I listen to a lot of podcasts over the weekends while I’m doing fun things like mowing the yard or cleaning. And my play list this week inspired me to write about business – in general. Contrary to popular belief, profit isn’t the sole purpose of a business. Yes, there are big corporations that focus only on the bottom line—treating customers like wallets, cutting jobs to boost bonuses, and even hiring back the same employees later when it suits them. Some food manufacturers even put known carcinogens in products just because a loophole lets them, all in the name of profit. There is a lot more to that story, and an entirely different topic.
That’s not where our heart is. I believe in small business—people-centered, purpose-driven. Money matters, of course, but it shouldn’t be the driving force. One of our core values is serving our community. And yes, we must make a profit to do that, but the profit is fuel, not the destination.
As Simon Sinek says, a business is like a car: you don’t buy it just to buy gas, but without gas, you’re going nowhere. Thomas Edison put it another way—“Vision without execution is hallucination.” Our vision is to serve, and the money simply keeps us moving forward.
At Navarre Press and our sister publications, we’re proud to serve people first, profit second. That’s why we have more reporters than salespeople—because our work isn’t just about the money. If an ad in Navarre Press won’t help your business, we’ll tell you to save your money. This isn’t charity, and “trying it out” for one week isn’t a smart investment. We want your advertising to have a real impact.
I’m proud of the culture we’ve built here at Sandpaper Publishing. We exist to serve, and our success comes from the genuine value we provide to our readers and advertisers. You won’t find heart like we have in our companies without looking far and wide.
I’m very proud of all our writers and team members because they all “get it.”
Quote of the Week: “Profit is not the purpose of a business, but rather the test of its validity.” – Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005) An Austrian American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of modern management theory.
