Startups for Good Chose Words on Purpose: Entrepreneurs on a mission use a glossary of words that are strongly oriented towards positive action to change the world for the better.
For example, Patagonia boldly states, “We aim to use the resources we have—our voice, our business and our community—to do something about our climate crisis.” One hundred per cent of the company’s voting stock is in the Patagonia Purpose Trust, created to protect the company’s values.
Bake for Good is King Arthur Baking Company’s free outreach program for students in grades 4 through 12. The three goals are: learn, bake, and share. Students learn the math and science of making bread from scratch. King Arthur Baking is an employee-owned company. These two companies are each a Benefit Corporation and a BCorp.
The Virgin group’s purpose is, “Changing Business for Good.” In 2022 they took the decision to amend their articles of association, pledging to always consider the well-being of all stakeholders (not just shareholders) in every business decision.
Startup jargon exists a-plenty especially in marketing and finance. For any entrepreneur struggling with them can find several glossaries to help. Here’s a couple: one from the Founder Institute; another is from Startup Nation.
However, I would describe both lists as ‘traditional’, by which I mean that they are neutral so far as startup for good, the next economy or purpose driven enterprise are concerned. They do not include progressive ideas like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, for instance. In their glossaries, equity means ownership, rather than fairness. Share means a unit of ownership in a company, not showing generosity. Value is included, but not values, nor shared values.
In March 2025, the New York Times published a list of words that have been ‘flagged’ by the new administration as ones to avoid in government documents. While these words may not be politically correct at the present time, the list includes many words that are very significant for the purpose-driven entrepreneur to use in order to succeed in her mission. The startup lexicon can be either insightful (exhibiting or characterized by insight) or inciteful (that incites, rouses, stirs up or excites, or provides incitement). The way the list is presented, however suggests that the words carry a negative inference from a political point of view.
The list has many ‘flagged’ words which startups for good would consider to be positive and not ones to avoid:
- Accessible: this can apply to either (a) a building/facilities or a website, in other words freely available; (b) easy to speak with, understood or open to influence.
- Advocacy: the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal, but the inference can be positive or negative, depending upon user or listener views of the world.
- Allyship: which means supportive association with another person or group.
- Antiracist: a person who actively opposes racism and promotes racial equality.
- Diversity: something or group that contains many very different elements.
There are many words on the list that mean different things in different contexts, so it depends on who uses them and for what purpose. They include: activism (Patagoinia supports grassroots activism, by the way), at risk, barrier, Black, clean energy, discrimination, diverse or diversify, environmental quality, equal opportunity, historically, inclusion… From this it’s clear that their use and application in the entrepreneurial community is particularly important for the startup founder.
Entrepreneurs Are Influential in Their Choice of Words
Words—>Reactions—>Behaviors—>Outcomes
The influence of entrepreneurs dedicated to stakeholder capitalism is considerable and growing—through float up rather than trickle down economics. That’s why startups for good choose words on purpose. The ones they use in business thinking and practice are very influential. The entrepreneur is often so preoccupied with the business of her business that she does not recognize how influential she is!
As well as individual entrepreneurs, there are many organizations and individual influencers who are creating a new vernacular supporting and encouraging them and their stakeholders. A bold example is Purpose Pledge™ in the natural products industry; it promotes 10 commitments, that take a structured approach to align practices with purpose. More than 10,000 B Corporations and the organization that certifies them is now very influential both in the US and worldwide. Ceres is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more just, and sustainable economy. The Green Business Network provides small-to-medium sized, sustainable businesses with the tools, resources, and exposure they need to make a positive impact on their bottom line, their community, and the planet.
The US Chamber of Commerce believes a diverse workforce is a business imperative. According to the Chamber, “Diversity is America’s strength, spurring the innovation and creativity that have made the U.S. economy the most vibrant and dynamic in history. When businesses recognize and embrace different perspectives, they are better able to create value, serve customers, support employees, and solve problems. By providing opportunities for everyone, businesses help lift communities and strengthen the health, prosperity, and competitiveness of our nation and our society.” Guided by data and informed by conversations with business, government, academic, and civic leaders, their Equality of Opportunity Initiative is focused on employment, entrepreneurship, education, and criminal justice.
There are many others working towards the next economy and one of the newest like-minded organizations is
Purchasing with Purpose that makes it easier to find and buy from enterprises that create stronger communities and a better world and is certified by People and Planet First—a network of networks stewarded by the Social Enterprise World Forum.
