In todays’ massively competitive marketplace knowing your purpose will not only separate your from your competition, if done right, will guide your decisions and create alignment with your brand. For every successful project – defining what you need to do and how you need to do it – is obviously a good and necessary starting point. But, for many businesses, this is where their “business plan” starts and unfortunately ends.
“To inspire starts with the clarity of why.” Simon Sinek
As the famous Golden Circle – by Simon Sinek with almost 13,000.000 views is the basis for our understanding of the importance of this critical concept for the foundation of any successful business
In today’s constantly evolving marketplace – the launch of more and more online small businesses have defined the need more than ever that each small business owner take the time to clear establish their purpose before they spend a dime on anything. The rush to market with new brands, products, solutions often require business to overlook the simple essentials before understanding what and how consumers are inspired today.
“And it’s those that start with WHY, that have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them.” Simon Sinek
Discovering your business’ WHY can be a challenging and exciting time for any business owner. Through time this vision will lead your brand into new chapters and must convey a value and purpose in alignment with you and truly represent your goals. Breaking these into easy to understand starting point – can begin with 4 questions you can ask yourself :
- Know your passion
- Define your strengths
- Value your beliefs
1. Know your passion.
This is number #1 in my book for a number of important reasons, but the easiest explanation can be from a famous quote by Marc Anthony ” If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” The discovery of matching your loves with your business can be a powerful combination.
2. Define your strengths
Everyone has something they are good at, but take a deeper dive into examining your strength and skills to ensure that as you build your WHY these are in the alignment with advancing your goals. Many entrepreneurs in today’s fast changing environment discover that learning new skills and developing new strengths will be a necessity and being honest with yourself in evaluating what tools you will need to succeed is key.
3. Value your beliefs
Businesses and companies alike have relied on core values to define and establish the expectations of their team as well as the direction of the business. These fundamentals have not changed with time, if anything they have become just as important. The values that a owner brings to the table with their project will be just as important to define as the sales strategy or marketing plan. What does the business stand for and why is it here… will be more important than anything else to your foundation.
True entrepreneurs are driven by their passion for exploring and discovering ways for their businesses to define relationships and grow customers. The commitment within these groups allow for business owners to share ideas and common challenges and many are centered on finding that common alignment with your purpose for starting the business. It must be more than profit and sales – it has to have a impact and value behind your brand for it to succeed in this market- the consumer doesn’t by what you make or how to make it – they buy WHY you do it.