The Brand Ikigai Approach to Finding Your Purpose
Welcome to Brand Materials, a brand strategy series for founders who want to build aligned, human, and meaningful brands.
Expect thought-provoking prompts, strategic clarity, and a slow, grounded approach to business. This is a considered resource for those shaping brands that feel both personal and purposeful.
In this post, we’ll explore finding your purpose through the Brand Ikigai framework.
Why Brand Purpose Matters
Your brand is more than your logo, color palette, or tagline. It’s the expression of your purpose, the why that guides your decisions and keeps you steady when momentum dips.
Done well, purpose isn’t abstract or sentimental. It becomes a strategic asset:
It builds trust: People align with brands that stand for something.
It elevates value: Purpose-led brands stop competing on price.
It creates resilience: You have something to return to when the path gets unclear.
As Simon Sinek puts it: "People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it."
Purpose gives your brand integrity and authority, helping customers choose you over a cheaper alternative. They understand what you offer, but more importantly, why it matters—to you, and to them.
How? When your brand stands for something meaningful (whether sustainability, inclusivity, or craftsmanship), it shifts the conversation away from ‘How much does it cost?’ to ‘I want to be part of this.’
Without purpose, brands fall into the price war trap. Burnout, constant discounting, and the draining struggle to stay profitable. When you lead with purpose, you can create a sustainable, high-value brand that attracts customers who want to pay for what you offer.
Ask yourself: What’s your driving passion? How does your work improve people’s lives? How do you want your brand to be perceived? Purpose shifts your brand from 'just another option' to one that people invest in.
Purpose and Perceived Value
When your brand is anchored in purpose, you stop competing on features and start leading with meaning. That shift alone raises your perceived value. Here’s why:
Purpose signals intentionality
A brand that knows what it stands for feels focused and trustworthy. Clients assume it’s more valuable—because it is.
Purpose creates connection
When people feel emotionally connected to a brand, they stop questioning the price. They start thinking, “This feels like the right fit for me.”
Purpose attracts value-aligned buyers
As purpose rises, price sensitivity drops. Aligned clients aren’t just looking for deliverables. They’re looking for a brand that reflects their values. That’s what they invest in.
A clear purpose doesn’t just build connection. It gives your audience a reason to choose you, and transforms your brand from one option into the option.
Introducing Brand Ikigai
Ikigai (ee-kee-guy) is a Japanese term meaning "reason for being."
In brand strategy, we use it as a visual map to uncover purpose that is both heartfelt and commercially sustainable. We use a Brand Ikigai Venn diagram to find the place where your passions, talents, business model, and cultural contribution overlap.
Brand Ikigai = What You Love + What You’re Good At + What the World Needs + What You Can Be Paid For
Where these four layers intersect, you find the part of your work that’s both meaningful and profitable. The sweet spot where your passions, strengths, and financial sustainability overlap.
Step-by-Step Ikigai Exercise
Take a notebook and reflect on the four circles:
What You Love
What lights you up? What parts of your process would you do even if no one paid you?
What You’re Good At
What do people consistently come to you for? What feels second nature?
What the World Needs
What problems do you help solve? What shift do you want to contribute to? What needs are going unmet?
What You Can Be Paid For
Where is there real demand for what you do? What are people already paying for?
Now map your responses in your Ikigai.
Finding the Overlap
Once you’ve reflected on the four parts of your Ikigai, look for the space where they intersect. This is where you’ll find your purpose.
For example:
If you love empowering others, are good at public speaking, and see a need for better financial literacy education, you might build a brand focused on helping people achieve financial freedom through accessible financial education.
That’s your reason for being, and your business model.
Writing Your Purpose Statement
Purpose can feel expansive and abstract. It can be difficult to distill big picture thinking into something that you can easily share on your website. That’s why we translate it into a statement you can use across your brand. A brand purpose statement is a message that succinctly shares your purpose in a way that anyone can understand.
Here’s a simple fill-in-the-blank framework:
Made for (your ideal audience) by (your product/service) that (the impact you have/how you achieve your purpose).
Try these for inspiration:
Made for creative entrepreneurs, we provide strategic design tools that help them build profitable brands.
Made for busy professionals, we create ethically sourced, fast-acting cleaning products, supporting sustainability without sacrificing your time.
Now write your own.
Putting It Into Practice
Now that you’ve clarified your purpose, it’s time to anchor how you communicate, connect, and convert. This is about making your strategy coherent — emotionally, commercially, and energetically.
Lead with your purpose
If showing up online feels like a performance, shift your focus. Don’t start with what you’re selling. Start with why it matters. Your purpose lets you talk about your offer in a way that doesn’t feel pushy, because it’s no longer about convincing, but about inviting.
Build connection
People connect with people. When you share your purpose, you’re not just selling. It’s connective. When your audience sees the bigger reason behind your work, they’re not just watching — they’re relating. Resonance builds loyalty, and loyalty builds sustainable business. Your purpose helps you clearly share what you do and why, a shift away from selling an offer to telling a meaningful, human-to-human story.
Write stories that stick
Forget perfect brand bios. Tell the real story: the ‘why’ behind your work, the shift you want to see in the world, and how your offers are part of that change. Whether you’re writing a caption, a sales page, or an About section, your purpose is your narrative spine.
Stay grounded
When momentum slows, when doubt creeps in, when it feels easier to imitate than to lead. Your purpose is the thing that keeps you steady. It’s your strategic compass. And it’s the reason your work matters to you, not just to your audience.
Recap and Next Steps
You have uncovered your Ikigai and used it to write a purpose statement that brings humanity and authenticity to your messaging.
Here’s a quick recap:
Map your Ikigai
Find the central theme
Write your purpose statement
Let it live through your work
Up Next: Your Ideal Client Avatar
In the next post, we’ll guide you through finding your ideal client. You’ll explore what they value, what they need, and how to create offerings that speak to them.
