Why?
Why do you exist?
I'm asking this, not as a personal investigation, but with regards to your business, organisation and even your ideas. What is your purpose? And why should people out there care at all?
I often find myself in a conversation, especially with young people, that are truly enthusiastic about starting their own businesses. It excites me to see what the future holds in store for so many people. It also scares me to see that most people don't actually know what it is they want to create. Or often, how to even create it. The idea of building your own business easily sounds idealistic, and it also can be. But, the reward goes hand-in-hand with a large smack of sacrifice (a future post to look forward to). That's where having a solid, foundational 'Why' in place, will mean the difference between success and failure.
There is one important thing to keep in front of you when creating a business and developing an idea. Why will people and companies benefit from your value proposition? And, why do you want to offer the value proposition? It sounds simple, but, it's not always that straightforward.
Henry Ford once said, "If I asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse."
The magic that happens from asking 'Why' can cause your what to be truly innovative and groundbreaking. It is then that you come to a place where you're not asking customers what they want, but rather teaching them what they need. Persisting through the persecution of teaching customers what they need, as Henry Ford did, will only be sustainable with a foundational 'Why'. In such cases, a servitude attitude will consistently overwhelm the cost of sacrifices. As a business owner, your primary goal cannot be to make money, but to serve your 'Why'. Making money is a by-product of creating value for your customers. Your primary goal should be to serve your customers with your 'Why' as a foundation.
I created Yummi because of the simplicity of joy. There is nothing more rewarding than to see someone enjoy one of our desserts, and watch them become speechless. Yummi is about creating a culinary journey for our customers. We love to work with exciting flavour combinations that create an exploration of new tastes and textures. The way in which we deliver this experience to the other client basis of Yummi - restaurants and retail - is a story for another day on scaling your business.
My personal challenge to you, is to get your 'Why' in place. Then, make it your focus to serve that 'Why' to your customers. With that foundation, everything else will fall into place. That, plus the sacrifices and a smart, hard-working effort.
Cheers
Eric
Edited by Ean Barnard
