Values and mission are critical to the success of any business. We all know that passion (which should be in your mission) can help sell your service and/or product but your values help you to craft your business brand or reputation. Understanding what you stand for as a company will not only open new opportunities but will help you make smart (reputable) business decisions.
As a mission driven company, standing by our values is as important as the work we produce. TYTHEdesign is a design-consulting firm supporting the goals and needs of agencies working in the social sector. When I started TYTHEdesign over a year ago, I spent several weeks evaluating ‘who’ I was trying to support and ‘how’ I was trying to support them, basically creating my mission (passion). But my biggest worry was being hypocritical and not serving those who trusted me. This lead me to develop a value set: outlining whom I was willing to work with (to us the social sector encompasses non-profits, for profits and anyone looking to improve their impact both socially and environmentally); what type of work we would be doing (collaboration, cultural sensitivity, innovation); and our long term goals (economic sustainability for the sector). After developing this set, it was surprising how much easier and flexible I was with making decisions and how comfortable we were knowing our actions would always be truthful to our values. Simply, if the project or client didn’t fit into my value set then it wasn’t right for my company no matter what the economic benefit would be.
No matter if you are a mission driven company or not, what is important is for each business owner to understand what you stand for and stick to it. Nobody is going to be fooled if you’re not walking your talk. For example if you are a sustainable company and you release a product that isn’t sustainable, then your business etiquette will certainly be called into question. For some companies values are not as easy to define, but it is important to understand what values might be important to your consumers and to you as a business owner. You are the one having to walk the walk, so don’t pick values or behaviors that are counterintuitive to who you are. Be honest, express those values in your communication, and be informative to your customer if your company/values are changing. Your community will be more receptive if they have prior knowledge versus assuming a flux in your business.
The bottom line is being consistent with who you are as a company. To attract new customers you need to build a brand, and to build a reputable brand you need consistent behavior. In short, knowing who you are and what you stand for, your business etiquette will never be in question.
-Kristina Drury
TYTHEdesign, using design to support those making our community a better place.
@tythedesign
***This was Best Business Tip #13. Read the other 99 Best Business Tips.***
