🤔 What Is Your Why?

Why does your business exist in the world?
Why do you do what you do?
Why is your business different?
Why do you care?

Today on the Fearless Designer Podcast we go deep into understanding your why.

Your why is your core mission, the reason you wake up and do what you do. It's more than profit—it's about impact, passion, and values. We explore how to craft a powerful why statement, why we need to check in regularly with it, and how the power of your why can drive you to do some pretty fearless things in your business.

Here is the step by step guide to writing your 'why' from the episode.

Step One: First, think about your purpose. Ask yourself, why did you start your business? What's the deeper reason beyond just making money?

Example:
I want to help people feel more confident through great branding.

Your Action: Write down one or two sentences that describe why you do what you do.

Step 2: Identify your core values. What values guide how you run your business? Think of two or three things that are the most important to you.

My Example:
I value creativity and authenticity.

Your Action: Write down the values that guide your business decisions.

Step 3: Recall a personal story. Think of a time that you'll points that inspired you to start your business. What problem did you face or what impact did you want to create?

My Example: "I struggled with my own brand identity and I wanted to help others avoid that."

Your Action: Jot down one key moment that sparked your passion for your business.

Step 4: Describe the impact you want to make. What positive change do you want to create for your customers? What difference does your business make?

My Example: "I want to help business owners feel proud and confident in their branding."

Your Action: Write down a sentence that describes the impact you want to make.

Now it's time to pull all of these items together, let's combine your purpose and impact into one simple why statement.

Formula: To [what you want to do] so that [the impact you want to make].

My Example: To help business owners create brands that they love so that they can confidently grow their business fearlessly.

What is your why statement? I'd love to know!

x Morgan

Connect with me:

• Follow The Fearless Designer on Instagram
  @the.fearless.designer
  
  
• Head to The Fearless Designer Website for more info
  www.thefearlessdesigner.com.au

Transcript

Hello. Welcome back to the Fearless Designer Podcast. I am so thankful that you're here today with me on this episode. My name is Morgan. I am the Fearless Designer and today we're diving in deep into one of the most important questions you can ask yourself as a business owner. What is your why? Now, I know you've probably heard this before. Find your why. It sounds great, but what does it really mean? Why is it so crucial? And how does it impact the way you build your brand? Well.

Well, today I'm going to walk you through it. We'll be talking about the power of knowing your why, why you need to check in regularly with it, and how the power of your why can drive you to do some pretty fearless things in your business. I'm hoping that by the end of this episode, you'll not only have a much better understanding of your why, but also you'll feel really empowered to align it with your brand so that you can attract the right audience and grow with purpose. Hello and welcome to the Fearless Designer podcast. I'm your host, Morgan McDonald, aka the fearless designer, and I'm here to you embrace your fears, level up your visual brand, and take your business to fearless new heights. For two decades, I've worked with business owners just like you, designing brands that are bold, consistent and authentic. I've lived a profesh corporate life as a graphic designer and I've also spent the last 13 years running my own brand and graphic design business. So whether you're running a six or seven figure business, craving a brand refresh, or just ready to add a little more wow to your visuals, I got you.

Each week we'll dive into fearless brand strategies, design tips that you actually can use, live brand audits and interviews with fellow business owners who have dared to do things differently. So if you're ready to stop playing small, take control of your brand and lead with confidence, you're in the right place. Let's go. Alright, let's get started with the basics. What does your why even mean? Well, your why is your purpose. It's your core mission. It's the reason you wake up every day and do what you do. And let me tell you, your why goes such a long way beyond just making a profit.

In fact, if profit is the only thing driving you, it's pretty easy to lose passion or get stuck in a rut. Think about it. What is the impact that you want to have? Why does your business exist in the world? What gets you excited when you think about the future of your brand? Your why is kind of like the engine of a car, it fuels everything. And when you're really clear about it, your decisions become easier and your messaging becomes more authentic and your audience starts to connect with you on a much, much deeper level. They're not just buying a product or service, they're buy buying into your mission, your passion and your values. Now it's probably the right time to give you an example that you probably already know, and that is of Apple. Their why statement is to challenge the status quo and think differently. Apple's core why is centered around innovation and challenging the way people think about technology.

Their purpose goes beyond just making computers and phones. They strive to create products that break boundaries and that are beautifully designed and provide users with a unique and powerful experience. And this why has helped them really build a loyal following. Their brand constantly reflects this commitment to innovation and design. And this is why customers just feel like they're part of something bigger. Now, Apple's why is deeply ingrained in everything that they do, from their product designs to their marketing messages. And this is what makes it iconic. Now, I know we're not all Apple, but if you can take a few little examples out of the way that they connect with their why through their marketing and their messaging and their product development, it will give you a really good example of how powerful connecting with your why statement can be.

