How to Use Your Values to Makes Decisions in Your Business

When it comes to running your business, there’s no such thing as an insignificant decision. That’s especially true when you’re leading with your values. From figuring out what you’ll post on Instagram, deciding if you’ll work with a big client or jump on a new trend, or investing in something that could take your business to the next level, your core values play into the decisions you have to make everyday as a small business owner.

The thing with your brand values is that they’re something that should be shared with your audience. If it’s important to you, it’s important to them, or at least a quality they aspire to. That’s not something to ignore. Your values drive you to do what you do and serve as the connector to the people you want to reach most.

So how do you use your values to make decisions? Read on for my 3-step process.

1. Get clear on your values.

If you’re not sure what you believe in business, start creating those core values. This will help you lay a strong foundation that makes decision making so much simpler in the future. To kick off the discovery process, write out what inspires you and what drives your business specifically. 

If you’re a personal brand, your values can easily overlap with your own beliefs. Larger organizations can be driven by personal values but they can also go beyond yourself. Things like innovation, boldness, honesty, and transparency are examples of core values in business, but you can get as specific as you want. 

Whether you choose single words as your values or phrases, these concepts drive home why you’re in business and embody the nature of what you do. These qualities make you stand out as someone that people want to work with over someone else who does the same thing as you.

2. When in doubt, revisit your values.

Does this decision align with my values? That’s the question you can always come back to if you’re not sure about something. 

For example, if you’re a more traditional brand, you won’t want to hop on a new social media trend because you’re a believer in the tried-and-true. If you’re a brand that likes conventional methods, you want to see that something really works before you incorporate it into your toolbelt. If you’re rooted in innovation, then you’ll be all about the next trend and okay with trying something that isn’t quite as proven.

3. Make sure your values continue to resonate with your audience.

Your core values are important to you, first and foremost. They drive you and make you different. But they also connect you to your audience. If your brand has been more traditional but your audience isn’t, then maybe that core value shouldn’t be a priority.

You can keep a core value but push it more, subvert it, or even take a new angle to the core values. These may be the foundation of your business, but it’s okay to reevaluate them from time to time as you shift, grow, and expand into the future.