Our Co-founders
Adam MacLean
Co-founder PurposeLed
Jay Dingwall
Co-founder PurposeLed
The reason we started PurposeLed
We started PurposeLed because we were tired of being a part of the problem. We've worked for some great brands in 20 years in branding—Nike, Red Bull, Salesforce—but we've also worked for some pretty terrible ones that do some pretty awful things. Big Tobacco. Mining. Big corporations that steal water from underprivileged communities.
That's the unfortunate reality of the creative industry and we didn't want to do that anymore. We didn't want to be a part of the problem. We wanted to build a successful and profitable business that was an active part of that solution. It took us a while to realize that was actually possible.
Our agency, Famous Folks, doesn't do business with companies that don't have an ethical approach to business anymore. Our team developed our first product, PurposeLed Brand Builder, so more founders and business leaders could access the tools they need to create successful B2B or B2C businesses in any category that foster positive change in the world.
A better business = a better world
If we could convince you of anything, it's this: you don't need to make business decisions that are harmful to others or the planet, directly or indirectly, to be profitable.
You just don't.
There's always a better way, even if it's just a little bit better. That better way is an important part of your offering, something your customers value enough to pay more for it—if you have messaging to support it.
Why we think PurposeLed is the better way.
We've taken a lot of online courses, and generally speaking, they are not very good. You learn something, but it's not something you couldn't learn on YouTube. And the experience is really not very different. Watch some videos, take some notes. Make a list or two in a workbook.
With PurposeLed products, you are building tools, step-by-step, that you can start using right away. The insights you develop give you a completely new understanding of your business and the relationship you have with your customer.
This is a skillset every founder and business leader needs and it's an understanding that all of the transformational leaders of the last 50 years shared. They knew how to use branding to craft inspiring stories, even if the product wasn't all that inspiring.
Beginning of a movement
Purpose has been around for a while. Patagonia has been a purpose-driven brand for over 40 years. But now consumers, regardless of generation, are demanding change and accountability—and business is taking notice. There is a real movement happening and the message is clear: start putting people before profits or get left behind.