Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the “I have a dream” speech, not the “I have a plan” speech. He was inspiring. I had the opportunity to watch Simon Sinek’s discussion, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” The premise of his talk is that “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” 

I believe I have seen this phenomenon over at Million Dollar Butterflies. MDB is a start-up business that bridges “the gap between education and reality.” They help kids learn entrepreneurial and leadership skills at a young age through dance, music, and the media arts.

People are buying into why MDB does what they do. MDB wants to change the future for these kids by helping them create their own jobs! I think MDB understands the value of communicating why they do what they do, and it’s paying off in a win-win type of way. MDB stays profitable, and thousands of kids are being reached.

How about you? If you have your own business, it’s not enough to be focused on a great product, a great business model, etc. You have to understand what your motivation is and sell that. Passion is contagious. It’s easy to believe people who believe in what they do and what they sell. Understand your “why,” and start sharing it.

This got me thinking. Why do I do what I do? Because it saddens me to see people not living up to their full potential or seeing them give up on their dreams! I want people to rise above their circumstances and live their fullest life possible!

Jana Axline is president and leadership coach at Axline Solutions. Through her leadership musings she hopes to inspire audiences to grow as leaders and ultimately achieve who they were created to be. For more information visit Axline Solutions.