Guest Blog<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/h3><\/span> Growing Knowledge Together: Finding A Balance Between Purpose and Profit <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Guest blog by Dr. Julia Fursova, Assistant Professor, School of Leadership Studies, Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies Program, UNB<\/i><\/p>\n An existential question for social enterprises (SEs) <\/span>is how to keep the balance between \u2018purpose\u2019 and \u2018profit\u2019<\/span>. In conversations with our participants, this theme was discussed at a greater length by founders of for-profit SEs.<\/p>\n<\/div> Figure 1: Holding Balance Between Purpose and Profit<\/p>\n For founders of non-profit social enterprises (SEs), the enterprising arm typically complements a non-profit or charitable component, which often provides limited core funding. In contrast, for-profit SEs must rely entirely on their commercial activities for financial sustainability. This reliance makes balancing profit and purpose even more challenging.<\/p>\n To navigate the tension between profit and purpose, two broad categories of strategies have emerged: i<\/span>nd<\/span>ividual and organizational strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n Individual Strategies<\/span><\/p>\n These focus on the personal approaches founders use to manage the demands of their work. Key sub-themes <\/span>include:<\/p>\n Figure 2: Balance Between Purpose and Profit: Key Themes<\/span><\/p>\n Organizational Strategies: A Complex Balancing Act<\/p>\n The theme of organizational strategies emerged as particularly complex, especially for for-profit social enterprises (SEs). Two key sub-themes were identified:<\/p>\n The second theme\u2014nurturing social purpose<\/span>\u2014was especially prominent among for-profit SEs. Without deliberate attention to their mission, these enterprises risk mission drift, where the pursuit of financially sustaining contracts leads them away from their core values and purpose.<\/p>\n To avoid this, founders described a range of granular strategies for staying true to their social commitments. They emphasized the importance of remaining focused<\/span> on their mission by intentionally selecting contracts and activities that align with their values, and declining those that do not\u2014even when those opportunities are financially attractive.<\/p>\n This often means making difficult decisions. Turning down a lucrative contract or high-profile opportunity can be daunting, especially when the next paycheck is uncertain. Yet, founders recognize that frantic pursuit of revenue can blur their focus on social purpose. To stay aligned, they engage in ongoing reflection<\/span> to ensure their actions remain consistent with their mission and values.<\/p>\n To maintain financial viability while staying true to their purpose, founders rely on several key strategies:<\/p>\n The term \u201cvanilla projects<\/span>\u201d captures the tension between financial necessity and social ambition. These projects are practical and necessary, but they don\u2019t push the boundaries of innovation or impact.<\/p>\n This tension is summed up by one research participant who described their experience as \u201cpersevering with a terrible business model.\u201d For more radically oriented for-profit SEs, the ultimate goal is not growth, but sustainability\u2014or even to eliminate the need for their services altogether. This stands in stark contrast to conventional business models, which aim to sustain demand to ensure profitability.<\/p>\n Such a mindset makes these \u201cdisruptive social enterprises<\/span>\u201d (Lionais, 2015) less attractive to traditional investors and less likely to generate significant financial returns\u2014hence the label of a \u201cterrible business model.\u201d<\/p>\n A powerful metaphor for this balancing act comes from yoga: maintaining a balancing pose requires alignment, a strong core, and continuous, intentional adjustments. Social enterprise founders engage in a similar practice\u2014staying aligned with their mission, making thoughtful decisions, and strengthening the \u201ccore muscles\u201d of their organization: their values. These values are essential to sustaining the delicate balance between purpose and profit.<\/p>\n<\/div> Figure 3: Core Values<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Data Party #2 <\/span>Research<\/span> Poetry Writing with Project Participants<\/span><\/span> <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n During our second data party session, we came together with research participants to collectively review emerging themes. We had 8 participants joining us. Focusing on data sets coded to \u2018Motivations<\/span>\u2019 <\/b>et \u2018Finding Balance Between Purpose and Profit<\/span>\u2019 <\/span>we collectively reviewed the emerging themes and even wrote some research poetry!<\/p>\n The themes related to the tricky balancing act between profit and purpose resonated deeply:<\/p>\n<\/div> Challenging the Norm: Identity and Validation in Social Entrepreneurship<\/p>\n Participants shared how validating it was to see a shared recognition of how poorly conventional entrepreneurship training serves social entrepreneurs. The constant struggle to balance two often conflicting goals\u2014profit and purpose\u2014is closely tied to the identity struggles many SE founders experience.<\/p>\n One of the questions that surfaced was:<\/p>\n \u201cAm I really an entrepreneur if I\u2019m not motivated by profit?\u201d<\/p>\n This question reflects the internal conflict many SE founders face. However, reviewing the data collectively reassured participants that it\u2019s not only acceptable\u2014but necessary\u2014to carve their own path. What sets SEs apart is a unique blend of perseverance and purpose<\/span>, as one participant put it:<\/p>\n \u201cIf I see a need, I can find a way.\u201d<\/p>\n A quote that resonated deeply during the data party was:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a terrible business model\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n This statement captures the tension SE founders feel when trying to fit into a conventional \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d framework. Within the current system, the SE model is often seen as \u201cbad\u201d because its ultimate goal is to minimize or eliminate the very need it addresses. Unlike traditional businesses that sustain or create demand, SEs aim to build capacity and reduce dependency.