Is Your Business Built for More Than Profit?

Every business both attracts and repels—one with purpose beyond profit will draw the right people in, and push the wrong ones away.

The best businesses do both. A business built on Purpose Beyond Profit™ doesn’t try to appeal to everyone. It draws in employees, customers, and partners who align with its mission—and just as importantly, it repels those who don’t. That’s not a flaw. That’s the point.

At Sherman Portfolios, where I serve as CEO, we’ve built our business on a clear mission:

“We launch financial strategies to propel lives for Christ.”

That mission isn’t just something we say—it’s something that we strive toward. It's a filter for every decision we make. To hold ourselves accountable, we didn’t settle for the usual corporate values like excellence, integrity, and innovation (not bad things, just vague and overused). Instead, as a Christian-led business, we built our foundation on the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23):

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-Control.

This isn’t just about personal character—it’s about how we operate. It attracts clients and employees who share those values and want to build something bigger than themselves. It also repels those who don’t align with our mission. And that’s exactly how it should be.

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This Week’s Application: Who Are You Attracting and Repelling?

If you want a business that scales with purpose, take 15 minutes this week and ask yourself:

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1. Who is your business attracting?

Are the majority of your clients and employees people you actually enjoy working with? Do they share your values, or are they just there because of price, paycheck, or convenience? Are your best people sticking around because they believe in what you’re building?

Reality check: If you’re constantly dealing with clients or employees who drain you, it’s likely because you’ve left your mission unclear.

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2. Who is your business repelling?

Are you willing to say no to customers, partnerships, or hires that don’t align with your values? Have you ever lost a deal or an employee because they weren’t bought into the mission?(That’s a good thing.) Do you hesitate to put your values front and center because you’re afraid of turning people away?

Reality check: If you never repel the wrong people, you’re likely not attracting the right ones either.

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3. Are you using Purpose as a filter for profit?

Are your most profitable revenue streams also the ones that align with your mission? Have you taken on work just for the money—even when it pulled you away from what you actually want to build? Are you willing to walkaway from short-term gains that don’t align with long-term purpose?

Reality check: A business that chases every dollar will eventually lose its identity.

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A business built on purpose should repel people. It should turn away customers who don’t align. It should make some people uncomfortable. But for the right people—the ones who believe in what you’re building—it becomes magnetic. This week, take a hard look at your business. Are you attracting the right people and repelling the wrong ones? Or are you stuck trying to please everyone?

If you want to see how well your business aligns purpose with profit—and how it stacks up against all 7 Laws of an Unbreakable Business—take the Unbreakable Index and find out where you stand.

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