But Why?
The third year into running my own business, I was stuck. I was busy with a lot of projects and drowning in work. Most of the tasks bottle-necked at my desk and I was frustrated. I needed help.
After much thought and with a sense of desperation, I hired a business coach. He gave me my very first assignment – to answer this question:
“What do you want?”
Imagine the future, and in this future, you are getting ready for bed at the end of the day and you think to yourself, “Wow, that was a perfect day, I am truly living my best life.” What does that look like? Where are you? What are you doing? Who are you with? How are you feeling? Who are you helping?
Doing this exercise really helped me to see my best future. My VISION.
But the next question really threw me for a loop. “Why does it matter?” To put it bluntly, he said, “That’s great that you want to do, feel and obtain all those things…but why? Why does that matter to you?”
Answering this question was my next step in finding my MISSION.
If you were able to work through the Vision Script we discussed last week, hopefully you have more clarity on what the future looks like for you. But it doesn’t stop there.
As we talked about before: Vision = Where are we going?
Mission = Why are we going there?
What if someone told you to dig a ditch all day, then the next day you had you fill it back up. And you did this all week, and then for an entire year. They’ll even pay you for it – how about $150,000 per year. Would you do it?
Most won’t. And if they did do it? They might end up going crazy at the end.
Because without the why, it might as well just be torture.
If you are leading a company, or leading a team, you have a responsibility that goes beyond just giving assignments. You help the ones doing those assignments understand the purpose in what they do. We can’t expect people to show up every morning excited to be there and productive without letting them know where you are headed (Vision) and why that matters (Mission).
On a final note, tell them what their role is in their journey there. Communicating that changes the work experience from a set of meaningless tasks into a meaningful mission.
This is leadership. It will make all the difference in the world. And it costs you nothing! It’s free to you, and freeing to your team.
How To Write Your Vision Script
When we think about having a vision, often we picture the greatest visionaries in history.
They are charismatic, brilliant, incredible communicators, inspiring and even good looking. But what about the rest of us?
The truth is, we are all able to have vision and we are all able to communicate it. Remember, the essence of the word “vision” just means being able to see.
Especially in an organization, this sight is desperately needed. Like we said last week, vision answers the “Where?” question. People will not follow if they don’t know where you are going.
The pressure can be daunting as a leader, but we don’t need a grandiose dream or something that would dramatically impact the world around us. We just need 4 simple ingredients – once these are determined, write them down and communicate them often.
- Vision should be CLEAR
- Vision should be INSPIRING
- Vision should be PRACTICAL
- Vision should be ATTRACTIVE
If you don’t know where to start, think of it this way: Vision is simply figuring out what the future should look like.
As Stephen R. Covey says in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Start with the end in mind.”
Think of yourself as standing in tomorrow—say, three to five years from now. Imagine the future you see for your…
- Team
- Products
- Sales and Marketing
- Impact
What do you see? What does it look like? What’s possible for you and your business?
Write a long paragraph describing and articulating what you see. This is vision.
Once you have this written, we can take our next steps.
Can’t wait to see what happens next!
Does Your Team Know Where You Are Going?
I love the fresh energy that comes with a new year. Starting this week, my goal is to harness all that hope and turn it into something that can transform your business in 2021.
Welcome to the BOS Media Leadership Series. Over the next month, I’ll be sharing the best practices that define all successful companies, along with the keys to implementing them for maximum impact.
It all starts with VISION.
The first question that a leader must ask is:
Does Your Team Know Where You Are Going?
That might sound obvious, but you might be surprised at how many leaders struggle with their answer. We often just take it for granted, and when we do try to put it into words, we fumble around, or use vague language that lacks focus.
It reminds me of the legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi. Every football season, he’d start the first practice by holding up a ball in front of the team and saying, “This is a football.” He understood that leadership means having absolute clarity on the fundamental question: where are we going?
Part of answering that question well requires making a distinction between vision and mission.
Vision vs Mission
Most leaders don’t know the difference, but they should, because it’s an essential part of leadership.
Vision is a clear, inspiring, practical, attractive picture of your organization’s future. It defines the future of your team, your product, your marketing, and your impact.
In short, vision is the “Where.” It answers, where are we going?
Mission is the “Why.” Why are we going there? Why do we do what we do?
In order to lead well, we must start with vision. Take some time this week to clearly define your vision statement, and work on communicating it to your team in a way that leaves no doubt about where you’re headed.
Here’s to 2021 being a year of greater purpose and success for your company.
Continuing The Dream
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of our heroes, so we wanted to take a minute and honor his legacy this week.
If you look closely at the heart of BOS Media, you can actually see some subtle little tributes to MLK everywhere.
On our website, the first thing you see are these words:
“It all starts with a dream.”
It echoes one of the most famous speeches in history, a reminder that every good thing we want to accomplish starts as an idea. Our life’s work is about helping those dreams become reality – hopefully in ways that are more than just about making money, but making a difference in the world.
Plus there’s an important quote that you may have seen this week – LeBron James even wrote it on his shoes when the Lakers played on MLK Day:
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
That’s part of why our BOS Media podcast is called, “Make it Matter.” We believe in CONVERSATION – our ideas become real as we sit together and talk about the most meaningful aspects of life.
This is especially important when issues arise that feel undiscussable – as Patrick Lencioni says in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, being willing to speak up with candor is part of maintaining a healthy organization, or even a healthy family. One of the rules we live by in our house is, “We can talk about anything” – we want that to be true of every table we gather around.
