Speaker 1: 0:09

Well, hello friends. I am so excited that you are here today.

Speaker 2: 0:13

This is Kimberly and this is a special day. You'll know what I'm doing today. I am bringing something back, okay, I'm bringing back Episode 1. I am playing Episode 1 today here on this Episode 310, because I think it's time that we all step back and really look at our true purpose in starting our businesses. Whether you're in the idea stage, whether you already have a business, it does not matter. This is what we need right now. We need kind of a reset button to go. What is my reason for being? What is my purpose?

Speaker 2: 0:52

There's a Japanese word that's called ikigai and it's spelled I-K-I-G-A-I. I've been calling it ikigai for the past six years. I called it ikigai on this episode, one that you're about to hear. So I say that throughout. But here's a funny true story. It's a fun fact. I had a hater on YouTube say how can I even listen to your episode on ikigai when you don't even pronounce it right? And I was like laughing. I'm like, did I not pronounce it right? And then I didn't even really look it up. I was like, whatever, that person is just a hater, it's IKIGAI. Well, right now I sat down to record this episode and I looked up on Google pronunciation of I-K-I-G-A-I Sure not, it says IKIGAI. So shout out to my haters, shout out to my haters. Y'all are amazing because you made me realize that I had been wrong all these years. But here's another fun fact. I remember looking it up on Google before the first episode because I was so freaked out and nervous about my first episode. I'm like Am I even saying this right? And I'm about 99.99999%. It said IKIGAI. It did say there was a couple of ways you could pronounce it. This was at the time. But do y'all know how far we've come technologically in all the search and search results and all that, and, and the AI and everything's more accurate now. So I truly believe that you know the right one has now come to the front it's Ikigai. So y'all can laugh with me every time I say Ikigai in this episode and in all the past episodes where I've talked about it. We can just giggle together it's Ikigai and the haters won. The haters won on that. The person was right. It's Ikigai. I was wrong. I have failed as a business owner and a podcaster. I pronounced something wrong and my apologies to everyone.

Speaker 2: 3:05

No-transcript table, trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do with the rest of my life because I was closing my other businesses. I'm like, do I go back to sales? What am I doing? And I really needed this. I found it online and that's why I've created my own guide and I use the kind of I use the template of the diagram, but I kind of zhuzhed it up and then used my own creativity and knowledge to create a guide to help you really pin down what is your purpose in doing this. People, we have to know this. We have to know this. It is so important for the success of our businesses and for our sanity. So I hope you enjoy this episode.

Speaker 2: 3:49

You can cringe with me as we listen because, again, it's my first episode. I have never listened to it again. This is going to be the first day that I listen to it. I have to listen to it right now, in just a minute, because I have to insert it into this episode and I have to edit it. So I'm editing. I mean I'm just like cutting it, but I do need to listen, and so I'm. I'm I have some hot tea here.

Speaker 2: 4:12

I'm trying to not be judgmental of myself. Y'all know we do this, and so I'm actually kind of scared of this moment, this cringy moment of listening to my very first episode, but I think it's a it's a fun exercise. I think it's a fun exercise to look at things that we started and where we've come from right, and it's probably I'm probably not that much better than I was then. I think I'm just more confident now and I think that's a good lesson for everyone listening that maybe you're not going to be the best top business owner, jeff Bezos of the world, but your purpose and your drive is there today and it's going to be the same in a few years and it's going to be really amazing to watch your confidence grow and all the people that you meet along the way and all the lessons that you learn. So this is very symbolic for me, but really I did it for you Because I know that this episode has meant so much to most people. And here's another fun fact it is my number one episode by double the listens. Double Because I think a lot of you go.

Speaker 2: 5:19

When you find a new podcast, you listen to the very first episode. Now, I'm actually not that person. When I listen to a new podcast, I listen to the most current episode, and so I think it's funny that there's probably like half of you that go straight to the first episode and you need to listen in order. That's just your personality. You got to go from one all the way up. And then there's people like me who are like no, I'm listening to the current one and if I want to skip back, I'll go backwards Like I don't know. I don't know what that means. It's like people who like cilantro and don't like cilantro. I mean, it's just kind of one of those things. Right, there's like half and half.

Speaker 2: 5:51

So, anyways, y'all enjoy the episode. I hope you take it to heart and it's a good refresh, reset button for all of us, and I know it's going to help you as you build your business dream. Okay, enjoy, have you really mapped out your true business purpose? And I have to be honest, I started my first business 20 years ago and I knew I always kind of had like a mission. I never really went through a tool like this and I love it. I'm so excited. That's why I'm sharing it with you today, because you've got to establish this solid foundation for your business. So let's get started.

Speaker 2: 6:32

Today, we're going to look at finding your IKA guy started. Today, we're going to look at finding your ikigai, and I had never heard of that word before, but let me say it again it's ikigai and it's I-K-I-G-A-I, and it's a Japanese concept meaning reason for being. So it's you know, how you find your true purpose, and it's something that you discover. It's not something that's given to you, it's something that you discover for yourself and it is awesome. It makes you sit here and lay it all out. So I will explain, and at the end of this episode, I'm going to give you the link so you can download your own iCooki diagram and fill it out, and once you do, you're not going to believe what you're going to be able to come up with. You are then going to be able to create your mission statement, your vision statement, your customer pledge, and you can lay out some goals and milestones. So it's awesome.

