01 — On Brand Ikigai: Find Your Reason for Being
Running a business can sometimes feel overwhelming, but by aligning your actions with your purpose you can work from a place of clarity that’s in alignment with your passion. One way to discover the purpose behind your business, is through the Japanese concept of Brand Ikigai.
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What is Ikigai?
The word Ikigai is formed from two Japanese words:
“Iki” which means to live.
“Gai” which means reason.
Combine them you have your ‘reason for being’ or sense of deeper purpose.
Start With Why:
In the TED Talk Start With Why, Simon Sinek says that people don't buy what you do — they buy why you do it. When you lead with purpose, you position yourself as a part of something bigger, as opposed to being another product or service.
The process of creating a Brand Ikigai involves discovering what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for, in order to uncover the ‘why’ or purpose in the center of your Ikigai.
A Brand Ikigai Venn diagram.
Key Segments
To understand how your Ikigai works, think of it as a Venn diagram (you can view the example above) that contains four segments:
1. What You Love
You first need to explore what truly sets you alight. What excites you? What are you passionate about? What makes you feel fulfilled? List the three things that bring you the most joy.
2. What You Are Good At
Take inventory of your skills and expertise. What do you do really well? Identify three areas where you can offer the most value to others. Remember, your skills are not always the same as what you love. You might love to paint, but you might not be good at it yet!
3. What the World Needs
Consider the problems your community faces. What do they really need your help with? You might love something and be good at it, but if no one really needs it, it won’t be a good foundation for your business. Write down three things that the world truly needs.
4. What You Can be Paid for
Examine the crossovers between your passions, skills, and the needs of your community. What are three areas where you can create value and sustain your business financially?
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Inter-Segment Analysis
While optional, you can also consider the overlapping sections. There’s no need to write anything here, but exploring these segments will help you understand your central purpose:
1. What You Love + What You are Good at = Your Passion
Look at the ‘What You Love’ + ‘What You Are Good At’ segments. Your passion is a blend of what you love and what you’re good at. What areas on your list overlap? For example, if you love fashion and have a talent for coding, your passion could be creating an app that helps people find their style.
2. What You Love + What the World Needs = Your Mission
Look at the segments for ‘What You Love’ + ‘What the World Needs.’ The overlap will show you your mission — how doing the thing you love will help your audience. For example, if you love teaching and recognize the need for quality education in underserved communities, your mission could be to provide accessible learning.
You can use what you learn here to inform your brand mission statement. You can learn more about mission statements in our blog post.
3. What the World Needs + What You Can be Paid for = Your Vocation
Look at the overlap between ‘What the World Needs’ + ‘What You Can Be Paid For’ to find your vocation. Is your audience willing to pay for your offer? Use this to find the sweet spot between your personal fulfilment and financial viability. For example, if there's a demand for eco-friendly homes and you have interior design skills, your vocation could sustainable interior design.
4. What You Can be Paid for + What You are Good at = Your Profession
Lastly, explore the overlap between the ‘What You Can be Paid for’ + ‘What You Are Good at’ segments to reveal your profession. If you're a great writer and can be paid for your services, your profession could be a copywriter or author.
Your Purpose
In the middle of the Ikigai is your fundamental purpose, the innermost 'why’ behind your brand. For example, if you love empowering others, are good at public speaking, and know the world needs more financial literacy education, you can be paid to teach personal finance skills.
Brand Ikigai Printable
Join the newsletter to get the Brand Ikigai Workbook — a suite of prompts, a printable to lead you towards your purpose.
Brand Purpose Statement
Next, use what you learn to write your brand purpose statement — a brief statement encapsulating your purpose in a way that’s easy for your audience to understand.
The purpose statement formula
Here's the purpose statement formula: To (your core purpose) by (how you achieve your purpose) for (your ideal audience).
For example: To empower individuals to embrace their authentic selves by providing inclusive, body-positive activewear for women of all shapes and sizes."
Purpose Statement Tips
When crafting your statement, focus on:
Straightforward, inspiring language (no jargon!).
Highlighting your ‘why; and the value you provide.
Your core offer and approach.
Your audience.
Here's where you delve into the soulful side of your work and the changes you want to make in the world. Remember, even big companies can be emulated and undercut, but a brand that's built on true purpose stands apart.
“The purpose of your brand is to represent your purpose.”
— Michael Kouly
Putting Ikigai into Action:
When you have completed your Ikigai, you will be equipped with a new sense of purpose. With this, you can:
Niche Down
Zero in on the intersection of your passions, talents, and the world's needs, and become the undisputed voice and go-to expert for that space in your market.
Create Your Brand Design
Never start your branding by choosing fonts and colors. Always first your purpose first. This way, you or your brand designer can create your visuals with your purpose in mind, rather than pulling fonts and colors out of the air without conveying true meaning. You can learn more about using your purpose to craft emotional branding in our blog post.
Share your Purpose Statement
When it comes to sharing your purpose statement, one option is to use it in your branding, from your website to your Instagram bio.
Another strategy is to demonstrate your purpose through your actions and channel it in a meaningful way. Freelance web developers could focus on building affordable websites for local nonprofits, or a bakery might use premium local ingredients to revive heritage recipes. Sharing how your brand actualizes its purpose makes it more impactful.
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Aligning with your brand's Ikigai is not an overnight process. It requires time and patience in equal measure. This is a journey of self-discovery for your brand, and it may take time to fully articulate your brand's true purpose - and that's ok!
Discovering your Ikigai and writing a brand purpose statement is not a one-and-done task, and you can always come back and re-assess its alignment. As your business grows, so will your understanding of your brand's purpose and the passions and skills you bring you to the table, so let your purpose unfold naturally.
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