Start With “Why?”
By now you have probably already seen Simon Sinek’s TED Talk “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”, and while it’s now 8 years old, the message still rings true. If you need a refresher, here’s what it’s all about:
In his 18 minute long talk, Sinek presents the difference between those who stay afloat and those who thrive both in their workplaces and personal lives. He says that what separates the two is something he calls the “golden circle”.
Essentially, there are many companies who know what they do, and try to create value by how they do it without ever considering why they’re doing it in the first place. Sinek challenges everyone to turn that process on its head by starting with “why?”. He says that companies who begin with considering why they’re doing what they’re doing are most successful and impactful in communicating their brand.
As Sinek says, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”. If you’re struggling with building a brand, creating meaningful content, or trying to figure out what your next project is, check out the talk below for a refresher on how to create with intention and start with “why?”
Creator Spotlight: Peter Szulczewski from Wish
From Forbes’ March 31st publication comes a spotlight on Peter Szulczewski, the founder of one of the current most popular and profitable e-commerce platforms in the world: Wish.
Szulczewski began his career working at Google but noticed that in their pursuit of creating great products and experiences, they weren’t necessarily paying attention to the needs of their users so much as they were assuming what their users would want. He criticized e-commerce platforms for leaving so many people underserved and noticed that they seemed to have forgotten why they were making what they were making. So he took a different approach.
Szulczewski was fascinated with the finances of average americans and his mission was simple: he wanted to provide online shopping experiences that were engaging and affordable for the average american. By starting with his “why?”, he brainstormed with his friends and co-CEO and quickly put together a prototype that soon had tens of thousands of users. After paying close attention to who was using it and how they were using it, Szulczewski leveraged that information to further inform what the platform was.
He catered to low income families with incredibly low prices and shipping costs that curated products based on users recent search and click history. While there have certainly been ongoing issues with quality assurance, they have continued to problem solve all while revenue continues to grow.
Szulczewski’s story is a shining example of how starting with your “why?” can change the world, or at least in his case, the world of e-commerce.