Why You Must Know Your “Why?” in Business & 3 Questions to Discover It
Written by: Jacqueline Rhule, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
You’ll have probably heard it a million times in anything to do with marketing and business creation.
And for a good reason too.
However, if it’s not something you’ve particularly sat down and thought about, because you’re, maybe, just starting out on your entrepreneurial journey or pivoting into a new area of service in an existing business, I will explain it:
Basically, it’s the reason you wanted to create your business in the first place. I like to call it that “soul nudge” that you would find difficult to ignore.
Firstly, it gets you really thinking about your life, taking a good long look at how it’s evolved and continuing to play out. This bit of scrutiny will give you a fabulous overview and the highlights of a thoroughly lived life. Within it, you will have experienced all manner of situations (the good ones and unwanted ones).
Secondly, knowing this powerfully will help you design a business that will allow you to work in a way that best suits you. Take the time to set it up so that eventually, it can be run with minimal input from yourself. You will be in that wonderful situation whereby you’re following your purpose/bliss in the service you provide AND have the choice as to how much you are working “in” your business.
Lastly, on an ongoing basis, you will always have your finger on the pulse as to the changing needs of your audience. You’ll always be anchored in the reason for starting your business, easily tuning into other services/products you could offer, further assisting them every step of the way.
I’ve found it can be broken down into two parts. I did this as I feel it’s a great way to ensure the overarching “why” is balanced satisfyingly for you and your audience:
1st Part - For Your Target Audience
You’re either providing a service or a product, or both. It fires you up knowing that from your own/others' experiences, you have put together a solution that addresses your target audience’s problems. Whilst doing so, they benefit from you satisfying your best-skilled way to provide the solutions. They get the best of the best that you have to deliver.
2nd Part - For Yourself
Your “why” will also include what you want to achieve in your own life. I’m a firm believer in the saying, “charity begins at home.” If you do not satisfy your own life dreams, you won’t be free in your heart and resources to make a difference to others. It also needs to suit your most enjoyable avenue of providing your service. Let’s face it. If it’s not thrilling you, you won’t put your all into it. Potential clients will pick up on that, be less attracted to you, then no one benefits.
I’m not wanting to be a party pooper, but running your own business can be pretty tough at times. You’re in charge of your dream and, likely in the early days, in charge of every task needed to grow and run it, e.g., sales, marketing, accounts, customer care, etc.
You’ll have days where you are “hitting the wall” with the pressure of it all. Possibly questioning whether you’re doing the right thing. It’s those times where your “why” massively comes to the rescue. When you remember it, it pulls you right back on track, giving you the fuel to carry on.
Now, I’ve always been pretty much “why” driven in whatever business I’ve created.
It’s burned through my heart and soul, so I’ve felt no choice but to create a business solution to satisfy the strong calling. Realizing early on that resistance was futile – I had no option but to embrace and run with it.
3 Questions To Help You Discover Your “Why.”
Have you successfully overcome any obstacles along your life journey and want to share your “How To’s” with others?
Has someone close to you gone through a challenging experience? Witnessing it up close and personal can give you the drive to help others going through a similar situation.
How would you positively want to influence your community or group of individuals’ way of thinking and living?
The answers to these questions will help you pinpoint your “why,” anchor it in your heart and mind and keep you going through tough times.
It will goose up your sense of purpose and keep you targeted on your solution finding for your target audience.
I’d love to share with you my “Why.”
It will give you an insight into me and can act as an example if you are struggling to reel in your own “why” and be fired up about it:
Way back (late 90’s), I knew that I wanted to make people feel better and for them to know that they are loved and heard – in a hands-on therapeutic way.
I’d transitioned from being a Secretary (after leaving college) to starting my complementary health, teaching, and on-site massage, therapy business.
I absolutely loved it. It answered all my “why” needs: helping people to feel better via massage, reflexology, beauty therapy, and working in schools with children who were experiencing challenges in their home life. I got to help them feel loved and heard.
Much of that was borne out of having such a settled, secure, and filled with huge love upbringing by my parents, who, after 54 years, are still happily married. As a result, I always feel like I’m overflowing with love, and I want to share as much as possible.
Through the passage of time, my “why” has grown and changed in the way I express it.
23 years later, the core “why’ is still there, but I satisfy it in the following way, with additions:
Helping people to live their best lives now, to discover their “passion business” so that they can live their purpose via it. To dream much bigger, grow their businesses with more ease and flow – minus the burnout, to know that they are amazing and loved and can be, do, have their hearts’ desires.
And for me: Knowing I’m making a positive difference in the lives of others. To generate more income allows me to travel and work from anywhere in the world and continue living my dreams, which includes happily ticking things off my “bucket list.”
Also, as a British-born, Afro-Caribbean female born to Jamaican parents, it is incredibly important to me to see more ethnic diversity and gender equality in the world. When I grew up in the ’70s and 80’s it was rare to see anybody that looked like me in magazines and on TV. So, my intention is to show up and be more visible in the world to be part of the solution and not just complain from the sidelines.
A Piece Of Advice For You
Be prepared for your “why” to change when passing through different life stages and ever-changing happenings in the world. Adjust accordingly for your own happiness and for delivering a top, focused service to your audience.
Jacqueline Rhule, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jacqueline Rhule is a Business Coach (Business Coaching With Heart & Soul) who helps entrepreneurs to grow their businesses with much more ease and flow and turn their passion to prosperity faster. She also coaches you in the other areas of your life to ensure an optimum work-life balance, all within the realms of personal growth, spirituality, and the law of attraction. She believes that most of the work lies in improving the mindset and clearing any negative thought patterns that are holding you back. When coupled with practical business steps and advice, an unstoppable momentum to success and greatly enhanced overall happiness levels can be achieved. Email her at jackie@serenitycoachingtips.com.
