As a solopreneur, how often do you think about your company culture? As I read “Delivering Happiness” by Zappos chief Tony Hsieh, I was reminded that the concept of culture is highly relevant, whether you are a company of one, 100 or 1,000.
Perhaps when you finished with your last corporate or nonprofit job, you thought that dealing with “company culture” was a thing of the past. Like me, you probably experienced a wide variety of cultures during your 9-5 career, ranging from very positive and nurturing to mistrustful and territorial, and everything in between.
We know the importance of culture to the success of larger businesses; what would happen if we placed the same amount of importance on the culture of our solo enterprises?
For solopreneurs, your culture is reflected in the company you keep. Your culture is your community, and how you work and play within that community. Each of us makes regular choices about the company we keep, and those choices echo our core values.
How intentional have you been about your company culture and community?
Let’s consider an additional piece of information: According to Hsieh, your culture is your brand. They are two sides of the same coin. We all recognize the importance of our brand; have we paid equal attention to our culture? Since culture and brand are on the same coin, alignment is the key to making sure your business cultivates and sustains strong value.
“Value” does not simply mean financial results. In this case, “value” is an expression of what you hold to be true and what is most important in your life and business. Values can include ideals such as adventure, agility, boldness, certainty, compassion, discipline, faith, freedom, humor, leadership, openness, passion, resourcefulness, trust or winning.
When you choose to create a Culture of One, you have decided to transform your viewpoint from seeing yourself as a one-person shop to proactively building a community based on core values. Your business choices are determined by aligning values --> culture --> brand.
How do you build a Culture of One? The following are three steps for clarifying and aligning your values, which form the foundation for your culture and your brand.
1) Identify your values. Your values are your stake in the ground, the words that represent you and what you stand for. Zappos had 10 core values that permeated every level of the company and formed the basis for every decision it made. Their values included ideals such as service, change, fun, adventure, growth, communication, teamwork, passion, efficiency and humility.
In the spirit of sharing, here are my core values: authenticity, truth, gratitude, freedom, love, introversion, contribution, curiosity, acknowledgment, growth. What are yours? Take your values and put them someplace where you can see them regularly: as your desktop background, a screensaver, at the start of your business plan, posted on your website… do something meaningful and creative. For example, I made a Wordle out of mine, printed out the image and put it above my desk (visit wordle.net to make your own image).
2) Examine how well your values are aligned with your choices and actions. Look at each area of your business:
- People: relationships with clients, customers and vendors, collaborators, advocates, support network
- Product: goods, services, offerings
- Presence: marketing, social media, networking, contribution
- Process: finances, time management, organization
How well are your choices and actions aligned with your values in each of these areas? For instance, if you value gratitude, how is that being reflected in how you relate to each of these four core areas? Ideally, your values form the lens through which you evaluate all of your ideas and decision points. Looking through a lens of gratitude, or other values such as truth or authenticity, you can evaluate each area of your business and see whether you’re in or out of focus with your values.
3) Notice the fuzzy spots and create a plan to focus them.
Chances are you’ll determine that you are doing a good job expressing your values through your business. You may also notice that certain values are not showing up clearly.
Here’s a personal example: I value a culture of freedom. I want to experience ease and flow in all areas of my business, particularly as related to freedom around my finances and time. In reality, I often feel constricted. There’s not enough time and money to do what I want to do. I’ve not invited freedom into my business; on occasion, I’ve allowed mild panic to take over. Noticing this misalignment is an invitation to change. It’s an opportunity to become curious and clarify exactly what freedom means to me. It’s a chance to define what it would look and feel like to create more freedom through my financial and time management processes. Then, I can make choices and take action to support that value.
As you intentionally align your choices with your personal values, your culture will take shape. Your choices will reinforce and move your values forward. The fuzzy spots you noticed in step 3 are probably values that you have not fully defined for yourself. Clarity of definition and purpose will support making choices that snap everything into focus. As a solopreneur, you have the luxury and responsibility of choosing your community. Your distinct culture is defined by a combination of your values, choices and the company you keep.
It may seem strange to apply the concept of culture to your business when you’re a company of one. However, it’s similar to having a vision, mission or purpose. Your culture is an expression and extension of your values and involves everyone in your circle of peers, clients and supporters. We teach others how to treat us – through the intentional creation of a Culture of One, we can assure that we’re sending out the right signals that help us all treat each other in accordance with our values.
The closing quote from “Delivering Happiness” sums it up perfectly: “When you walk with purpose, you collide with destiny.” (Bertice Berry)
For Your Consideration:
- What are your company values?
- How well are your choices aligned with your values?
- How would you define your company-of-one culture?
- What have you experienced when you “walk with purpose”?
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