Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek, the author of Start With Why, talks about something really important: people buy why you do what you do, not just what it is. The author shares his own experiences and stories, along with a lot of research, which really helps you understand your own “what” and “why”…

I actually found out about Simon Sinek after watching one of his TED Talks. I really recommend you check it out because that video is what got me to read Start With Why.

Start With Why Summary

Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why, gets straight to a powerful idea: what truly makes people and organizations succeed isn’t what they do, but why they do it.

He explains that when you understand and share your “why” – your purpose or belief – that’s what really connects with people.

Think about it this way: just saying “I have a job” or “I run a business” doesn’t grab attention. But explaining that your business exists to solve a specific problem makes people much more interested and likely to support you.

Let’s look at my website, BookiesTalk, as an example:

• What: It’s a website where I write summaries of books and share what I think about them.
• How: I usually write these articles on my laptop.
• Why: I’m from India, and I know that for some people here, buying books can be expensive. That’s why I created BookiesTalk – so they can learn new things without spending money.

Now, let’s consider a different scenario, keeping the “what” and “how” the same:

• What: I have a website where I write book summaries along with my experience.
• How: I have a laptop and that’s where I usually write articles.
• Why: Years ago, I read an article saying you could earn good money from a website. That’s what made me decide to start one.

As you can see, your “why” can completely change how people see what you do.

Basically, if you’re doing business, having a strong “why” is super important.

Golden Circle

Okay, so the Golden Circle works best when you talk about the parts in a certain order.

If you follow that order and stick to these three ideas, then the Golden Circle is balanced – and that means what you’re offering feels real and honest.

Here are those three ideas:

• Knowing your WHY clearly helps get people excited and makes them believe in what you’re doing for real, not just because you’re trying to convince them.
• Having a clear HOW means figuring out what your important values and rules are and always sticking to them to make your WHY happen.
• Doing your WHAT consistently means that people can always expect the same good things from what you do, based on how you do it.

So, when your WHY, HOW, and WHAT are all in the right order and make sense together, that’s when your message truly clicks with people.

Why Needs How

Walt Disney had the big ideas – the “why.”

But the Disney company became huge because his brother, Roy, was really good at the “how” – making those ideas happen.

Roy set up how the movies were shared, built the stuff they sold, and figured out how to take Walt’s vision and make it last.

It’s kind of funny: people who are good at the “how” can sometimes do okay on their own. But the people with the big “why” usually need someone who’s strong at the “how” to really succeed.

Think about Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak when they started Apple. Wozniak was the one who knew how to build things – he was the “how” guy for Jobs’ “why.”

When we’re working or running a business, doing well means following our “why” (what we believe in) by getting better at “how” we do things, and we see the results in “what” we do.

Like with Walmart, if how they do things and what they sell don’t match their main “why” anymore, people might not feel good about their work.

Just being really excited about something isn’t enough if you don’t have a good plan. Passion needs structure to keep going, and structure needs passion to grow.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Simon Sinek’s message is clear: discovering your “why” is crucial. However, he also emphasizes the importance of understanding how to bring that “why” to life.

The book provides numerous examples from major companies like Apple, Google, and Netflix to illustrate these principles.

It’s a must-read, especially if you’re starting a business. It gives you a lot to think about when it comes to what drives you and how to make it a reality.

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