Values, Not Vibes: Identifying Your Core Values and Putting Them to Work in Your Business

When I first started my business, I thought I was supposed to have core values. So, I did what a lot of well-meaning entrepreneurs do – I Googled “core values,” scrolled through some websites, and cherry-picked the ones that sounded good or aligned with the vibe I thought I should be giving off.

Spoiler alert: that was a mistake.

I didn’t realize at the time that I was choosing values based on what I thought my clients wanted to see, not what truly grounded me or guided my decisions. I had confused branding aesthetics with foundational beliefs. It wasn’t until I hit a wall with burnout and misalignment that I finally understood: core values aren’t cute words you display on your website. They’re the non-negotiable truths that should shape everything in your business – from how you create content to how you show up for your clients.

The gist: Core values are the non-negotiable beliefs already guiding your business decisions, from the offers you create to how you handle hard calls. To find yours, look for patterns in your lived experience, then define 3–5 values in your own words. Aspirations you're still growing into belong in your mission or vision statement.

If you’ve ever felt like your messaging is inconsistent, your offers feel out of sync, or you're just generally overwhelmed trying to “show up right” online – it might be time to revisit your values. And not just the vibes you want to give off… but the real, lived values that drive your work.

What Are Core Values?

Let’s start by clearing up the biggest misconception: core values aren’t just feel-good words for your About page. They’re not meant to be aspirational fluff or industry buzzwords you sprinkle around to sound impressive.

In a truly values-based business, core values are the internal compass that guides how you think, show up, and serve. They help you make decisions, set boundaries, communicate with clarity, and build trust with your community. They’re not just what you say – they’re what you do, even when no one’s watching.

So let’s break this down…

Core values are:

• Your non-negotiables – the beliefs you stand by even when it’s hard.
  
• A tool for decision-making, especially when you're feeling uncertain or overwhelmed.
  
• A way to create alignment between your message, your mission, and your actions.
  
• The root system that holds up your business, even as your offers, branding, or strategies evolve.
  

Core values are not:

• A trendy list you copied from someone else's website.
  
• What you wish your brand stood for someday (those are aspirations, not current truths).
  
• Empty promises that look nice on social but aren’t reflected in your business practices.
  
• Just for big corporations with HR departments and mission statements.
  

This is where a lot of small business owners – especially those of us who care deeply about doing things ethically – can get tripped up. We want our businesses to stand for justice, inclusion, or accessibility… but if those values aren’t actually baked into our day-to-day operations, our messaging can start to feel off. (Or worse, performative.)

What About Aspirations?

You might be wondering: If values are supposed to be real and lived – not aspirational – then what do I do with the things I deeply care about but haven’t fully embodied yet?

Aspirations absolutely have a place in your business. They just serve a different purpose than core values.

Aspirations are about who you’re becoming and the impact you’re working toward. They reflect the direction you're headed, not necessarily where you are right now. That doesn’t make them any less valid – but it does mean they shouldn’t be framed as “core” until they’re consistently showing up in your decisions, operations, and offers.

For example, you might feel strongly about building an anti-oppressive or radically inclusive business. But if you’re still unpacking your privilege, learning to decenter whiteness, or updating your systems to be more accessible – that’s important aspirational work, not a fully embodied value (yet).

Instead of naming justice or inclusion as a core value just because it sounds good, try this approach:

“We’re committed to building a more just and inclusive business – and we’re actively learning and evolving our practices to get there.”

This does a few powerful things:

• Communicates your values and your integrity
  
• Builds trust by being transparent about your journey
  
• Avoids the trap of overpromising or performative marketing
  

So while your core values should guide what’s already true in your business, your aspirations can show up in your:

• Mission statement (the “why” behind your work)
  
• Vision statement (the future you’re helping shape)
  
• Learning commitments (how you’re growing)
  
• Content (sharing the messy middle of your evolution)
  

Naming your aspirations clearly and ethically is just as powerful – and honestly, it’s what sets values-based businesses apart from those just chasing vibes.

The Problem with Picked-From-a-List Values

If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling through a giant list of “core values” and thinking, “Yep, that one sounds good… and that one too… and ooh, that’s a nice word!”—you’re not alone.

Many of us started our businesses by choosing values that felt “on brand” or aligned with what we thought we should stand for. It’s totally understandable, especially when you're still figuring out your voice and place in the market.

But here’s the problem: values that are chosen to look good rarely help you do good.

When your core values are picked from a list just because they’re trendy, aspirational, or commonly used in your industry, they often lack depth, clarity, and meaning. They don’t reflect the real decisions you’re making behind the scenes. And that can lead to all kinds of misalignment – internally and externally.

