Start With Why

0:00 Start With Why: the power of purpose-driven creativity. Why start with why? Well, why do some brands inspire fierce loyalty and others struggle to get any attention? Why do certain leaders and creators rally devoted followings against all odds? The answer often comes down to a simple idea: start with why. This phrase comes from Simon Sinek's famous TED Talk and book, Start With Why, which has become a mantra in business and creative circles. And you're about to see why. And as a passionate consultant, I find myself asking why all the time about everything.

1:00 And most importantly, why should anyone care? If your answer is "we sell something" or "we do something," you'll find yourself way behind the ball on that one, because why is less about what you do and less about how you do it. Today we're tackling this important topic, something very dear to my heart. I tell everyone, teach everyone, and we focus on why before we get into the grit of things. I just want to thank you for being a loyal podcast subscriber, YouTuber, follower, Instagram follower. Without you sharing this content and taking the time to like and comment, we wouldn't be growing.

2:01 may know how they do it, but few can clearly articulate why they do what they do. And here's the kicker: the why isn't to make money or any trivial goal. Your why is your core purpose. It's your cause, it's your belief. It's the driving force behind why you wake up in the morning. Sinek argues that truly inspiring leaders and successful companies start from the inside out, and I can concur. I've seen great leaders and I've seen terrible leaders, and terrible leaders focus on the what's in the house, and great leaders focus on the why.

3:11 Now, most organizations will market from the outside in, and here's what we make, here's what our difference is, here's our value proposition, this is why we're better. It's pretend "here's why," but the reality is they're still just saying what they do. But the most innovative, influential ones start by expressing this ethereal idea, why: their mission, their belief. How they fulfill their mission, right, goes up to care, and what products or services they offer as a result of completing that mission, or going towards a mission. By starting with the why, you appeal to inspiration and emotion first, which makes your messages far more compelling than just rattling off features or credentials.

4:12 only they can accomplish. Simply put, if I'm sharing my belief with someone, I'm not starting with the what or how, like most people do. But as a Christian, I believe that God wants to be intimately involved in your life. He wants to form a friendship, a partnership closer than a brother, that can empower you to live the best life possible, one free from sin, simply missing the mark, free from sickness, from debt and disease, freedom from the demonic powers of darkness. God himself so loved you and wanted to free you that he sent his son Jesus Christ to live among us, experience our life, show us how to walk, and then pay the ultimate atoning price.

5:14 and direct you and conform you. Of course, I believe in the what's of the gospel, usually defined in the Apostle Creed: I believe in one faith, one God, one father of all. But a true conversion from what you were before to living the life God destined you to live, one is full of his love and power. It is, it's not free from trials or tribulation, but one that empowers you to go beyond surviving in this world to thriving in the next. And if you read John 10, thriving in this world too.

6:21 The structure of the golden circle maps to our brain's biology. The outer what layer corresponds to the neocortex, which handles language, facts and analytical thinking. The inner two layers, the how and the why, correspond to the limbic system, the part of the brain that governs feelings, behavior and decision making but has no capacity for language. And I'm not a psychologist, so I'm not going to break into some of my personal theories as a student of psychology, and I like to think that this is the part of your brain, is one part of the greater whole.

7:26 trust and loyalty, the feelings center, before their rational mind even gets involved. I like to equate this to the best part of you that resembles your spirit, as mentioned before. As Sinek puts it, this is literally where gut feelings come from, that internal sense about a decision that we struggle to put into words. Only afterwards does the rational brain, the neocortex, kick in to justify or explain the choice, which is why many people can choose a gut feeling and then find a lot of logical explanations for that gut feeling.

8:28 later to rationalize the gut feeling. Emotion first, reason second. In fact, one business study found that even in business-to-business relationships, where we expect decisions to be a little bit more ultra-logical, 84% of executives said they rely on emotional and gut feeling in decision making. That same analysis noted that emotion-based marketing strategies were significantly more effective in driving long-term sales than purely rational approaches. I'm gonna say it again: in marketing, emotional marketing, talking those heartstrings, will produce long-term results more than just any other type of marketing.

