How our Values Shape our Businesses, Brands, and Legacy

It’s important to remember that when we found a business, we are the captain, and the business thrives best when we build the business around our values and vision.

While hiring people can certainly expand our creation and their priorities and values can contribute to the success of the endeavor – ultimately, we need to steer the ship and attract the right connections, clients, and employees.

The values that have been with me through all my business endeavors are Transformation, Curiosity, Empathy, and Community.

When we become aware of the way we operate in the world, the values that motivate us and spark our passion, and give them a place to express and thrive, we feel better. Our lives feel full of meaning.

 When we are able to communicate our goals and values clearly, we draw to us the right support, experiences, and opportunities to grow.

When we look to others to inform us of how our vision should unfold, it can feel like the right thing to do. We definitely want outside eyes and perspectives to help us understand the world and inform how we approach obstacles and opportunities.

But, if we take those insights and mistakenly believe that someone else’s vision and values are the guiding principles of our own actions, we undermine the spark that gives our businesses or brands life in the first place.

We need to remember what lights us up, the vision we have for how we relate to the world, and the message our particular brand or product brings to our customers.

Ultimately, a business needs its founder to be the voice of the endeavor, and the guiding hand to its development. By embracing this reality we afford our employees and customers MORE opportunities to appreciate our unique voice and perspective, not less. 

A muddled vision is no vision at all, and it is hard to gain momentum or rally anyone around a cause when there are too many.