COMPANIES DON’T GROW — THEY ARE BUILT!

This title is not mine, but let me explain. For a moment, while reflecting on the topic, I thought this whole concept of a “purpose-driven company” was outdated — that entrepreneurs no longer used it to guide their businesses. I was wrong, thank God!

As I started reading André Bobek’s book “Companies Don’t Grow, They Are Built” (published in 2025), I realized how essential it is today to design what you want to build — involving mission, vision, and values that support the organizational culture — and, in doing so, place your company at a different level from the competition.

According to the Observatório da Indústria, companies with a clearly defined purpose have a stronger reputation and connect emotionally with customers, which drives higher sales. They are also 63% more likely to achieve long-term sustainable growth (madeiratotal.com.br) and tend to remain longer in the market. Furthermore, 90% of Brazilian consumers trust purpose-driven companies more, according to research by Porter Novelli / IBPAD (valoragregado.com).

There are many ways to start a business! You might begin because you’re familiar with a product, because your region lacks certain market options, or simply because you want to be your own boss.

Regardless of how you begin, there’s one essential element every company — big or small — must define before being built: it must start with a purpose!

I’ve worked in companies of all sizes, and I’ve seen firsthand that those guided by purpose, mission, vision, and values were places where everyone knew what they were doing, why they were doing it, and best of all, coworkers moved in the same direction, amplifying results. The opposite happened in companies that didn’t know where they wanted to go.

However, having a written purpose isn’t enough — it must be lived within the organizational culture. I once worked for a large company that had a beautifully written mission, vision, and values framed on the wall — yet most employees didn’t even know it existed.

But why is it so important to find your purpose?

• Purpose-driven companies are 66% more likely to be profitable.

• Organizations with purpose grow three times faster than those without it.

• Purpose-driven companies achieved revenue growth of around 10%, compared to 4% for those without purpose, according to the cited study.

What often happens is that small entrepreneurs in the children’s fashion segment don’t know how to create a strategic plan in practice. As a result, they get caught up in a tangle of random activities — without clarity or consistency. You can start with a product, a market gap, or a specific need, but you still need a defined process that shows how those things will happen step by step in building your business.

You have two paths:

Either you start your company randomly, believing that entrepreneurship is just about buying and selling products… or you start in a consistent, strategic way — structuring your business with defined processes that will lead you to build a truly successful enterprise.

👉 Click the link and discover my Commercial Management and Strategic Planning Course, designed for entrepreneurs who need to make their business operations functional and high-performing. You’ll also learn how to manage your team (if you have one) or organize your routine to handle all the activities across your company’s departments.

Defining and living your purpose isn’t a luxury — it’s a strategy.

Kelly Galvão