9:32 what feels right. We may tell ourselves we're being rational, but often we're just justifying decision our heart or gut already made. The golden circle in action: people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Let's bring this concept to a classic example. Psych asks, why is Apple so consistently innovative and influential, even in industries where they weren't the first mover? Well, Apple has had many imitators with similar resources, yet it's Apple that engineers near-religious customer loyalty. According to Sinek, the difference is that Apple starts with the why, you know, that inner circle, and everything it does is reflected in that why.

10:33 they started that way, they'd sell less computers. Instead they say they're beautifully designed, easy to use and user-friendly. Want to buy one? That statement is all about what Apple makes and how good their products are. Pretty generic, if you think about it, and if you look at most of its competitors, generic Android phones. I don't know if I said the word generic, please don't send me no green text messages. It doesn't particularly inspire. Let's compare that to what Apple's actual message is when they lead with their why: everything we do, we believe in changing, challenging the status quo.

11:38 challenging the status quo and empowering individuals. The results, making great electronics. It's almost incidental to that emotional narrative. As Sinek succinctly put it, people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. I think I said that before. When a company defines itself by its purpose and values, it attracts customers who share those beliefs. Apple isn't just selling gadgets, it's selling a mindset of creativity and rebellion, and people flock to be a part of that story. Think Apple's famous 1984 commercial. Now's a great time to go.

12:41 headline. It wouldn't speak much emotion. Instead, Nike's marketing has been about inspiration. Their mission statement is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. And as co-founder Bill Bowerman said, because if you think of an athlete, someone who trains hard, who gets the medal, who gets the award, they've worked extremely hard and done a lot of training, and that would be a very finite minimum customer, and they'd have to sell shoes for like millions of dollars to actually make substantial profit. So instead, CEO, we're gonna say Bowerman, I think that's how you pronounce it says this: if you have a body, you're an athlete.

13:47 The shoes, or the shoes and gear, are simply the tools to achieve greatness, a message that resonates on a deeply personal level. Nike's purpose-driven approach has built a lifestyle brand that customers feel a part of, not just a store they buy from. Now let's talk about Tesla. It's not just a car company, it's a mission-driven organization led by a bold vision. Elon Musk, hate them, love them, famously stated Tesla's why as to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable technology, or sustainable energy, right? That's the clear purpose, to accelerate the world into sustainable energy.

14:51 pushing that to cause by communicating its environmental mission up front. Tesla attracted a passionate fan base, turned customers into advocates, and forced those advocates, like the entire auto industry, to take electronic vehicles seriously. If it wasn't for Tesla, we wouldn't have the huge EV thing that we have now. The company's rapid rise, despite the odds, again, starting a new car company, extremely expensive, shows the power of a strong why. Airbnb. When Airbnb started, convincing strangers who rent rooms to each other's homes, that sounded crazy, like, I'm a little stranger into one of my home.

15:56 probably chosen post app design theory but they've started to really really embrace and started to make some changes to help people feel belonging in their app and a lot of their animations and things that they do in their app is designed to help you so in their branding they don't just talk about low-cost travel or room listings, they talk about community, human connection, experiences. That core belief helped transform Airbnb from a tiny startup into a global phenomenon worth, I don't know, looking them up. Travelers rallied around the idea of living like locals and feeling at home abroad, which was emotionally far more compelling than just saving a few bucks on lodging.

16:58 But follow the reviews, I can find one that feels like home, especially if it's gonna be a long trip. I can be like, okay, I can put my laptop down, I can make coffee, I can feel connected to the world I'm in as I work and do X, do Y, do Z. It's just a better experience for me personally. By communicating their why of belonging and openness, Airbnb built trust and loyalty with a new generation of travelers. The universe, we build products and offer services that give you a revolutionary infused life.

18:01 severely complicated tasks while still holding onto what's grounded and works. I, and most importantly, my relationship with God, infuse that exact idea into my business. And yes, I own the universe. Well, it's EGT. We just lovingly call it the universe. So anyway, these examples span from tech giants to upstart disruptors, but the common thread is clear. Starting with why creates an emotional bond. When people believe your why, they're more likely to trust your what. And importantly, a strong why also acts like a company's for the brand itself, guiding decisions and keeping the business focused and authentic.

