--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The root of great companies is make…" description: "\"The root of great companies is make meaning vs. make money.\" — Guy Kawasaki" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb7/guy-kawasaki-1292_business_the-root-of-great-companies-is-make-mean_2001545.png" --- # The root of great companies is make meaning vs. make money. ![“The root of great companies is make meaning vs. make money.” quote by Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb7/guy-kawasaki-1292_business_the-root-of-great-companies-is-make-mean_2001545.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb7/guy-kawasaki-1292_business_the-root-of-great-companies-is-make-mean_2001545.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb7/guy-kawasaki-1292_business_the-root-of-great-companies-is-make-mean_2001545.png) > “The root of great companies is make meaning vs. make money.” [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great companies prioritize purpose over profit, creating lasting impact. **In simple terms:** Purpose beats profit for lasting success. Key Takeaway Build purpose-driven businesses. Themes business purpose leadership Mood inspirational pragmatic Type strategic motivational When to use this quote - startup planning - team building - brand strategy Key Concepts meaning-making value creation mission focus Questions to Reflect On - What purpose drives your work? - How can profit and purpose coexist? A Different Perspective Profit motives can dominate decision‑making. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Making money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-money/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) ## Related quotes > [Great companies make meaning. A company has a name, but its people give it meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-pascale/great-companies-make-meaning-a-company-has-a-name-but-its-people-give/) [Richard Pascale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-pascale/) > [Great companies start because the founders want to change the world... not make a fast buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/great-companies-start-because-the-founders-want-to-change-the-world-2/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Selfishness is the root of great evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-scott/selfishness-is-the-root-of-great-evil/) [Richard G. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-scott/) > [The more entrepreneurs in the world that are getting their ideas financed, the more great companies there are going to be that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/the-more-entrepreneurs-in-the-world-that-are-getting-their-ideas/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [Those who build great companies understand that the ultimate throttle on growth for any great company is not markets, or technology, or competition, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/those-who-build-great-companies-understand-that-the-ultimate-throttle/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) > [Great companies connect to the heartstrings of their employees to make their purposes known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-yaeger/great-companies-connect-to-the-heartstrings-of-their-employees-to/) [Don Yaeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-yaeger/) > [One of the best investors around, Joel Greenblatt, has written a popular, charming and funny book about investing in great companies at low P/E…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-einhorn/one-of-the-best-investors-around-joel-greenblatt-has-written-a/) [David Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-einhorn/) > [The great companies get built by their founders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/the-great-companies-get-built-by-their-founders/) [Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/) > [The top 25 at every company really set the tone. Everyone watches them. They need to be present and focused. No slackers at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-silverstein/the-top-25-at-every-company-really-set-the-tone-everyone-watches-them/) [Michael J. Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-silverstein/) > [Truly great companies are built on ideals, not just deals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/truly-great-companies-are-built-on-ideals-not-just-deals/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Most great companies in tech have been built by personal referrals for the first...at least 100 employees and often many more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/most-great-companies-in-tech-have-been-built-by-personal-referrals/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Good-to-great companies set their goals and strategies based on understanding; comparison companies set their goals and strategies based on bravado.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/good-to-great-companies-set-their-goals-and-strategies-based-on/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) > [Not one of the good-to-great companies focused obsessively on growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/not-one-of-the-good-to-great-companies-focused-obsessively-on-growth/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) > [Great companies don't just have one founding moment. They have many founding moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-dorsey/great-companies-don-t-just-have-one-founding-moment-they-have-many/) [Jack Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-dorsey/) > [Great companies foster a productive tension between continuity and change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/great-companies-foster-a-productive-tension-between-continuity-and/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) ## More by Guy Kawasaki > [Don't worry, be crappy. Revolutionary means you ship and then test... Lots of things made the first Mac in 1984 a piece of crap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/don-t-worry-be-crappy-revolutionary-means-you-ship-and-then-test-lots/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [In giving presentations, use the 10/20/30 rule…use only 10 slides, take 20 minutes maximum, and use at least 30-point fonts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/in-giving-presentations-use-the-10-20-30-rule-use-only-10-slides-take/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [What I lack in talent, I compensate with my willingness to grind it out. That's the secret of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/what-i-lack-in-talent-i-compensate-with-my-willingness-to-grind-it/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [The mark of a good conversationalist is not that you can talk a lot. The mark is that you can get others to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/the-mark-of-a-good-conversationalist-is-not-that-you-can-talk-a-lot/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [At the end of my life, I want to say that I made the world a better place because I raised good children, loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/at-the-end-of-my-life-i-want-to-say-that-i-made-the-world-a-better/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [The higher you go in a company, the less oxygen there is, so supporting intelligent life becomes difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/the-higher-you-go-in-a-company-the-less-oxygen-there-is-so-supporting/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [The record of what you do is forever recoverable because of Google. The lofty upside and scary downside makes reciprocity more important than ever.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/the-record-of-what-you-do-is-forever-recoverable-because-of-google/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [I think that no one, or very few, are born as good presenters. It's a skill that you learn. The key is the 10/20/30…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/i-think-that-no-one-or-very-few-are-born-as-good-presenters-it-s-a/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Pursuing your passions makes you more interesting, and interesting people are enchanting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/pursuing-your-passions-makes-you-more-interesting-and-interesting/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Entitlement is the opposite of enchantment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/entitlement-is-the-opposite-of-enchantment/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Revolutionary leaders have to care more about what they think of themselves than what the world thinks of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/revolutionary-leaders-have-to-care-more-about-what-they-think-of/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [If you have more money than brains, you should focus on outbound marketing, If you have more brains than money, you should focus on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/if-you-have-more-money-than-brains-you-should-focus-on-outbound/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Most venture capitalists won't read a business plan unless the entrepreneur is introduced to them by a contact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/most-venture-capitalists-won-t-read-a-business-plan-unless-the/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > ["(Big name research firm) says our market will be $50 billion in 2010." Every entrepreneur has a few slides about how the market potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/big-name-research-firm-says-our-market-will-be-50-billion-in-2010/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [Go APE: Author a great book, Publish it quickly, and Entrepreneur your way to success. Self-publishing isn’t easy, but it’s fun and sometimes even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/go-ape-author-a-great-book-publish-it-quickly-and-entrepreneur-your/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) [Explore all 259 Guy Kawasaki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. 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