My goal at the end of the year was to bring purpose to 2022. I paused production of the podcast, spent time with friends and family, and directed my creative energies to art and the opportunities that have come from it.
How have you started 2022 with purpose?
What is purpose?
By definition purpose is:
- the reason for which something is done or created
- a person’s sense of resolve or determination
- or, as a verb, to have as one’s intention or objective
Purpose vs authenticity
John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing wrote a blog post recently outlining his predictions for 2022. One of them was that business purpose would take the place of authenticity. My response is “it’s about time.”
Authenticity cannot exist without purpose to back it up. If there isn’t a purpose to guide how to act or be authentic, the business or individual is simply guessing. There is no way to validate or prove what authenticity is for one person to the next.
However, with an understanding of purpose – whether it is an individual’s purpose or that of a business, there is an idea or theory to guide the action of being authentic. Look back at the definition of purpose I just shared: A business much have a purpose or intention. If it doesn’t, why did it start? A person must have a sense of resolve or determination to make something happen. If not, how does one know what it means to be authentic to themselves?
What’s the point? What’s the purpose?
Purpose-driven brands are my forte
I thrive off helping businesses articulate the purpose of their business and use that information as the foundation of the brand they are building. Additionally, I enjoy doing the same for individuals – just recently completing three why discovery sessions resulting in increased clarity and focus to move forward in their lives, businesses, and accomplish their goals.
Purpose guides how they work, what they do, and who they serve. And the result is an authentic relationship and understanding of the individual or business.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Defining success as a purpose-led business
- Empathy in marketing
- Why discovery sessions
- The Pursuit of Purpose archive, part 2
- The Pursuit of Purpose archive
- 5 trends for small business marketing, Duct Tape Marketing podcast