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Here’s the story of what most companies do: deliver products and services, build a loyal customer base, and make as much money as possible. Eventually the owner retires rich, sipping rum drinks in the Caribbean and perhaps playing some golf.
While that’s a lovely scenario, it’s not very deep.
When I coach business owners, I often find that there are some goals which are much deeper, more heartfelt. The companies who are driven by something deeper are different.
STEFANIE AND PATRICK O’NEILL own a third generation family business called 
Vern’s Toffee House. It was started by Stefanie’s grandfather, Vern Hackbarth, in 1976, as his second “retirement project” at the age of 60. I met her father last year, as the company was in the process of transitioning to Patrick and Stefanie.
It’s a fascinating little business. They had survived quite nicely for 36 years with just family and some seasonal part-time employees, and just last year took on someone year-round.
How does this survive? Quite simply: An amazingly wonderful product, a simple business model, and flawless quality.
GREG MUSTO started RJM
Automotive Buyer’s Agency back in 2011 based on a strong desire to change the way relationships are treated in the automotive industry.
We’ve all had the experience, right? You walk into a dealership and are instantly encircled by sharks, looking to make sure you don’t leave the lot without filling their pockets. Today. Now.
This is the sad reality, but based on his experience and convictions, Greg wanted to create a different kind of company. But first I have to tell you about the company name.
MICHAEL BROWN
has been a passionate educator and pastor for 30 years, and joined Tutor Doctor in 2011 to help make this his full time business. Quite simply, he’s improving the lives of students and families through success in education.
And, by the way, he’s also helping to change the face of education in America.
Looking for the next step in his business career a couple of years ago, he teamed up with his wife Sandi and partner Blake, and evaluated a range of options. They were intrigued with franchises of various kinds, and then discovered the field of education and tutoring. Read the rest of this entry »
LAST WEEK’S post When do you change your values? has generated some discussion. I try to get people to add comments to the blog posts, but some end up in LinkedIn or Facebook or as personal emails to me. C’est la vie, I guess.
It is quite possible that you’ll be faced with a fundamental decision. You tried to build a business out of the idea of benefiting a particular needy group, but after three years you just haven’t been able to figure out how to make the company sustainable. If you don’t have enough revenue, the business will eventually die.
And you certainly aren’t benefiting yourself OR that needy group if it’s not sustainable.
YOU MIGHT THINK that this is a flippant question, but I’m serious. Our values DO change during the course of our lifetime, so it’s quite possible that a shift will occur which causes you to change the values of your business.
A common shift comes when you figure out that your business plan just isn’t going to work anymore. Even if it was successful at one point, you now know that you’re headed for failure. It’s time to pivot your strategy and take a different approach.
But this doesn’t necessarily imply any change to your values. It may totally change WHAT you’re doing and HOW you’re doing it, but not WHY.
WHEN YOU are building a company based on deeper values, it’s critical to align your actions with your employees.
No, I’m not talking about the plaque on the wall stating your principles. I’m not talking about your employee training program. Both are important, I suppose, but they lose their value to reinforce attitudes on a day-to-day basis.
In Corporate America lingo, I’m talking about Reinforcement, Recognition, and Rewards.
Reprinted with permission from today’s guest blogger, Jon Hokama!
“To have a firm persuasion, to set out boldly in our work, is to make a pilgrimage of our labors, to understand that the consummation of work lies not only in what we have done, but who we have become while accomplishing the task.”
-David Whyte, Crossing the Unknown Sea (emphasis mine)
While employed in corporate America, I drew strength and inspiration from David Whyte’s book, Crossing the Unknown Sea. I began reframing the challenges of that environment as an influence over my character which was being shaped for good at times and for ill at others. Remembering Whyte’s insight, a classic movie was the poetic inspiration that burnished a waypoint mirror for my current journey toward business maturity.
THIS WEEK I had a chance to participate in the CMAA Sacred Music Colloquium. That may not seem relevant to a business-related blog, but it actually is.
I do this because I’m passionate about the subject, but also because it re-centers me back on to some of the core values in my life. In this case, it’s spiritual, but I do other things to keep other values focused in my life.
When you’re trying to direct a values-based business, this is quite necessary. Read the rest of this entry »
THOSE OF YOU here in Fort Collins know how crazy it would be to leave OtterBox and their amazing employee culture.
Kristin Golliher did exactly that, back in February last year. To start a new business called WildRock Public Relations & Marketing. She has great passion for what she does: providing professional services to companies large and small across the nation.
But she has an even deeper passion for the kind of company she’s trying to create.
The Values-Based Business 