Building a Business That Honours Your Values and Drives Success

Uncategorized Nov 19, 2024

Here’s the truth: your values aren’t just something to hang on your office wall or scribble down during a branding workshop.

They’re the essence of your business, the invisible threads connecting your work to your identity. Without them, it’s all too easy to end up building a life that looks amazing on the outside but feels exhausting on the inside.

I know this because I’ve lived it. As a lawyer navigating a high-stakes career while balancing life as a partner, dog mom of two, and business owner of two, I spent years chasing goals that didn’t align with what I truly valued. The result? A constant state of burnout and a creeping sense that I was living someone else’s dream.

When I founded Soul Attorney, it wasn’t just to help others with legal and business strategy. It was to create a movement around building businesses that honour who you truly are—businesses that feel good to run and that create lives you don’t need to escape from.

This post is designed to help you build exactly that. We’ll explore why values are essential, how to identify them, what it looks like to live by them, and how to navigate the inevitable conflicts that arise when others’ values don’t align with yours. By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to create a business that doesn’t just drive success but does so in a way that feels deeply, unapologetically you.

What Are Values, and Why Are They Essential?

Let’s get one thing straight: values aren’t just fluffy ideals. They’re the core principles that guide your decisions, shape your priorities, and influence how you show up in the world. Think of them as your inner compass, pointing you toward what matters most.

When I first started my legal career, I wasn’t paying attention to my values. I was following the script: work hard, climb the ladder, and collect achievements like trophies. (I even have a ladder tattooed on my back!!) On the surface, it was working out amazingly. I had great jobs working at law firms doing important work for my clients, but deep down, I felt unfulfilled, disconnected from the things that actually made me happy in my work. The problem was, I’d never spent any time thinking about or identifying what it was that was going to make me happy in my career. Until, in my first year of entrepreneurship, I joined a mastermind that prompted me to deeply reflect on the values I was using to guide my choices.

That’s when I realized the power of values and actually took some time to identify what mine are. This exercise gave me deep clarity and allowed me to recognize that the life I was building didn’t actually align with what I truly cared about [freedom, integrity, impact and meaningful connection] but was actually building a life based on values that were not my own, but based on the projections of the external world.

Once I made the decision to realign my work with my own values, everything started to change.

This is what I’ve learned since then. Crystal clear values are non-negotiable for building a successful, sustainable business, and here’s why:

Clarity Amid Chaos: When your values are clear, decision-making becomes simpler. You know what to say “yes” to and, more importantly, what to say “no” to. There are going to be so many “good opportunities” that come your way… but are they all best for you? Being clear on your values allows you to be discerning about where you spend your limited resources of time, energy and capital.
Authenticity: Values keep you grounded in who you are, not who you think you’re supposed to be. This authenticity shines through in your work, attracting clients, collaborators, and opportunities that resonate with your vision. This has been one of my biggest challenges to navigate as I have embraced entrepreneurship while still practicing law. The idea that, “I just want to be me” vs “I have to be the version of me I believe is most palatable to them”. When you know who you are what you stand for, it’s easier to be true to that.
Sustainability: Businesses built on values are not only easier to sustain but also more fulfilling to grow because they align with what genuinely motivates and energizes you. When your work reflects your core principles, it fuels a deeper sense of purpose, making even the challenges feel worthwhile. Instead of constantly pushing yourself to meet external expectations, you’re pulled forward by an inner drive that resonates with who you truly are. This alignment helps you avoid burnout, stay inspired, and create a business that doesn’t just succeed but thrives in harmony with your life. Doing what you love AND getting paid! Fuck ya!

Values aren’t one-size-fits-all, and that’s the beauty of them. They’re as unique as the people who define them. Here are a few examples if my values:

Freedom: Designing a business that allows flexibility in your schedule and creativity in your work.
Integrity: Operating with honesty and fairness, even when it’s not the easiest route.
Balance: Prioritizing your wellbeing and personal life alongside your professional goals.
Growth: Always learning, evolving, and improving yourself and your business.
Impact: Making a difference through your work, whether that’s empowering others, supporting social causes, or contributing to your community.

In my life, freedom and balance are non-negotiables. I structure and place boundaries around my days so I can focus on priming myself for the day with my morning routine, high-performance tasks in the day time, and am pretty hardcore about leaving time in the evening to unwind with my partner and dogs. It’s not always perfect, but it’s a constant practice of choosing to act in alignment with my values day in day out.

How to Identify Your Core Values

If you’re not sure what your values are, don’t worry. Many of us spend so much time chasing external markers of success that we forget to ask ourselves what really matters.

Identifying your values is about stripping away the noise and reconnecting with your inner truth.

Here’s how to get started:

Reflect on Peak Moments

Think about the times in your life when you felt most fulfilled. What were you doing? Who were you with? What about those moments felt so good?

