This may seem like a selfish question (especially for the kind-hearted founders in our community) and have nothing to do with running a sustainable business.

But the truth is, it has everything to do with it.

Happiness in business starts at the source – with the founder.

If you're not getting anything out of running this thing then where are you going to get the energy and inspiration to keep it going?

We're guessing that you have an underlying need to bring something into the world that isn't just about making money. The real trick is understanding what's driving your ideas, what's lurking underneath.

When we started our first company we both had a need for creativity, freedom and friendship. We wanted to make new things, do business in our own way and work with people we liked.

But as the business evolved – and we grew – we also felt the need to create impact and to do that we thought it meant growing the company.

However growing our agency would have compromised our needs.

We felt we'd need to sacrifice our freedom in order to look after staff. To keep the revenue steady we'd have to do work that was repetitive and sometimes work with people we didn't necessarily like.

The business would have been running us and not the other way around.

In order for the company to grow we'd have to compromise our need for freedom and creativity.

So rather than end up old and bitter we decided to do something radical and the rest is history.

Getting clear on our needs and embracing them has helped us decide on what's in and what's out. And in turn, we were able to make big decisions that have laid the foundations for the work we do today.

How can you lead with needs?

In this Fireside Carlos and Laurence will be joined by Lana Jelenjev, and alumni from our Vision 20/20 program, to reflect on our experiences of putting needs at the heart of our work, and how this influences how we make decisions each and every day.

We'll help you to look at your work in a different light and help you say, with confidence, what's in or what's out.

The photo is of Needs Cards by Max St John which we use at our retreats to build clarity and connection.

Lead with needs (to bring more flow to your life and work)