Speaker 2: 7:25

So those are the four pillars of purpose for your business your mission, your vision, your promise and then your goals. So let's discuss first why you need to know it. You need to know your ikigai, or your true purpose, because it is the compass for every decision you make in your business. So think about that If you have it up on the wall or you have it on your desk and you're trying to make some crucial business decisions about who to hire or how to handle a customer issue or brand extension or new products that you want to carry. Does it match up and correlate with your business true purpose?

Speaker 2: 8:11

Another thing is that it can help you when you're trying to find your niche and, by the way I say niche, I hear people say niche. I don't know what's right, but I'm going to say niche, so it can help you be one of a kind. For example, let's say you want to start a cupcake shop in your area but you've realized that there's 12 cupcake shops within the three-mile radius and you're thinking how am I going to survive? Well, if you've got your true purpose mapped out, with your strengths and your skills, you have to think what could I do to this cupcake shop to make it unique? Could I offer cupcake delivery? Maybe no one else does that. Or could I offer a fun family night where there's karaoke or games, because I love karaoke and that's something that I could incorporate into my business right?

Speaker 2: 9:03

So knowing your purpose, knowing your skills, can help you to find your niche in the marketplace. It can help you brand your business, which, in turn. Your branding affects your messaging of your business, who you're talking to and your colors right. If your purpose is to be a calming force, you want calming colors. Right, and if your brand is to be vibrant and fashionable and stylish, then you might pick you know a different set of colors and have different types of wording and everything that you would use on your website and in print and your ads and everything like that.

Speaker 2: 9:39

It will also help with the longevity of your business. Now, a lot of people don't think about this because they may be thinking right now about making money and growing it over the next four years. But what about 10 years down the road? Do you still have that same purpose and mission? Maybe it's evolved a little bit, and I do know and recognize that your business has to be able to pivot and you can adjust these if your business changes or if the marketplace changes. But it does help you have longevity and it helps you leave a legacy, because maybe you sell the business in 10 years to someone else and what is the legacy that they are taking on? Why would they want to buy your business? Right, because you had a mission, you had a promise. You have a reputation, right? What if you want to hand it down? Or, you know, give it to one of your children, right? That's the legacy as well. It also will help you when times are hard. It will give you resiliency because you can have your mission statement and your vision and your promise and your whole reason for being in front of you on your desk and you say you know what? I know this totally stinks. Right now I'm having a hard time with my business. I'm trying to grow, but there is a reason why I'm doing this and I know there's a greater purpose for why I have this business. So that, to me, is super exciting and why you need to work on your ICA guy. So again, it's going to give you your mission statement, your vision statement, your customer promise, and it's going to help you set out your goals. So this is what it looks like On the piece of paper.

Speaker 2: 11:12

There are four circles and it looks like those Venn diagrams from high school. I don't know if y'all remember those, but there's a big circle at the top of the page, one on the right side, one on the left side and one down at the bottom, and they all overlap in the middle and that is your ikigai. That's your true purpose, that sweet spot right in the middle. But each of those big four circles contains four different things, and you're going to get on your diagram with your pencil and your cup of coffee, by the way, or maybe you drink wine, I'm not sure. Either one, okay.

Speaker 2: 11:48

So you're going to go to the circle that says what I love and you are going to brain dump out all those things that you love. So maybe let's take that cupcake shop as an example. So maybe you love to bake, you love music, you love coffee, you love dogs, you love wine. So that bake shop right, it wasn't just baking, you were going to try to. That's kind of spoiler alert here. You're going to try to overlap things that you love with things that you can actually get paid for, right, which may be the baking part of it, and so you're going to see where those overlap. So it'll make sense when you have it in front of you.

Speaker 2: 12:28

So you're going to list out all the things that you love. Then you're going to list out all the things that you're good at. So you got to kind of think about that. Maybe these are not your biggest passion-filled services that you offer, things that you do. Maybe you're good at math, so you could be good at doing books and keeping up with the finances. It may not be your favorite thing, but you're good at it. Maybe you're good at organizing things. Maybe you're good at some type of graphics or art or styling, right. So you're going to brain dump out all these things that I'm good at. Then you're going to spell out what you can be paid for, and that's here in this bottom circle, and you'll see it.

Speaker 2: 13:08

So what are the skills that you've learned over the years that you know are valuable to companies or other people that they would pay you for? Now, these are just off-the-cuff examples. But what if someone said I will literally pay you to organize my entire closet, okay. So maybe you're a super good organizer. I will pay you to write code for a program that I need for my business, so you could be paid to. You know, be a code writer, okay. Or graphic arts, or what skills do you have? Can you teach people things You're really good at teaching? Or you're taking pictures. Maybe you could be paid to do someone's senior pictures or their baby pictures or whatever.

