Starting with Your Why: How to Stand Out in Your Niche And Remain Authentic
Lately, there have been a lot of “pinch us” moments around here. Like, why do we deserve this growth? Why are so many people listening to what we have to say? What we do here isn’t rocket science. It isn’t revolutionary. In fact there are probably dozens of entrepreneurs out there, teaching about similar subjects, perhaps even in a similar format.
So what has contributed to the success of Think Creative Collective?
We get asked this a lot. “What’s that one thing that made a huge difference to your success?” Guys, it isn’t just one thing. It is a series of super-small things. It isn’t just about consistency or dedication, or drive.
It isn’t just about the quality of our content or even just about how we communicate. It isn’t just because we have stellar content upgrades or rocking webinars. Our success is fueled by a series of super-small wins.
Then, just the other night, I (Abagail) was sitting in a meeting for a non-profit for which I volunteer (the Junior League, for all you curious folk). We were discussing donations and why people give. And a video came up that was a huge freaking reminder for me….
Our Why
It hit me like a ton of bricks. The answer was staring us right in the face. Our success didn’t have to do with what we offered, but why we offered it. See here, our goal at TCC isn’t solely focused on a bottom line. Instead, we want to see a radical shift in the entrepreneur community.
A shift in which we can change the creative landscape. We want to change the creative community from one that contains hoarders of knowledge and keepers of secrets to one that is made up of ever-loving givers. We want to be a part of a movement that opens doors, warms seats, and makes people feel welcome. We want to empower women from all over the world to go after their dreams and to be rewarded with soul-fulfilling work. The kind that isn’t just good for the heart, but actually lets them earn more than merely a living wage. The kind that allows them to live the lifestyle they want, and to have more time for living.
We don’t hide our “why”. It’s in our voices every time we do an interview. It’s in our words on our blog and in our webinars. It’s in black and white on Instagram and inside our private Facebook community.
We fly that flag of honesty everywhere. We aren’t ashamed or scared that our “why” is “Oprah-sized.” We don’t diminish our dreams. We don’t talk them down. We let them live and breathe and we tell the universe what we want - loudly and clearly.
Your Why
We want you to take the next 10 minutes and really spend some time soul searching about:
What is it that fuels your fire?
What gets you jazzed up every morning?
What excites you?
Why do you do what you do?
Reflect on your why. Write it out. Say it out loud. Record yourself on camera (no one said you have to show anyone!) and tell the world what you want and WHY you want it.
Now babe, as much as you might think burying this in your favorite notebook might be a good idea, I want to remind you that people BUY because of your why. People BELIEVE what you say when it is fueled by your why. They learn to TRUST you in ways you have yet to understand. Your why is CRITICAL to your success.
So let’s take it a step further. Think about:
How you can showcase your why
How you would illustrate it on Instagram
How you would include it in your About page
Whether you could write a blog post about it?
Whether it could be included in your elevator pitch?
No, no, no. We aren’t asking you to radically change everything about your business. We're just asking you to take a risk and start putting yourself on the line. Let that passion live and breathe on the outside, rather than become trapped in your heart and your mind. It deserves to live a life of its own. Now - let it go shine online.
