Running a Business Based on Your Values: Possible?

Continuing on with the DRIVE acronym, guest blogger Angela Wills is going to talk about letter V and values today. Be sure to read about the other traits of DRIVE -  determination, resilience and initiative before going any further!

We all carry our own values through life. They’re developed early and they help us make the decisions that make us who we are. In business, your values will be what attracts ideal clients to you. Today we’re going to talk about how to truly love what you do by presenting your values!

Ever pretend to be someone your not?

I’ll admit it – I have and it’s darn hard work! There was a business I got into that involved my signing up new parents for an education savings plan for their children’s college or university education. I really believed in the product but something was very wrong with the way I marketed it. I had a ‘mentor’ who was showing me ‘her’ way – what had worked to build her a six figure plus income. The problem was I was behaving like her, not me. And because I did that my values really became compromised.

What do I mean by VALUES? Well it’s the next trait we’re discussing from the DRIVE acronym being covered this week.

DRIVE stands for:
Determination (Monday’s post)
Resilience (Tuesday)
Initiative (Wednesday)
Values (Today!)
Energy (Friday)

VALUES

We all have a core set of values. They are a set of character traits we hold near and dear to us. They are something that rules our way of living. If we break our own values then we start behaving inauthetically – which in turn causes us to attract inauthentic people into our business and our lives.

I’m no psychologist. I’m just sharing what I’ve learned based on my own experiences. I know that the more I show of ‘me’ and my true values the more authentic and rewarding my business becomes. As much as money is good I believe that we are all searching to get the most meaning out of our lives. That comes from knowing and working with our own core values.

So what are some common core values? You know them:

• honesty
• integrity
• compassion
• understanding
• hard work
• continuous improvement

Kelly is a great example of someone who runs their business with core values. Over and over again I’ve heard her say that she’d “never recommend something to you that I wouldn’t recommend to my sister – and I LOVE my sister!”. That builds trust and it attracts an audience that has the same values – I know it certainly attracted me as a listener and a customer.

As for my own values, I learned my lesson very well in that business I mentioned earlier. I was a young mom who was afraid that being myself would mean I wouldn’t succeed. Now I realize quite the opposite is true. Being me and holding my VALUES close means I can build a business that fits  absolutely perfectly, that attracts amazing customers and that no one else can replicate!

So what can you do next?

How can you run your business based on VALUES?

I recommend you do this:

1. Take inventory of your business right now.
2. Take inventory of your core values.

Do they match up? Are you running a business that matches your values? If not start now – do one thing in your business that shows your core values to your customers. Then do another, and another. Pretty soon you’ll have a business that is a true representation of who you are as a person!

Before you go, I’d like to invite you to download my free report called Market From the HEART. It’s all about building a business you love using what you know. It’s about growing a business that truly fits you and your needs. No opt-in required, it’s here: http://www.marketersmojo.com/report/MarketFromTheHeart.pdf

Tomorrow I’ve got one more DRIVE trait for you – Energy!