01  Finding your Purpose with Katie Newman

01 Introduction 

 

Welcome to this mini-series on unlocking the power of purpose in your life and business. I’m Katie Newman, from Katie Newman Coaching Ltd., and I help small business owners, like yourselves, to build successful businesses that not only bring you joy, but also help to make the world a better place. 

 

In this mini-series we’re going to be exploring what a purpose-led business is, and then helping you to start building more purpose into your business. Now the first thing for us to ask is, well what is purpose? So, your purpose is your why. It’s the reason why your business exists and why you do what you do. It’s what problem you’re trying to solve, what value you want to add to the world and how your business is making the world a better place. 

 

According to a recent government review, businesses who are explicit and intentional about existing for a greater reason than just profit, grow at twice the rate of standard companies. And it’s funny, that given that it is such a fundamental thing, so many of us aren’t really clear on what the purpose of our business actually is. 

 

We probably have a good idea of what we do… we teach people yoga, we make people cakes, and we quite often have a good idea of how we do it... we teach people yoga in a relaxing and mindful way, we make the highest quality cakes that taste as good as they look... but when it comes to why we do those things... well, that’s the bit we often neglect. But being clear on your why and being able to communicate it to others clearly, is a fundamental pillar of success for any modern-day business. Because your why changes everything. 

 

When you think about your activities, your services, your decisions and your customers in the light of you why, you have greater clarity of what it is you need to do, you make better decisions, you’re more creative, you’re more resourceful and you’re more focussed. 

 

It also gives you and your team huge motivation, you feel like you’re contributing to something bigger than yourselves, your work has greater meaning and you know that because of what you do, the world will be a better place.

 

All rights reserved. And those are the types of companies we as consumers love. The ones who are on a mission, who want to change things, who want to make things better. They feel human, authentic, consistent and ethical. And building a business like that that not only attracts the kind of people you want to work with and serve, but also mega loyalty. Let me tell you a story about a girl called Jen who runs her own yoga business. 

 

For a long time, Jen had known that she wanted to be a yoga instructor, and she wanted to teach yoga that was mindful and made people relaxed, but she hadn’t ever really considered why she wanted to do this. 

 

So, when it came to marketing her business, it was a struggle. Jen constantly felt like she was fighting for her share of voice in amongst all the other yoga teachers who were doing similar things. But, after taking a little bit of time to sit down and really think about why she did what she did, well Jen realised that she wanted to teach yoga that enabled people to relax and be mindful, because she knew how hard and stressful everyday life could be, especially when you’re a single mum. The tensions and anxieties of having all the responsibility on your shoulders really takes its toll, and sometimes you just need an hour away, just for yourself so you can recharge and have a break. And from her own experience, she knew that yoga, taught in the way she wants to teach it, could be that god-send. 

 

So, what’s her why? Well... Jen is in business to empower all the single mums out there, the warriors, the ones who spend all day giving, and for just one hour every week, they need to give something back themselves. Now how powerful is that? If you’re a single mum, you want to buy yoga classes from Jen, because she gets you. And you know that what she’s selling was created with you in mind. Understanding what her business was really about empowered Jen to be laser focussed with her marketing, to create a whole raft of new courses designed specifically for the single mum market, and it gave her motivation to work harder and be more determined because she knew that what she did made a real tangible difference to people’s lives. 

 

Now if that’s the kind of powerful business and personal brand that you want to create, then join me as I walk you through the key stages of how to create a purpose-led business. You’ll come away from this mini-series not only with a clear model of how to create a powerful business, but equipped with the tools you need to make it a reality, having already taken significant steps to start your journey. So, if that sounds like something you’re after, then I’ll see you in the next video.