How to define your most purpose-aligned niche - the power of purpose-led business.

There’s a reason that every time I start working with a new coaching client, whether they’re a business owner or female leader, we start by defining their ‘why’ or most purpose-aligned niche. Because finding your professional purpose can super-charge your happiness and success. It’ll keep you going when times get tough and it influence everything you create, from your content to your offers. It’ll also be a big reason whether people choose YOU to work with or not. And if you weren’t already convinced, there’s also neuroscience that explains why purpose is your business’ secret weapon.

Purpose is one of those topics that seems to be on the tip of everyone's tongue in a post-pandemic world. This might be because crisis often acts as a catalyst for individuals to seek out more of it in life. When our very mortality comes into question, we start to ask ourselves “What's the point of it all?" and “What's the dent I want to make in the world?”

That's why significant life events can prompt the need to reset and re-calibrate. They make us dig deep and question everything. Covid has been one such trigger in recent years, as documented by the numerous articles about The Great Resignation.

Motherhood (and being made redundant soon after returning from mat leave!) provided me with two such nudges in my own professional life. Perhaps you experienced your own perspective shift/ wake up call that led you to want to start your own biz?

The link between purpose, profitability and fulfilment

After nearly 2 decades of working in the fields of employee and organisational development in tech and FS startups, it was always a no-brainer for me to place purpose at the very heart of my coaching philosophy when I started my career coaching business back in 2018. The Work Happiness Blueprint© is my signature framework for growing happy, profitable careers and businesses.

The Power of Purpose in People

Research shows that people who claim to live purposeful lives are more likely to:

• Live longer and healthier lives

• Be more resilient; recovering better from negative events

• Report higher levels of wellbeing 5 x higher than those who don't

• Feel 4 x more engaged at work

• Experience 50% higher levels of intrinsic motivation

Working (and living) in alignment with your values and purpose also feels great and adds real meaning and fulfilment to your day-to-day, whilst also benefiting the world in some way. What's not to love?

The Power of Purpose in Business

The power of purpose doesn't only benefit people, it's also phenomenally good for business too.

💷 According to research by McKinsey, ‘purposefulness’ in employees (and therefore business owners!) is positively correlated with their profitability.

📈 According to research by Deloitte, purpose-led brands tend to grow 3 x faster than their competitors.

💓 And the ever-inspiring Simon Sinek reminds us that "People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it". Purpose-based messaging speaks to the subconscious where decisions are made in the brain, which is pretty cool.

In his book, DO/Purpose, David Hieatt describes purpose as "the multiplier of energy"; helping individuals feel more resilient and be more creative. (Everyone who joins my signature programme for coaches and consultants, Fruitful Founder, receives a copy of this brilliant book. It's short - but very sweet! - so I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy!)

Put simply, purpose-ful work boosts creativity, resilience and motivation because what you do aligns with your values and the dent you want to make in the world.

And because your purpose will be intrinsically linked to your values, it'll also provide a constant source of motivation, passion and fulfilment in your life. There's considerable evidence that purpose contributes to feelings of connection, wellbeing, happiness and may even have an impact on longevity - see the section on ‘Ikigai’ below for more on this.

So where do you start if you want to uncover your purpose?

I always think the following quote is a good starting point!

"The things that excite you are not random,

they are connected to your purpose."

- ANON

According to evidence grounded in positive psychology, you'll be happier and more fulfilled if you live and work in alignment with your authentic self; your values, strengths, personality and purpose.

If your values help you declare who you are and what your business will stand for, your purpose will articulate your business why. The reason your business exists in the first place and the problems it'll solve in the world. Your purpose will become the very heart, soul and life-blood of your you-shaped business

The neuroscience that explains the power of purpose in business

And to my delight, there’s also a good deal of science that explains why purpose has the ability to supercharge your resilience and creativity. According to the brilliant Tara Swart, author of one of my favourite books, The Source, our brains are actually wired for purpose.

When you have a clear ‘why’, your prefrontal cortex (PFC) - the part of your brain responsible for executive and more complex cognitive functions like planning, decision-making and problem-solving - becomes more active. So having a strong ‘why’ actually super-charges this brainpower, helping you navigate challenges and overcome hurdles with much greater agility.

When your actions are aligned with your core values and purpose, you’ll experience a greater sense of meaning and fulfilment. This psychological state is associated with increased levels of dopamine and serotonin - brain chemicals linked to reward, motivation and wellbeing.

It stands to reason that this positive internal state gives rise to a growth mindset; helping you see challenges as opportunities for learning and growth. So neuroscience actually explains the incredible potential of purpose to help us overcome challenges and create a happier more fulfilling lives and businesses. It’s pure magic.

What is Purpose?

Your business purpose won't be an actual destination but more of a direction, an aspirational 'True North' if you will, that you'll be constantly drawn towards. In order to create a truly you-shaped business, your business purpose should ideally be an extension of your own purpose. The change you want to make the world and the legacy you want to leave. Your lived and professional experiences may mean that you're especially passionate about a particular movement or cause that you'd like to get involved in or even champion.

I also happen to believe that your purpose or ‘business why’ will evolve, as you grow and evolve as a human being. My first business ‘why’ back in 2018 revolved around helping talented women reconnect with their unique talents and realise their professional potential in motherhood. In 2021, my purpose shifted to help brilliant women find work happiness on their own terms by growing their own happy, purpose-led coaching and consulting businesses.

What’s your Ikigai?

The Japanese island of Okinawa, where Ikigai has its origins, is said to be home to the largest population of centenarians in the world! So it’s often suggested that the concept of Ikigai also contributes to longevity!

Ikigai really resonates with me, not only because of its simplicity but also because many of its components are areas that I've been interested in my whole career, such as values and strengths. (I qualified as a CliftonStrengths Performance Coach back in 2007.)

Check out this book for more on the fascinating topic of Ikigai: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, by Garcia and Miralles.

Image from Nedla Magazine

Reconnect with your own biz purpose

If you’ve been feeling a bit ‘meh’ about your business recently, it might be that you’ve simply drifted out of alignment with your purpose. The dent you want to make in the world through your work. In my signature programme for coaches and consultants, Fruitful Founder™️, the very first thing we do is dig deep into your Purpose and Profit Niche™️ to ensure the problems you want to solve through your products and services aren’t only financially viable but that they also align with your purpose. Your business why.

To get started, try journalling around the following questions to home in on your purpose or biz why:

• What problem(s) do you feel called to help solve through your business?

• Is there a particular cause or movement that you want your business to play an active role in?

• Have you successfully overcome a particular challenge in your personal or professional life that makes you uniquely qualified to help someone else overcome too?

• What things can you not help but do or that people come to you for already? What would you do for free if you could afford to?

If you’d like to start exploring your own Purpose and Profit Niche™️, you can download my FREE Fruitful Founder Method workbook by clicking here.

Or if you’d like my help to uncover your most purpose-aligned and profitable niche for your coaching business, I have a brand new self-paced online course called, Pinpoint Your Purpose and Profit Niche 🎯. Click here to find out more.