Profitable on Purpose is shifting the conversation from how much a business brings in to how much value the business creates for its owner

VICTORIA, BC, Revenue gets attention. It gets celebrated on social media, featured in business awards and used as a shorthand for business success. But revenue alone says surprisingly little about whether a business is financially healthy.

That is a conversation Pam Ivey, Executive Producer of the Profitable on Purpose Conference, wants more women business owners to have.

“Revenue is often a vanity number. A business doing $500,000 a year isn’t necessarily healthier than one doing $250,000. If the owner is exhausted, underpaying herself and there’s little profit left at the end of the year, the bigger revenue number isn’t telling us much about the success of the business.”

The issue sits at the centre of Profitable on Purpose, a one-day working conference taking place October 23, 2026 at Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion in Greater Victoria.

Rather than focusing primarily on sales and top-line growth, the conference brings established women business owners together to work on the decisions behind a more profitable business, including pricing, financial strategy, priorities, business structure and where an owner’s time and resources are producing the greatest return.

For Ivey, the distinction between revenue and profitability matters because increasing sales is often presented as the answer to business challenges.

More revenue can help. But if pricing is wrong, margins are thin, expenses rise alongside sales, or the owner has built a business requiring more of her time with every new customer, increasing revenue can magnify the underlying problem.

“A lot of business advice starts with, ‘How do we make more money?’ I think there’s an important question before that: ‘What is happening to the money you’re already making?’”

That question becomes increasingly important as a business matures.

Established business owners face different decisions than those in the startup stage. The challenge is often less about proving someone will buy and more about determining which products, services, clients and activities deserve continued investment.

That means looking beyond the number at the top of an income statement.

“Profit gives you choices,” Ivey said. “It gives you room to hire, invest, withstand a difficult quarter, pay yourself properly or decide you don’t need to keep chasing growth for the sake of saying the business got bigger.”

Profitable on Purpose was created around this practical approach. The October conference is structured as a working day rather than a traditional motivational or networking event. Attendees will work through business decisions during the sessions and leave with a 90-day plan for applying those decisions after the conference.

The event will bring together up to 100 established women business owners from across Vancouver Island.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Friday, October 23, 2026

Time: 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM, registration opens at 8:45 AM

Location: Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion, Greater Victoria, BC

Capacity: 100 attendees

ABOUT PROFITABLE ON PURPOSE

Profitable on Purpose is a one-day working conference for established women business owners. The conference focuses on the practical decisions behind profitability, pricing, financial management, strategic priorities and sustainable business growth. The inaugural conference takes place October 23, 2026 at Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion in Greater Victoria.

ABOUT PAM IVEY

Pam Ivey is a business strategist, entrepreneur and Executive Producer of Profitable on Purpose. Based in Ladysmith, BC, she has more than 20 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and holds a Harvard Business School Online Business Strategy certification and certification in Small Business Management. She was nominated for the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award five consecutive years.

MEDIA CONTACT

Pam Ivey
Executive Producer
Profitable on Purpose Conference
pam@pamivey.com