Article Summary
- Perhaps no other question is as important as “why”, It is imperative to find your why in business, not just for your mission statement but for your entire company/business story and soul.
- Providing the why concept allows your employees and customers to view your business as a living entity with a strong sense of purpose and identification.
- Keep in mind, with a strong vision and values, your business will have a clear purpose and a strong positive impact.
- With a clear why message in place, your employees will be able to relay your purpose, goals, and focus to your customers and your customers will feel more confident when buying from you.
- The Golden Circle Leadership consultant, Simon Sinek, speaks often about the three layers of your business story.
Why is it Important to Find Your Why in Business?
Creating a mission statement for your business requires you to answer a number of questions. Perhaps no other question is as important as “why”, not just for your mission statement but for your entire business story. Providing the why allows your employees and customers to view your business as a living entity with a strong purpose and identification. It also gives employees and customers a way to connect with you on a personal level by including experiences in life.
With a strong purpose, your business will have a clear purpose. Having a clear mission is crucial in standing out from your competition. Therefore, knowing your why is the very foundation of your brand. With a clear why in place, your employees will be able to relay the meaning of your purpose to your customers and your customers will feel more confident when buying from you. When your why is crystal clear, you will make better, more effective decisions for your business. If you find your why in business it will give you clear direction.
The Golden Circle
Leadership consultant, Simon Sinek, speaks often about the three layers of your business story. Imagine three circles within each other. The first layer is “What”. Every organization knows what they do. This can be broken down into examples of what products or services they sell. The next layer is “How”. Some organizations understand the action of how they do it. These are the components that make them special or differentiate them from the competition. The innermost circle is the “Why” and very few organizations know why they do what they do. The why is definitely not about making money – that’s only a result. Why is a purpose, cause, or belief. The why is the very reason your organization exists.
How to Find Your Why In Business?
Before you can answer the why, you must start by digging deeper and answering some tough questions. Spend some time, more than just a on your answers. Taking shortcuts during the steps of this process only hurts you and your business. Once finished, share your answers with your trusted employees, mentors, and advisors. Do your answers ring true with them? If so, you are well on your way to finding your why.
What drives you? What inspires you to do what you do? In other words, what gets you out of bed every morning?
What about your business do you love? What are you passionate about in your business and what ignites your passion?
What problems do you want to solve for your customers? What is the one overall problem that you want to solve for your customer base? What is your motivation to do so?
What is unique about your business? What sets you apart? What makes you different than other similar businesses in your industry?
What inspired your business idea? Think back to your business origins. What motivated you to start your business? What was the essence of your business idea that pulled you in?
What’s My Purpose in Life? Author Steve Pavlina suggests you not only write down this answer but keep it and then write another and another until the content of one strikes your emotions and makes you cry. That’s your purpose.
Once you have answered these questions honestly, your why should be more clear to you. Now, all you have to do is…
Follow Your Gut.
Your why should come from, and be the very core of, your business. It is the purpose that drives you to make your business great. You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Finding your why is finding what experience you really want out of life. Now that you’ve discovered your true why, make sure everyone (employees and customers) understands it as well.
