What does Apple and Southwest Airlines have in common with Martin Luther King and the Wright brothers? What have been the key to the success of these companies and the movements? The answer lies not in WHAT but rather WHY.
This week we read one of our most most life-changing books to date, Start with Why by Simon Sinek. Since we started our podcast we have had this book in our minds to read because it is something we have thought about deeply during the creation of UgliBoss. And now that we have read the book, we think that everybody should read it before deciding to start a business.
The main concept of the book follows a philosophy of The Golden Circle, which was developed by Sinek. He explains that The Golden Circle embodies a formula that can account for the exact reason why some companies succeed wildly while others do not.
Sinek fills the book with countless examples of how people conceive their brands or themselves and how they present that idea to the world. We found this particularly interesting in the area of personal growth. Think about YOU and how you present yourself to the world. Perhaps when you introduce yourself you’d normally say WHAT you do but not WHY you do it. It’s the WHY that is much more compelling and interesting. It communicates a story.
Take this example. Jane is at a cocktail party. She introduces herself. “Hi! I’m Jane. I am a lawyer but decided to start my own cookies-business, so now I am the CEO of my own bakery.”
Now, how different would you think about Jane if she said: “Hello, I am Jane, and I want to bring joy to the world (WHY) by selling (HOW) the most delicious cookies ever (WHAT).” That is a little more interesting, no?
Sinek would argue that Jane has more chances to be successful in her venture because her motivation answers a higher calling. Just like Apple, their why has always been to challenge the status quo, so whatever does that, they can sell. That’s why they don’t only sell computers, or software, or iPhones, they have a lot of products and services that support their cause. And why do people buy Apple products? Because they believe in their WHY. They identify with it and believe its purpose.
It begs the questions, why do you prefer some brands over others? Why would you buy one brand even if another has quality or services? It may just be that you believe in their WHY.
It sounds easy, but at the same time is not. This has a direct relationship with our brains and feelings. Is more about gut than logic. And obviously finding your WHY takes time, dedication, awareness, and effort. But once you do it, the rest comes easily.
So, of course, after reading and realizing all this, the first question that popped into our heads was: what’s our WHY? Both personally and professionally?
Well, our quest to answer those question has started, and we want to share it our journey with you. With that, we invite you to listen to our podcast which happens to be a special one because we have a guest!
Our very first guest is Karim Gonzalez, Eunice’s brother, who has the mission to inspire people to be the best versions of themselves. And he tell us just HOW he accomplishes that.
Let’s dig in!
We hope you enjoy this book and podcast as much as we did. Let us know in the comments, have you already found your WHY? We can’t wait to continue this conversation with you.
Don’t forget that you have the power to change the world!
Love,
V+E.