How You Can Define Your Purpose in Business

Hey, friend! So many of my clients tell me that they want to offer this, that, and the other thing, but they’re not sure how they can make it ‘fit’ under one business. Some of the things they want to offer are products, others are services, and some are just totally different types of products and services. Maybe you’re a health coach who loves fitness, but who also wants to offer self-care resources and cooking tips. How do you offer all of these things under 1 business in a way that makes sense?

How You Can Define Your Purpose in Business

Easy. By defining your purpose.

And I’m not talking about defining your purpose in life, although that could definitely be part of the process. But if you’re trying to figure out a way you can have a robust, diverse business with different types of products and services, you need to think about what purpose those products/services all serve. Even more, you need to think about what purpose your business serves and how/whether these products/services fit under it. That’s why I’m going to let you in on how you can define your purpose in business.

Let’s use my businesses as an example.

When I first left the law, I started my own health coaching business. I hadn’t really thought about my “why,” who I intended to help, or what problem/challenge I intended to solve.

I had so many ideas about the different ways I wanted to work with people and what I wanted to offer them. But I struggled to figure out a way to make it all fit. And I think it showed.

More than anything, lacking a clear purpose in your business confuses people about who you are, what you’re offering, and why your company exists. And if you’re not really sure what you’re offering, the general public sure as heck isn’t sure either.

You know what happens when people aren’t sure what you’re offering? They don’t buy anything. They might not even read your emails or follow you online anymore, because they’re not really sure what you stand for (aka. what purpose you serve).

So when I created this business (Sam Vander Wielen LLC), I was so mindful of my purpose and what my intentions were. After doing some strategic planning, I also got super clear on what my core, purpose driven business values are, because they help me to stay true to my purpose + intentions.

Actually, it wasn’t something I really had to think too hard about. It just made sense to me. (I think that’s when you know when you’ve found the right business, by the way!)

My purpose is to help women entrepreneurs run and grow their businesses through simple, affordable, relaxed DIY legal and business mentorship.

My core business values are:

• Community + connection…as I always say, empowered women empower women. So connection is key.
  • Where it’s implemented in my business: Fearless Femmepire*, my new online book club + community for fearless entrepreneurs, and I have a clients-only Facebook group you’ll be invited to as soon as we work together.
• Empowerment of women…bye, bye intimidating boys’ club.
  • Where it’s implemented in my business: I’m only working with women entrepreneurs to empower them with DIY legal, which in turn they use to help run their amazing businesses, which typically help other women. It’s circuitous!
• Cozy…I want legal/business to be relaxed. It doesn’t have to be so fear-based, serious or pretentious.
  • Where it’s implemented in my business: my free Legal Checkup sessions*** and blog content make legal simple & relaxed!
• Accessible…legal info and legal templates. 
  • Where it’s implemented in my business: providing affordable legal templates + mentorship services**, and providing high-touch and value customer service. I love that so many of my clients feel like we have a personal connection, and feel comfortable enough to share so much of their lives and business goings-on with me.

So by getting clear on my company’s purpose (to help other women entrepreneurs run their business for the long term), I was able to get clear on the pillars (core business values) I want to be present at my company’s core AND throughout all of my products/services.

And only from finding this sense of purpose was I able to see a clear path to crafting my business.  At the end of the day, there are SO many different things I (and other business owners, like you! 🤗) could offer in my business! As long as they fit under these core values and purpose.

So, tell me…

• What’s your intention with your business/what’s your business strategy?
• Who do you intend to serve?
• Why do you intend to serve them?
• What problem are you offering to solve or improve?
• What are some ways (products or services) your intended audience can solve or handle that problem?
• What is your core purpose, and what are you core business values and how do they show up in your business?

If you’re a visual person, I recommend writing all of your answers to these questions down somewhere, and creating a mission statement, purpose statement, and vision statement to help you determine what you want to do with your business, and what your goals look like in the biz.

Now that you’ve thought about all of that, tell me: what is your purpose in your business? Give it to me in 1-2 sentences in the comments below!

*The Fearless Femmepire Project is no longer active as of 2021
**Free Legal Checkup Calls are no longer active as of 2020
***BizStorming sessions are no longer active as of 2020