The Why for your business
If you’ve ever heard of or read anything from Simon Sinek, you will have heard the importance of knowing your WHY. That’s the foundation that any business must have to become a successful, engaging and consistent business. I have mentioned this before in my first Blog but here it is again in a nutshell. Any business can offer products (What) and supply them through a store front or online store (How) but top priority must be the passion, commitment and emotional value in what you are offering (Why). There must be value in the commitment behind your product or service. Having a passion for what you do and fully embracing that as the central reason for what you do, will give you drive, purpose and above all, happiness in what you do. You must have direction, a purpose for what you are doing, in order to give your business direction.
You must find your muse, your reason to get up in the morning, the destination to your direction. I’ve seen first hand how not having an appetite for your business can have a detrimental impact on the success of a business. I opened, operated and subsequently sold a very successful and growing coffee shop. The business was thriving and the talk of the town because of the friendly staff, the consistent food and beverage and the comfortable, clean environment. I implemented duty task lists, respected my staff and was adamant that all recipes were followed perfectly and constantly. I used the Three-Part Model for running my business and made a clear and consistent expectation for my staff in the daily running of my business. I made connections with suppliers and customers and treated everyone with respect. But above all, my passion for owning that coffee shop was, not only to fulfill a lifelong dream but to be a central part of my community. To create an atmosphere that was both engaging and meaningful. We held community events and gave back to families in the area and became a central force for all to come together. It was a sad and long-thought-out decision when I decided to sell it for the sake of my family. To be honest I thought it was going to be a couple of years of having it listed and instead, it sold within 30 days.
The people who bought it did not have a WHY behind the purchase of the business. They were looking to buy ANY business, it didn’t matter which business. They took over and within their first week as owners had to do damage control on a review posted on Facebook. I was not the Boss of the coffee shop. The customers were. And what they wanted for the community and for themselves was mirrored in everything I did. The new owners only saw themselves as the Bosses! They didn’t want to do what the customers and staff said were good ideas. If it didn’t fit into their mold of being “The Boss” then they weren’t going to do it. Their sales diminished so much that they thought I had falsified my sales data. They didn’t find their WHY and the community felt the abandonment. They didn’t want to back them for what they stood for. Customers started going to other shops where they felt more commitment from the owners in how they ran their businesses.
If you ask anyone to explain why they felt attraction to my business they wouldn’t be able to explain it. It’s hard to explain feelings, it’s hard to define the “Why”. They will say the “What” isn’t good anymore. They will say the “How” isn’t the same as it was. You create a WHY and you will have success in any business!
