It's so important to have guiding principles/values in your business.
There are so many ways to grow a business and if you aren't careful you will build your business in a way that goes against your internal values.
This is how you end up feeling stuck, resentful, and lost on the journey of building your business.
I’ve been guilty of this 100%. Simply listening to the loudest voices on the socials.
Let’s look at marketing and generating leads as an example.
Many options to choose from and they all work.
You’ve got cold outreach. DM’s, calls, emails, etc…
I absolutely hate this method as it always felt way too laborious and sleazy.
It works though.
You’ve got direct response ads.
This is really where I’ve built my businesses in the past.
It’s a great feeling to be able to spend money and instantly get booked calls and clients.
Problem is you are talking to unqualified leads all the time. You’ve gotta be pretty decent at sales as well.
It’s very draining but it works.
If all you value is revenue and more money then it doesn’t really matter which avenue you choose.
Just pick one and grind away.
For me, I realized I valued peace of mind a lot more.
I want a business that fuels my lifestyle instead of takes away from it.
I got clear on the values around my sales process.
I went all in on figuring out how to create client attraction.
I decided I was never going to do another sales call with a cold prospect.
So far so good.
It’s a way of doing marketing and sales that allows me to only talk to qualified prospects.
Meaning they already have an understanding of who I am, what I’m about, and how I can help them.
This has happened because I got clear on what I valued and what I didn’t value.
I value my energy and don’t want it drained by talking to random people only interested in an outrageous guarantee based offer.
I value working with “perfect fit” clients that I enjoy working with.
So I’ll never say yes to the money and hate working with them.
Not worth it.
Ever.
I value Grace, ease and flow. Therefore I don’t engage in cold outreach, complicated funnels, or rushing to grow my business. I’ll go slower if I have to.
I value fulfillment. Therefore I don’t make business decisions purely based on financial gain. I want to make sure everything is in alignment with my life values.
I value free time as a Dad and husband so I’m always looking for more ways to find and create leverage so I’m not a slave to my business.
My point is to get clear on your values to create a more holistic version of success. You get to build the business you want.
Better to be intentional about the designing of that business because we are constantly defaulting to the “normal” way of doing things.
So it helps to have a document you can refer to often.
Here’s a few exercises you can do to get a little more clarity:
- Look back at the decisions you’ve made over the last few years. Ask yourself why you decided on what you did. Write out all the reasons. Try and find at least 3-5 and you’ll probably see a common theme.
2. Use a value list like the one I’ve attached. Circle or highlight the words that jump out at you or you feel some strong emotion around. Journal what that word means to you.
3.Role models. Who in business/life do you look up to? Why? For my Richard Branson has always stood out to me because he is always having fun. He seems to really enjoy his business and life. That’s a deep value of mine. If it ain’t fun I don’t want none.
Hope this helps!