The person you first hoped to reach
Before imagining a product or service, whose life—and which moment in it—did you have in mind?
THE BEGINNINGWhy did this work
Founding purpose
Why did this work
begin?
Someone’s difficulty, a small sense that something was wrong, a wish that could not be set aside. Find the thread connecting a company’s beginnings to its present.
A reason for starting need not be a grand business philosophy. Perhaps it was wanting to make one person happy, or to create something you wanted yourself. We consider how that simple wish changes as the work continues, and what remains of it.
Explore stories on this themeWhat this theme explores
The moment that gave you a reason to continue
We ask what kept people from giving up, even when things were not going well.
The starting point you still return to
We trace the intentions that remain a guide for decisions, even as scale and roles change.