Article written by Anthony Bourbon.
Consumers don't want to buy a simple product; they want to join an adventure, to participate in something bigger than themselves and that triggers an emotion. To achieve this feat, you need to have a very clear WHY and successfully communicate it.
What is WHY?
It's your personal life purpose. It's what you'll think about on your deathbed. It's the reason you get up every morning. It's the reason your business exists. It's the reason your team will join you. It's the driving force behind everything you build.
In this article we will explain how and why it is vital to define your Why as a company but also as a person.
Promise and mission, what are the differences?
First, you must be able to differentiate between your promise and your mission.
Your promise is your WHY. What some call your brand purpose. It's your personal reason for being. It's almost philosophical, and unattainable. It's often linked to the founder.
For example, at OKR, our promise is to create a new society based on meritocracy. To change the system and give a chance to those who don't have one.
Your brand mission is more concrete, product-based, and should be able to summarize what you offer. For example, at OKR, our mission is to help people achieve their goals through nutrition.
At first glance, it might be difficult to understand the connection between a brand that sells meal bars and an almost societal promise. However, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. OKR encourages its consumers to surpass themselves and achieve their personal goals, to escape their initial situation. OKR allows you to adopt a success mindset. By helping people believe in themselves, OKR helps reshuffle the cards and redistribute them based on a principle of meritocracy.
Your promise and mission must be at the heart of every choice you make and will allow you to stay on course, with a clear focus. Your mission, which will make you money, is not an end in itself, but rather a means to fulfill your promise. And it is this promise that will truly differentiate you from the competition. Others can copy your products, your ideas, and poach profiles from you, but they will never be able to copy your personal story, and therefore your promise. If they try, they won't be authentic, and consumers will sense it.
How do I define my values?
Once you have your promise and your mission, you still need to define the values that will guide you throughout your adventure. These values will allow you to maintain a consistent line of conduct and find people who align with your personality.
Ask your loved ones what words immediately come to mind when they think of you. There are bound to be similarities in all the answers you gather. The words that come up frequently will be your values, and therefore those of your company. For me, the values that came up frequently and that are now on all the walls of our offices were: Ambition, passion, resilience, determination.
Why a WHY?
If you only work for money, you'll give up when things get tough, when no one believes in you anymore. But if you're fighting for a cause more deeply rooted in your personal history, you'll never give up. Keeping in mind why you're working is a true source of endless motivation. Your Why will help you be creative, innovative, and push yourself to the limit.
Your Why will also be useful in your decision-making. Whenever you have to make an important decision, you can ask yourself, “Does this help me achieve my ultimate goal?”
If we wanted to put it in a picture, we could say that your entrepreneurial adventure is a journey, that the turnover is the fuel to move your car (the mission) and reach your destination (the promise).
