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MICHAEL HYATT 
is a powerful speaker and leader in the area of values-based companies. I was listening to a recent podcast on this topic this week where he reinforced one of my key messages:
Stated values are fine, but they don’t make a difference until you take action.
It’s a simple concept, really, and should be blindingly obvious. After all, when your favorite cable company states that they’re “customer oriented,” do you believe it when they’re also not showing up for appointments? When they don’t answer your questions over the phone?
YOU HEAR THIS all the time: “Our employees are our most valuable resource!”
It’s supposed to make you feel better as an employee. You know what? I don’t see that it works. But to figure out why, we need to tear apart that word “resource.”
re·source
noun \ˈrē-ˌsȯrs, -ˌzȯrs, ri-ˈ\
: something that a country has and can use to increase its wealth
: a supply of something (such as money) that someone has and can use when it is needed
: a place or thing that provides something useful
noun \ˈrē-ˌsȯrs, -ˌzȯrs, ri-ˈ\
: something that a country has and can use to increase its wealth
: a supply of something (such as money) that someone has and can use when it is needed
: a place or thing that provides something useful
— Merriam-Webster online
What’s missing from this definition? Read the rest of this entry »
F
IRMS OF ENDEARMENT: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose is an excellent book, supporting the idea that companies are more successful when they form positive emotional bonds with employees, customers, and investors. I’ve been reading it recently in preparation for leading the Entreprenerds discussion on April 18th, “Business for the 21st Century”.
I’ve learned a lot from this, and it’s been useful for my own coaching business.
By definition, the owner of a values-based business is focused on “doing something important.” But there’s always the question of whether he or she will be rewarded by also having a profitable and sustainable business.
THIS WEEK 
I had a chance to hang out with a bunch of inventors, writers and artists at the Quid Novi Spring of Innovation. What a cool idea! We had a chance to talk about what’s currently happening with innovation in northern Colorado and the rest of the world.
It’s clear to me that innovation has a slightly different twist in values-based businesses than it might in others.
FINDING 
YOUR DEEP VALUES can be like falling in love.
Love is elusive, one of those “I’ll know it when I see it” type of things.
What I’ve described as deep values also can be elusive, because it starts with what you live and breathe every day. For me, I’ve decided that being of service is crucial to my life and my business. People generally have two reactions to this:
MATT SHOUP is the owner of 
M&E Painting, a fast-growing enterprise here in Northern Colorado. Many in Fort Collins are aware of Tim Farnsworth, Matt’s sign guy on the corner of Harmony & College.
But the story of Matt and M&E is much deeper.
Matt started this residential re-painting specialist company in 2005 with his last $100, after getting laid off from a job in mortgage banking. With a passion for customer service and to develop a company of character, he launched in and has been experiencing steady growth ever since. M&E is now a multi-million-dollar company.
I first spoke with Matt back in 2011, and it’s fascinating to see how he’s developing personally, and how this affects his business. It was great to catch up this week and learn more of his story.
YOUR BUSINESS screwed up. Publicly.
You had that blowup with the big customer, and they’re threatening a lawsuit. The press is snooping around and is going to eviscerate you on the front page of the business section.
Things are getting ugly and the pressure is on.
Like it or not, this is bound to happen to you a few times during your lifetime. Read the rest of this entry »
TODAY I HAVE questions but no answers.
I’ve been doing some work recently with another coach, and have found it to be highly valuable. It’s been probably ten years since I’ve worked on my own statement of purpose. I’d like to think that I’ve developed and grown since then.
Here’s the current version of my purpose statement: Read the rest of this entry »
OK, I’LL ADMIT IT: Sometimes my own foundation feels a little uncertain. Despite the fact that I’ve been building this momentum for 15 years now and have been seeing considerable success in the last year, I still have my moments of doubt.
I think it’s part of the human condition.
What do you do when you’re starting to doubt your values and principles? Read the rest of this entry »
GOALS AND VALUES can be tough to deal with. Their very nature makes them hard or impossible to attain, especially on a consistent basis. And when you have idealistic values as the foundation of your business, it’s possible to feel that your foundation is shaken when you’re unable to hit those high ideals.
For whatever reason, we humans tend to focus on failure more than success. And we tend to be most critical of ourselves.
I was pondering this morning how close we are to eradicating Polio from the planet. It’s an astounding goal, actually, because we rarely get to declare a 100% victory on anything. Read the rest of this entry »
The Values-Based Business 