For me, it’s things like: mentoring someone through a breakthrough or huge pivot and watching them soar, hearing about how some legal work I helped a client with saved them from some struggle, speaking in front of an audience and sharing about legal business empowerment, or even spending quality time cooking or outdoors by the Bay with my dogs and partner. These moments reflect my values of connection, growth, impact, and balance.

Examine Frustrations

On the flip side, look at moments when you’ve felt deeply frustrated. Often, these experiences signal a violation of your values.

For me, freedom is my number 1 value, and sovereignty (it’s sister: the ability to self-direct your existence) was a value I was not in alignment with when I worked in 9-5 jobs, be they in the kitchen or the courtroom. Following processes, recipes and procedures others had made was really hard for me because my motto has always been “work smarter, not harder”, and sometimes, my way was better. I dealt with a lot of micromanagements that eventually was the straw that broke the camel’s back and led to me quitting my last law firm job to start my own solo practice. Now, I am as free or busy as I want to be, and I know I am living in alignment as long as I feel great about that choice.

Prioritise Non-Negotiables

Make a list of potential values and narrow it down to the 3-5 that feel most essential. These should be the values you’re willing to fight for—the ones you can’t imagine living without.

As I just described, I upleveled my life, and left a six-figure job to start my own firm so I could live in alignment with my values of freedom, sovereignty, integrity, balance and growth. Being the master of my fate was my non-negotiable, and I built a business so I could giver-a-go (and here we are!).

Living Your Values in Business

It’s one thing to identify your values, but it’s another to live them. This is where the real work begins—and where the magic happens. Now that you’ve identified what they are and what your non-negotiables are, think about them in action in your life and business critically.

Every decision you make in your business, from the clients you work with to the projects you take on, should reflect your values. If something feels off, take a step back and ask yourself: Is this aligned with what matters most to me? If you’re making unaligned choices, ask yourself what or who it is your choices are actually aligned with.

Early in my career, I struggled with saying no. I’d take on every client and project, even if it didn’t align with my goals. But as I got clearer on my values, I realized that saying no to the wrong things was saying yes to the right ones. I happily refer clients to the people who are a better fit for their needs and know that it’s keeping room in my energetic field open for the opportunities that are aligned.

Your values should be evident in how you present yourself and your business. This doesn’t mean slapping them on your website and calling it a day. It means showing up authentically in your interactions, delivering on your promises, and being consistent in your messaging. For example, if you value transparency, that should come across in how you communicate with clients—from setting clear expectations using written agreements to addressing challenges honestly. It means sharing your story and your passion for what you do because it’s what your soul has been called here to do.

Living your values often means setting boundaries. If you value balance, it might mean turning down clients who expect you to be available 24/7. If you value integrity, it might mean walking away from a lucrative deal that doesn’t align with your ethics.

Values vs. Expectations: Breaking Free from “Shoulds”

One of the hardest parts of living your values is breaking free from the expectations of others. Maybe it’s your family’s idea of what success looks like, or societal norms that tell you to hustle endlessly. Whatever the source, these external pressures can cloud your judgment and pull you away from your truth.

We live in a culture of comparison. Social media makes it all too easy to look at someone else’s highlight reel and wonder if you’re doing enough, achieving enough, or simply enough period.

But here’s the thing: their success is built on their values—not yours.

I used to compare my mentorship programs to others, wondering if mine was too unconventional or niche, a “woo-woo lawyer and business mentor” you say?!

But the more I leaned into my values, the more I realized that my unique approach, of the combined universal and energetic wisdom that comes from ALL of me—integrating strategy with soul—was exactly what resonated with my clients.

If you find yourself falling into the comparison trap, ask yourself: Are you chasing their version of success, or yours? Define what success looks like for you, based on your values, and let that guide your path.

Sometimes, you’ll encounter people whose values clash with yours. This could be a client who expects round-the-clock availability, a colleague who prioritizes profit over ethics, or even a friend or family member who questions your choices.

The first step is awareness. When something feels off, take a moment to identify the root of the tension. Is it a difference in priorities? A lack of respect for your boundaries?

Once you’ve identified the issue, address it with clarity and compassion. For example, I once had a client who expected me to reply to emails at all hours. After explaining my value of balance and setting clear boundaries, we found a solution that worked for both of us.

Not every relationship is worth saving. If someone consistently disrespects your values, it’s okay to part ways. Protecting your energy and integrity is more important than pleasing everyone.

Building a Life You Don’t Need to Escape From

At the heart of this journey is the desire to create a life and business that feel fulfilling, not draining. When your values are at the centre of everything you do, work becomes energizing, not exhausting. Success feels meaningful, not hollow. You wake up each day excited, not overwhelmed.

For me, this alignment has been transformative. It’s why I can manage a high-performance lifestyle without sacrificing my wellbeing. It’s why I feel deeply connected to the work I do and the people I serve. And it’s why I believe so strongly in helping others build lives and businesses that honour their values.

Building a business that honours your values is a journey, not a destination. It requires self-awareness, courage, grit, and a willingness to let go of what doesn’t serve you. But the reward? A life and business that feel authentic, fulfilling, and uniquely yours.