Simon Sinek made his points very clear in this Ted talk. His philosophy on marketing and how to gain an audience’s interest is based on pure science and is proven through real life examples. The simplicity of his words make the Ted talk easy to understand for anyone (even me, someone who knows little about the in’s and out’s of business) Something he repeated throughout the entirety of his Ted talk was that, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” This is so simple, yet can be applied to the very complicated business and marketing world so easily. When I think about it now, people buy a message. They buy how a company or person makes them feel. He also spoke about creating a community of not only consumers but people who help to produce the products. Sinek believes that in order to be successful one must, “do business with people who believe what you believe” rather than people who “need what you have”. This is incredibly powerful because a good partnership is built on strong beliefs in the same cause. Without the passion it takes to create a business or pursue a cause there is no reason to continue pursuing a goal. Without passion there would be no solutions. The difference between someone being indifferent towards a job and truly passionate about getting a good result is passion and motivation, which are built on beliefs. Later, Sinek connects the topic of his Ted talk to the Wright brothers, the creators of the airplane. He explains how many people tried to create the airplane, many people who were much more well funded and well supported than the Wright brothers. The reason that the Wright brothers rose above and ended up creating the airplane is because they, “were driven by a cause, by a purpose, by a belief.” Martin Luther King was also an innovator and became very successful because he made people believe what he believed. His speech became so iconic because it was about what he believed. Simek chose to focus on the power of beliefs and how they can influence people to become passionate about a product or a cause.

Many people are making change in shelters across America, even in Hawaii. After searching for innovative people in the industry I stumbled upon Sherry Hoe, a women who helped raise $2.1 million dollars for an animal shelter in Kauai, Hawaii. She believes that animal shelters are not only for the animals but for the community. They rebuilt the center with a garden and a place people to receive treatment for anxiety from therapy animals. Recently in California a law was passed that banned ‘puppy mill’ dogs from being sold in retail pet stores. Of Course, this is a huge step in the right direction for animal rights. California, being the influential state it is, could make a huge impact with its decisions.

Animals are an important part of every single person’s lives. Even if you are allergic to dogs and cats, you are still surrounded by them every day. Somehow, throughout history, humans have developed such a strong sense of superiority that we view our species as capable of using other species for profit. Puppy mills are the cause of so much cruelty in our world and I believe that by ending these puppy factories, we can improve the lives of so many animals.

“The Future of Animal Shelters.” Petfinder, www.petfinder.com/pro/for-shelters/future-animal-shelters/.

DiLonardo, Mary Jo. “California becomes the first state to ban sale of ‘puppy mill’ pets in stores.” MNN – Mother Nature Network, Mother Nature Network, 16 Oct. 2017, www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/california-could-be-first-state-ban-puppy-mill-dogs-cats-bunnies-stores.