<\/p>\n Staying true to this so-called \u201cterrible business model\u201d comes with real financial consequences. It demands constant attention to existential questions like:<\/p>\n \u201cHow do we remain a social enterprise without becoming just an enterprise?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do we uphold our social commitments without compromising financial viability?\u201d<\/p>\n These questions are especially painful for for-profit SE founders, who often feel pressured to compete with non-profits for funding rather than collaborate with them on shared goals. In contrast, non-profit SEs may benefit from making conversations about revenue generation more acceptable and normalized.<\/p>\n Importantly, SE founders do not reject the lessons of conventional business models. Instead, they set firm boundaries as they grow in confidence and deepen their knowledge\u2014choosing what to adopt and what to resist in order to stay aligned with their mission.<\/p>\n<\/div> Founders know that, despite their struggles, they are legitimate entrepreneurs.<\/span> They emphasize that there’s a lot to be learned from the business community, but they will use this knowledge in a way that aligns with, and honours SE core values, capacities, and commitments. Despite not fitting the conventional mold, SE founders know: they represent sustainable futures!<\/span><\/p>\n Our conversation reached its peak on the shared agreement that it is important to have spaces that bring founders together based on the shared ideas and values, rather than organizational structures.<\/p>\n Research<\/b> Poetry <\/span><\/p>\n To inspire social enterprise (SE) founders and their allies into action, we share a selection of research poetry crafted during our Data Party. Also known as poetic transcription, this approach represents an artistic engagement<\/span> with qualitative data<\/span>. It involves arranging direct quotes from interview transcripts into poetic form, with attention to repetition, rhythm, and emotional resonance, to amplify the voices and lived experiences of participants.<\/p>\n For this activity, participants were provided with fully anonymized transcript excerpts, organized by sub-themes within the broader theme of \u201cNurturing Social Purpose.<\/span>\u201d<\/p>\n Each participant was invited to focus on one sub-theme and create a poetic response. These responses took one of two forms:<\/p>\n This creative process allowed participants to engage deeply with the data\u2014gaining a sense of intimacy, validation, and solidarity with the experiences shared by fellow SE founders.<\/p>\n Below are selected poems that incorporate direct quotes from anonymized transcripts:<\/p>\n ***<\/span><\/p>\n Research Team:<\/span><\/p>\n You can follow along as we share more guest blogs on this project.<\/p>\n Research updates will be shared on Renaissance College social media platforms: Facebook<\/u><\/a> et Instagram<\/a>, as well as Julia\u2019s personal LinkedIn<\/a> et website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":2603,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5810","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n![](\"https:\/\/ponddeshpande.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Blogpost-5_Figure-1.png\" "\\"Blogpost")
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\nThis is our mission; this is our goal,<\/span>
\nIt would be difficult for us to shift to something else.<\/span>
\nWe\u2019ve had people tell us in exchange for getting money,<\/span>
\nwe have to do one of these things differently;<\/span>
\nwe have to do this, we have to veer into this other part.<\/span>
\nWe are still only taking on projects that we genuinely believe in<\/span>
\nI have a really good compass on what I will and will not say yes to<\/span>
\nI\u2019m very careful about what we do,<\/span>
\nThis is the work.<\/span>
\n***<\/span>
\nWe know that not everyone will share our vision or even understand it.<\/span>
\nBut we know what we want, and we know where we\u2019re going.<\/span>
\nAnd maybe we\u2019ll lose people along the way, but we don\u2019t trade off.<\/span>
\nThis is our mission, this our goal, this is our work.<\/span>
\n***<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>We believe in things that encourage participatory democracy.<\/span>
\nThings that allow people to make sure their voices are heard,<\/span>
\nand that they have a say in what happens to them.<\/span>
\nThings that improve people\u2019s life,<\/span>
\nor improve environmental outcomes in tangible ways.<\/span>
\nI’ve definitely turned away some gigs<\/span>
\nwhen they don’t recognize my expertise,<\/span>
\nand they strictly just tokenize me,<\/span>
\nI’m not interested in being involved.<\/span>
\nPoems capturing participants\u2019 responses to interview transcripts<\/span>
\n***<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>I’m lonely but not alone<\/span>
\nOthers are out there, working for good,<\/span>
\nMoving towards the same goal, together apart.<\/span>
\n***<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>Know your path, your goal, your way,<\/span>
\nOr distractions will lead you astray.<\/span>
\nClarity guards what funds might sway,<\/span>
\nLest purpose drifts, and dreams decay.<\/span>
\n***<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>Know your goals,<\/span>
\nwork towards it,<\/span>
\ncontinue pursuing it with values,<\/span>
\navoid being distracted,<\/span>
\nkeep reflecting on values<\/span>
\nwith open minded people<\/span>
\nfor a better outcome.<\/span>
\n***<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>Purpose is everything\u2026.<\/span>
\nIt will move customers, employees, and investors<\/span>
\nAll walks of life, all ages, all stages\u2026.<\/span>
\nPassion is everything\u2026.<\/span>
\nAt the heart is a collective\u2026<\/span>
\nA mission to impel economic and social value<\/span>
\nProfit is everything\u2026.<\/span>
\nOften muddy and unclear, it is not a dirty word but\u2026<\/span>
\nA meaningful outcome to unite, to connect<\/span>
\nTo fuel and sustain purpose and passion<\/span>
\nAnd achieve social impact.<\/span><\/div>\n\n
Follow Along<\/h3><\/span>