The Golden Circle and its message for creative enterprises

For me, the key message in Simon Sinek’s excellent TED talk about the Golden Circle, is that people buy into your ‘Why’, rather than your ‘What’.

As he rightly says, more than once:
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”.

This is consistent with my advice to creative and digital businesses when I’m helping them in my speeches, books and consultancy work.

Increasingly, consumers are buying experiences, stories, connection and meaning, not just useful or cool goods and services.

I gave examples from around the world in my speech in Medellín, Colombia.

My blog post “What are you selling really?” emphasises these intangibles, including the “Why” story of your business.

In my marketing book “Chase One Rabbit: Strategic Marketing for Business Success”, I stress the importance of authenticity and connecting with customers on an emotional level.

And my own personal story explains why I do what I do, empowering creative people to combine their creative talents with smart business thinking, to achieve even greater success (in terms they define for themselves).

So take a look at your own business and it’s Golden Circle of Why, What and How (in that order).

Then sell the WHY, not the WHAT.

Golden Circle for creatives

In terms of the marketing rule of selling benefits not features, the customer benefit is the Why. That’s what they are buying into and feeling good about. The details of the particular product or service are ‘merely’ the What, the features.


Read more about understanding customers’ perspectives and how best to communicate with the right customers in my marketing book “Chase One Rabbit: Strategic Marketing for Business Success. 63 Techniques, Tips and Tales for Creative Entrepreneurs”.

It’s available in English as an eBook, Audiobook or paperback. And in Spanish and French as a paperback or eBook.


Watch the video David’s talk at TEDx Napoli on “a-Creativity” and “i-Creativity” and download the article in PDF format.