Small Business Enterprise - SBDC

What is your business purpose?

Questions to ask yourself in sparking your ‘Why?’

Business owners often communicate their business purpose to customers and employees from the outside in. Most can easily talk about what they do, the products they manufacture or the service they provide. Some can even explain how they do it, describing, for example, that they use the highest quality materials. While factual and informative, the conversation often leaves everyone feeling totally uninspired.

Any company can tell you WHAT they do and HOW they do it, but a great company can tell you WHY they do it.

You see, inspiration is never enough to pull you up from the ground when things get tough and you’re on the verge of giving up. You need something to motivate and push you through these arising problems or challenges. Anyone can set out a plan, even long-term, but not every one of them can pursue it ’til the end.

The people who succeed are those who have clearly identified their goals and can answer WHY they’re doing this. This is applicable no matter what industry you’re in, and especially for entrepreneurs who are running their businesses, a why statement — also known as a mission statement — is an indispensable element to upgrade the value of their enterprise.

Find Your ‘Why’ Statement

The WHY concept first started with Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why.” In his book, Simon explained how the world’s greatest leaders and entrepreneurs inspired people to take actions by understanding and clarifying their organizational purpose — their “Why” — before leading the way.

The sequence “Find your Why” is where Simon gives you instructions on how to fi nd and form your Why. Your Why statement should be clear and show how your contribution — whether your products or your decisions — leaves an impact on your targeted groups or overall society.

Simon and his team have provided a simple format to draft a Why statement.

The format is straightforward and applicable for any statements, so it is definitely a good option for your initial drafting. You can add modifications to your statement, but make sure to convey your purpose clearly and avoid being lengthy.

Here are a few examples of WHY statements from top brands.

Spotify has stated their WHY as “To unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by these creators.”

“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,” stated Google.

Airbnb states, “To connect millions of people in real life all over the world, through a community marketplace — so that you can Belong Anywhere.”

Questions We Recommend to Spark Your WHY

■ What inspired your business idea?

■ What’s interesting about your founding story?

■ What is unique about your business?

■ What problem is your company trying to solve?

■ How has your business evolved?

■ What’s your business purpose? Why does your company exist?

■ Is there a specific cause your business is supporting?

■ What do you believe in — personally and professionally?

After answering these questions, don’t be afraid to share them with your most trusted employees, advisors and mentors. Seek the opinions of those who understand the company you’re building, and your business purpose, and ask them for constructive criticism.

Instead, try flipping that around by thinking, acting and communicating from the inside out. That’s when true magic happens.

Heather Kelley is a consultant at the Small Business Development Center at the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.