innovate and scale your impact.

A truly sustainable business model generates enough surplus to reinvest in the things that matter, your team’s wellbeing, your community, your environmental commitments. The key is to decide early on how you want that profit to flow.

That’s why, at Social Starters, we adapted the classic Lean Canvas into the Social Business Model Canvas, adding two extra blocks: Impact and Growth. These help founders design not only what they sell but why it matters, and how success can ripple outward beyond the balance sheet.

Designing for Impact

When you map your business on this canvas, you look at familiar areas: customers, channels, value proposition, but through a regenerative lens:

• Impact: What positive change does your product or service create?
• 
  
• Growth: How will that impact grow as your revenue grows?
• 
  

This shift reframes success from “How big can we get?” to “How well can we serve life?”

It doesn’t mean you have to run a charity or a social enterprise. It means designing your company so that doing good is baked in, not bolted on later as a CSR initiative.

Profit for Good

Once you’re generating income, the fun begins: deciding what to do with it.

Some founders I’ve worked with allocate a percentage of profit to local projects or climate initiatives. Others offer pro-bono services, pay their suppliers fairly, or create volunteering days so their team can give back. Some invest in employee wellbeing, shorter weeks, creative sabbaticals, outdoor team retreats.

There’s no shame in being commercial; the goal is to be conscious about where your money goes. Build a revenue-generating business first, then do incredible things with your profit.

Culture as Currency

Purpose doesn’t stop at your business model; it lives in your culture. Create a workplace where generosity, balance and curiosity are valued as highly as performance. Encourage side projects, community initiatives, and skills-based volunteering.

This is how you attract and keep people who believe in what you’re building. Culture, in a regenerative business, is the brand.

A Reflection

Take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts:

1. What does profit mean to me personally?
2. 
   
3. If I made £100,000 in profit next year, how might I use some of it for people, planet or purpose?
4. 
   

You might find your answer points you toward the next iteration of your business, one that grows because it gives back.

Purpose and profit are not rivals. They’re the two sides of a truly sustainable enterprise. When you learn to let them coexist - to let profit fuel purpose - you not only build a thriving business, you help build a better world.

Download the free Social Starters Canvas to map your own balance of profit and purpose, or explore The Inner Quest to clarify what kind of impact you most want to make.