— About Purpose First Advisors

Advising for established owners

Most of the owners we work with have already built successful, profitable businesses. The challenge isn't building the business anymore. It's building a business that no longer depends on them.

This is the stage where we can add the most value for owners who want their business to create the personal freedom, flexibility, and financial rewards they’ve been waiting for.

This is when we can create the greatest impact for owners who know they don’t want to work forever but haven’t been building their business to operate without them. Thankfully, the things that make your business more enjoyable to run and financially rewarding are the same things that improve transferability and valuation. Our goal is to help you get as much value out of your business as possible and give you as many transition options as possible - by design.

Who this is for

Purpose First Advisors works best with established founders who are:

5 to 15 years in, running a business doing $2M to $15M in revenue
Profitable, but personally maxed out — the business works because you're at the center of it, and that's the bottleneck
Done waiting for more profit, more leverage, and more of your life back
Open to being challenged by an advisor who will tell you the truth, not just validate a plan
Not in crisis, not looking to exit tomorrow — building toward something better, on a real timeline

If that sounds like where you are, you're in the right place.

What happens in the first 90 days

Each engagement is a little bit different but this will give you a general idea of what to expect. As we work together you can expect the focus, pace, and sequence of activities to change to meet your changing needs.

Discovery & Defining Success

We start by getting a clear picture of where the business actually is financially, operationally, and in terms of how dependent it is on you personally. We talk through what you want to be true in one year, three years, and beyond, and we define what a successful advisory relationship needs to look like for you. This isn't a questionnaire. It's a working conversation that becomes the foundation for everything that follows.

Strategy Development

Together we identify the two or three places where focus will create the most movement — usually some mix of profitability, team structure, and removing you from work that shouldn't be on your plate. We prioritize and sequence the changes (because trying to fix everything at once is how nothing gets fixed) and build a communication plan for the people on your team who need to be brought along.

Action & Execution

This is where the work becomes real. Decisions get made and action is taken. Deadlines go on the calendar. Depending on the business, that might mean changes to the org chart, investments in technology, updates to processes, clarifying performance expectations, or having the conversations with leaders you've been putting off. You're making the calls; we're in the room helping you make them well

Measuring Success

Progress isn't just the bold decisions, it's the consistent ones. Roadblocks will come up, and we'll adjust without losing the thread. Our job is to help you stay focused on the outcomes that matter, even on the weeks we're not meeting .

By the end of the first 90 days, you should feel clearer on what the business actually needs and more decisive about what to stop doing. Typically, clients stay with Purpose First Advisors for 2 to 3 years as the business matures and you hit different milestones.

What we believe

Five values shape how we work and who we work with.

Abundance

We believe there is an abundance of opportunity for business owners from every walk of life to build profitable businesses, create generational wealth and contribute to thriving communities.

Equity

We believe that in order for businesses and communities to thrive we need to focus on getting more money, talent, knowledge, specialized services, and opportunities into the hands of historically marginalized and underestimated entrepreneurs. We strive to create a future where an entrepreneur's ability to raise money, attract talent, and scale their venture is no longer predictable by race or gender.

Connection

We believe our job is to be deeply connected with the owners and leaders we serve. We pride ourselves on helping people connect the dots to unlock the untapped potential in their business, remove limiting beliefs about what they and their business can achieve, and create the life they love.

Immersion

We believe successful business advising requires us to be thoroughly involved in understanding our clients’ personal, financial, and business goals. By understanding their vision we can commit to transformational rather than transactional work.

Integrity

We believe integrity is a state of being fully aligned with those we serve. We work with people who share our values through their words and deeds. We show up consistently. We own our mistakes and have compassionate and challenging conversations. We love deeply and will always try to do better.

Christy Maxfield, MBA, CEPA

President & CEO

Christy founded Purpose First Advisors in 2017 to do the kind of work she kept watching established owners go without: direct, personal advising — not a framework to implement alone, not a workbook from a coach. The kind of help that stops a business from running through, and wearing out, its owner.

She's spent her career around businesses at this stage — she's been the owner, not just the advisor. She got her start in her family's floral business in New Jersey, built a career in professional fundraising, and co-founded a startup in 2010 before launching Purpose First Advisors. She's also taught entrepreneurship at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and Washington University in St. Louis, and spent years co-hosting the Entrepreneurially Thinking podcast. Today, she frequently participates in LinkedIn Live conversations and writes blogs that help clients get to know her long before they meet.

Credentials & Recognition

MBA, Webster University
BA, Political Science, Montclair State University
Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA)
Professional Facilitator, The Communication Protocol
Named a Top Business Advisor by St. Louis Small Business Monthly
2025 Enterprising Women of the Year Award Champion

The people Christy works with

Some engagements call for a specialist in the room. These are the partners and collaborators Christy brings in when the work calls for them.

Dr. Donna Marino

Family Business Psychologist

woman in blue with brown hair and glasses

Debra Roberts

Communications Experts

Quentin Ortega

Business Consultant

business woman with curly hair and glasses

Jess Dewell

Business Consultant

Frequently Asked Questions

How do we start?

A discovery call. It's a real conversation, not a sales pitch. If we're a fit, we'll tell you what working together would look like. If we're not, we'll tell you that too, and we'll usually have an idea about who might be.

What if my business is in crisis?

We're probably not the right fit right now. Crisis work needs a different speed and skill set than what we do. If we hear that on a discovery call, we'll tell you, and where we can, we'll point you to someone who can help.

What kind of results should I expect?

The patterns we see most often: more profit, a leadership team that makes more decisions without you, cleaner financials, less time spent in work only you can do, and a clearer sense of where the business is going. The timeline varies. The direction doesn't.

What does an engagement actually look like?

Most engagements are ongoing advisory relationships with a regular cadence of working sessions, plus access to Christy between sessions when decisions can't wait. The work shifts as the business shifts.

Do I need to be planning to sell my business to work with you?

No. Most clients aren't. Exit planning is part of what we do because planning how to transfer or exit your business is a necessary part of being an owner. Even if a sale isn't on your horizon, the work still makes your business more profitable, more resilient, and less reliant on you personally.

How is this different from a consultant?

Consultants are often hired to solve a defined problem or complete a specific project. We stay alongside the owner as the business evolves, helping them make better decisions over time. Sometimes that includes consulting work. Most often, it includes ongoing advising.

How is this different from a business coach?

Coaches help you stay accountable to plans you've already made. Advisors help you decide whether the plan is the right one, change it when it isn't, and build the structure underneath it.