Hello, everyone, and welcome to this week's episode of the Marketing Media & Money podcast. Now, I'm really excited today because we're going to talk about something that maybe everybody doesn't like to talk about or think about. But it's so so very important. And we can't have a marketing media money podcast, if we're not going to talk about things that really help you to do that help you to market help you to make more money. So today, we're going to talk about discovering and effectively communicating your vision, your values and your mission. And why do you need to do that, because the better you can communicate it, to your clients, to your partners, to your vendors, better that you will get referred, the better collaboration you will have, and the more money you'll put in your bank account. But not only that, but you get to be happier, because now you're surrounding yourself with people who get your vision value and mission, and it aligns with theirs as well. So let me tell you a little bit about our guest today before we dive in. So James, Brian is an entrepreneur, editor, publisher, business consultant, public speaker, and corporate trainer. With over 25 years of talent development experience, he is passionate about helping individuals and businesses discover and communicate their why, besides being a husband, and proud father of four, he enjoys photography, reading and music. And I love that so much. So James, thank you so much for being here with me today.

Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure.

So let's just dive right in. So I feel like for some people, they may be listening, and they're like, what's the difference between your vision, your values and your mission? Right? You know, it seems like a lot. Right? You know, and so for some people, they may have one of those. And they just haven't separated them out. They're not sure. Right? You know, I think when people think about their vision, okay, that's one thing. There are values, that's another and their mission, and they are separate, but they intertwine and say a lot about you, and who you are at your core, but they're not exactly the same. So before we dive in, would you tell everybody, in your opinion, your expert opinion, per se, what is the difference?

So I'm gonna start with vision, Paddy, your vision statement, either as an individual, as a family as a business as a company, it's your why. It's why you do what it is that you do. Now, oftentimes, when when you research in, you look up how to create a vision statement, it talks first about well, where do you see yourself going? I like to reposition that a little bit. Because as a client, as a customer, as a business, I'm not as interested in where you're going is why you're going there in the first place. Really is what your vision statement is about. Why is it that I'm a publisher? Why is it that I'm a consultant? Why is it that I've been trading your talent development for over 25 years, your values is how you go about achieving your why it's your actions. So for me, for instance, for my business, while the free LLC, we have things like authenticity, we have connection, we have intentionality, words that mean a lot to myself and to my wife, that allow us to look at the decision, the actions that we take and measure it against those things. And then finally, your mission statement is what it is that you do. For instance, if someone comes to me, and they say, Hey, James, what is it that you do? I'm an entrepreneur, and editor or publisher, a teacher, a trainer, a facilitator, designer, a leader, all of these different things. That's my mission. That's part of it. But my why is so much more important than my why is I do these things, to enable others to be their best selves. That is, what it is and why it is that I do the things that I do.

I think that that's really important. Because when people talk about, Oh, you don't have a podcast, I was on magazine publisher, until they actually know what my vision is and what my values are, what I stand for it, and if it aligns with them, who cares, right? Who cares? Right, you know what I mean? And I know a lot of times when I'm talking to someone, and they want to introduce themselves with all their titles, right? The title is just a title. It's credibility. It's just a title. What I really want to know is the other stuff, right? Like what you're saying, because that's what makes me want to say, oh, okay, so now that I know that right now that I know that our vibe is right now that I know what you stand for. And it aligns with what I believe and what my values are. Oh, good. Now I want to know more about me, because now I'm going to know whether I like literally, to be honest, really care whether I ever talk to you again. Right?

Exactly, it Patti, I've got a great story to illustrate this great business illustrate this actually in it is something as simple as a small local coffee shop that I have in my town. So if you're like me, you are probably surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds of coffee shops, right, within five miles. And I am not talking about one of the major chains when I talked about this coffee shop. But going into it, he's like, what is it that they do if I said, Hey, what is it that this coffee shop does, they sell coffee, they sell pastries, they sell sandwiches, you know, they, they provide a service, right? But that's not what I connect with. With that what I connect is their vision, which is very simple. It's three words love each other. That's it. That's their vision statement. And even before I knew that was what it was going into the shop, I could see it, I could see it happening, I could hear it in their words, I could see it in the way they interacted with us, remembering my name, remembering my drink, greeting us remembering little details, right, and really making sure that they took care of us. So you could see their vision was alive in there people. Because of that, and the coffee is good, don't get me wrong, we keep going back because we do enjoy the coffee too. But connecting with that vision statement connecting with their why and their reason for being encourages me to go back there, even though it's a little bit more expensive. Even though it's a little bit slower, I'm going to keep going back there, because that is what is in alignment with my own personal life as well, versus going to a different shop that may be a little bit faster, maybe a little bit cheaper. But it doesn't have that same vision, and you can feel it in the service that they provide.

