“And we also”
The simplest way to run a business is to have no also.
We maximize profit, period.
At least you’re being honest about it.
If you say, “and we also care about the environment,” or “we also care about our people and treat them like family,” or even, “we’re here to serve our customers…” now you’re doing one of two things:
Either you’re asserting that doing those things is the way to maximize your profit…
Or you’re committing to not maximizing your profit, as your purpose is more human and connected than something that simple.
If it’s the latter, if you’ve decided that making just enough profit to maximize your real goal is the purpose of the organization, what an extraordinary opportunity. Organizations of humans with a clear measured goal and just enough profit to get there can make a huge impact.
But it’s worth being honest about whether you’re running that full-page ad with a koala bear in it because you’re here to help the bears or simply because you see it as a stepping stone to making more money.