When Purpose Drives Growth: Insights for Impact Entrepreneurs
In social enterprise, purpose is not just an inspiration, it is the compass that guides decisions, shapes strategy, and determines the impact we create. Nina Staer Nathan, Founder and CEO of Sunflower Communications, and Emiliano Iturriaga, Co-Founder and CEO of Rutopía, have both built mission-driven organizations that prioritize purpose at every step. Through our work supporting nonprofits, social enterprises, and rural communities, we have learned that staying connected to your mission is not just idealistic, it is practical, and it drives sustainable growth.
Purpose as a Compass for Growth
Nina (Sunflower Communications)
Running a small agency supporting various types of impact organizations, I have often faced the tension between doing more and staying true to purpose. It is easy to get pulled into short-term outputs, deadlines, and client demands, but the work that lasts - the work that truly advances missions - comes from being anchored in clarity, values, and intentionality. Purpose shapes the choices we make about which projects to take on, how to invest our limited time and resources, and the kind of partnerships we cultivate. It also serves as a lens for reflection: when we evaluate our strategies and campaigns, we ask whether they genuinely advance impact or simply create activity. Staying connected to purpose keeps the work meaningful, sustainable, and ultimately more effective.
Emiliano (Rutopía)
At Rutopía, purpose drives every facet of the enterprise. Our mission is to support rural communities in Mexico by connecting them to sustainable tourism opportunities, helping them preserve ecosystems, protect culture, and generate income while providing travelers with authentic, responsible experiences. Grounding every decision in this purpose has been essential, especially when navigating complex challenges - from balancing growth with community needs to ensuring environmental and cultural preservation at scale. Purpose informs who we collaborate with, the types of experiences we promote, and the ways we measure success, ensuring that growth does not come at the expense of the communities we serve. Over seven years, this compass has allowed us to scale thoughtfully while staying aligned with our core mission.
“Staying grounded in purpose has guided every decision we make, from the partners we collaborate with to how we measure success”
Two Perspectives on Staying Grounded
Nina (Sunflower Communications)
For us, staying connected to purpose means advising clients to focus on communications that advance impact, not just produce noise. It involves making intentional choices about which work to take on, how to allocate limited resources, and how to balance creative experimentation with strategic clarity. This extends to our monthly Learning Lab, where the team comes together to learn, collaborate, stay updated on sector trends, and explore creative ways to grow. Each month, we choose a video, podcast, or article and discuss it during our all-hands meeting, sharing insights, testing ideas, and reflecting collectively. It’s a small practice with big effects: it clarifies priorities, strengthens strategy, nurtures both creativity and resilience and internal team culture.
Emiliano (Rutopía)
For Rutopía, staying grounded in purpose is about partnership and accountability. It means working closely with communities to ensure they lead the process and have real agency over the experiences offered to travelers. It also means designing systems that connect small hosts to the tourism value chain in ways that protect cultural integrity, preserve local ecosystems, and generate sustainable income. Purpose acts as a filter for decisions big and small-from which initiatives to prioritize to how we measure success-ensuring that growth strengthens the communities we serve instead of compromising them.
“Purpose-driven work is contagious; it inspires and strengthens partnerships across the sector”
Why Purpose Drives Growth
Purpose is not a tagline, it is a strategic tool. When your mission is clear, you can:
Prioritize with intention: Purpose clarifies which opportunities align with your goals and which do not.
Measure impact meaningfully: Growth is more than revenue, it is the tangible difference made in communities, people’s lives, and ecosystems. For Rutopía, that means thousands of jobs created, over 100,000 hectares preserved, and millions in revenue for small enterprises. For Sunflower, it means helping organizations communicate their missions with clarity, efficiency, and integrity.
Stay resilient amid uncertainty: A clear purpose acts as a stabilizer when the sector changes or when unforeseen challenges arise.
“Purpose is not a tagline, it is a strategic tool that guides every decision and amplifies impact.”
Scaling with Integrity
Scaling a social enterprise or impact-driven business is rarely straightforward. Growth can create pressure to compromise values, pursue projects that don’t fully align with your mission, or prioritize speed over long-term sustainability. Yet our experience shows that purpose is a guiding anchor: staying true to it while maintaining operational discipline allows growth that amplifies impact rather than diluting it. Social entrepreneurs who scale with integrity find that mission-driven growth builds stronger partnerships, fosters trust with communities and stakeholders, and creates a foundation for lasting social and financial returns. In other words, growth and impact don’t have to be at odds - when purpose leads, they reinforce each other.
Key Learnings for Impact Entrepreneurs
From our shared experiences, here are a few reflections for others in the social enterprise sector:
Anchor every decision in purpose: Growth without mission risks dilution, while mission-driven growth multiplies impact and builds long-term credibility.
Measure both business and social outcomes: Sustainable enterprises track not just revenue, but the tangible difference made in people’s lives, communities, and ecosystems.
Build networks that amplify impact: Collaboration - with communities, partners, or peers - expands reach, strengthens resilience, and unlocks new opportunities.
Reflect continuously: Pausing to evaluate, iterate, and adjust ensures decisions are strategic rather than reactive, allowing teams to navigate challenges without losing sight of mission.
Co-Reflections from Sunflower and Rutopía
Nina (Sunflower Communications)
Watching Emiliano’s team navigate the complexities of rural tourism in Mexico reinforced that staying grounded in mission often demands creativity, patience, and humility. Real impact requires listening deeply, adapting thoughtfully, and making choices that honor both people and place.
Emiliano (Rutopía)
Collaborating with Nina and Sunflower highlighted that supporting others’ missions effectively also requires clarity and discipline in your own purpose. Impactful work starts with knowing what you stand for, and letting that guide every decision and partnership.
“Growth without mission leads to dilution, while mission-driven growth compounds impact.”
Looking Forward: Growth Anchored in Mission
Purpose and impact are inseparable. For social enterprises and impact entrepreneurs, aligning growth with mission is not optional, it is the pathway to meaningful, sustainable success. We hope these reflections inspire you to examine your own mission, consider how it shapes your strategy, and explore how staying rooted in purpose can drive both growth and impact.
Stay Connected
We’d love to continue the conversation with you. Connect with us:
Nina Staer Nathan, Founder & CEO of Sunflower Communications
Emiliano Iturriaga, Co-Founder & CEO of Rutopía
