Founders usually start building their ideas into products and service with a huge enthusiasm and motivation to have an impact in the world that includes benefiting the common good.
With the business setup, it begins with clear impact goals—solving real problems, creating social or environmental value, and building something meaningful for the long term. At the beginning, purpose drives decisions, and success is measured in outcomes, not just revenue.
As the company grows and external capital enters, the center of gravity starts to shift. Investor expectations, ownership structures, return timelines, and financial pressure can gradually reshape priorities, nudging the business model toward faster growth, scalability, and short-term metrics.
What started as an impact-led vision, deeply rooted in the personal values of the founder(s), may end up in a different place – not because the founders stopped caring, but because the logic of finance quietly rewrote what “success” means.
I heard many such stories. A common term for this phenomenon is “mission drift.” This does not have to be this way. There are alternative ways of growing your business (that are unfortunately rarely taught in school or university).
It took a long time until I found the right language and phramework to address that very bad feeling in my stomach when it comes to the business side of growing an idea into a product or service.
Start here and listen to Melanie Rieback in her 8 piece Post Growth Entrepreneurship class.
https://nonprofit.ventures/pge-class
There is so much more to say about this. To be continued …
