Do You Know Your ‘Why’?

It’s time to know it and live it.

Your Why is a genuine expression of why you do what you do. I see it as a powerful and valuable measuring stick when making decisions in your business.

If you deeply connect with why you do what you do, it makes decisions easy. For example, if you are thinking about offering a new program or course ask yourself – does it align with my why? Does it get me closer to my goal/mission, or further? If the answer is yes, create away! If it’s no, then (you guessed it) don’t do it!

Rinse and repeat.

Knowing your why makes decisions easy.

Maybe you’ve gotten off track from why you started your business in the first place and you no longer feel in alignment with it.

It can easily happen when you're deep in the throes of running your business. Suddenly years later you look up and wonder – how did I get here? You might not actually like your business anymore. Either it got off track or you changed. It doesn’t matter the reason why (no pun intended) what matters is that you spend the time to get back in touch with your why.

When I knew I needed to revisit my Why

In 2004, I started my first business. I was planning my own wedding, and as a graphic designer, I couldn’t help but design the wedding invitations for our big day.

As I was researching the market, I was shocked to see a lack of design in the wedding arena! Wedding invitation design was clearly an industry that needed a shake up and I could see a place for my own unique style to shine in this space.

Then shortly before my own wedding, I lost my job. I saw this opportunity as a gift and decided to jump into entrepreneurship! I launched Laura K Design and created a line of wedding invitations. I reached out to wedding magazines, planners, and other vendors and signed up to exhibit at wedding trade shows. My husband, Philippe, and I even built my booth in his parent’s garage.

It was an exciting time with a huge learning curve and I loved it!

Twelve years later, I’d become well-known in my industry, won design awards, had been featured in an abundance of wedding magazines and blogs but… I was no longer in alignment with my business.

I’d lost my love for it and realised I had to make a change.

I knew that if I kept going, after the spark fizzled, I wouldn't have been giving my clients my very best because my heart was no longer in it. I could also see big changes happening in the industry and I wasn’t interested in going in the direction it was going.

I realized I wasn't living up to my potential and having the impact I wanted to have. I’d changed and was ready for more.

I loved weddings - I still do. But, I no longer wanted to be involved in them...unless of course, I was a guest, ripping up the dance floor.

So, I decided to take some time to get clear on what I wanted to do, why I wanted to do it, and the impact and contribution I wanted to make.

As entrepreneurs, we change throughout the journey and so does our industry, our clients and our business. This is normal.

Sometimes it’s a matter of your life simply not being a fit with your work anymore. Maybe you fell into entrepreneurship, maybe you planned and mapped out this journey with great detail - and now you’ve gone off course or gotten sidetracked from why you started your business in the first place.

You wanted more time with your kids and now you see them less and less.

“Just a few more minutes, guys! Mommy’s almost done working!”

You started a business doing what you love, but you don't love it anymore. “If I have to do another [fill in the blank], I think I’ll scream!” (ps. That happened to me)

Maybe your industry has changed since you started and now you're headed down a path you don't want to be on.

You started this business to have a huge impact and now find yourself doing work for clients you don't love and that feels meaningless.

The problem begins when there’s a misalignment between your vision and what you're actually doing.

When I decided to make my pivot, I had woken up to two truths: I no longer loved my business, and my industry was changing.

Do either or both of these ring true for you?

If you feel you’ve gotten off track (or were never on track in the first place), take some time to get really honest with yourself and consider the following questions:

Do you love what you do and the clients you are working with?

Do you know why you do it?

Are you following along with what's happening around you, or are you leading the way?

Do you like the people you’re working with?

Are you making the money you want to be making?

Are you clear on the impact you want to have?

If you answered “no” to all, or most, of these, it may be time to reconsider what you're doing or who you're doing it for. If you answered “yes” to all, or most, of these then you're on the right track, but might need to make a few shifts and course corrections.

What can you do to change those no's into yes's?

For some, this might require a tiny shift in their business and for others, it requires a massive pivot.

I'm living proof of the latter. Seven years ago, I have a completely different business – Lab Creative. I wrote a book, I’m an international speaker, and I’m having the impact I desire for clients I LOVE working with.

This is possible for you too!

If you need guidance in making this happen, I’d love to help. Brand Camp is our transformative branding experience and we offer it in 3 ways – self-guided, small group and, done with you (one-on-one).

Once you dive in, you gain clarify and confidence on every aspect of your business. You will grow and expand your view of your business and the impact you can have on the world.

You’ll get clear on not only your why, but also who you really want to be working with, and how to stand out.

It is the perfect next step for you, and I can’t wait to see you there! Book a call to see which option is right for you.