Building a Values-Based Business
Not every business is going to be built upon a specific worldview or set of values. But the ones who stand the test of time certainly do– they are centered around a vision for a better future and are clear about the role the organization plays in creating that better future.
In April, the Finding Fearless podcast featured an interview with McKenna Haz, founder of Seeav– a luxury clothing line designed to get plastics out of the ocean and into their clothing! McKenna built Seeav while in college; she successfully pitched the idea to investors and grant funders in between studying and playing on the rugby team. She’s learned a lot of lessons since the early days of Seeav, but one of the most important ones is to build your team around shared values.
“Since day one, Seeav has been all about our dedication to cleaner oceans. Whomever you bring into your business, they’ve gotta have the same core values or it just doesn’t work and you’re not able to grow together and build.”
For Seeav, that means everyone who comes onto the team has to have a deep passion for the ocean. From advisory board members to full-time staff and contractors, each person tasked with supporting the brand has a love for the ocean in common. You might not think that would be a requirement, since there are so many aspects to running a business that aren’t specifically mission-focused. However, if there isn’t alignment around mission and vision… an organization can quickly experience mission creep (where they try to do too many things outside of what they’re great at) or cultural misalignment within specific teams.
Having strong core values also serves to attract other aligned people and organizations into your work! A single organization cannot fix every problem, but when that organization makes their values very clear, people with those same values start to show up. McKenna has found that building a values-based business has attracted female founders, yoga studio partners, and similar brands interested in collaborating on new projects.
Another core value of Seeav is transparency: they’re dedicated to being completely honest about who makes their products, how the products are made, and where the materials come from. This attracts thoughtful, committed customers who purchase products AND become champions for the brand. By building this dedicated community of support, a company can grow and scale quickly.
Even if your business isn’t recycling plastic waste from the ocean or investing in underrepresented founders, a strong commitment to values can help drive customer loyalty, attract the best team members, and secure necessary funding as you grow. If you need help figuring out the core values for your business, be sure to reach out to Fearless Foundry! We partner with businesses of all sizes to discern core values so you can attract ideal clients, recruit the right people, and secure funding.