Speaker 2: 13:45

So, again, the four circles what you love is going to overlap with what you're good at, which that one's going to then overlap with what you can be paid for, and then the last circle is going to be what the world needs, and this one is the one that I think takes the most time to think through, because this is where you have to get creative right. What does the world need? Do they need another cupcake shop? Or do they need some escape? You know, to go with their family or their kids on Tuesday nights it's fun to have a family night that they could play some games. So you know, what does the world need? Do they need healthier cupcakes? Do they need delivery of cupcakes? What do people need? More time? We know we all need that, right, but if you just think it through, what are the things that you know in your heart? Like moms need more help carpooling or organizing their calendars, so you're going to brain dump all of that, so you're going to have those all listed out, and then the magic starts happening, because you see where these are overlapping, and where they overlap is going to help you create, as I said, these four main pillars of purpose.

Speaker 2: 15:03

So let me explain. One of the overlapping areas is going to be called mission and from this you're going to create your mission statement. Okay, it's what you love, overlapping with what the world needs. Okay, so, like, here's an example of someone's mission statement. And, by the way, you could do this for hours and hours and hours, but if you just want a general overview of these statements, you can do this right now. You can seriously work on this and have this app. But if you know if you need more, like, really, really, you know, insightful branding help, you can hire a specific consultant for this kind of thing. But I definitely think you can get this laid out. So your mission statement. Here's an example. Sweetgreen said to inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food. Okay, it's kind of where you reach people's hearts and minds and how you connect them with your services or your products. So, again, you're going to see the overlap. It's going to enable you to kind of see what your mission should be.

Speaker 2: 16:07

Then the next overlapping area is going to be called vocation and this is going to help you develop your vision statement. This is what impact do you want to make on the world? And it's where what the world needs and what makes you money overlaps. So, for example, here's an easy one. This one's clear and simple. The Alzheimer's Association, their vision, how they want to change the world here it is A world without Alzheimer's disease. Plain and simple. Okay, so that's your vocation.

Speaker 2: 16:42

Then your profession is where what you are good at overlaps with what makes money. So this is kind of your financial goals. This is professionally what you're good at. So maybe, what are your milestones? Do you want to gain more customers this year? Do you need to up your profits? Do you need to maximize your revenue? What are your goals? Right? So you can start kind of setting those out, because sometimes in the beginning it's not just oh, I've got to make X, y and Z profits. You have to know in the beginning sometimes it's really hard because you've got all kinds of sunk and basic costs that have got to go into it and fixed costs. So what are your financial goals? Okay, what are your milestones? And don't be too crazy with it, right? I don't like it when people go, oh, they're starting their first year, I want to make, you know, $250,000 in revenue and I'm selling $20 baby gifts. I mean, come on, that's not realistic. You need to have goals of keeping your costs down. But growing a fan base right, and I don't just mean social media, I mean people that believe in your mission and your vision, right, people like you who get it. So when you gain a following, the revenue is going to come. Later You're going to see the results of that.

Speaker 2: 17:54

So the last overlapping area is the customer promise, which is also called your passion. Your passion for whatever you're doing is basically your pledge to the customers. It's what you're good at, overlapping with what you love doing. So what kind of experience do you want them to have? And for people that you work with or who work for you, what is your customer pledge, your employee pledge? You need to have it out because in times of maybe conflict or you have a customer questioning something or you're trying to figure out the right kind of customers you should be dealing with, what is the pledge that you have, the promise that you have for them? So, again, all these worksheets are there and you can have your own diagram, and I've also created a sheet that lets you write out your vision statement and your mission statement and your customer pledge and your goals and milestones, so you can put it out on your desk and have it out every day, because I know that you want to make a difference in the world.

Speaker 2: 18:55

I know that you want to create a great experience for your customers. You are not in this to create a bad experience. You want customers to love what you're doing right and love what you're providing and appreciate it. I know that you want to make money and probably need to make money. I would assume right, or it's a hobby? It's not a business if you're not making money. And I know that you want to know that you're doing meaningful work.

Speaker 2: 19:21

Yes, I knocked out the first episode and now today you're going to find your business purpose. It could not be a better day. Thank you so much for listening and being here, and you know I'm always available to help. This is what I want to do is help people get past those beginning foundational steps and setups and workflows and processes, and I would love to help you. I have a passion for small businesses. I totally do, and I know what it's like to run your own business while running life as well. Thank you so much and have a great day. Bye, oh, and you can catch me, too on Instagram and Facebook. My handle is start with Kimberly.

Speaker 1: 20:04

Brock. Now this episode may be over, but our relationship does not have to end here. Head on over to Kimberly Brockcom and, yes, you can get more valuable information for your journey. And, yes, you can get more valuable information for your journey, and you know what. You don't need to go through this alone. I would love to help you. Thank you so much and have a great day. Bye, now this episode may be over, but our relationship does not have to end here. Head on over to KimberlyBrockcom and, yes, you can get more valuable information for your journey, and you know what. You don't need to go through this alone. I would love to help you. Thank you so much and have a great day. Bye.