Simon Sinek Was Right. Most Brands Start In The Wrong Place.
When I sit down with a founder and ask them what they do, I usually get a pretty good answer.
They tell me about their products, services, process, differentiators, experience, and credentials. Then I ask them why they exist abd everything gets a little quieter.Because that's a much harder question.
Simon Sinek was the first person who completely changed how I thought about marketing. Like millions of other people, I watched his Golden Circle TED Talk in 2010 and realized most of us are building brands from the outside in. We start with what we do, then we talk about how we do it. And if we get around to it, we talk about why.
But Simon suggested something different. Flip it and start with why. Not because it's a better marketing strategy. Because it's a better business strategy.
Your products will change. Your services will evolve. Markets shift. Trends come and go. Technology changes. The way you deliver value today may look completely different five years from now. But why you exist should be able to survive all of it. That's why purpose matters.
Purpose becomes the lens through which every decision gets made. Every partnership. Every hire. Every product. Every piece of communication. Every opportunity. Every yes. Every no. And that's where I think many brands get stuck.
They confuse purpose with what they sell. But purpose isn't what you sell. Purpose is what you're trying to create in the world. The product or service is simply the conduit.
Take my photography company as an example. It’s called Collective Photo Co. (@collectivephotoco, www.collectivephotoco.com)
I don't actually believe I'm in the photography business. Photography just happens to be the tool. The camera is my conduit to people and my ability to express my values. What I really care about is community, integrity, and care.
We believe in the power of inclusive community and our collective ability to lift the people around us in meaningful ways. We intentionally partner with people and organizations who share those same values because communities become stronger when they're built around common beliefs.
We create spaces where people feel seen, heard, welcomed, and connected. We want people to feel like they belong. Always.
Integrity shows up in everything we do.
It's one of the reasons our sessions happen on a white background or a black background. No clutter. No distractions. No expectations. No judgment. Just people. Just their story. Just a safe place to show up exactly as they are.
If someone trusts us enough to stand in front of our camera, often feeling vulnerable and exposed, then we have a responsibility to honour that trust. That's where care comes in.
Care isn't something we put in a mission statement. It's how we interact with clients. It's how we support our partners. It's how we set healthy boundaries. It's how we make people feel throughout the experience.
Photography simply happens to be the vehicle through which those values are expressed. And the expression of those values need to be aligned with tone, manner (both visually and expressive) in everything that we do. From website, to socials to how we interact. It all works together.
So there’s an important distinction. If photography disappeared tomorrow, the values wouldn't. We would simply find another way to express them. And that's purpose.
And once you understand that, something else becomes clear. Not every partnership is a good partnership. Not every client is the right client. Not every opportunity deserves a yes. Because every relationship either strengthens your brand equity or weakens it.
When you partner with organizations that share your values, your brand becomes stronger. When you repeatedly align yourself with people or brands who don't, your audience notices that too.
Purpose isn't just about attraction. It's also about protection.
It protects the integrity of the brand you're building. That's why Simon Sinek's thinking sits at the foundation of The Pull.
Before identity. Before audience. Before positioning. Before leadership.
You need to understand why you're here. Because if you don't know what you stand for, you'll spend your entire career chasing relevance.
When you know why you exist, relevance becomes much easier to find. Purpose builds trust. And trust is where every great brand begins. So get really clean on your why and the rest will follow.