How Aligning Your Business with Your Values Fuels Sustainable Growth

Most entrepreneurs start their business with lofty ideals—clear values and a vision of how they want to show up in the world. But somewhere along the way, reality steps in. The market, financial pressures, or unsolicited advice from "experts" get louder, and those values you once held so dear start to slip quietly into the background. Suddenly, you find yourself building something that doesn’t quite feel like yours anymore.

It’s more common than you think. And even if the business looks successful on paper, it can feel like you’re checking all the boxes but missing the point. The joy? The fulfillment? The sense of purpose? It all starts to feel a little fuzzy.

Why Entrepreneurs Lose Touch with Their Values

There are a few common reasons why entrepreneurs lose touch with their values. Maybe you’ll recognize yourself in one or two (or maybe all of them—I’ve been there):

• Following conventional advice: You’ve heard it before: "This is the way it’s done." Maybe someone told you that social media was non-negotiable for growing your business, or that your offers needed to look a certain way to succeed. Somewhere in all that noise, your own voice gets drowned out.

• Financial pressure: It’s hard to stick to your values when you’re worried about paying the bills. Sometimes it feels easier to bend your principles a little here, compromise a little there—just until you’re on more solid ground. But we both know how that usually plays out.

• Chasing trends: Business trends move faster than the seasons, and it’s easy to get swept up in trying to keep up. But chasing trends that don’t align with your values? That’s like trying to wear shoes two sizes too small—it’ll hurt sooner than later.

• Fear of missing out: That nagging fear that if you don’t do X, you’ll miss your shot. Whether it’s saying yes to a misaligned client or forcing yourself into a marketing strategy you hate, FOMO can lead you away from what really matters.

When your business starts drifting away from your values, the symptoms can be subtle but significant. You might feel a low-level resistance toward certain tasks, or even a sense of dread around decisions that used to excite you. Over time, this disconnect creates friction, leading to burnout, frustration, and a vague feeling that something’s not quite right.

My Story: A Journey Away From—and Back To—My Values

When I started my marketing agency, I had big dreams of building a space full of creativity, joy, and community. I pictured an open office with plenty of natural light, plants everywhere, and a team that loved working together. It felt like the dream… until I brought in a business partner.

He had a different vision—corporate, polished, and serious. Next thing I knew, we moved into a high-rise surrounded by law firms, traded plants for business cards, and transformed our entire vibe into something more "professional." I convinced myself that this was the right move, that maybe being taken seriously meant leaning into the corporate side.

But here’s the thing: while it "worked," I hated it. I was wearing corporate dresses and heels every day, showing up to a business that felt nothing like the creative, joyful space I originally envisioned. Eventually, I knew something had to give.

So, I made a change. I moved the agency back to a remote model, my partner stepped away from day-to-day operations, and I started running the business in alignment with my original values. And here’s the kicker: we not only felt better, but the business became more successful. Turns out, running a business that reflects your values has a way of creating results that feel just as good as they look.

A Client's Story: Letting Go of Misaligned Strategies

This story isn’t just mine—I've seen it happen with clients too. One client in particular was convinced that social media was the only way to grow her business. She was deeply uncomfortable with the inherent privacy issues of social media and hated putting herself out there, but she felt like it was something she had to do. Every post felt forced, and showing up consistently was a constant struggle. Even though she did all the “right” things, it wasn’t aligned with her values around privacy and thoughtful communication.

After we took a closer look at her values, she realized that she didn’t need social media to succeed. Once she gave herself permission to let it go, she leaned into strategies like SEO and podcasting, which fit her values much better. And here’s where it gets good: once she fully committed to what felt right, her business took off. Within just a month, she landed high-ticket clients using strategies that typically take longer to bear fruit. Why? Because she was finally in alignment with her values and could show up fully in the ways that felt right for her.

What Does It Mean to Align with Your Values?

So, what does aligning your business with your values really mean? It’s not just a feel-good exercise. Your values are the energetic foundation of your business—they’re the core energies that you want your business to represent and attract.

Think of it like this: when your values and your business are aligned, everything flows more easily. You naturally attract clients, projects, and opportunities that resonate with you because your business is an energetic match for what you stand for. That’s how energetics work—like attracts like. And when you build your business with intention, based on your core values, you pull in the right opportunities with far less effort.

Here’s how to start aligning:

• Get clear on your values: Take some time to sit down and write out what’s truly important to you. Don’t edit yourself—just let it all flow out. Then narrow it down to your top five values, the ones that really light you up.