19:02 for, not just what it sells. Companies that neglect the why can stumble. Sinek often cites TiVo as a cautionary tale. None of us have owned it, but all of us have heard of it. TiVo in the early 2000s had a revolutionary DVR product. You know what DVR is, right? I mean, in the years of streaming now, there is no service. I don't have a DVR. So clearly something people needed, yet it's struggled commercially. Why? Insert any business, you know, tech business, anything. This is why you struggle.

20:08 direction or too far too late. TiVo essentially said, we have a product that lets you skip ads, pause live TV, and automatically record your favorite shows. Could have done so much better. And consumers striped. If TiVo had switched, they would have been, you know, a Netflix, a prime TV, or Hulu. They would have been another one in that mix that would have been challenging and giving us more competition. It would have been phenomenal. But without that relatable why, people don't just trust or feel they needed it.

21:13 off. Now, if we look at other great marketing here, we're going to go back to Apple because everyone knows them. Apple Vision Pro. Yes. Hyped up. Then people bought it. Now, people bought it, but it's sitting on people's shelves. I know someone that bought it, they had released, right? Did the store demo, right? And it literally sits wrapped in plastic on a shelf. Why? Because he was sold on the product, got the product, and the product was not, didn't live up to the hype. So you have those two varying problems, building the emotional connection, and then not living up to the hype.

22:17 when you make a decision to showcase your why, everything changes. When you know the why, you make better logical and business decisions. If you don't practice your why, don't know your why, don't care about the why, have a pretend why, it's actually a how or what, you're never going to break that growth barrier. And I say that lovingly because I have all been there. We've been in a creative room where someone's, you know, selling you an event, a product, a service, whatever, widget XYZ. And you're like, ah, logically sounds good, but I can't get behind that person.

23:23 and I started to do Rollins. And the first couple I did were so tragic that I deleted any evidence of them ever existing. The flip happened when I worked on a, I'm a Christian, it was a Christian non-profit, it was a worldwide non-profit. And they were doing an evangelistic outreach, right? And I could get behind that because that's a very relatable reason. You know, I believe that nobody should be cut off from God, that everybody has the opportunity to discover who God is. I believe that.

24:24 kind of a light bulb moment that it's not just about hitting buttons on a keyboard or checking the boxes of scope or, I don't know, following a process. You can do that if you want. If you want to follow a process all of your life, the most you're ever going to make is going to be $25 an hour. Executives make a lot more than that because they ask why. And they ask the right questions and they find the right research to conduct, right decisions to make because they're informing themselves on that why.

25:24 And it lets me read it, but every once in a while I'm checking to see, okay, God bless technology. Sometimes I really think technology was put on this planet for two reasons, to make our lives easier and to give us more trials and adventures. Let's go back, rewind a little bit. When I mentioned that brands you feel loyalty to, you're going to be more likely to forgive their mistakes. It also stems from transparency. Recently, Apple has caught some slack. They got sued because they launched the concept updated Siri and it has not arrived.

26:32 I mean, it's as fluid as your company should be and should adapt, but you should never go against your why. So, older Apple, in similar use cases, Steve Jobs showcased the faults of the original macOS 9. Humorously, Steve Jobs gave it a very public funeral. In that famous keynote, Steve addressed the developer's concerns and presented fixes. In fact, he held a funeral service, put macOS 9 in a coffin in front of everyone and laid it to rest. And he presented the fixes to the problems. Now, they weren't all good and you had some bug fixes and things that had happened, but he addressed them and openly engaged dialogue with their developers.

27:35 That and the iPhone, but that's a whole other topic. They even learned from their previous adaptation of custom processors. You know it as currently as Apple Silicon, but they did this before and I'm going to not give you the tech spiel. So when they released the M1, the M2, the M3, the Apple Silicon, they didn't alienate developers like they did in the past. They learned from their mistakes, supported them and gave them time to update their applications with something like Intel applications to run an Apple Silicon applications with just, you know, one time install of this base library.

28:41 I'm an added believer that when you make a mistake, be open about it. Start a dialogue. It's true about companies and it's true about politicians. At least it could be. I have never known a politician to say, I'm sorry, I made that mistake. Let me open about a dialogue. Wish they would. It's also true about you in a meeting from personal experience. Can't give you details, but if you were in the meeting, you know, I guess, I don't know. Anyway, I was once involved in an incident that was just terrible timing.