I think there's a lot of examples about that. I know that there are a couple of restaurants and stores that I like to shop at that close on Sunday. Yes. And even though you know, I'm on the weekends and like on Sunday, sometimes I'm like, Oh, we're gonna go there. And I'm like, oh, wait a second, we can't go there. They're closed on Sunday, I have to tell you, I respect it so much, because that they value allowing their employees to be home on Sunday to be with their family. So I have to tell you, that I really that aligns with who I am. And then lets you know, we couldn't really go any further unless we said something about Southwest Airlines. I mean, they are known for how they treat, you know, the people that are on the plane, like they treat us so good. Their customer service. I mean, when you go to work for them, they teach them how to tell stories. I mean, they're so funny, even when they say, you know, this, the little announcements that you have to give over the mic, and people will still go, even though they know they have to stand in line, they don't have a special seat and all those things because they like the way they're treated. And I think that, that also, when you allow people to know what your vision values are in your mission, it makes it easier for them to align with that. And then they become loyal fans, and they come back because they align with what you stand for. Whether or not maybe you even have the best coffee, right? You know, you may not have the best coffee, but you have good coffee, but if you make them feel good and, and stuff, they will come back for that no matter what. So I feel like it is very, very important. So James, in your opinion, why do you think entrepreneurs struggle with articulating their company's vision despite maybe communicating their vision, but they just really can't get them all? Like they struggle with it. And I think sometimes people will tell you what their mission is. And that's really their vision, they get mixed up. They don't always actually know. So why do you think that entrepreneurs struggle with that so much.

So then I've walked into many entrepreneur shops and seen vision statements and mission statements up on the walls and going that they weren't always good, you know, but to your point, when when I think of an entrepreneur, especially when I think of a solo entrepreneur, there's a lot that they have to do. Right Paddy, they are the face of the company. They are the person that's doing the work of the person that's connecting with the client. So the person that is, is doing all the finances, the bookkeeping, the payroll that they're doing all of those pieces, there is a lot that is on their plate. And you know, I like to think of myself in my own experience and I'll be completely honest, I wasn't the greatest at articulating my vision and mission and values when we were first starting business. You When we started while the free and this is myself with my wife, we had an idea. We had lots of ideas, we had been entrepreneurs for a very long time in different fields and different businesses in different ways. And, and we kept struggling because we were all over again, we're all over the place. We were doing, not necessarily the things that we always felt people needed. But we're also doing the things that you were interested in, as well. And we had different ideas. And it came down to we were we were sitting down, we were actually at a network. And someone asked me what it was that I did. And I said, I'm a publisher, very first time it ever said these words, very first time, it came out of nowhere. So I'm a butch. And part of the reason that I said this was I had been doing editing for a long time, my wife had written books that had been polished through other services. And I was speaking with this person who was wanting to write a book, but she didn't know where to begin. And I was like, I can help you, I can help you tell your story. So that's a little bit of the what write this a little bit of the mission. But then it came down to well, why did I want to do that? So I looked at it, and it's like, well, my wife's voice is being heard. It is being her story is being told that there are so many people out there that don't know how to articulate their own story. They're not sure how to be authentic, and share it, whether it's social media, books, podcasts, videos, or whether it's just with themselves or their feelings. So really, the reason behind wildly free and this is kind of how it became what it is today, is that we wanted to enable and empower people to tell their own stories, even if it was for themselves, their family, or other people, whatever platform it might be, because it's so hard to just sit down and start and know where to start where to go. So in you know any answer to your question, I know it would around a little bit of why is it so don't entrepreneurs. So often, when you're starting, you're just like me, you're just like my wife. And just like our business, we're a little bit of everywhere. So we looked for our niche and look for where it was that we want it to go. And the more and more we narrowed that down and realize this is what we were most passionate about, which takes time. That is really when our vision statement, our mission statement, and our values came.

I really do love that. So now that you get to the point where you know what that is, right? How can entrepreneurs and business owners ensure that, that it resonates and they communicate it well to their team internally and to their customers? externally? Right? Because now you actually have to communicate it and then have it resonate with them, right? Because we all know that if your team is on board, right, you know, they sort of are like owners of the company, they take ownership, right? You know, you're gonna get a lot more done, everyone's going to be happier, and you'll be much more effective and productive. But how can you ensure that, that those things do resonate with them internally and to your clients externally.

