Derek Maxfield on Building Successful, Purpose-Driven Companies

Derek Maxfield has built his career on the simple yet transformative belief that success is only meaningful when it serves a greater purpose. Over more than two decades as an entrepreneur, innovator, and philanthropist, he has created companies that blend performance with principle.

From co-founding Younique, a pioneering social selling beauty brand, to serving as CEO of Komigo, a new venture at the crossroads of affiliate marketing and direct sales, Maxfield’s leadership reflects a balance of vision, integrity, and empathy.

Amid his many successes, Maxfield’s true purpose remained building something that would change lives beyond business. His founding role with Saprea, a nonprofit organization helping survivors of child sexual abuse heal and find hope, reflects the promise that has guided every chapter of his career, and his commitment to use success as a vehicle for good continues with his philanthropic mission at the Derek & Shelaine Maxfield Family Foundation.

Derek Maxfield’s philosophy is rooted in the conviction that purpose is not a marketing strategy but the lifeblood of long-term success.

“A mission gives a company direction beyond profit,” he says. “It unites people around something they believe in, not just something they sell.”

That belief shaped the foundation of Younique. The company’s mission to uplift, empower, and validate extended beyond products to culture. Representatives around the world have found business opportunities that provide personal growth, community, and confidence. This sense of shared purpose has become the company’s most valuable asset.

Younique’s success showed that when people are connected to a mission, motivation and performance rise naturally. Employees, partners, and customers all become part of something larger, creating loyalty that no incentive alone can replicate. Building from mission outward has become a central principle to Maxfield’s approach in every venture that has followed.

At Komigo, that same philosophy drives innovation. The company merges the flexibility of affiliate marketing with the structure of direct sales, empowering individuals to build authentic, value-based businesses online. Tapping into direct sales and affiliate marketing trends, Komigo’s platform aligns with Maxfield’s belief that entrepreneurship should be accessible, ethical, and purposeful, helping users succeed through transparency and trust rather than hype or pressure.

Maxfield’s success across industries stems from his ability to blend technological innovation with human insight. As a leader, he focuses on creating efficient systems while building environments where people excel and grow. His approach bridges logic and empathy, balancing hard data with human needs.

Notes Maxfield, “Innovation is about solving real problems. Technology matters, but integrity matters more. If your innovation doesn’t make life better for others, you’re missing the point.”

He applies this premise to both business and philanthropic endeavors. Maxfield’s ventures prioritize usability, accessibility, and authenticity. Whether developing software for distributors or designing tools for digital entrepreneurs, his guiding principle is consistently to build with purpose and scale with integrity.

At Saprea, that same mindset fuels systems of support for survivors worldwide. The organization provides healing retreats, online education, and prevention programs at no cost, demonstrating how thoughtful structure and strong leadership can sustain life-changing impact.

By applying his entrepreneurial discipline to nonprofit operations, Maxfield ensures that Saprea remains scalable, efficient, and focused on measurable outcomes, proving that the best business practices can serve humanity as effectively as they serve markets.

For every company Maxfield has a hand in creating or leading, culture defines success. It’s not the technology, marketing, or even capital that determines sustainability, but the shared values of the people behind the mission.

From Younique to Komigo, Maxfield has built organizations around empowerment, transparency, and respect. He believes that leaders should inspire trust through clarity and example, not authority alone. In his view, a company’s internal culture is its truest reflection of purpose.

When teams understand why their work matters, motivation transforms into ownership. Maxfield encourages leaders to communicate openly about goals, challenges, and values, ensuring that every team member sees their role in the company’s broader impact. His style blends servant leadership with strategic thinking, encouraging creativity while maintaining discipline.

The same ethos carries into his philanthropic work. Saprea’s team of clinicians, educators, and volunteers operates under the unified purpose of helping survivors rediscover their strength and confidence. Maxfield’s business acumen helps the organization stay sustainable, while his empathy ensures that compassion remains at its core.

Maxfield’s career offers a clear lesson for entrepreneurs. Purpose-driven entrepreneurship and profit are not competing goals but are, instead, interdependent. A mission provides the direction, while financial success provides the means to scale that mission. This mindset has allowed him to move fluidly between sectors, bridging commerce and compassion without compromise.

His leadership challenges the notion that business must be purely transactional. Instead, Maxfield advocates for a model of relational leadership, one where outcomes are measured in reputation, trust, and positive social impact as well as revenue.

“Success is sustainable only when it uplifts others. When leaders align profit with purpose, they create momentum that lasts beyond the next quarter or even the next generation,” asserts Maxfield.

This long-term view has defined every step of his journey. It’s why Younique became a global movement, why Saprea continues to transform lives, and why Komigo is now poised to redefine digital entrepreneurship. Each venture builds on the underlying principle that businesses built with heart endure longer, grow stronger, and make the world better in the process.

As technology evolves and industries shift, Derek Maxfield’s blueprint for success consistently centers around leading with clarity, building with integrity, and serving with purpose. His approach is both timeless and forward-looking, offering a model for entrepreneurs navigating the fast-changing landscape of modern business.

Through Komigo, he envisions a future where individuals can create value without losing authenticity, where technology fosters trust and diminishes distraction. Through Saprea, Maxfield continues to support healing and prevention, proving that leadership can, and should, extend beyond profit into the realms of service and humanity.

In an era where many leaders chase scale at the expense of meaning, Maxfield’s work reminds us that the two can coexist. His companies succeed because they innovate and, just as importantly, they inspire. They remind people that purpose, when paired with execution, becomes an unstoppable force for growth and good.

Derek Maxfield’s story is one of stewardship seasoned by entrepreneurship. His life models using every success as a chance to fulfill a promise, to make an impact, and to build something that lasts. Maxfield’s companies are vessels for change and proof that business can be both profitable and profoundly human.