Recently, a certain beverage company has been making the rounds on social media for all the wrong reasons.

This boba brand was poised to hit $7M in sales this year—in fact, they just walked away from their dragons den pitch with a cool $1M deal. After such a success, why did they temporarily shut down their socials in the days after their episode aired?

When you have the opportunity to answer these questions:

What made you get into this business?

What respect is being paid to this very Asian drink?

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And your answer sounds like this:

"I was looking at the data. The market was exploding. I'm sure we can sell it to Pepsi for $1B in 5 years.

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Not only have you blundered an opportunity to share your passion with your customer base, but you've made yourself (and your brand) a lot less likeable.

Actor and dragon, Simu Liu, rightfully called out the brand founders on their cultural appropriation. This sort of puddle deep, “in it for the money" value statement does not fly with most customers.

People are 6 to 8 times more likely to buy from, trust and defend purpose-driven brands. For small businesses and sole proprietors, your brand’s likability is paramount to its success.

If you're a business owner and your why sounds a lot like Bobba's did, you may need to start thinking a bit deeper.

Your brand depends on it.