Why “Why” Is Your Business's Existence: How To Find The Core of Your Brand

This article uses my own business as an example throughout. It is not meant to brag, but my experience will help you make sense of the concepts.

Breakdown:

• Intro to The Golden Circle and “Why”

• Exactly how I found my Why

• My Why, How, What

• Only those who are ready to take their businesses seriously should go this far

Have you ever heard of the Golden Circle by Simon Sinek? If not, I HIGHLY suggest you watch the short video below. This concept changed the trajectory of my entire business model and truly drove the motivation to get off my ass and do something real. Yes, you can get away with just listening to it.

Intro to The Golden Circle and "Why"

Exactly how I found my Why:

You better have watched/listened to that video. When I first saw it I immediately had a feeling of authenticity in my heart. Below are the questions that raced through my mind and my quick answers. Copy these, delete my answers, then answer them for yourself.

What do I authentically offer others?

Someone who researches, applies strategies, and gladly shares the story. I don’t believe I hold hidden secrets from what I learn and I want others to benefit from my research.

Why do I exist from a business standpoint?

I am an external asset who has already cut through the clutter. My need for freedom to work when I am at my best lead me to be a freelancer. Agencies benefit from not paying a full-time employee and they can now offer services like search engine optimization. Individual clients get an advisor and one-on-one, not a faceless name.

What can I offer?

Advisory, courses, speeches, reporting, full-service SEO, target market building, a fresh set of eyes and ideas.

Why do you exist?

The framework is already taking shape here! Do you see it?! You can’t be self-deprecating in this practice. It is VERY important you believe in yourself. I don’t care if you are a content writer and there are a million other writers out there; the same goes for musicians, designers, coders, make-up artists, or whatever seemingly saturated industry you may be in. We ALL feel like imposters on occasion, or as if what we offer has already been done, but YOU haven’t done it YOUR way yet.

I’m not sorry I drove that point so hard. Some of you might have shrunk your head into your shoulders reading that but you need to come to the realization you are the unique element in every saturated market. There are tons of advisors, marketing specialist, search engine optimization providers, and others who offer what I do, but they aren’t me. Finding your Why will guide you. You will forget what others are doing in the same types of industries and find your own way as a result. You will be forced to tune your skill in a way others haven’t.

YOU are your WHY!

While I was defining my why from a business standpoint, I started defining my why/how/what for other parts of my life. Little things like being the type of person who uses a refillable coffee mug, complimenting others (people spend time on clothes, hair, car restoration, dog training, and it feels great when others notice), being honest when I don’t know something instead of smiling and nodding my head, and even trying to breakdown why I’m attracted to a trend rather than accepting the trend.

This practice can be contradictory; it is invigorating, embarrassing, easy, hard...but it is YOU and YOU are your WHY.

My Why, How, What turned out like this:

I chose to focus on the idea of connections because my mind draws an image of an idealistic end result, which I then like to break down into specific tangible points. Just like a connect-the-dots image, I go from point to point to get the big picture. All I did was use “connections” as a concept to guide me.

Why: What is my cause, purpose belief, why does my biz/me exist?

For everything I research and take action on, I believe there are others who can benefit and I thoroughly enjoy helping others. I believe everyone has/needs a connection or a few crucial connections that can enhance their lives or enhance somebody else’s significantly. Connections are not limited to interpersonal, but connecting to tools available as well.

How:

The way I help others connect is by giving them tools they can use, confidence they need, strategies to follow, and a point person to come to when necessary.

What:

I just happen to have a website for this information, advanced opportunities for one-on-one consultation, and am available to speak at events. Want to hire me?

Only those who are ready to take their businesses seriously should go this far

This is the scary part for you: it is time to reveal your WHY. Some things that helped me were exploring what words do I often use to define my business, who are part of my target markets, what makes me smile, what makes me want to wake up early, what gives me an adrenaline rush.

My way of finding WHY wasn’t built on Simon Sinek’s books. I was already on a path to finding it when I was introduced to his concept, but The Golden Circle video pushed me in the right direction. If you are having a hard time and truly want to find your why, Sinek offers a reasonably priced course here: https://courses.startwithwhy.com and https://fourminutebooks.com/find-your-why-summary/ is a solid synopsis.