Core Values

An online financial company asked me to write a series of articles on start-ups. Here is one article out of the series. Start Up 101: Core Values

By April Brewster-Smythe As entrepreneurs and business owners we all know how hard it is to compete in tough economic times. Even when times are good, it has been said ad infinitum, that half of all small businesses fail. So, it just stands to reason that utilizing the core values of a business might help set your business apart from others, and help you gain a competitive edge. One of the most obvious mistakes made by many entrepreneurs is spending too much time on mixing up an idea and not executing the business that comes from the idea. Let us say that you have an idea for a business that makes the guarantee that every package you send through them will be delivered no later than 10:30am the next morning. You would consider timeliness and a rock solid guarantee a core value. And, you would also call yourself Federal Express. In the movie, The Social Network, the story of the rise of Facebook, there is a scene where the actor who plays Mark Z is yelling at his then best friend, and he says,” Facebook never crashes, never, ever, never” – the fact that he had installed the core value of infallibility in the Facebook culture has been instilled in the success of Facebook and has set them apart from other social networking sites- beyond the genius of it all. In today’s rough and tumble marketplace, it pays to be a realist and set a rigid set of core values for your company. These core values must be consistent, and pertinent to your industry. One core value that will never grow old and is a rare commodity today is excellent customer service. The entrepreneur or small business owner who implements a no-holds barred core value of sustained and excellent customer service cannot help but get customers and keep them. In fact, great customer service can even become your unique selling proposition- your competitive edge. Entrepreneurs are in an exceptional position to drive great customer service because they are versatile and empowered by themselves. They do not have to sort through layers of bureaucracy to get permission to get things done. So, if they want to make a call on an elderly person who can’t come to their computer store, they can- and they can make that known. The core values you design for your company do not have to be long and cumbersome. A 10 point statement will do. But, give each and every one of these bullet points their due and then put them in place as your competitive edge. As a green business owner, my values are implicit in my product. But, that can’t be known unless I uphold my cause. When I created the Green ABC’s I really just wanted to find a fun and creative way for kids and their families to get excited about going green. It took a lot of time and effort to turn that idea into the concept of a profit making business. And, frankly I am still not sold on the idea of the Green ABC’s as a for-profit. At some point I will revisit that, and either set it up as a non-profit or partner with a for-profit company that shares my values of sustainable practices across the wide spectrum of life. As a freelance writer, and business person, my core values are to help my clients achieve more profit by helping them project a polished and professional business identity. This goal cannot be achieved by business owners unless they understand that offering poorly constructed content on their websites or in their business presentations portrays carelessness on their part. Thus, my central core value of projecting excellence always comes into play when offering my written products. What is your core value? What are the central components that drive you and your business concepts? What is your story? Tell you customers in a genuine way, every time you do business with them, and your core values will be evident to them, and become the focal point of your product or service. Visit me at Custom Built Content!