Purpose Express

Purpose Express is not a branding exercise or a formula for creating a polished statement.

It is a thoughtful, practical process for looking deeply at your business—your values, strengths, relationships, assets, influence, and aspirations—and understanding how they connect to the social and environmental challenges around you.

You’ll explore what makes your business distinctive, where you can make the greatest contribution, and how your purpose can help shape the future of your business.

Because purpose isn’t just something to say.

It’s something to use.

What you’ll gain

Over five facilitated sessions, individual coaching, and practical work between sessions, you will:

• Uncover and articulate your business’s distinctive social purpose

• Understand how purpose can create focus, connection, and strategic advantage

• Explore your core competencies, assets, values, relationships, and areas of influence

• Identify the social and environmental challenges your business is uniquely positioned to address

• Gather meaningful input from stakeholders

• Test and refine your emerging purpose with a small, supportive peer cohort

• Leave with a clear purpose statement and a stronger understanding of how to put it to work

Express doesn’t mean superficial. It means focused.

This is a deep and meaningful process designed to move you from:

“We know we’re doing something good…”

to:

“We know what our contribution is—and how to use it.”

The Purpose Express Journey

Session 1 — Purpose 101: Why Purpose Matters

What is social purpose? What isn’t it? We’ll explore the business case for purpose, its relationship to competitive advantage, the broader social and economic context, and why now is the time to make your purpose explicit.

Between sessions: Research and reflection

Session 2 — The Deep Dive

We’ll explore your business’s core competencies, assets, values, relationships, and areas of influence—and begin connecting them to the issues where you can make a distinctive contribution.

Between sessions: Stakeholder engagement and consultation

Coaching 1 — Your Business

A focused 30-minute conversation to help you make sense of what you’re discovering and identify where to dig deeper.

Session 3 — From Insight to Purpose

You’ll explore the elements of a strong social purpose, generate and test possible directions, and begin shaping language that captures your business’s distinctive contribution.

Between sessions: Purpose development and stakeholder feedback

Coaching 2 — Test the Direction

A focused 30-minute coaching session to challenge, refine, and strengthen your emerging purpose.

Session 4 — Making It Clear

You’ll present your emerging purpose to the cohort and receive thoughtful feedback on its clarity, authenticity, and potential.

Then, you’ll make your final refinements.

Coaching 3 — Final Refinement

A final 30-minute conversation to help you prepare your purpose and consider what comes next.

Session 5 — The Reveal

You’ll present your purpose to the cohort, celebrate the journey, and explore how you can begin putting your purpose to work as a strategic asset.

Who is it for?

Purpose Express is for small and medium-sized values-led businesses that:

• Already care deeply about their impact

• Sense they have a purpose but haven’t clearly articulated it

• Want to understand how purpose can strengthen their business

• Are ready to look honestly and deeply at what makes them distinctive

• Want to connect with other leaders using business as a force for positive change

All sectors are welcome.

Purpose Express brings together just 5-8 businesses, creating a small, trusted environment for honest reflection, meaningful feedback, and shared learning.

Two people from each business can participate.

Cohort dates

Fall - Winter 2026

October 22, October 29, December 10, February 4, February 25

Spring 2027

March 4, March 11, April 29, June 10, June 24

Summer - Fall 2027

July 8, July 15, September 9, October 28,  November 18

Investment: $1,295 per business

Includes:

• Two participants from each business

• Five facilitated sessions (1.5 to 2 hours each)

• Three individual coaching sessions

• Practical work and reflection between sessions (worksheets provided)

• Participation in a small peer cohort

Additional participants: $250 each

Founding cohort pricing. Future cohorts may be priced differently.

And then the story continues…

Following the cohort, we’ll host a Purpose Connections showcase webinar featuring participating businesses and their journeys from implicit to explicit purpose.

You’ll have the opportunity to share what you’ve discovered, hear from other businesses, and become part of a growing community of leaders using business as a force for positive change.

Considering B Corp certification?

A clearly articulated purpose and commitment to stakeholder governance can be important parts of a broader B Corp journey.

Purpose Express can help you uncover the purpose at the heart of your business and begin connecting it to the way your business makes decisions, creates value, and serves its stakeholders.

Your purpose is already there.

The goal isn’t to invent something impressive.

The goal is to recognize what is already alive in your business, give it language, and learn how to put it to work.

Purpose Express: Uncover the contribution only your business can make.