Off Brand

The Recession’s Calling Bullshit on ‘Mission-Driven’ Companies Like Everlane

If you can’t uphold that mission when it really counts, how much of a strategic misfire was declaring it in the first place?

Illustration: Fran Caballero

One minute you’re a virtuous and apparently successful company out to make the world a better place. The next, no less than Bernie Sanders is calling your business decisions “morally unacceptable.” That’s the whipsaw moment being experienced by Everlane, one of the more prominent “mission-driven” startups in recent memory. And it’s a telling example of the perils of the mission-driven strategy, particularly as companies are forced into crisis mode.

For consumer retail brands, and maybe startups, in particular, having a mission that transcends maximizing profits is a useful tool to attract employees as well as customers. Who doesn’t want to work for a company whose purpose goes beyond selling more than stuff? And who doesn’t want to purchase something that makes them feel like they are doing something good for the world?

But what happens when profits evaporate? What happens when consumers, employees, and even erstwhile presidential candidates start critiquing your every frantic move through the lens of your highfalutin…