For a very long time we’ve known who we are. We’ve known what we believe in and what is important to us as a business. Until recently, we’d never said all this out loud. But in September we sat down, as a business, and created our values, mission and purpose. These three pillars are what guide us (as a business), and everyone who works for us, in how we should act towards each other and our clients.
What are they?
A lot of what our values are aimed at is creating an even playing field for small businesses in Australia. Our aim is to allow even the smallest business, with limited capital to succeed against larger competition.
How do we do this?
So how did we go about figuring out who we are? Well, we asked our great team.
It’s taken us eight years to get together the team of experts that work throughout Sites n Stores, and they aren’t just excellent at what they do, we think they’re excellent people. We also know that their input was essential in working out exactly what values were important to us, as a team and as a business.
Want to meet them?
It may have taken us some time to put them down on paper, but at their core, these values have been guiding how we act as a business since the beginning. One of the reasons we’re sharing this all with you (no, it’s not just because we’re super happy with how the videos turned out), is because this is something you should consider doing for your own business.
It doesn’t have to require the videos, design and consultation that went into compiling ours. At a minimum all you need to ask yourself is “what values do I hold?”
Once you’ve answered this question, apply these values to how your business operates.
Think about:
- What do I want my business to stand for?
- How do I want my business to be perceived?
- If my business was a person, how would it interact with people?
If you can answer all these questions, you can probably put pen to paper and codify what you and your business believe in.
Why does my business need values?
You know what? Your business probably already does have values; you’re just not sure exactly what they are. But, when you and your business act in accordance with your values, good things happen. Following your values makes you feel better, customers react positively and you’ll find that decisions are simpler.
So consider working out what values your business holds to, it’s really helped us.
