10 Business Women Leading with Purpose Beyond Profit

For many of us trying to launch and lead purpose-driven businesses, the pressure to get it right can be intense. With so many issues to address — from poverty to inequity to climate change — it can feel impossible to make a meaningful headway with your fledgling idea or new initiative.

But, as Ange and Frozen II both say: as entrepreneurs, all we can do is do the next right thing. One day that may mean mentoring a newcomer to your field; on another day, it could be measuring your new business’ carbon impact or committing to diverse hiring practices. None of us will solve the world’s problems in one go, but the more work we each put in, the more progress we collectively make towards creating a more inclusive, sustainable, and conscious form of capitalism.

To inspire your next right move, we’ve rounded up wisdom from 10 inspiring business women who are leading with purpose beyond profit below.

Leading the way in sustainability

#1 ROSE MERCARIO, PATAGONIA

Rose Marcario, the former CEO of Patagonia, may have stepped down from her position at the helm of the global outdoor retailer in 2020 — but before doing so, she tripled Patagonia’s profits and spearheaded multiple innovative sustainability projects. 

Named a Champion of Change by President Obama in 2015, she launched the Regenerative Organic Certification (a new certification with the highest global standards for soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness); created Patagonia’s Tin Shed Ventures fund to power a new generation of environmentally and socially responsible start-ups; and launched Patagonia Action Works, a nationwide digital hub for activists.

In her words — on taking a bold stance as a business:

“This isn’t the time to be lazy, to be reserved, to be complicit, to be quiet. We’re living in a time when it’s so important for business to drive this new economy, this new view, this aspirational future of business as a force for good.” — Marcario to Fast Company

#2 SARAH PAIJI YOO, BLUELAND

Sarah Paiji Yoo, founder of Blueland, launched her zero-waste cleaning supply company on Earth Day 2019. Since then, the two-year-old company — which creates just-add-water soap tablets for household cleaning — has secured $270,000 in funding on Shark Tank; received support from Kim Kardashian, Drew Barrymore, and Justin Timberlake; and diverted over 500 million plastic bottles and 300 million sq. ft. of plastic packaging from landfills and oceans.

In her words — on taking baby steps towards positive change:

“My dad has always said, 'how do you eat an elephant?' and the answer is of course 'one bite at a time.' I've always loved that saying because it's not just the start-up [business], but so many things in life, that can all feel overwhelming. It's important to have the perspective to take things one day at a time, one thing at a time and celebrate the wins as they come. You do not have to run a marathon all at once.” — Paiji Yoo to Marie Claire

#3 CONNIE STACEY, GROWING GREENER INNOVATIONS

Connie Stacey, founder and president of the Canadian startup Growing Greener Innovations, is tackling energy poverty with clean energy solutions. GGI’s patented Grengine is a portable, affordable power source that democratizes energy access while creating zero emissions — and it’s caught the attention of innovators the world over. In February 2021, she even won The Forum’s Pitch for the Purse (and its $50,000 award), wowing over 1,800 live audience members — including Ryan Reynolds, Sarah McLachlan, Michelle Romanow, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Launched in 2014, Growing Greener Innovations has stacked up seven awards for its vision, and its innovations are being used worldwide, from Canada to Peru to Singapore.

In her words — on growing a startup in a male-dominated field:

“The best advice I could offer is keep plowing through. Sometimes it’s incredibly frustrating, but a lot of times when it comes to things like unconscious bias, it’s really people who want to be supportive. So when you find creative ways to communicate with those people and get your point across, eventually things start to turn. Just keep going. Don’t quit.” — Stacey to Global News

#4 JASMINE CROWE, GOODR

Jasmine Crowe, founder of tech startup Goodr, founded her sustainable food surplus management platform in 2018, on the premise that solving hunger is a logistical issue (rather than one born of scarcity). Goodr allows restaurants and grocery stores to pay for surplus food to be transported and donated to organizations that need it; in return, they get donation receipts for tax purposes. It’s a win-win system that has allowed Goodr to raise $1.25 million, grow to a team of 25 employees, and service 20 markets across the United States.

In her words — on facing resistance to new ideas:

“I probably took over 200 meetings to raise the first million dollars for Goodr. I was told: ‘This sounds like a non-profit,’ ‘Hunger is already being solved,’ ‘Your team isn’t experienced enough and too young.’ But I realized I was speaking to cis white men that have never been hungry. Of course they don’t understand what I’m building. They never experienced this problem before.” — Crowe to Propelle

Building brands around diversity & inclusion

#5 VIVIAN KAYE, KINKYCURLYYAKI

Vivian Kaye, founder of KinkyCurlyYaki, started her human hair extension company after she was unable to find extensions for Black women. In KinkyCurlyYaki’s first year, the bootstrapped company made half a million dollars, and it’s now a multi-million dollar business with a 1,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Ontario.