Here’s What Happens When Your Values Aren’t Truly Yours:

• You end up with inconsistent messaging that doesn’t feel rooted or cohesive.
  
• Your content starts to feel forced or disconnected from your actual lived experience.
  
• You feel pressure to perform values you haven’t fully defined or embodied.
  
• Your audience picks up on the gap between what you say and what you do – consciously or not.
  
• You might attract clients who align with your aspirations, but not your reality – which can lead to mismatched expectations and burnout.

Trying to build your business on someone else’s values is like trying to write your story with someone else’s voice. It might sound okay for a while, but it’ll never feel fully aligned. And over time, it chips away at your confidence and clarity.

The Real Red Flag:

If your list of core values could be copied and pasted onto any business in your industry and still make sense… it’s time to dig deeper.

The truth is, your values should be so personal and specific that they couldn’t belong to anyone else. They should reflect your lived experience, your quirks, your priorities, and your commitments – even the messy or uncomfortable ones.

The good news? If you’ve picked values from a list before… you’re not wrong or broken. You were just missing the context. And now that you know better, you get to choose values that actually reflect who you are and how you work.

That’s exactly what we’ll walk through next: how to identify your real, rooted, ready-to-use core values.

How Do You Identify Your Core Values?

So how do you move beyond a borrowed list of buzzwords and uncover the values that actually reflect you?

Here’s a step-by-step, ADHD-friendly process to help you get there – with space for both reflection and realness.

Step 1: Reflect on Your Lived Experience

Start with your story – not someone else’s.

Ask yourself:

• When have I felt most proud or aligned in my business?
  
• When have I felt uncomfortable, out of integrity, or frustrated?
  
• What beliefs or boundaries have shaped the way I do business—intentionally or not?
  

Your values often show up first as strong emotions: excitement, anger, relief, tension. Pay attention to those moments. They’re often pointing to what truly matters to you.

Step 2: Notice the Patterns

Now look for themes in how you naturally show up.

Ask:

• What do I consistently prioritize, even when no one’s watching?
  
• What do people often thank me for or compliment me on?
  
• What do I tend to protect, defend, or advocate for?
  

Your values aren’t just ideas – they show up in your behaviors, boundaries, and instincts. This step helps you move from vague ideals to real-world traits.

Step 3: Use a List (But with Caution)

If it helps, glance at a list of common values – but treat it as inspiration, not a buffet. You’re not trying to “build the perfect brand personality.” You’re trying to describe what’s already alive in you.

Narrow it down to 3–5 values max. You want clarity and focus, not overwhelm.

And remember: aspirations can be deeply meaningful, but they don’t belong in your core values list (yet).

Step 4: Define What They Mean to You

This is where the magic happens.

It’s not enough to say “justice” or “creativity” and call it a day. Those words are powerful, yes – but they’re also incredibly broad. What they mean in your business could be totally different than what they mean in someone else’s.

Let me show you what I mean.

Here are my core values – plus what they actually look like in practice:

• Justice: I believe business is a force for dismantling systems of oppression, and as such, I prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and ethics in everything I do.
  
• Curiosity: I constantly challenge assumptions, seek answers through self-directed research, embrace growth and learning, and explore diverse perspectives to gain deeper understanding.
  
• Creativity: I recognize there is no such thing as “one size fits all” and explore multiple perspectives while constantly innovating and experimenting for optimal outcomes.
  
• Connection: I am focused on building authentic relationships, fostering a safe and collaborative community, and actively valuing and acknowledging each individual's voice and presence.
  
• Integrity: Decisions are made based on alignment with these core values, rather than tradition or popular opinion, and I hold myself accountable (with grace) and take responsibility for my thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Even if another business used these exact same five words, their descriptions – and the way they show up in action – would look completely different. And that’s the whole point.

Your core values should be so personal, so specific, and so aligned with your story that they couldn’t possibly belong to anyone else.

Putting Your Values to Work in Your Business

This is where values stop being words on a page and start becoming a filter for how you lead, show up, and make decisions in your business.

Your values should influence:

• What you say yes (and no) to
  
• The offers you create and how you price them
  
• How you engage with clients, collaborators, and your community
  
• What you choose to speak up about—or stay quiet on
  
• The way you handle challenges, conflicts, and hard calls

To show you what this looks like in real life, here are two examples of how I’ve put my core values into action.

Example 1: Calling Out an Unethical Marketer

There was a time when a bro-marketer added me to a Google Calendar event – without my consent. This wasn’t someone I knew, had a relationship with, or had ever invited into my space. It was a random dude spamming me with a calendar invite that identified me as ‘required’ alongside a list of others that was too long to display. This was an unethical sales tactic to get me on a webinar where he’d sell his program on how to prospect for new clients (likely teaching this gross strategy).

