Why Your "Why" Matters More Than Your What
I was halfway through explaining what we do at Wit & Craft to a potential client when I realized something unsettling: I was boring myself. Here I was, rattling off our services—brand strategy workshops, positioning frameworks, messaging development—and watching their eyes glaze over in real time.
That's when it hit me. I wasn't telling them why we do this work. I was just listing the what.
Purpose Cuts Through the Noise
In Start with Why, Simon Sinek writes, "People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it." It's a simple statement that cuts to the heart of why so many businesses struggle to connect with their audience. When we lead with our what—our products, services, features—we're essentially asking people to make a rational decision. But decisions, especially the important ones, aren't made rationally. They're made emotionally, then justified with logic.
Your why is your emotional hook. It's the reason you get out of bed in the morning that goes deeper than paying the bills. For us, it's watching small businesses stop apologizing for their prices and start owning their value. It's seeing entrepreneurs finally articulate what makes them special instead of blending into the background noise of their industry.
When you lead with purpose, something magical happens: the right people lean in. They don't just want your service—they want to be part of your mission.
Trust Is Built on Belief, Not Features
I've watched countless businesses try to build trust by listing their credentials, showing their portfolio, or explaining their process. These things matter, but they don't create the kind of deep trust that turns prospects into advocates.
Trust is built when someone believes you share their values. When they sense that you're not just trying to sell them something, but that you genuinely care about the same things they do. Your why is the bridge that connects your values to theirs.
Sinek puts it perfectly: "When a company clearly communicates their WHY, what they believe, we're drawn to give them our time and money for the same reason we're drawn to people with similar beliefs and values."
This is why purpose-driven brands create such fierce loyalty. Their customers aren't just buying a product—they're joining a movement, supporting a belief system, becoming part of something bigger than a transaction.
The Long Game: Purpose Fuels Resilience
Here's what I've learned after two decades in this business: trends come and go, markets shift, competition emerges, but purpose endures. When you're clear on your why, every decision becomes easier. Should we take on this client? Does this opportunity align with our purpose? Are we staying true to what we believe?
Your why becomes your North Star, especially during the inevitable rough patches. When revenue dips or a competitor launches something that makes you question everything, your purpose reminds you what you're really building. It's not just a business—it's a mission.
I think about the small businesses we've worked with who've transformed not just their positioning, but their entire relationship with their work. They stopped chasing every opportunity and started attracting the right ones. They stopped competing on price and started competing on purpose. That's the power of getting clear on why you do what you do.
Finding Your Why Isn't Always Easy
I won't pretend this is simple. Your why might not be immediately obvious, especially if you've been buried in the day-to-day grind of running a business. It requires honest reflection, sometimes uncomfortable questions, and the willingness to dig deeper than the surface-level reasons.
But here's what I know: your why is already there. It's in the moment you decided to start your business. It's in the clients who light you up and the problems you can't help but solve. It's in the vision of the world you want to help create.
The question isn't whether you have a purpose—it's whether you're brave enough to own it and build your brand around it.
So here's my gentle challenge: Before you write another service description or update your LinkedIn bio, sit with this question: Why do you really do what you do? Not the practical reasons, but the deeper ones. The ones that make your work feel like more than just work.
Your future customers are waiting to hear it.
