If you don't have YouTube or haven't been to a business conference in the last 10 years or so, then I get it if you're not familiar with Simon Sinek and his "Start With Why" concept.
For the video version, just hit play below to be the 47 millionth person to watch:
And for the Cliff Notes version, it's relatively simple: companies that focus on why they do what they do, in addition to what they actually do, are more successful. They earn more customers, have more motivated employees, and can reach more people.
Here's our example at Batch:
What we do: Curate gifts for any occasion by sourcing from the best Southern artisan makers.
Why we do it: To understand, support, and champion the local maker.
This is why not only have we packed and delivered close to 100,000 gifts in our six years, but we've also worked with about 300 small businesses and entrepreneurs. This is why when you shop with us (as opposed to larger gifts companies that freeze fruit all year in order to ship it at Christmas) you're doing more than buying stuff in a box. You're helping real humans and families live their dream and change their future.
Speaking of, I was curious about why our purveyors do what they do, so I asked a few to take us behind the scenes and share more of their "Why."
Southern Firefly makes awesome candles that "bring the elegant and simple charm of the south into your home." And when I asked Heather Ainsworth, founder and CEO, about their reason for doing what they do, she told me:
"We created Southern Firefly Candle Co. to pay homage to our southern roots. Through our Destination line we try to capture the memories of home or to set new memories about discovering a new location. The fragrances were carefully considered to evoke connection in your life. We strive to have the highest quality product by sourcing our elements locally and having a connection with the people we work with. The most important part of a candle is the fragrance and we work closely with our fragrance house to provide the most unique and luxurious fragrance choices. Our Why is to provide the best customer experience we can."
In other words, it's not only about the candles. Candles just happen to be the vehicle in order to connect with and work with folks nearby and to delight a quickly-growing customer base.
And as for Teneal Ivery, who created Nashville's first organic cotton candy company, she let me know that she wants "the people I encounter to be able to count on me. As a team we work hard to provide lasting memories and quality along with amazing cotton candy!"
Then she went a step deeper and detailed her company values for me, which include "characteristics like consistency, integrity, uniqueness, and quality. It is very important that we provide a product and service that our community can count on. We want our customers to be able to count on us to deliver a great experience and boastful flavors every time. I do this because I have found there is no better thing to do than be responsible for drumming up nostalgic memories and creating new ones with a puff of cotton candy."
Comment's like Heather's and Teneal's further fuel our "Why" at Batch. When we find great local entrepreneurs focused on deeper meaning and incredible customer experiences, it continues to boost our team and customers, too.
And that's the best thing about a business that's found its "Why": it's contagious.
(If you missed last week's post about why entrepreneurs need more than passion when starting and growing a business, catch up by clicking here.)