It happened once. Then again. Then a third time.

At that point, I’d already contacted him and his team in multiple ways, asking to be removed. Nothing changed. I felt stuck – and so ready to go full LinkedIn justice-warrior on this guy, just like I’d seen others do.

Now you might think I talked myself out of calling him out publicly… but actually? After running it through my core values, I realized that putting him on blast was exactly the right move for me.

Here’s how that decision aligned with my values:

• Justice: I believe business is a force for dismantling systems of oppression. This marketer’s tactic was intrusive, manipulative, and rooted in power-over dynamics. I saw public accountability as a way to disrupt this behavior – and potentially protect others from it.
  
• Curiosity: I had already done my research. I looked into his background and business. Turns out, he had been called out before. He knew it was wrong – and did it anyway. That gave me the clarity I needed.
  
• Creativity: I had tried all the conventional ways to address the issue privately. They didn’t work. So I got creative, choosing a more visible response to raise awareness and draw a boundary.
  
• Connection: By sharing the experience publicly, I was able to connect with others who had been targeted too. It created space for solidarity, support, and safer conversations.
  
• Integrity: I knew not everyone would agree with my choice. But I made the decision intentionally, with full alignment to my values. And if I ever decide I was wrong or want to shift my response? I’ll own that too – publicly, and with grace.

Example 2: Deciding Whether to Raise the Price of My Membership

At one point, I considered raising the price of The Content Marketing Membership from $10/month to something higher. It’s a valuable program, packed with resources and community support – and I’ve been told more than once by trusted and successful experts that the low price might signal “low value.”

But here’s how my values helped guide my decision:

• Justice: Affordability is an accessibility issue. I want the membership to be as inclusive as possible, especially for marginalized entrepreneurs with limited financial access. If I can keep it at $10/month and sustain it financially, that’s a win.
  
• Curiosity: I didn’t make the decision blindly. I researched other memberships, asked what people actually think when they see a low price point, and studied business models that blend accessibility with sustainability.
  
• Creativity: I explored options like tiered pricing or offering add-ons instead of raising the base price. This allowed me to play with revenue growth in ways that stayed aligned with my values.
  
• Connection: I checked in with my members. I asked what they thought about the value they receive and whether they’d support a price change. And honestly? Their feedback helped reinforce my commitment to keeping the membership low-cost and high-impact.
  
• Integrity: At the end of the day, it didn’t feel right to raise the price – not for now. I knew I could create other income streams elsewhere, and my decision reflected the deeper purpose of the membership: to be helpful, accessible, and self-sustaining.

The Takeaway

When your values are clearly defined, they become a decision-making framework. They help you:

• Take action with confidence
  
• Navigate complex or emotional choices
  
• Stay aligned with your mission – even when things get messy

And the best part? You don’t need to follow someone else’s formula. You get to make decisions that are uniquely right for you, backed by a foundation you trust.

How Often Should You Revisit Your Core Values?

Here’s the truth: your values are meant to evolve as you evolve.

That’s not inconsistency – it’s growth.

The things that feel core to your business now might shift as you learn, unlearn, and expand your understanding of what it means to lead with integrity. An aspiration today might become a core value tomorrow. Something that once felt non-negotiable might become less central to your work as your focus deepens elsewhere.

That’s why it’s important to treat your core values as a living document – something you revisit and reflect on regularly, not a static set-it-and-forget-it statement.

My Process: Annual Values Check-In

For me, I’ve found that end-of-year planning season is the perfect time to do a values review. December tends to be a slower month in my business, which gives me space to look back, zoom out, and assess how my values are showing up (or not).

During this check-in, I ask myself:

• Do these values still reflect the way I want to lead and serve?
  
• Have any new values emerged or become more central to my work?
  
• Am I actually living these values – or just listing them?
  
• Are there places in my business that feel misaligned or off track?
  

Even if nothing changes, the process of pausing, reflecting, and recommitting helps me move into the new year with clarity and confidence.

If you're someone who struggles with planning or feels overwhelmed by too many moving pieces, this kind of values-based check-in can anchor your next steps – whether you're updating your offers, mapping out content, or setting new goals.

Final Thoughts

Your values aren’t a marketing trick or a branding exercise. They’re your foundation. Your compass. Your call-in to deeper alignment.

When you take the time to define what matters most to you – and when you revisit and refine those truths as you grow – you build a business that not only looks authentic, but feels authentic from the inside out.

And you don’t have to have it all figured out right now. The goal isn’t perfection – it’s intention.

Ready to let your values guide your marketing? Dig into how to create authentic, values-based content that attracts the right people without compromising your integrity – read: “Values-Based Marketing: The Key to Authentic Content Creation.”

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