Profitable on Purpose founder Pam Ivey is challenging one of entrepreneurship’s favourite numbers and asking business owners to look at what their businesses are producing after the revenue comes in

VICTORIA, BC, Ask a business owner how the business is doing and there is a good chance the answer starts with revenue.

Six figures. Half a million. A million-dollar business.

Revenue has become one of the most common ways entrepreneurs describe success. Pam Ivey, founder and Executive Producer of the Profitable on Purpose Conference, argues it is also one of the least useful numbers when viewed on its own.

“A million-dollar business sounds impressive. But tell me the owner’s profit, what she pays herself, how many hours she works and what it costs to generate that million dollars. Then we have something meaningful to talk about.”

Ivey is bringing that conversation to Greater Victoria on October 23, 2026, when established women business owners from across Vancouver Island gather for the inaugural Profitable on Purpose Conference at Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion.

The conference focuses on a question often lost in conversations about entrepreneurship: Is the business creating enough financial value for the person who owns it?

Revenue measures money coming into a business. It does not show how much leaves again through payroll, contractors, marketing, software, inventory, rent, financing, taxes and other operating expenses. Nor does it reveal whether the owner is paying herself appropriately or working unsustainable hours to generate the sales.

Two businesses with identical revenue can produce dramatically different outcomes for their owners.

One might have strong margins, predictable operations and enough profit to pay its owner well. The other might require long hours, constant sales activity and mounting expenses while leaving little behind.

On paper, both have the same revenue.

In practice, they are entirely different businesses.

“We’ve created a culture where entrepreneurs are encouraged to chase the next revenue milestone,” Ivey said. “$100,000 becomes $250,000. Then $500,000. Then a million. But bigger isn’t automatically better. I want business owners asking whether each stage of growth is making the business more profitable and making their own lives better.”

That distinction also changes how owners approach growth.

Adding another service, hiring another employee, increasing marketing spend or taking on more clients might increase sales. Each decision also adds costs, capacity requirements or complexity. Without understanding the financial effect, growth can leave an owner managing a larger business without creating a better financial result.

The alternative is not to stop growing. It is to become more deliberate about what growth is supposed to accomplish.

That means looking at margins, pricing, owner compensation, expenses, capacity and profit alongside revenue.

It also means questioning business activities that generate impressive sales numbers without producing an appropriate return.

“Revenue tells you how much money moved through the business,” Ivey said. “Profit tells you whether the business model is working. Those are two completely different conversations.”

Profitable on Purpose was created to give established women business owners space to have those conversations.

Rather than a traditional conference built primarily around presentations and networking, the October 23 event is structured as a working day. Sessions address profitability, pricing, financial strategy and business priorities, with attendees applying the work to their own businesses throughout the day.

The conference culminates in dedicated implementation time for attendees to turn what they have identified into a 90-day business plan.

“For me, the measure of this conference isn’t whether someone leaves inspired,” Ivey said. “It’s whether she makes a better business decision because she was in the room.”

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

— 30 —