I was at an event where every attendee was asked to share the purpose of their company.
Most of the people in the room were sales and marketing professionals. You could feel the energy shift as each person stood up, smiled politely, and … delivered a sales pitch.
It wasn’t intentional. They just didn’t know how to talk about purpose without talking about products.
That moment stuck with me because it revealed how blurry the line can be between what we sell and why we exist.
A purpose statement isn’t about what your company sells or even how you do it.
It’s about why your company exists in the first place, beyond profit or market share.
Patagonia says it best: “To save our home planet.”
That’s not a slogan. It’s a promise, one they’ve built into how they hire, operate, and advocate. You can see it in everything from their supply chain to how they tell their stories.
Purpose is the heartbeat that gives meaning to your work. It connects your actions to something bigger than your products.
You can’t write your purpose in between meetings.
Set aside intentional time with your team to think creatively and step away from the daily grind. Purpose lives in reflection, not in task lists.
Write it all down. What do you make? Who do you serve? What are your customers’ favorite things about you? Why was your company founded?
This isn’t your final answer. It’s just building context for what’s to come.
Think about the impact your product or service has on others. What changes because of what you do?
For example, let’s say your company makes ink.
Maybe you were founded because the market was stagnant and you saw room for innovation. You wanted inks that performed better, were more ecofriendly, and gave customers more creative freedom. That’s your “why.”
Now, strip away the product language until the essence shines through.
From that long explanation, you might land here:
We help businesses communicate beautifully.
That statement doesn’t mention ink at all, yet it captures the true reason the company exists.
A clear purpose gives people something to believe in.
It helps customers connect emotionally.
It helps employees stay aligned.
And it helps leaders make decisions that feel right for the long term.
When your purpose sounds like a sales pitch, it tells people what you do.
When your purpose feels like a belief, it tells people who you are.
That’s where Insightfully Curious can help.
Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to ask the right questions, to challenge your assumptions, and to uncover the deeper “why” that connects your work, your people, and your impact.
Through collaborative workshops, we help organizations define or refine their mission, vision, and purpose in a way that feels authentic and actionable. The goal isn’t to make it sound perfect. It’s to make it sound true.
Because when your purpose is clear, your story speaks for itself.