We all have needs. As entrepreneurs we may have different needs. Sometimes they’re surprisingly similar to our personal ones.

For instance, if you have time management issues in your personal life, they might show up in your work life as well.

It’s also not uncommon for leaders and entrepreneurs to create a business or non-profit model to satisfy the very need they learned to satisfy for themselves. 

There are a number of theories about the needs that motivate us. I posted last week about Motivational Theory, specifically about the 4 motivations modeled after Abraham Maslow’s theory of the Hierarchy of Needs.

They are Stability, Belonging, Mastery and Independence. Let’s look at some examples. 

Filling The Needs

If your business provides systems that streamline processes, or organize, you are meeting the need of Stability. If you help people handle their finances, you are meeting the need of Stability.

A dating coach provides services that meet the need of Belonging. If you consult with companies to help them create a more healthy corporate culture, you are meeting the need of Belonging. Products that imbue the buyer with a sense of identity meet the need of Belonging. Remember Coca-Cola’s famous Teach The World To Sing commercial from the 70s? Belonging at its best!

If you teach a skill, you are meeting the need of Mastery. If you solve a problem, or coach someone to solve their own, you are meeting the need of Mastery.

And Independence? Maybe you lead adventure tours. Or you train dancers or coach athletes. Personal or executive coaching can also be about meeting this need. 

These are only a few examples. Can you think of an ad or a business that clearly targets one of the four basic needs? Does yours?

P.S.  Did you know your fingerprints contain a code to reveal your core motivation?