If we do this right, honoring MLK’s legacy is not just about this week. Our hope is that this shapes everything we do at BOS Media and throughout our lives.
Here’s to keeping the dream alive together!
Copywriting To Grow Your Business
There’s a reason we’ve spent the past month focusing on words. It’s because WE CARE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS.
Here’s the executive summary: The right words will generate interest; the wrong ones will be ignored.
BOS Media can provide you with WELL-WRITTEN COPY to help convince new customers that what you offer is a valuable solution they can’t live without.
As we said last week: Better copy means more sales, increased traffic to your website, and more time for you to focus on what you do best.
One other way that words matter at BOS Media: in CONVERSATION. Everything we do starts with listening. The more we know the uniqueness of your story, the more we can translate that into words and emotion that will be compelling to your target audience, which in turn means more business for you.
Give us a call. We would love to come alongside you, customize a plan to fit your needs, and then craft the right words to let your story shine.
BUTTON: YES! I am ready to IMPLEMENT!
You are one click away from taking your business to the next level – let’s get to work!
Hello 2021!
Hello and Welcome to 2021!
Over the past month, we’ve been talking about the importance of COPYWRITING.
But some of you may be thinking, “Hanju, I’m not an author. I don’t need to copyright anything.”
First of all, don’t sell yourself short – if you ever wrote a book, I would LOVE to read it. But we’re talking about copyWRITING, not copyrighting. And it really can make a massive difference for your business.
Copywriting is the text that drives every aspect of your marketing. It can positively affect people’s perception of you, and give them a reason to purchase what you’re offering.
The fact is, you’re actually experiencing the magic of copywriting RIGHT NOW. Every word you’re reading was crafted by a BOS Media copywriter. And just to show you what a huge impact it has, here’s what this email would sound like without the assistance of a copywriter:
Me Hanju.
Me do websites.
BOS Media good.
See what I mean? You don’t want your company’s message to the world to sound like it was written by a caveman.
Better copy means more sales, increased traffic to your website, and more time for you to focus on what you do best.
Words Matter. Maybe the new year is a perfect time to re-examine what ideas you are projecting to future customers. If there’s anything BOS Media can do to help you better tell your story, please reach out. We’d love to help.
Farewell 2020!
As we finally reach the finish line of 2020, all of us at BOS Media wanted to say one more huge THANK YOU to everyone we get to work with. In a challenging year, we feel extra grateful for the relationships that add so much meaning to the work we get to do everyday.
Hope we all go into 2021 not taking anything for granted.
We appreciate you!!!
How Copywriting Can Save Lives
Copywriting is serious business – especially around the holidays.
For example:
“Let’s eat, Grandma!” vs. “Let’s eat Grandma!”
That comma may not seem like a big deal, but just ask grandma how she feels about it.
For her, it’s the difference between a lovely family meal and BEING the family meal.*
All joking aside, the question is: are you putting the highest level of care into your copywriting?
On behalf of grandmas everywhere, BOS Media is here if you ever want to take your copywriting to the next level. If your grammar is endangering your gramma, please give us a call – we’d love to have you for lunch to discuss it further!
(I mean – we’d love to HAVE a lunch meeting together, not have YOU for lunch.)
*Editors note: under no circumstances should BOS Media be held liable for any indirect or incidental damage that commas or lack thereof may cause to grandma or other family members. No cannibals were involved or harmed in the making of this email.
If Your Judging This, You Just Made Our Point
First things first: the typo in the subject line was INTENTIONAL.
If you’re one of those people who saw that and instantly felt embarrassed on our behalf, that’s EXACTLY the lesson we hope everyone learns today.
Bad copy is like having a piece of spinach on your front tooth. You don’t know it’s there, but everyone else sees it.
The last thing you want is for that disgusting green speck to shape how people form their opinion of your business.
COPYWRITING MATTERS.
It could literally be the difference between someone wanting to work with you, or dismissing you as unprofessional.
And one last note, to the people who didn’t even notice the typo above and think we might be making too big a deal out of this: I hope you’re listening most of all. It may not be an issue to YOU, but what if it’s a big deal to the client you’re trying to impress? You don’t want to be like that stinky kid in PE class who doesn’t even know he smells.
Sorry for all the gross metaphors, but hopefully it shows how words can definitely capture your attention! If you need any help with your copywriting, just know: we’re hear here for you.
How To Survive The Zombie Apocalypse
You might be surprised at how much “the zombie apocalypse” has come up around BOS Media lately. #mustbe2020
It started on the podcast we recently shared, “Our Last Podcast” – which, to be clear, is not actually our last podcast. We were just reflecting on ways this year has felt like the end of the world, and that got us thinking – if this was the very last thing we got to record, what would we say?
Inevitably, that led to some zombie-fighting protocols. And not to scare you, but we believe they’re already among us: 
Seriously though, this has huge implications for your business. How do we navigate a world of people mindlessly staring at their phones, scrolling through an infinite abyss?
In this context, YOUR WORDS MATTER more than ever before.
Because there’s one thing that’s proven to stop a zombie in their tracks.
No, not a 12 gauge shotgun.
A great story.
That’s why we put so much of our focus at BOS Media on YOUR STORY. With the right words, your story has the power to draw people in and drive your business.
We know finding the right words can be challenging, but it’s essential. The right words will generate interest; the wrong ones will be ignored.
If you ever need support with your copywriting, BOS Media is here for you. We love helping give new language to your message, with words that even a zombie will pay attention to.
Here’s to surviving this apocalypse, together!