So, two words, very intentional, practice, and preach. And they're in that order for a reason. Okay? Notice, I did not say preach, in practice, it's practice preach. If you have your mission, your vision and your values on your wall in a pretty frame, but you can't see it in action, then they're just pretty words on a wall. Right? So it has to first come through your actions as the entrepreneur, as the business owner, you have to live it, you have to practice it, it has to be visible so that people on your team, your clients, your customers can see it, just like I talked about the coffee shop, right? Before I knew what it was, I could see it in their actions, and I could hear it in their words, they were practicing it, then it comes to preach it. So for instance, you know, if I am an entrepreneur, I'm a solo entrepreneur, it's just myself and my wife, we don't have a we don't have a team right now. That's perfectly okay. You know, we talk about it with each other. So we're preaching it to each other. That I promise you, when we hire a when we contract, or when we find someone that we need to use their services to help our business expand. One of the very first things we're going to tell them is, this is why we're doing what we're doing. This is how we go about doing it. And this is what it is that we're doing. And the same way with our teams. If you're not speaking to it in your teams, yes, you want them to see it, that's always the first thing. But you also need to articulate it to your customers, to your teams at the same time, so that they can bring it into their own business practices, they can bring it into their own actions, so they can embrace and be a part of it be in alignment with what your business's vision is in the first place. That's when you're going to find one of your best employees. Funny story. You used to work for a company years ago, over a decade where one of their core values was love so leave us and I speak to that story all the time. Love us or leave us I was their director and trading so you can imagine the very first day as I'm as I'm chatting with the with brand new people that just got hired into the company. I'm introducing them into the mission and the vision and the values and I come down to my favorite core value. Love us earliness it you could just see their eyes just like what when you say what what do you mean? It's like it look love us or leave us Why are you using the love word right? And I said it comes down to something very simple. Look what you do. Love the things that you do on a daily basis. Think of it I get to get up and have a conversation with you. I get to get up and go and work with my clients and my businesses and my customers. So I love what I do. So I get to keep doing it. And this is where it comes down to the Find what you love, and go and do it, right. Because if you don't love what you do, if you're miserable every single day, then it's going to show it's going to reflect in the work that you do. So after practicing it, you make it visible, you make it seen, Preach it as well, so that your clients, your customers, your business partners, your teammates, your employees, know what it is that you are living on a daily basis to love it. Because by

By doing that, it's not just words on a page or words coming out of your mouth, but you're actually integrating it into your company's culture and your operations. Yes. And I think when the people you work with whether they are teen, whether they're your collaborative partners, right, you know, vendors, you know, anybody you're doing business with, I think that when they can see it, feel it, know it, what you stand for, and what to expect, it makes it easier for them to make a decision to whether it's a client that's gonna lean in and say yes, whether it's somebody who's going to collaborate with you, whether they even know all the details, you know, just to share a story. And it actually has to do with your wife, Michelle, I remember one day when I was sharing with her my vision for the retreat, and the mastermind and taking people to Italy. And I was telling her about it. And I was just saying, you know, what do you think like, I was really excited about it. And she's like I'm in, I'm like, wait a second, I'm not trying to sell it to you, I'm just sharing it with you. And I haven't even told you the price yet. And she said, I don't care. Like I want to travel the world with you, Patti, I love what you just said, like I'm in. But I feel like to what you're saying the reason why she was able to do that is because she did know, my vision, my values and my mission already. So she didn't have to ask all the questions. How are we going to do this? What are you going to do? Blah, blah, blah. She didn't need to ask all those questions. And I have to tell you, I think it is something as an entrepreneur, that we need to behave responsibly. Yes. You know, you know, I think it is something that is very, very important. When you are sharing those things, right? You need to make sure you show up intentionally, every single day in them. Because when you tell them and people trust you, now they believe you. You don't get to just kind of say, Oh, well, today I had a bad day you said I had been to you are responsible for your actions, right? And I feel like when you build relationships, because this is what we're doing, right? Yeah. When you build relationships with people, and they trust you, it is a wonderful feeling, right? It is a wonderful feeling to get to the point where you have that relationship with somebody, but you do need to treat it responsibly, because now they know what to expect from you, you shared that. And they trust you to do it. And you have a responsibility to your employees, to your clients to your collaborators are so all of them. Like I feel like every person who reads my magazine, to the listeners to my podcast, I have a responsibility that in our mission value and vision, this is what they can expect. And they need to know that I'm going to deliver that because I said I would write you know, and so I think it is really important. And so how would you say you would advise entrepreneurs and how they need to balance,

Right? The authenticity with the

Need to appeal to their target market. So when they're out there looking for new clients and, and stuff, there's a balance there, right? For me, not so much unclear, and it affects everything I do. But if somebody isn't so clear, if they're not so clear, they haven't nailed that down. They're trying to balance being authentic. They're trying to go out and get clients, they're not exactly sure who their target buyers are. What would you say would be something that they can do, and how can they balance? Because I think that's really important.

