Starting a business is a juggling act, and there isn’t enough time to do everything. However, developing your purpose is one of the most important, yet frequently neglected jobs.
A purpose is the reason why your company exists. It’s the guiding light that can help you make decisions about your marketing and branding. It can set you apart from competitors and help attract and retain customers and top talent who share your values.
After you’ve figured out what makes your brand and company distinct, you can consider how to make it stronger. The most effective questions will help build content that aligns with your organisation’s values and convictions. From the beginning, you must establish your goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics for achieving them.
But how do you find your purpose? At Sensand, we started by looking inward. We asked ourselves why we do what we do. What drives us? What are our core values? What matters to us? I had to understand our company’s goals and objectives to begin the process. What were our founders trying to achieve when they launched Sensand?
The purpose is crucial because it helps to determine why these questions are so significant, and I chose to start here first. It was clear to me that Sensand is purpose-led. Our co-founders, Peter Moulton and Davi La Ferla had big aspirations. They wanted to contribute significant change to the world while serving agricultural communities and bridge the gap between farmers and tech.
A few overarching themes emerged as we dove into understanding our ‘why’: Firstly, Earth Tech’s advanced ability to help solve some of the world’s biggest agriculture problems. Secondly, the idea of universal communication between all farm tech and our community. And lastly, the importance of a better planet. We are building usable, valuable, scalable products that positively impact the environment and the people we serve.
Here are some questions I used as a conversation starter:
1. When you started thinking about Sensand, what change did you want to bring to the world?
2. What do we want to be known for?
3. Thinking of our communities. What difference do our customers want to see?
4. What strengths do we bring to the table that make us unique?
5. What is the fundamental belief or drive that inspires us as a team?
These are big questions and sometimes not as quickly answered or broken into bite-size pieces as you might have thought. But that’s okay! Take your time to figure out what makes your brand tick. After all, you want it to be around for the long haul.
Once you have a firm grasp on what makes it unique, you’ll need to consider keywords and phrases that might serve as a starting point for writing your purpose statement. It would help if you aimed to keep it simple and memorable. It will underpin everything you do, set your values, and help guide daily and long-term activities. Don’t forget that your brand is ever evolving and growing, just like your business!
And, BTW, I haven’t figured everything out yet, and I’m sure I’ll make plenty of errors along the way. However, there’s no such thing as too soon, so I decided to chronicle our brand’s progress from the start.
What other advice do you have for building a brand’s purpose? I would love to hear ideas, so please share in the comments below.