There’s a humorous (but sadly true) definition of “entrepreneur” floating around out there.
“An entrepreneur is someone who will work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40.”
I had no idea how true this was until I started my own business. Sure, I don’t punch a clock at 9 am and 5 pm anymore, but you can often find me working on weekends, odd hours of the night, and sometimes at the rooster’s butt crack of dawn.
What made you start your own business? Yes, you probably wanted the freedom to work when you want to work (eventually), to be your own boss, and to make up a cool title like “Executive in Charge of Everything – Including the Kitchen Sink,” but that’s why you started a business not why you started this business. What problem did you have that you set out to resolve for yourself and for others? Why are you so passionate about whatever it is that you do, that you’re willing to work 80 hour weeks, invest your savings, sacrifice your social life, and field the “Why don’t you just get a job” interrogations from well-meaning family and friends?
That my dear business owners, is your origin story.
Your origin story will get you through the long hours, through the balance sheets that don’t balance, and through the calls from friends asking why they haven’t seen you since Obama’s first administration. It’s your fuel, your energy source, it’s your Why.
Simon Sinek spoke about your Why in his TEDx talk “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”. He explained that in order to have loyal customers, you must attract people who share your fundamental beliefs. “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it,” he says.
While it’s incredibly important to know your origin story to motivate yourself (you may also hear the term “Founder’s Myth” kicked around), it’s even more important to communicate it to your team and to your potential customers.
This means that your origin story may be one of the most important stories you ever tell. And it doesn’t stop with your branding and your company’s marketing. Every one of your team members should know the company’s origin story, AND, wait for it… they should have one of their own.
I was coaching a Fundraiser on his Donor Presentation a few weeks ago and he regurgitated the non-profit’s origin story. I didn’t want to hear that. I wanted to hear something that I couldn’t find on their website. This man was sitting in front of me and I needed to connect with him. Why did he get involved in the organization? What was his origin story?
It took a bit of coaxing to get it out of him, but it was worth it! He had an amazing story that had me in tears (remember how emotion is the key to sales?) He had been drawn to help this population (ex-offenders being released back into the community) because he himself was an ex-offender and he knew the struggles they faced reacclimating into society.
Now yours may not be as fabulous as my client’s, but there is something that drew you to this specific industry or product. Something makes you care about selling whatever it is you sell. Sharing that story is what will help connect you and your audience. When a potential customer knows why you care, they are more likely to care.
Dig down deep and figure out what attracted you to your industry, and help your employees do the same. If you need help uncovering your why, my workshops can help. Contact sheryl@sherylgreenspeaks.com for more information.
Recent Comments