Conscious Capitalism is a business concept borne from the idea that making money may be necessary for a company to survive, or even thrive, but it is not an end in and of itself. This concept is juxtaposed with classical notions of capitalism where factors of production, namely the various forms of capital, are used for a singular purpose: to augment the means of production. Good companies may indeed be reliable engines of wealth but great companies are also agents of social prosperity.

A plant grows by producing sugar (transforming carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen) yet getting larger and generating offspring is not its overarching purpose; rather it is to enhance the ecosystem to which it belongs by, for example, supplying oxygen to the animals therein.

The main by-product of a prosperous company is employment. A community actively contributing to the workforce is a measure of its well-being. But it must do so consistently over time for that well-being to truly take hold. A plant may end up being forage for animals in its ecosystem but its offspring will continue to replenish the supply of oxygen and, in so doing, help maintain the ecosystem.