And it is an important question. And you know, I I've thought about this for a while I sat down a couple of days ago and I was reflecting on this idea of how do you balance your own personal values, your own personal vision, your own personal mission, with a community that's around because if you think through when you think back to you just over the past Gosh, decade there's seven All businesses and companies that when they stuck to their mission, vision and values actually got in trouble a little bit for it, you know, and in for a variety of different reasons, a variety of different circumstances, but in an as, as a consumer and as a caught in as a customer, when I thought about those businesses, I was like, well, well, of course, you need to change, of course, you need to evolve, of course, you need to define that balance in thinking through that, by not being inclusive. By not being inclusive in your business practices, you were missing out on all these opportunities to serve different types of customers and different types of clients. But then I flipped kind of flipped it over the past couple of days. And I was thinking about it from the perspective of an entrepreneur, that my values are my values. My vision is my vision. My mission is my mission. In in, I want it to evolve, I want it to change, and I want it to grow as needed. But I, what point do I call, like, draw that line in the sand, and I go, this is where I stand firm, and I won't cross over. If someone comes in, ask me to do something. And I'm not talking about doing things that are illegal. If someone comes and asked me to do something that doesn't align with my vision, and my mission and my values and go about doing things, you know, at what point do I cross that line? At what point do I stand for? And that really is a decision that every entrepreneur and every business owner needs to make for themselves. It's not something that I can make a recommendation for. It's not something I don't even think a coach can make a recommendation for is it something that you internally have to decide and make sure you being your authentic self, while serving the community and the customers that you're with? So I hate to say, I really don't have an answer to that one. Because

it is an answer, though, like I know, for me, when I am creating balance, I am very, very clear. And one of the things for me is I don't like to go down rabbit holes. And I don't like to have to analyze and analyze because I can tend to analyze to on paralyse. And one of the ways that I have done that is by being so clear on my vision, my values and my mission, that I was able to set a criteria for myself to make decisions, right. So for me, it's like, here's the questions in my criteria. And it makes it easy for me to say yes, no, or no, not now. Yes. Right. You know, and it's really, really clear for me, I know what I stand for, I know what I believe. And I stay true to that. I mean, I stay really, really true to that. So I do feel like where the balance is, is kind of almost within ourselves. But the bottom line is, it's our business, that we are the CEO of our business. So I think that is really important. So as a father of four, right, as a father of four, I'm so blessed that I met your children and they are absolutely amazing. How do you integrate your own personal values and mission into your family life? And What lessons do you hope to impart to your children about those principles? Now, I know you guys homeschool, in the most amazing way, right in the most amazing way. And I have really watched how you've integrated some of those things when you vacation and some of the ways that you have taught some really amazing ways, right? But how do you integrate your own personal values, at least I think that is really important to know.

See now that is really communicating what your vision values and mission is, like at home, right? Because we didn't even touch on that. Nor probably will we on how, you know, is your vision values and mission showing up in your businesses and also showing up at home? Right, you know, and there's probably a whole episode I could do just on that. Right. But I have to tell you, I think this has been a really great conversation about the things that people don't think about, right? The things that they're thinking, Oh, I gotta go out there and get more clients, I need to go out there market my business, oh, I need to show up more on social media, I need more followers, you know, I need to get a course I need to be out there speaking I need to write a book, maybe you do need to do all of those are some of those or whatever. But if you do know what your vision, your values, and your mission is, every one of those will be easier, not just for you. But for those that you're choosing to serve. Right, it just becomes so much easier, all the way around. So I have to tell you, James, I really appreciate you sharing your insights with me. But here, I have to say this is the part of the show where I like to call it hashtag open mic, where I ask my guests if they wish, if you got to narrow it down, right. And you share so much if you had to narrow that down to one thing, one marketing media one strategy, what would that strategy really be?

So Patti, really, and we've been speaking about it throughout this entire time understanding and articulating your vision, your values and mission is going to enable you to connect an authentic way and emotionally with your clients, your customers in your teams, they are a lot more likely to connect with your brand, when they understand what your underlying values are, when they understand what your underlying beliefs are. And when they understand and can see your why. So for business purposes, you know, really having those clear guiding principles, allows you allows you to make decisions that are in alignment to your vision, your mission and your values. Alignment. And authenticity is the key here, because it allows you to ensure that the decisions you're making are the right decisions and moving your business in the right direction. If you don't understand what that mission, vision and values are, then it's a lot more difficult to make sure decisions that you're making are steering you in the right direction. So it enables you it helps you create that consistency. It builds trust, and it builds loyalty.

Wow, you just summed that up. So good for us, Jane. So thank you so much for being here with me today. James, I really appreciate you sharing your, your insights, and then really showing us how you're walking your talk. You're not just talking your talk. Right and I appreciate it. And I appreciate you taking the time to be here.

Thanks for having me. It's been an absolute pleasure.

Thank you and to my audience. Thank you so much for being here with us. I hope you really enjoy this episode. I'm sure you did. And if you did, please like review the episode and if you haven't checked out our magazine In the marketing media Money magazine I invite you to do that too and you can grab a free copy of that at www.m3magazine.com And until next week I hope you have a phenomenal week thank you so much for being Take care everyone