Here's the thing though. You need to check in regularly with your why why. It's not just something you can set up once. Put it on your website, put it in your journal and forget about. Just like we grow and our brands grow and evolve, your business purpose can shift too. Maybe when you started like I did, your why was to create beautiful designs. But now it's evolved into empowering other business owners to build their own fearless brands, which is mine. That's why it's so important to check in regularly with your why.

I'm going to give you a bit more of an example around that. So my personal example is when I started the Fearless Designer, I was focused on helping small businesses create beautiful, eye catching logos and graphics. That was my jam. That's what I did every day. But over time, my why has shifted. I realized I wanted to empower business owners, especially women, to show up boldly and fearlessly in their branding. Not just with a pretty logo, but with an entire brand identity that reflects who they are truly within their businesses. That shift in my why brought new energy to my work.

It's helped me connect even more deeply with my clients and it's something that I reflect on every day. And I'm thankful for so by checking in regularly, I stay aligned with my values and my vision. It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day hustle and forget why we started in the first place. But when you reconnect with your why and you remind yourself of the bigger picture, it helps you stay authentic and focused even when things get tough. And they do get tough. A little exercise I recommend is taking a few moments every month or every quarter to reflect. Am I still aligned with my why? Has it shifted? And am I incorporating it into my branding message? Enough, all right. This is where things get really exciting.

The power of your why now. Your why is the fuel that gets you through those hard days. I know. Lame. I've got it. But it is what helps you make those tough decisions when things get really messy. And they always do. Reconnecting with your why can give you the energy to keep pushing forwards and making really great decisions.

You know this, I don't need to tell you running a business isn't always sunshine and lollipops. But there are days where things don't go as planned, or you feel like you've hit the wall, or that little imposter is sneaking in and telling you you're not good enough. But your why is what will keep you grounded and it will remind you why you started in place and why it's all worth it. Your why also sets you apart from everyone else in a world full of competition. The thing that makes you different isn't just your product or service, it's your unique why. Your audience is looking for that connection. They're looking for that purpose. When you articulate it well, they don't just see you as another option, they see you as the one that they want to work with.

Another powerful thing about your why is how it empowers your team and your clients. When you're clear about your mission, it attracts the right people in terms of clients and collaborators, gives everyone involved a sense of purpose and direction. I really love Simon Sinek's philosophy and guidance to writing your why statement, which comes from his book Find you'd why. And you may recognize his super famous quote which is people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. I would highly recommend learning more about Simon's philosophies and even reading his book. It gives you such clarity around what a why statement actually is and how to write one really easily. Side note for you all, I did have a really great question from a client recently in a session and I thought I would share it with you because it will help you understand understand whether you need two why statements or not. So the question was, do I need two whys, one for my business and one for me personally as the founder.

And it's such a great question. So while it's not necessary to have two separate why statements, it can be really beneficial to think of them both as different but harmonious at the same time. So I'm going to give you some examples as to why. So the founder's why could be a personal motivation for that founder. It's rooted in what drives you as a person to do what you do. This is often tied to your passions and and experiences and values. Your personal why reflects your vision and purpose for starting the business. Also, sharing your personal why helps you connect authentically with your audience on a human level.

It's a way to show them that you have a heart behind the brand, which can build trust and loyalty, AKA authenticity. Your business why is more about your brand mission, the business's why, what its larger purpose is, or the mission that's guiding the company. It's kind of focused on what the brand is offering to the world and the impact it claims to make or aims to make. And having a business why helps with consistency and aligns your team, your clients, all the business decisions they have a clear goal provides direction from everyone from product development to customer interactions. Now, should they be separate? They don't have to be completely different, but they should really complement each other. For example, your personal why might be the driving force behind your decision to start the business. And the business why could be an extension of that, focusing more more on the external value that you're providing to your customers. For example, a founder's why a personal why might be I want to empower and educate women led businesses to feel confident in their visual branding.

The business why like the fearless designers why might be we help businesses elevate their brand identity to show up fearlessly and confidently in their industries. So both whys are aligned, but one speaks more to your personal mission, while the other defines the company's broader mission to the market. Ultimately, you want to weave your personal why into your business story to create a brand that's really authentic and purpose driven. Oh my gosh. How many times have I said why in this episode already? There's some more to come, but I wanted to leave you with some practical tips for reconnecting with your why. It's really important as we move through and get busy, as I discussed earlier that we keep reconnecting with our why and here are some ways to do it. So Number one Self Reflection Take some time to reflect on your purpose regularly. You can journal, meditate, or even discuss it with your team.

