Many entrepreneurs start their online business journey because they want to follow their passion, spend more time with their family, or set their own work hours while earning a living. But as your business grows, your reason – or your ‘why' – may change and evolve.
You start to dream bigger. You become bolder.
In this episode, I explain why finding your ‘why' is so important for your business success. I share how my own dream and vision have evolved throughout my online business journey and how the bigger my ‘why' became, the more my business began to thrive. I also share how your ‘why' helps you identify and attract your ideal clients and make bolder decisions in your business.
“Figure out your 'why' and your business will thrive.” - Sigrun
Do you prefer reading? Scroll down for the full blog post.
What you will get out of this episode:
- Everyone has a different ‘why' – but everyone has one (1:32)
- How I discovered my own ‘why' (4:18)
- If you don't now your ‘why', how do you find it? (6:42)
- How your ‘why' is often born out of something that happened to you in your childhood (8:18)
- The story that still upsets me today (10:20)
- When my ‘why' became reality and turned into a bigger vision (15:14)
Why Finding Your ‘Why' Is Important for Your Business to Thrive
Every person I’ve met has a dream. We can also call it a ‘why'.
It might be as straightforward as wanting to stay at home, to spend time with your family and be able to follow your passion and make a living. Or it might be big and bold, like seeing a problem in the world and wanting to solve it.
Six years ago, my ‘why' was pretty straightforward.
I wanted to be location independent so I could spend time with my family in Iceland whenever I wanted, while having a home base in Switzerland with my husband and stepsons. I also wanted to have flexible working hours so I could take care of my health and go on walks any time of the day.
I’d always thought about starting my own business, but I believed I had to wait for the perfect business idea. It wasn’t until I found myself unemployed for the second time in two years that I stopped waiting for inspiration and actively searched for my business idea.
After months of overthinking, I realised that the idea had always been there, right in front of me. I had been a successful CEO for ten years, as well as a business consultant for startups. I knew how to start, build, and scale successful businesses. But like the the boy in the Alchemist, I searched the world only to figure out that what I was looking for was right at home.
I decided to work with female online entrepreneurs and help them build and scale their service-based online businesses.
Over the years, I saw my clients go from zero to multiple six and even seven figures. But what drove me? What was the bigger motive behind my ‘why'?
My ‘why', I realised, was born out of something that has happened to me in my youth.
When I was 16 years old, I had a hobby. I liked to make my own clothes. I attended a course with a dress maker, and there were seven other women in the group, all in their 40s. During the coffee break, they would talk about their dreams, and I loved hearing them. But then they shared all the reasons why they hadn’t followed them. They had children, got married, didn’t want to give up a secure job.
I got frustrated – not with the women themselves, but with society. I perceived something in our social surrounding that allowed women to look at all these things as excuses and make their dream less of a priority.
This incident turned me into a feminist. I became much more curious about gender equality, and made a big decision to not have children of my own. I kept thinking, if their excuses were true, then I needed to be different in order to follow my dreams. Excuses wouldn't stop me. Today, of course, I know these excuses for what they are – just excuses.
Two years into my business, my dream of being location independent turned into reality and I started to look for my bigger vision. Again, it was already there. It had always been there.
Accelerate gender equality through female entrepreneurship.
It was this bigger vision that made me book a venue for my conference, the Selfmade Summit, where I’m going to highlight women who have achieved great, big and bold things.
Your why doesn’t have to be to change the world, but typically it’s about helping people. Remember: You can’t have a business if you’re not helping people.
Discover your big vision, and your business will thrive.