• Define those values: Don’t assume you know what each value means to you. Get specific. Integrity might mean something different to you than to someone else, and defining it for yourself is a crucial step.

• Assess your business: Now that you’ve defined your values, take a good, hard look at your business. Where are things misaligned? What feels off? That’s your starting point for realignment.

Signs Your Business Is Out of Alignment with Your Values

How do you know if your business is out of sync with your values? Here are some signs:

• You feel resistance: Are there tasks or strategies you keep avoiding? It could be because they’re out of alignment with what feels right to you. My client’s struggle with social media is a perfect example—she hated it because it didn’t fit her values.

• You’re making fear-based decisions: Are you taking on work that doesn’t feel right because you’re afraid of losing out? I once turned down a $1M/month client because their business practices clashed with my values. It wasn’t easy, but it was the right decision. (Spoiler: they ended up in major legal trouble, so I definitely dodged a bullet.)

• You’ve lost excitement: If you’re dreading tasks or constantly tweaking your business to fit external expectations, there’s a good chance you’re out of alignment. And when you’re out of alignment, everything feels harder than it should.

Energetic Practices to Realign Your Business

The good news is, realigning your business with your values is absolutely possible—and it starts with energy work. Incorporating energy work in your business can have a profound effect! When your energy is grounded and clear, you can approach decisions from a place of calm and clarity. Here are a few practices to help realign your business:

• Grounding: Grounding your energy helps you reconnect with yourself and your intuition. When you’re grounded, it’s easier to tune out the noise and make decisions that are aligned with your core values.

• Clearing blocks: We all have blocks—beliefs, patterns, or fears that hold us back from making aligned decisions. Clearing those blocks, whether through meditation, journaling, or energy work, helps create space for new opportunities.

• Visualizing your future self: Spend time connecting with the version of yourself who’s already running a business that aligns with your values. How does that version of you feel? What decisions did they make? Tapping into that energy can help you make more aligned choices in the present.

Misconceptions About Values and Business

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the idea that aligning your business with your values means sacrificing financial success. This is probably the biggest misconception I hear.

It’s tempting to think that sticking to your values means turning down lucrative opportunities or taking a slower path to growth. But here’s the truth: aligning with your values often leads to greater financial success, not less. When your business resonates with who you are, it becomes magnetic to the right clients and opportunities.

Here are a few other misconceptions:

• Values are only for certain industries: Some people think that aligning with values is only for businesses in wellness or personal development. That’s not true—any business, from tech startups to marketing agencies, benefits from value alignment.

• You can only focus on values once you’re successful: The idea that values come after success is backward. Building your business around your values is what creates success in the first place.

• It’s too “woo” for the real world: Energetics might sound out there to some, but the principle is simple—what you put out is what you attract. If your business is built on your true values, you’ll attract clients and opportunities that align with them.

The Long-Term Benefits of Value Alignment

When you align your business with your values, you’re not just building a money-making machine—you’re creating something that’s fulfilling, impactful, and sustainable. Long-term, this is the difference between a business that burns you out and one that you’re excited to wake up to every day. Here’s why:

• You’ll attract aligned clients: Clients who resonate with your values will feel like a natural fit, and working with them will be easier and more rewarding.

• You’ll make clearer decisions: Your values become a compass, helping you navigate tough decisions with confidence and clarity.

• You’ll feel more fulfilled: When your business reflects your values, you’re not just building something for profit—you’re building something that feels deeply aligned with who you are.

Aligning your business with your values allows you to build something you can fully commit to. Instead of getting caught up in the hustle for the sake of financial success, you’re creating a business that reflects your life’s work and represents your soul. This kind of alignment gives you resilience during challenges and helps you make difficult decisions with more clarity and ease. Over time, your business becomes an extension of your values, allowing you to make a bigger impact on the world.

Next Steps for Aligning Your Business Values

When your business is aligned with your values, everything shifts. It stops being a grind and starts feeling like a true expression of who you are and the impact you want to have. You’ll attract the right opportunities, make better decisions, and build something that feels as good as it looks. But more importantly, you build something that feels right—a business you’re excited to wake up to every day and that works for you.

Want to take the first step toward aligning your business with your values? Sign up for my CEO Reset, where you’ll get a guided process to reassess your values, align your business, and step into a more fulfilling way of working.