Ask your yourself what am I passionate about? Why did I start this business? What impact do I want to have? You could even create a really awesome little screensaver or screen cover for your phone that has your business why statement or your personal why statement on it. Like your little mantra that you look at every day or numerous times a day. Number two Brand alignment. Make sure your why is woven into everything that you do. Is it reflected in your brand messaging? Does it show up in your visuals that you're creating your content? Your customer interactions? Number three Share your why. Please don't be afraid to share your why with your audience. Whether it's through a podcast or your website or social media. Let people know what drives you when they connect with your purpose.

They'll be more likely to become loyal customers. As we move into 2025, one of the biggest marketing strategies is authenticity, particularly when it comes from founders and using founders voices. It could be a really great way for you to work some new content into your social media reels or stores stories or even creating video for YouTube or your website. Get on camera. Talk about why you're doing this. Talk about why your business means something to you. Share it regularly. Bring people along on the journey with you and hopefully that will give you that edge that your competitors aren't doing.

Thanks so much for joining me today on this episode we talked about all about the power of knowing your why why it's crucial to check in with it regularly and how your why can be the driving force behind a fearless, authentic brand. I'd really love to encourage you to take some time this week to ref reflect on your why, get reconnected with it and start finding ways to weave it into not only your branding, but into your life. Remember, your why is the heart of your brand and when you are, when you stay true to it, your brand becomes magnetic. And finally, as a little bonus, I really want to help you nail your why statement so that you can tick it off your list and it's done. And I'm going to refer back to Simon Sinek's approach to finding your why, which is really famously outlined in his Golden Circle method, which includes three layers, your why, your how and your what. And his method emphasizes starting with your why before moving on to your how and what. So here's a really simple strategy Inspired by his approach so you guys can nail your why statement. So step one maybe get a pen and paper out for this.

It's perfect time. First, think about your purpose. Ask yourself, why did you start your business? What's the deeper reason beyond just making money? Example Now I'm going to use myself as an example, but it'll give you an idea. I want to help people feel more confident through great branding. So my action for you is to write down one or two sentences that describe why you do what you do. Number 2 Identify your core values. What values guide how you run your business? Think of two or three things that are the most important to you. For example, I value creativity and authenticity.

The action here is to write down the values that guide your business decisions. Number three Recall a personal story. Think of a time that you'll points that inspired you to start your business. What problem did you face or what impact did you want to create? My example I struggled with my own brand identity and I wanted to help others avoid that. My action for you jot down one key moment that sparked your passion for your business. 4. Describe the impact you want to make. What positive change do you want to create for your customers? What difference does your business make? My example I want to help business owners feel proud and confident in their branding and my action.

For this point, write down a sentence that describes the impact you want to make. Now it's time to pull all of these items together. Now combine your purpose and impact into one simple why statement. The formula is to start with the word to and then you want to add in what you want to do so that the impact you want to have. For example, to help business owners create brands that they love so that they can confidently grow their business. It may be a little bit confusing, but I will put all of this into the show notes so that you can craft your own why statement. And my action for you for this point is draft your why statement using this formula. Now, your final why statement should be something similar to as follows.

Obviously reflecting your business and your values and your purpose. My why statement is to inspire business owners to create bold brands so they can stand out and thrive. Now I might change bold to fearless because it suits me. You can always take the time to adapt and change. As mentioned as evolution happens. But giving you a really basic start with a why statement like this will help unleash it on your business and your world. As I mentioned, I will put this in the show notes. I'll put these notes in my show notes so that you can copy and paste or create your own why statement really, really simply.

I want to thank you again so much for joining me today. I hope you found this episode helpful. It may be a little bit confusing. I'm hoping that if you get stuck, send me a DM on Instagram, send me an email and I'll help you work through it. And I'd love if you could share this with other fellow business owners who you think might need to hear it. Your why statement is so important for everything, particularly your branding. I really can't thank you enough. I know I do it every episode, but thank you so much and I look forward to joining in more branding discussions with you very, very soon.

Thank you and keep kicking butt. And that's it for today's episode of the Fearless Designer podcast. I hope you're feeling really inspired, fired up and ready to go and make some bold moves with your brand. If you love today's episode, don't forget to hit the subscribe button so that you never miss a dose of fearless branded goodness. And if you're feeling extra generous, drop us a review. It just helps more fearless legends like you find this podcast. If you've got any ideas or questions for future EPS, please slide into my DMs or send me an email. I would love to hear from you.

And until next time, keep being bold, keep being fearless. And remember, your brand is your superpower. So go out there and dare to be different. Bye.