Impact Entrepreneur is an organization that creates & provides the infrastructure to grow the Impact Economy, as well as inspiring and supporting those passionate about fundamentally reshaping the economy.
Business for Good
(BFG), founded in 2020, is committed to the health and well-being and future of local communities, and the unique people who define them. It invests in people to build better businesses, stronger communities, and a more equitable world. For a product to use the the Business for Good badge, it indicates a commitment to service; the company practices inclusivity and diversity; provides competitive wages and healthcare for all full-time employees; donates profits to BFG for distribution to local charities.
Alignment of Intent with Action
To align practices with aims of their mission, startups for good choose words on purpose. I just bought a great new pair of Florsheim Oxford shoes. I love them, not just because their style and quality, but also, because when I discovered that their ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) policy signed by Tom and John Florsheim, not only uses evocative words like pledging never to “greenwash”. They give detail reports on how that translates into practices within the company, describing ‘where they are’ and ‘where they’re going’ with the practices, which reinforced my feeling of a relationship with the 130 year old-old Glendale, Wisconsin company.
In their current report on ‘where they’re going’ with their people, they specifically describe how they will use language: “Establish Diversity, Equity and Inclusive creative controls for cultural appropriation in design, language, marketing assets & photography, colorways and product copy.”
The Bigelow Tea Company, still family owned after 80 years and employing 350 people, a B Corporation, uses simple but telling language in the four sections of their Mission Statement entitled: 1. Satisfied Customers; 2. Strong Relationships; 3. Satisfied Employees; 4. Good Corporate Citizen. So when I sip my two morning cups of Bigelow Earl Grey Tea, I feel positively connected with the woman-owned Connecticut company.
At the other end of the day, I often use Badger Balm for my rough hands. It’s made by WS Badger a family-owned company based only six miles from my home in New Hampshire, but that’s not only why I use their product—it’s exceptionally effective and as their mission says, “money is a fuel, not a goal—meaning that our true reason for being in business is to enact our mission-based work and help create the healthier world we imagine.”Founded 30 years ago, Badger is also a BCorporation2.
Global Use of Inspiring Words for Action
The discussion here is not limited to America. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) encapsulate the
words of purpose driven-startups and business in general, as well as governments that belong to the UN.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are at the heart of the Agenda.
In UN member countries there are countless SDG initiatives that have been started both by public bodies, independent organizations as well as individual businesses of all sizes, including many startups.
At at time when large corporations are facing increasing scrutiny over their commitments to positive social impact, startups with their natural agility, have an opportunity to lead by defining what it means to be a better business and implementing the action that are implicated. The business sector is increasingly recognized by both scholars and practitioners as a crucial sector for the full achievement of the 2030 SDGs.
Faster Capital has an excellent guide on how to act as catalysts for sustainable change: Take a look at Aligning Startups with SDGs for Global Impact and Sustainability. The thrust of the guide is all about how startups can take action towards the achievement of a sustainable future for us all. The words are very impressive, but with just an “ah, yes” reaction, nothing will change. Worse, if startups cave in to pressure to avoid ‘activism’ change for the better will slow. In the Spring of 2025, Ben & Jerry’s filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging that parent company Unilever violated a merger agreement by continuously “silencing” Ben & Jerry’s “social mission.” Many fans of the 1978 Vermont ice-cream startup expressed similar concerns when the company was bought in 2000.
The glossary of ESG, CSR and DEI is certainly impacting the policies of big companies, despite current political pressure for their abandonment. Back in an 2022 article in Forbes, it was said that, “Those who aren’t already on board with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social and governance investing (ESG)1 are essentially living in the past.”
A startup, and especially a startup for good, is a dream becoming reality or a company in the early stages that aims to solve a problem, flourish, and change the world for the better. In other words a business change-maker. Convention, precedent and status quo are seldom words they use, or even have in their glossary.
To see more on the issues, take a look at the Venture Founders Reflections on Entrepreneurship—on the many issues raised on this page.
Notes
- An article on the Inclusion Geeks website is a helpful description of the terms ESG, CSR and DEI.
- Naturally I frequently refer to B Corporations, since Venture Founders was one 82 Founding B Corporations. Now there are nearly 10,000 of them round the world! Venture Founders ceased to be one of them several years ago, when it stopped trading and continued only to aim at influencing and informing startups for good. I signed the BCorp original Declaration, to help create “the first ripples that what what matters most is our interdependence.” The Declaration went o to say, “By acting individually and collectively, you launched a powerful movement for all of us to be the change we seek in the world and redefine success in business.”