A backstory:
A few years back at an Oprah Soul Sessions event in LA, I met an entrepreneur - a teacher who taught herself how to invest and made so much money that she quit her teaching job and traveled the world and went to like a dozen Tony Robbins events.
She was so passionate about her investment system and so wanted to share it with other people, especially teachers who could learn how to invest on the side so they could supplement their income.
👉 Take that why-do-teachers-still-make-crap-pay-my-gosh-it's-2022.
She cracked a major nut: investing. Knew who she wanted to work with: teachers. Had a proven concept that would work for coaching and courses.
She was funny and smart and earnest, pretty, and strategic. A really good head on her shoulders.
She was ready to roll with a really solid business idea.
"BUT," she said.
And I took notice because it was a pretty big but.
She thought to make it big in the entrepreneurial work, you had to have some sort of rags to riches story, some horrible thing from which you rose from like a Phoenix to attain success beyond your wildest dreams.
She told me that she grew up in the same neighborhood where they filmed Ferris Bueller's Day Off, with parents she really loved and who loved her (and each other). She went to a great school, got into a great college that was paid for, never had to worry about a thing. Had great friends, great brothers, was thin without ever having to try. (Yes, I was a little jealous!)
She said, "What, I'm supposed to go out there and tell people, 'Hey! I've had an idyllic life so you should listen to me.'"
Yes.
It's because it's who are. (And don't go looking for trouble, friends, because you will find it!)
Plus, there are multiple dimensions to the whole concept of "why" and "purpose."
God bless Simon Sinek for letting us know about our "Why" but it de-dimensionalizes (yes, a new word!) the actual construct of "why" and "purpose" to give you so much more to work with.
In fact, it one-dimensionalizes it to the point where someone with a passion and brilliant biz idea was just sitting there in her fabulous apartment on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago completely sidelined.
There are really three dimensions to the concept of "why": Cause. Competence. Culture.
Cause.
Easy. That's the nudge we feel on the inside to help people and to share what we know to deliver a transformation. It's the heart, it's the soul.
(Hint: Too often new entrepreneurs stop here when they should really keep on going!)
Competence.
This is the structure, systems, and know-how you bring to reliably deliver the transformation you promise to your customers.
Culture.
How do you run your business? What kind of people work with you? What kind of customers do you attract? Are you human-based and inclusive in your business decisions? What are you known for?
See, if that entrepreneur knew that there was another perspective to the concept of "why", she could've easily dropped her ideas (and her life) into these nice little buckets of strategy. And not feel like she didn't belong.
Struggling with your "why"? Drop me a line and tell me all about it. I may have an idea or two help you break through.
Rooting for you! xo, HC
