Business Basics: Start with Why
Every business or nonprofit begins for one reason. Do you know what that reason is for your business? Do you start with Why when you describe your business? How much more interesting would your conversations be if you started with your purposes or beliefs and then explained what services or products you offered? Does your website make your visitors understand the Why of your business ?
I read a terrific book: Start with Why by Simon Sinek. This is a must read for anyone in business or starting a business, whether it be for-profit or nonprofit. Wherever you are in your journey I would highly advise you to read this book.
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”
Sinek found that most people, when talking about their business/career/job start by saying What they do, then they go on to explain How it is done, and lastly, they tell you Why they do what they do. He explains this as the Golden Circle which was inspired by a mathematical relationship supporting the notion of having order in nature called the golden ratio.
The Golden Circle is three circles with the center and smallest circle being labeled Why. The next ring is labeled How and the largest circle around everything is labeled with What.
WHAT
Every business can explain What they do, and they may go on and on about the processes of creating the What. This is easy to identify as every business can describe the products or services that are offered.
HOW
This part usually is used to differentiate your business from other businesses. The How is used to explain why your business is different or better.
WHY
The Why describes the businesses' purpose, cause, or belief. This is the reason you get out of bed every morning. This is the reason you are inspired, and you inspire others.
Start with Why looks at how the great leaders of the world think and act differently. Sinek found that they do the opposite of what most people do. These great leaders start with the Why. They inspire others with the Why and then explain How and eventually What the business strives to do.
When introducing yourself to someone how much more effective would it be if you started with the Why and explained your purpose. What would the person think if you started with the big picture and then explained further with How and What? Just think of how much more you can achieve in business and in your personal life if you start out everything by asking the Why.
I read this book as I was creating my business, May Web Design, LLC. I thought long and hard about my business.
Why
After years of working in small business, corporate America, and nonprofits I have realized how important it is to keep information fresh and vibrant. I wanted to be able to offer small business and nonprofits professional tools at an affordable price to make their organization a success.
How
I refresh or create new websites that are affordable and enable clients to take ownership of and update the website themselves. Many websites are outdated or simply cannot be updated easily. New website design may be overwhelming and costly over time. I can move websites to a Squarespace platform that looks professional and keeps the content fresh and vibrant. The most important part is giving others ownership and teaching them how to make updates on their own.
What
I design professional websites.
How interesting is it to Start with Why and discuss your purpose and beliefs? You can draw people in and inspire them by starting with Why. Create your website so that visitors understand the Why of your business.