In her words — on building a business to serve your own (under-served) needs:

“Black women, specifically, are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs right now. We are doing it because we are serving our own needs. A lot of the businesses that we are setting up are serving ourselves. So it's super important that when you are creating a business, make sure you are solving a problem.” — Kaye to ByBlacks

#6 ALLISON ROBINSON, THE MOM PROJECT

Allison Robinson, co-founder and CEO of the Mom Project, found it difficult to balance her job and new motherhood after her maternity leave. Digging deeper, she discovered that an estimated 47 percent of highly skilled women leave the workforce after having kids — a critical loss for both mothers and the economy. So she started The Mom Project, a platform connecting mothers to flexible job opportunities with world-class employers. Today, the Mom Project has raised over $36 million dollars and is home to 2,000 companies and 300,000 job seekers.

In her words — on doing well by doing good:

“Allowing women, particularly mothers, to be able to fully contribute to the workforce is just such a huge economic opportunity. If nationally we could get closer to gender parody in terms of overall workforce participation, it's an opportunity worth over $500 billion. So getting more women back into the workforce and helping keep the women who are already there stay in the workforce is a really big business opportunity. And it's interesting, I think many companies have now awoken to the fact that more gender diverse teams yield better financial outcomes.” — Robinson to Allegis Global Solutions

#7 JOANNA GRIFFITHS, KNIX

Joanna Griffiths, founder and CEO of Knix, launched her underwear company after being frustrated by a market that had “too much frill and not enough function.” Made by women for women, Knix creates comfortable and leak-proof underwear that prioritize performance over fashion. And it has clearly resonated with women: since launching in 2012, Knix has grown to a company of 60 and now brings in over $50 million a year — a feat that Knix can attribute to its culture of giving back, amplifying diverse women’s stories, and listening to its consumers.

In her own words — on meeting communities’ real, unsexy needs:

“Life is so much easier when you are selling something that a large number of people need. We started with leakproof underwear. Was it a sexy idea? No. Was it needed by millions and millions of people? Yes.”

Pushing for equality through business

#8 NOORA SHARRAB, SITTI SOAP **

Noora Sharrab, co-founder and CEO of Sitti Soap, came to the idea of launching her own social enterprise after she and her co-founder visited a women’s refugee camp in Jordan. Wanting to create new opportunities for these women, Sharrab founded Sitti Soap in 2015, giving refugee women the chance to earn a living through sustainable soap-making. A certified Women’s Business Enterprise and a 2021 SheEO Venture, Sitti Soap can now be found in some of Canada’s top retailers, including Whole Foods, Well.ca, and Holt Renfrew.

In her own words — on using success to fuel others’ rise:

“Our long-term goal is for the refugees to become independent by handing over authority to them and giving them their own entrepreneurial power. The revenues made to date are redirected to support the community and fund additional projects on the ground level.” — Sharrab to My Olive Roots

#9 WHITNEY WOLFE HERD, BUMBLE

Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of Bumble, first dreamed up her dating app with the desire to put women in the driver’s seat and put an end to sexual harassment. Bumble launched in 2014 with one rule: only women could reach out to the men they matched with. Since then, Bumble has grown to be a dating, networking, and friendship-forming app, and counts 100 million global users as part of its women-first community. (So it’s perhaps little surprise that Bumble’s recent IPO made Herd the youngest woman billionaire.)

In her own words — on changing social norms through business:

“The hard part is making the difference and the difference starts from within — wanting to change something you’ve personally experienced that you don’t like. And that’s Bumble. I didn’t want to wait around, I didn’t like the fact that that was how women are expected to live their lives – how do we fix it?” — Herd to The Guardian

#10 NICKY GOULIMIS, NOVA CREDIT

Nicky Goulimis, co-founder and COO of Nova Credit, first launched her company when she realized that immigrants to the United States were arriving with virtually no credit to their name. Wanting to ease their transition to their new home, she built Nova Credit, a cross-border bureau allowing newcomers to use their international credit history to apply for financial services in the United States. The startup’s ability to meet a previously unmet need has already earned it $70 million in funding and customers from 11 different countries.

In her own words — on empowering others to make change:

“43 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants in the US. In a world where we’re so focused on innovation and solving the world’s biggest problems, it strikes me that there’s such a big opportunity for immigrants to do that wherever they feel best suited to.” — Goulimis to Stilt

**DISCLOSURE: Angela currently serves on the Board of Advisors at Sitti Soap social enterprise.

Authored by content co-conspirator Kenza Moller: professional story-telling for impact-oriented companies, agencies and thought leaders.