I believe business owners need to build their businesses in support of their personal values and goals. You can’t separate yourself at work from you at home. Every entrepreneur knows the edges bleed together the moment you decide to start a business. It starts with you and ends with your business. Good news is your life values, vision, mission, and goals need to be aligned with your business’s.
I’ll take it a step further. I believe you can’t truly be happy unless you live in alignment with your values, are clear about your life purpose, and activate that purpose.
But you can’t activate your purpose until you get clear on your values, declare the impact (your vision) you want to make on the world, and establish how (your mission) you’re going to do that. With timelines and milestones in place to make it happen, you’ll be well on your way to living your life’s purpose. As far as I’m concerned, you, me, and every woman deserve to live a life of their design.
Your Values: Guide Your Actions
Your values are your personal moral code that guides your actions and everybody’s are a little different. Entrepreneurs come in all different styles, shapes, and sizes. Your values should inform how you act at home AND how you treat your internal team, how you show up in your community, and how you engage with clients and customers.
Your values can evolve, just like you, so it’s important to take regular stock of what compels you to act—or not act. All are fair game. Take some time to brainstorm a list of your personal values. They matter. A lot.
- What actions do you take that leave you with a sense of satisfaction or accomplishment?
- What actions do you take that leave you feeling disconnected or off?
- Who do you admire and want to emulate? What do you admire about them?
- How do you want to show up in the world?
- When you read articles, listen to podcasts, or watch the news, what stories inspire you? Compel you to action? Outrage you?
What you’re trying to nail down here is a few words or phrases that really capture what really matters most to you.
Self-inquiry is your best friend during this process, and you have all the answers. It just takes time and reflection.
Take your list and group together related items to create values sets. Are you a big fan of equality? Me too. What about financial independence? Me frickin’ too. There’s your cluster for advocating for equal pay for women, for you to reach the level of male entrepreneurs and rise above, and to pay it forward to the women you work with.
Now this is about you, not me, but I also love a good example to work with, so here are my personal values. You can connect the dots to show how they align with my businesses:
- I prioritize freedom and feminism. (Freedom of time, choice, opportunity, and financial)
- I act with intention and integrity.
- I am kind, curious, honest, and transparent.
My goal when I work with women small business owners is to find the core 3-5 values that make them tick. These values can be single words—success, creativity, accountability, etc.—or short phrases, such as, “I believe in equality” or “I act with integrity.” At RAYNE IX, we follow up our values statements with a brief sentence that elaborates on our values so you know what we’re all about. They should reflect your personal and entrepreneurial style, and feed into your vision and mission.
Your Vision: A Future Only You Can Dream Of
Your vision is your north star. It’s your pie in the sky. It’s the big picture. It answers the question, “Why are you here?” What impact do you want to have on the world? It’s one of the most important answers you’ll ever seek. Your vision is already there inside your beautiful brain, and all it takes is time—like a coaching sesh or two—to tease it out.
- Define your why. Why do you wake up in the morning? Why do you keep going when it’s hard? Why are you here? Explore the answers to these questions, and be open-minded. What is uniquely true to you? The only right answer is yours.
- Harness your passions. Think about what you care about deeply. For some people (ahem), it’s helping women have it all. For others, it’s revolutionizing the tech sphere. For somebody else, it might be providing healthy dinners to busy families so they can get back to whatever brings them joy. As Rosabeth Moss Kanter said, “A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to be something more.” Who are you at your best?
- Solve the problem. Ultimately, life visions are based on changes. It’s what you believe you can impact in your world. It doesn’t matter what scale the change is on—small or large—but it does matter whether you believe you can do it. Consider what problem needs a solution and what solution you are uniquely qualified to provide.
- Use your imagination. Ditch the limitations. Let yourself imagine what the world would look like if you had free reign to do what you want. What does your ideal future look like? Dare to dream, and never apologize for wanting more or better.
Your Mission: Actions Create Your Future
Your mission is how you make your vision a reality. It’s actionable, clear, and concise. Think about what would need to happen to achieve your vision in the next five, 10, or 20 years. What steps would you need to take on the ground to drive your vision forward? That’s your mission statement.
Overall, this isn’t a pie in the sky statement like your vision. It’s a statement that you can read and reread and say, “That. That’s what I wake up and strive for every single day.” Put the full force of your intention behind it, and ensure it reflects the impact you WILL make on your world.
Ask yourself these questions to get to the heart of what you do:
- What will you do that transcends trends, economic shifts, and new presidents?
- What do you tell people when they ask you about your life’s work?
- What actions reinforce your values and reflect your vision?
- What services are you offering that solve the problem?
Once you have your answers, find the common threads and put them together to form your mission statement. Don’t be afraid to make it reflect who YOU are; mission statements are not one-size-fits-all, just like entrepreneurship doesn’t look the same for everyone who embarks on the journey. Your values, vision, and mission are no exception.
Your Mission In Action: Goal Setting
If you’re rock solid on who you are, your dream for the future, and how you plan to accomplish it, you’re killing it! But before you wrap up the values, vision, and mission process, know that setting clear, actionable goals under an effective framework is the way to live your dreams today, tomorrow, and every day. I’m happy to help with that too, and I break it down like this:
- Set personal, financial, professional, and growth/exploration goals.
- Set small, medium, and big goals in each of the four categories.
- Set milestones by the year, quarter, month, and then biweekly sprints.
Track your habits, too, but keep them separate from your goals, which are the big stuff, the moves you make to propel your business and your life forward. Remember, your business direction starts with your life direction first.
Your Mission In Action: Goal Setting
If you’re rock solid on who you are, your dream for the future, and how you plan to accomplish it, you’re killing it! But before you wrap up the values, vision, and mission process, know that setting clear, actionable goals under an effective framework is the way to live your dreams today, tomorrow, and every day. I’m happy to help with that too, and I break it down like this:
Set financial, personal, professional, and growth/exploration goals. Set small, medium, and big goals. Set milestones by the year, quarter, month, and then biweekly sprints. Track your habits, too, but keep them separate from your goals, which are the big stuff, the moves you make to propel your business and your life forward. Remember, your business direction starts with your life direction first.
Get Clear On Your Values, Vision, Mission
Even if you know who you are and what you’re all about, it can be challenging to put it into words. And without clarity on your personal values, vision, mission, and goals, the inevitable ups and downs of life can hit like a ton of bricks.
You need the time and space to get straight on your purpose and direction, and that’s where a small business coach can help. If you’re ready to look at yourself in the mirror and make some of the most important decisions you’ll ever make in your life, it’s time to book a Discovery Call. It’s designed for you, just for you, and facilitated by somebody who has the tools you need to make the changes you dream of, the changes only you can make in your world. Let’s do this.