29:47 I'm a producing editor. I'm not about to call myself predator or producing editor, which is like there's everyone who does social media is like a producing editor or it's just one of the two and they're just making bad content anyway. So usually it relies. Sorry about that. Usually it relies on the editor or producer or producing editor to do their own quality and control. And that's it. Unless it goes to broadcast. And even then they're not doing quality and control. That's just kind of someone generates the captions and you hope and pray they work.

30:54 quite have that process in this form, but if you want to learn more about the process, just hop on over to, the feedback over fear or critical feedback, podcast episode. It's like one of the first 10 or something like that. Anyway, that'll help you prevent this particular scenario, but I just say it had a handful of typos and probably 14 plus misspellings. I'm calling people project managers. I'm calling my team. I'm calling graphic people. I'm calling the other editor who made typos because it was a, it was separate roll-ins that were commented in a package.

31:59 live, you know, I mean, outside of the moment it aired, I was already fixing it. Like, Oh my God. And uploading it and all those kinds of things. And so the next business day happened and it was time to face the music. I walked into this meeting and you could visibly sense the tension. Like, and as always, I have learned to let others talk first and listen, and then give them advice as opposed to barrel in with my uninformed two cents and assume, cause I used to do this.

33:01 they felt passionate conversations. It could have gone to a heated debate for hours. It's like lasers. And you could see the nuclear explosion. Yeah. From 50 miles away, but instead using the leading of the Holy Spirit, I found the right time and about five, 10 minutes of the meeting starting. And before it got to the heating component, I simply did two things, two simple things, two simple things, took full responsibility, even if it may have been share with members of my team. In fact, other executives actually believed it was not me and three or four different people who were completely at full.

34:04 know about them. You should be informed about them. You should be fixing them and you should already have a plan of action. You cannot go into an executive meeting pointing out at other people and saying it's therefore their problem playing hot potato with responsibility when you're the person paid and or hired to the job. Let's not even talk about if your pay compensation matches your promotion. Okay. Throw that out the door. If you're still working on a job and you're paid and that's your job responsibility to be a leader, manager, project manager, executive, whatever, I don't know, director of something, the buck stops with you.

35:04 you know, Adam and Eve. If you haven't learned anything from scripture, please learn this. Eve blamed Adam. Adam blamed the serpent. They all got punished. If Eve said, I'm sorry, Lord, please forgive me. I ate this fruit. We've been a whole different world. If Adam said it, who we should have being in dominion and authority. Hold on a topic. We would be in a completely different world. We'd probably be in an immortal world right now. Being honest. One took full responsibility. And two, I revealed how we were going to prevent this from happening.

36:11 a little bit at fault and the meeting were touched deeply personally and emotionally. And they immediately sincerely apologize for their part of it, even when they weren't mentioned. Okay. Importantly, the meeting went from a two to six hour disappointment to a 30 minute. This is how we fixed the problem. Great. Moving on and planning for the next year. Did we have problems after that? Yes. No process is perfect. Everyone fails. If it's got human in it, there's failure. If it has AI in it, there's failure in it too.

37:16 canceled. But I've always found that God gives grace and mercy to those who repent of their mistakes, share them with one another. And instantly it's like peace enters the room. If you let fear guide you could get a lawsuit like Apple is facing currently with the never released version of new Siri. However, I like to think an open and transparent world is a better place to be in the one that is full of fear. Emotional connection beats logic every time. By now, a pattern emerges, whether you're marketing a film, a service, or yourself, appealing to emotion is far more impactful than a barrage of facts.

38:22 I could go there. I'm not going to. As one leadership note puts it, your goal is to speak to the limbic brain, your spirit, first so that your audience simply feels the rightness of your message. So message collaboration theory, you're transacting a message. Okay. We're trying to direct route. Oh, yes. I'm slightly learned. Just slightly. Okay. Rather than overanalyzing it, you're probably experienced this yourself. Perhaps you saw an advertisement, an advert, or heard a story and thoughts. I can't fully explain it, but I love what these folks are about.

