I loved the amazing Ted Talk that Simon Sinek did on this subject so finally read the book over the last few weeks! The book reviews his concept of the “golden circle” and includes a copious amount of examples from companies that both exemplify (Apple) and miss the mark on this concept.

The quick overview of the book: “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe”.

At the center of the circle is your why – “This is the core belief of the business. It’s why the business exists.” How you fulfill that core belief and what you do – the tangible products or services you deliver are secondary and in service to that core belief. The problem is that most companies have it backwards – they market what they do and miss that their customers are more loyal for why they do what they do.

Overall, skip the book, watch the Ted Talk. Although I love and agree with all of Simon Sinek’s points, his 18 min video covers the main concepts without any of the repetition of examples of companies that start with (or do not start with) their why.