When ‘Enough’ isn’t Enough: Redefining Purpose in Business

From new parenthood to boardroom decisions, the question of “what is enough?” seems to follow us everywhere. For Andy Fyfe—a longtime advocate for corporate responsibility and former B Lab leader—it’s not just personal. It’s central to how businesses must evolve if they want to stay relevant, ethical, and trusted.

Why is the idea of “enough” so important to you—personally and professionally?

It really hit me when my son was born. We spent time in the NICU, came home unsure of what came next, and were flooded with noise—what to buy, how to parent, how to prepare. But a friend reminded us, “You two are plenty.” That stuck with me.

In my work at B Lab, I saw a similar pattern. We were over-opportunized and under-resourced, constantly doing more with less. But that same reminder—that we were enough—kept us going. It became a way to stay grounded, especially when the work felt overwhelming or slow.

How did you apply that to helping businesses redefine success?

When I joined B Lab in 2010, I had to convince businesses to do something pretty radical: legally change their governance, open themselves up to accountability, and commit to prioritizing people and the planet alongside profit. At the time, nobody knew what a B Corp was. So why would anyone sign up?

But there were leaders who saw the value in having guardrails. They didn’t need to be perfect. They needed to be principled—and that was enough. That was the beginning of a new way to think about business: not as a race for growth at all costs, but as a mechanism for shared prosperity.

But isn’t capitalism fundamentally built on the idea that “more is better”?

That’s the root of the problem. In shareholder capitalism, enough is never enough. It’s growth for growth’s sake—legally mandated, even. That’s how we end up with CEO-to-worker pay ratios over 300-to-1, or sustainability reports that outpace actual impact.

Unchecked, capitalism rewards excess, not equity. It becomes a game for the few, while everyone else picks up the tab. And still, companies take the stage to share their latest ESG wins, while avoiding the harder conversations about justice, inequality, and exploitation.

So how do we move from being performative to being accountable?

First, we need to name the problem. A lot of well-meaning organizations spend more time talking about impact than delivering it. There’s a real risk that “purpose” becomes just another trend—especially if companies aren’t willing to accept tradeoffs, like lower profits in exchange for real progress.

I’ve worked with small businesses who are deeply committed to equity and sustainability, but they’re struggling to stay afloat. Meanwhile, investors often bake “impact” into their marketing but still chase market-rate returns. If we’re not careful, those truly doing the work will get edged out by those just playing the part.

Is corporate activism the answer—or just the next PR strategy?

It depends. Engagement alone isn’t enough. Tuning into the issues your employees, communities, and ecosystems face—really tuning in—means being willing to be uncomfortable, to face truths that challenge your business model.

Taking an activist approach means moving beyond acknowledgment to repair. If a company can admit that it’s benefited from an unequal system, and start working toward restoring trust and redistributing value, that’s when the real shift begins. It’s not easy, and it definitely won’t please everyone. But that pushback? It usually means you’re doing something right.

Is it fair to even call this activism?

Sure. Why not? It might rattle some boardrooms or show up awkwardly on earnings calls, but if the word sparks discomfort or curiosity, that’s a good thing. It means we’re starting to have the right conversation.

And honestly, if someone reads this far, questions the word, and wants to talk about it—that’s already progress.

And that’s good enough for me.

Want to hear more from Andy Fyfe and other changemakers working to reshape capitalism from the inside out?

FUTURE(S) is a 6-part eBook series exploring what the future of work demands—from business models and leadership to ethics and equity. Don’t miss “When ‘enough’ isn’t enough” for a deeper reflection on purpose and responsibility in business.

This piece was adapted from the work of Kaila Caldwell and Andy Fyfe in FUTURE(S).