How Ikigai Helped Me Build a Purpose-Driven Business
Years ago, I picked up a small book with a beautiful blue cover and a simple title: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. I picked it up because I was curious, since I read so many good reviews, and the book had sold over 50K copies. I didn’t expect it to change the trajectory of my career —or, for that matter, my life. But it did.
At that time, I was already a fashion designer. I had been in the industry for years, building collections, sourcing factories, and leading teams. I knew I was good at it. But something inside me was stirring; I wanted to create something of my own. Something that felt more personal, more holistic, more me.
So I started small.
From Curiosity to Creation
When I first entered the world of entrepreneurship, I didn’t know where to begin. What I did know was that I had a deep love for health and wellness. I had trained as a certified health coach, and the knowledge I gained from that experience stayed with me. So I began by publishing books—simple, focused, actionable titles on high-protein, high-fiber living. Books that reflected how I live and eat every day. That was the beginning of my publishing journey.
But something still felt incomplete.
Even though I loved what I was writing about, I wasn’t delighted. I kept asking myself: Is this all I want to create? Or is there more I need to uncover?
And that’s when Ikigai stepped back into the picture — not just as a book, but as a lens.
What the Book Taught Me
What I discovered after reading Ikigai is that Ikigai is a philosophy. A simple and quiet yet powerful invitation to explore the intersection of:
- What you love
- What you’re good at
- What the world needs
- What you can be paid for
It sounds simple. But living it is profound.
I began to journal. To reflect. I started writing about everything — the things I enjoyed, the things that annoyed me, the things I had studied for years just because I was curious:
Fashion design. Styling. Interior decorating. Feng Shui. Energy in the home. Entrepreneurship. Online learning. Personal growth. Emotional intelligence.
I allowed myself not to choose just one thing because it felt incomplete.
And that changed everything.
My Ikigai Was Not a Niche. It Was a Wholeness.
What I realized was this: I didn’t want to build a niche business. I wanted to make a purposeful media company — one where I could share what I actually love. Not what’s trending. Not what everyone else is doing. Just what feels real, true, and transformative.
So I created Elegant and Driven.
It’s a platform. A home for all the parts of me that make me who I am and what I enjoy:
- My love for a healthy lifestyle: I studied health coaching over a decade ago, and I promote a high-protein, high-fiber lifestyle and wellness practices for a wholesome lifestyle.
- With my background in fashion design and over 20 years in the fashion industry, I continue to love fashion because I see it as a form of self-expression. With a sharp eye for new trends, timeless looks, and effortless style, I wanted fashion to be a part of my mission.
- My passion for home design and Feng Shui, and how our spaces shape our lives. I have been practicing Feng Shui for more than 10 years now, and as much as I love beautifully decorated homes, I know that it’s all about the energy we create in our house.
- My obsession with personal growth, habits, clarity, and the deep work of becoming.
- My belief in entrepreneurship and learning online, one course and project at a time
I took all these pieces and layered them into what I now see as a living, breathing expression of my Ikigai. My mission. What I know and I am good at, what the world needs, and what makes me money have aligned.
Related Read:
Why Reading Books Still Matters: The Quiet Power of Books in a Noisy World
Books have a way of unlocking our purpose, focus, and inner clarity. Here’s why I still turn to them — even in a fast-paced digital world.
Why Purpose Doesn’t Have to Be a Single Path
The biggest lesson this book gave me was this: your purpose doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. It doesn’t have to be tidy. It doesn’t have to be just one thing. It just has to feel aligned.
For me, the blog and the books are only the beginning. They’re the doorway. Through them, I’ve built a publishing business, a content company. And a life I’m excited to wake up to.
Because when you build from purpose, you’re not chasing something new now. You’re creating from your core values.
A Note to Anyone Still Searching
If you’re still figuring out what your Ikigai is, let me say this: start with what you already love. Start with what you’ve always been curious about. Please write it down. Talk about it. Let yourself play. Let yourself evolve.
You don’t have to know exactly where it will lead.
But if you follow it —if you keep choosing what feels meaningful —you’ll look back one day and realize: you’ve built something beautiful. Something real. Something that’s yours.
That’s what Ikigai helped me do.
And that’s why I’ll keep coming back to it — not just as a book, but as a philosophy for life and business.
Want to read the book that inspired it all?
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life – This little book holds more wisdom than you’d expect. It just might help you uncover what truly lights you up. Buy it below on Amazon.
