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The #1 Question that leads to Massive Success

by Maren Kate on March 6th, 2010
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I am reading through Start with Why by Simon Sinek, it is truly an eye opening read. But instead of just putting it on my reading list and hoping some of you will pick it up I am going to sum up some of the best parts and explain why WHY is the single best question that will lead to massive success.

In Sinek’s book he explains his concept of ‘The Golden Circle’ which is key to understanding the importance of presenting your businesses WHY even before it’s WHAT or HOW. Look closely at the below and take in this entrepreneurial advice because it may radically change the way you do business and make you vastly more successful and happy then you are now.

Think of it this way, what do most people normally ask at mixers? The famed So… what do you do? this is answered with: I’m a doctor, I’m a line cook or I work at Microsoft. You can only learn so much from someone by asking them ‘what they do’ instead I am starting to adopt another approach: Why do  you do whatever it is you do? This is probably far more off putting than a simple what do you do but can also dig far deeper into the reason said person lives and works.

So now imagine this scenario

1st example:

Person: “What do you do Maren?”

Maren: “I have a social media marketing business… oh and we build websites”

2nd example (with an emphasis on my WHY):

Person: “What do you do Maren?”

Maren: “Well, I run a company where we believe the only way to succeed in business is to innovate, adapt and stay abreast of cutting edge technology. We believe in serving the 20% of entrepreneur’s who embrace innovation as much as we do and helping them explode their success in the online world through truly connecting with their customer base on a personal and profound level. If you fit into that 20% of free thinking, early adapters then we can definitely work well together.”

Now some of the people I respond to are going to think “hmm… weird chick” and move on to another table, others are going to be like “Oh my gosh, I’ve been looking for someone like you for years, I need help marketing and believe in your passion and philosophy. Here is my card, call me on Monday and we’ll set up a meeting.” I’ll take my chances on being labeled a freak with 80% of the people I meet if the 20% that matter fall in love with my mantra because I put my WHY at the forefront.

How this applies to you

  1. Ask yourself what you do, how you do it and then finally WHY your business (or potential business) exists. If you can’t find a good why then you need to scrap your business model and innovate into something that will appeal wildly to a few and possibly turn the rest off.
  2. Reformat your business and marketing strategies to put your WHY at the forefront. I am in the middle of re-doing my businesses website, for a while it has been plain Jane, but now I want to revamp it keeping my WHY in mind all the way. I want to have a site that will welcome those who connect with Oracle Launch’s reason for being and who resonate deeply with our mission. The rest, well they can go to some boring suit and tie marketing firm.
  3. Become an evangelist of your WHY. If you don’t believe in your reason for being 100,000% no one else will. You must be quite literally over the top, in love with your businesses mission statement. If you aren’t or can’t muster up all that excitement for what you are doing in your entrepreneurial journey, maybe it is time to take a different path or dramatically change the direction your business is coming from.

Hope this helps, I strongly suggest picking up Sinek’s book and giving it a good read. Or do what I do and download the audio to listen to while you multi-task!

P.S. Applying the golden circle and the why principle to your blog works wonders too, I’m in the midst of doing that myself!

Tagged as: entrepreneur advice, entrepreneur ideas, Entrepreneurial Tips, massive success, simon sinek, start with why, the golden circle, why

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  • Wow. Yes. Ok, I'm on it!
  • I thought this was going to be another post about having a strong "why" to keep going. Now I cannot get that circle out of my head. This really is about something deeper, about having a manifesto if you will.
  • you are so right, it is something much deeper, i love the word manifesto :)
  • So now I ask myself daily..."why am I doing this?" I have never been particularly social!
  • Reading your blog posts is giving me the same exact feeling I was getting reading a pdf copy of a bootlegged e-book I thought was going to be just another 'how to make millions of dollars using twitter' book by the name of 'Crush IT'. Since reading that pdf about 2 months ago I no longer feel alone in this cyber world knowing that a guy named Gary is out preaching the same thing I've been babbling about, and now I found you!
  • Thanks so much Jeremy, that is a RADICAL comparison since I absolutely LOVE 'Crush It' and Vaynerchuk for that matter. If you liked that you have to go get 'Start with Why' very similar, inspiring and motivational.
  • Ahh, such great things to do. Is it OK if I work 8 more years at my full-time job, while trying to do a side job, so I can save enough money so that the interest income from my savings can replicate my current full-time job salary? :)

    I'm taking the more conservative path, I know... but I find it to be a decent balance and a frolicking good time too.
  • Really? That is cool though... if you can really do that go for it :) then write a book about it!
  • robate159
    Excellent Opportunity to Study
    2) Creativity is a blessing from nature but we can develop it by careful planning through education. This is all the more important in a country like USA where we accept even the mediocre to contribute their best and create something new.
    Hence, it is necessary that parents and teachers provide healthy conditions at home and the school. This would enable children to express themselves and contribute something new for the society, which may be termed as creativity……….

    www.sangambayard-c-m.com
  • I agree, creativity really drives us more than anything. Thanks for commenting!
  • I love this! Watching Simon's TED video about how Apple innovates itself even though the how and what they have are the same as everyone else. It's the philosophy that's different. I just got a new idea for my own blog!

    Thanks Maren!
  • Gotta google that video!
  • Great summary Maren.. Its more about what we do and whats in for us thingy :). I like it
  • I love reading so I am going to check out this book.

    Also, I honestly agree here. Having a why as to anything you do is crucial. You must understand why you do something because a reason will take you further than any how or what.

    A reason is everything.
  • Yeah, your WHY is more important even than what you produce or sell
  • This book just sound like a great read right now. thanks for giving out the summary.

    Anyway the WHY...that's always been a big question I have asked myself ever since I learned about it, I try to base all my important decision on that alone..Why am I doing this? why? why? why? and it helps.
  • Why really does help :) also it keeps you LASER focused!
  • This reminds me a lot of the "whats in it for you" concept. Great summary of the book as it sounds really interesting. This is something I need to pick up because when I am asked that question, I often respond with a short ineffective answer so I know this is something I need to work on. Thanks for sharing!
  • Yeah, I suggest getting the book on tape so it is easier to listen to it and multi task at once!
  • Jon
    It looks like an interesting book. I added it to my To Read list.

    Many people don't really know the 'why' part of their business, and it's critical they know it. There are many aspects in business where the 'why' is important. I have always believed businesses that ask 'why' can typically be more successful than those only asking what. "Why is our competition beating us?" "Why do we do _______ this way?" It's too easy to become complacent if 'why' isn't used enough?
  • Yep, I've spent the weekend going over my why's and it is surprising how much I have learned about myself & my purpose.
  • This makes perfect sense. I haven't read this book but understand the question of asking "why." Years ago I had stopped asking people what they do at events as part of a challenge I had read about. I had read that people in the U.S. put an unbalanced emphasis on what people do rather than who they are - and the author had challenged readers to quit asking people what they do but rather questions with more depth - I believe your article fits into this theme as well.

    Trust me - it sounds simple but it's pretty tough to execute - at least at first. I agree with your rationale of letting the 80% slip by and focusing on the 20% who are a fit. I strongly believe in the philosophy that I am my client. Sure I can execute on a wide variety of tasks and industries, however the most enjoyable are the progressive, forwarding thinking entrepreneurs.

    Besides, as the recession continues the question of "What do you do?" is becoming increasingly awkward. Now is probably a good time to ditch it for more depth :)
  • haha :) i totally agree! Thanks for the comment John and I am glad you have ditched the 'what do you do' question!
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