Are you looking for a reason to leave or complement that corporate job and finally embark on something of your own? Or perhaps you looking to start a business but lack enough motivation. Are you uncertain about pivoting your business into a new niche? Then, this is something you would be interested in reading! We offer reasons why you should take that leap of faith you’ve contemplated for a while. We help you find your “why” using Simon Sinek’s formula.
While it can be a daunting task to figure out what your “why” is, there are some helpful tips that can make it easier. Simon Sinek has developed a formula to help people find their why, and here’s how you can utilize it to find yours.
1. Identify your strengths
First, make a list of all the things that come naturally to you, whether it’s being organized or creative. These skills make up your unique abilities and will become important when deciding on the direction of your “why.” Understanding the ‘why’ is very important. This is the main reason for the existence of your business or new start-up. Some of the questions you could ask yourself on the same include:
- What am I passionate about?
- Which skills am I willing to grow?
- Would my current strengths be my competitive advantage?
- How can I grow further in knowledge and skills and nurture my strengths?
2. Create a mission statement
A mission statement simply refers to one’s reason for being. Put into words how you want to spend your time and energy in life. This should be concise yet powerful enough to capture your passions and ideals. Think about which experiences have impacted you so far and use those as inspiration.
To further help conclude, here are some self-reflective questions:
- Why do I want to start this new business?
- Why do I want to change to something different?
- Am I happy with where I am currently?
- What have I learned so far?
- What am I aiming to achieve?
3. Brainstorm ideas related to finding your why
At this stage, combine the ideas from step one with the mission statement from step two to create potential goals or projects around which you could build a “why” around. Try not to limit yourself; write down anything that comes to mind!
Now that you have identified your strengths and assessed your goals, it is time to delve into deeper details. There are certain ideas that have been crossing your mind on what you would like to start on. This is the right time to put them on paper or type them on your phone; digital times, hey!
Writing down these ideas is the first step to realizing your plan. Is it a podcast you have been longing to start? A YouTube channel? An online entrepreneurship class you’ve wanted to start? A virtual assistant job on Fiverr? It is crucial that you write down as many ideas as you possibly can in relation to your strengths and what you want to achieve.
4. Research
Starting a business without proper research is like jumping out of a plane without a parachute: It definitely won’t end well even after you find your why.
According to experts, market research is essential before starting any business and should never be underestimated. This helps you understand everything there is to know about what you are about to venture into.
Don’t just jump into something without doing your due diligence; look at other people who have been successful in similar areas, read books about topics related to what you want to do, watch insightful videos or podcasts—go above and beyond when learning about something new so you can get an accurate understanding before committing yourself too deeply into something that might not be right for you.
Here are some questions to get you started:
i) Who are my target audience?
Understanding your target demographic helps you fine-tune your actions to the smallest details. You can also plan your marketing and sales strategies to ensure you are reaching the right audience. Sonia Lakany, attorney at Lakhany Law, says, “Make sure you are delivering what your customers want, not what you want.”
ii) How am I doing financially?
Every business requires capital when it is starting out. It is important to make a plan on how you will fund the business startup costs. However, do not panic if you realize you do not have enough money to start. There are different available options at your disposal you could use. You could borrow from friends and family, engage angel investors and venture capitalists, or apply for a business loan from banks or business associations. We will share with you simple and credible ways to raise money to start your side hustles in upcoming posts. Right now, focus on finding your why and don’t worry about anything else!
iii) Do I understand the risks of launching a new business venture?
This should not be a worry since businesses always involve risk. Before starting your business, you should calculate, understand, and plan for risks. This will require an intense assessment of your market industry’s risks before developing a business plan.
5. Test it out
Take actionable steps towards achieving something related to what you brainstormed in step three—it could be as small as talking more with someone whose career path is interesting or getting involved in an online community dedicated to what interests you most—and see how it makes you feel! If it feels right, keep going! If not, go back to the drawing board, evaluate the different steps, and see what you may have done wrong. As most people famously say, when plan A fails, there is plan B and the rest of the alphabet to try out! You simply need more knowledge, research, and looking in the right places to succeed.
For example, one content creator attempted to find her why using a simple approach. She came to Social media and posted about her dilemma. She went further and requested her followers to make recommendations on what they thought she could post about. This simple step is a great way to test your ideas and seek external opinions, which is an important step to find your why.
6. Refine
Venturing into the entrepreneurial journey is not for the weak. However, following the six steps with Simon Sinek’s formula is not too tough. Once you succeed in pursuing your passion and take that leap of faith, all that is left is to move forward simply. Refine your actions, do more research, find out what motivates you, interact with professionals, and move forward.
Conclusion
Finally, finding our “why” doesn’t have to be daunting, thanks to Simon Sinek’s formula! By taking each step seriously and investing time into researching your interests, you can easily determine your sense of purpose in life–which is invaluable for anyone trying to make their mark on this world! So don’t put it off any longer–start today by following these 6 steps outlined above, and soon enough, your “why” will become crystal clear!