39:23 information and choices. I'm going to Amazon or I'm going to Apple. What cuts through the clutter is meaning, purpose. If you're a videographer, for example, dozens of others may have the same equipment, same technical skill, but maybe your why is that you believe in the power of storytelling, truly believe in it, to give a voice to the voiceless. If you lead with that mission, you'll instantly differentiate yourself and attract clients who share that passion or need that perspective. Likewise, a freelance designer might articulate, I believe design can simplify life and bring joy.

40:23 I mean, it's not a shift. It's like technically human. It's like raw human is emotion. For instance, nearly two-thirds of global customers prefer to buy from companies that stand for purpose and aligns with their values and avoid companies that just don't align. People, especially the younger generations, want to feel good about the brands they support. They're looking for shared values, not just transactions. And if your brand clearly communicates a worthwhile why, not a pre-programmed why. Not a why that some executive somewhere said that we need to add and we need to do this because I'm trying very hard not to list the things that they have done that have literally hurt their customer loyalty.

41:31 Artistic integrity or anything people care about. You're far more likely to earn trust and loyalty from your audience. In one survey, 63% of responders said a company's ethical values and authenticity influenced their purchasing decisions. In other words, authentic purpose is now a competitive advantage. It's not only the right thing to do, it's good for business. The ones who do share your beliefs will become even more devoted, come back for the next version. For creative entrepreneurs, this is a powerful lesson. Your art or finished product won't be everybody's cup of tea.

42:36 I really want to. I really want to. But I won't. I won't, Lord. I won't. Instead, you naturally draw on those who are on your wavelength. By being clear about your values and purpose, you're effectively saying, this is what I stand for. If you stand for this, join me. That way, you're building not just a client list, but a community of true fans, customers who genuinely connect with your mission. And those are the people who will stick around, spread the word and help you grow. Applying why to your creative journey.

43:41 introspection. Personally. Who are you personally? You. Who are you professionally? You. Maybe who you are to your family. Anything that might help. You can also ask yourself questions like, what really drives me to do this work? If it's a paycheck, that's not a purpose. What change do I want to create? Why did I start this project in the first place? That first love. That might be a Christian thing, but as some people, when you begin a relationship with Jesus Christ, you have that first love and you're reading the word and you're studying and you're praying and you're doing all these things.

44:48 Every week. But this is really something that's important to me. And I wish other people would latch onto it because human beings, we don't make logical decisions. We were not designed to make logical decisions. We're not a logical decision tree. Okay. We make decisions purely by emotion. They can be informed decisions by logic, by accounting, by numbers, facts, and figures. And they can be informed by what I see and what reviews are and those kinds of things. But people don't make logical decisions. They make emotional decisions.

45:49 you feel? Your why doesn't have to sound grand or eloquent. It just needs to be true and personally meaningful to you. It could be as simple as I want to make everyday life easier for people, or I love seeing others feel confident in themselves. Clarity is key. When you can clearly put into words the reason you're passionate about what you do, you have your why. And remember, making money is a result. It's not a why. Dig deeper than that. For the human value at the core of your work, communicate your why, then consistently.

46:56 I design websites, you might say, I help small businesses tell their story online. That little addition of a purpose transforms a generic pitch into a memorable mission. Incorporate your why on your website's about page, in your social media bios, in the narrative you share with your clients or fans. When you create content, be it a YouTube or video, or this podcast, a blog, introduction, and a networking event. Try leading with a bit of the why before diving into the details of what and how. You'll notice it captures attention and makes people lean in because you're immediately signaling what you stand for and you're inviting like-minded folks to connect to it.

48:05 why is about quality and craftsmanship, don't cut corners for a quick buck. That inconsistency will eventually turn loyal customers away. If your why involves a social or ethical stance and tangible ways to live, I don't know, denote a portion of those proceeds to a related cause. Use sustainable materials. Collaborate with others who share that cause. Every decision, so like if you're a producer producing a film, a TV series, a commercial, every decision you make has to be wrapped around that why. That includes a track you choose.

49:07 to the project you pursue, to how you handle customer service can be guided by your why. This not only keeps you authentic in other eyes, it also makes decision making easier. It becomes a guiding North Star. If an opportunity doesn't fit your why, or maybe something requires to portray it, you'll know how to proceed. On the flip side, when you put your purpose into action, you create stories and examples that you can later share as proof of what you believe. Over time, this alignment between talk and walk earns your reputation for integrity and passion.

50:08 bigger. So instead of buy my product or hire me because I'm qualified, show them what you believe and why it matters. And invite them to be a part of it. For example, I'm a consultant. I'm building products and services digitally and so forth. You know what I believe in? You've been listening to this podcast. It's great. Jump on board. A videographer might pitch a project, might say, I want to create this documentary because I believe these untold stories can change how we see our community. That's a lot more compelling than I have 10 years of video experience and need funding for my film.

51:09 emotional decision. As we discuss, the psychology is emotion first, logic second. Now that you're ignoring logic, it's just a helpful plus. So design your outreach accordingly. Aim to get that it just feels right reaction from your audience. Once they're emotionally on board with your why, they'll be far more receptive to the what and how and your price. Be patient and stay true to yourself. Building success around a why isn't an overnight game, okay? You might not see instant results from purpose-driven from changing everything overnight, right?

52:12 different? That's what's going to convince customers to stay loyal and get you new ones and how you're paying more loyal customers. Answer that question. Remember that starting with the why is a long-term strategy to create deeper connections? It might even mean turning away prospects who aren't aligned with your vision. But that's okay. Because you're making room for the right people to find you. And over time, your authenticity will attract an audience that truly appreciates and supports your work, leading to more fulfilling relationships and stronger brand.

53:16 I share on these podcasts. People love to root for others who have a clear passion and conviction. So even if you're still figuring it out and you're honest and dedicated to your purpose, to your why, it can be inspiring it in itself. Bring it all together. So starting with the why is about putting purpose at the core of everything you do and what you create and deliver. It's a philosophy that can transform how you approach your art, your business, your marketing, by focusing on why it matters before what or how.

54:16 shows, when people share a belief, they act with loyalty and enthusiasm. The money alone can't buy. Whether you're an entrepreneur launching a startup, a videographer building a personal brand or any kind of creative professional or any person at all. I encourage you to take a step back from the hustle of what you're doing day to day and remind yourself of why you start in the first place. That core inspiration is your fuel and your anchor. When you articulate it and lead with it, you not only others, you also keep yourself aligned and motivated.

55:19 when someone genuinely stands for something or does not. Starting with the why is essentially about being genuine about your motivations. It frames your narrative in a way that naturally attracts the people who fit. The clients, the customers, the fans. I love what you're about. That's what they want to say. Those are the connections that lead to long-term success, consistent success, day in, day out. Not just, ah, I was successful once. No, consistency. That kind of word of mouth that builds an enduring reputation starts with why.

56:24 try this. Start with why. State the purpose or belief up front, even if it feels a bit vulnerable, and see how it resonates. You might be surprised at the responses like, I love why you're doing this. That is the sound of an emotional connection being made. And in the creative world, or pretty much any part of the world at all, those connections are everything. Now to wrap up, remember that anyone can apply this principle. You don't have to be a Steve Jobs, or an Elon Musk, or a JumpCutKing.

57:29 should be able to handle all of your infirmities, or cover, or heal. So find your why, share proudly, and let it guide you. As you do, you'll not only inspire others, you'll inspire yourself every day. So keep pushing forward with passion and purpose. After all, the most impactful creativity doesn't start with what we make. It starts with why we make. Lord, I thank you for everyone joining my podcast, Lord. And I thank you that, according to Psalm 1611, you will make known to me the path of life in your presence, as fullness of joy.

58:30 says the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Ephesians 2 10, for we are his workmanship, created in Jesus Christ for good works, which God prepared for us to do beforehand. So we should walk in them. So I pray right now that you find that why, that you find peace in everything you do, that you get wisdom and strength. And I pray that you live free from any and all fear, that you get boldness to do what God has called you to do.

59:34 customer or loyal fan base. Well, that's crazy. It's podcast. There's no charge for you to watch this podcast. Praise God. Hallelujah. We'll see you right here next time on create. Thank you. You