Giving Compass' Take:

• Emily Lonigro, writing for B The Change, provides five pieces of advice for small business owners that help leaders define their values and focus on team building skills. 

• One of the pieces that Lonigro writes about is valuing members of the team who have families and creating a familiar and comfortable office space for working parents. How do little changes like this help the overall team work better together and be more successful?

• Read about the importance of investing in small artisan businesses. 

As small business owners trying to balance purpose and profit, it’s exciting to see large companies employ cool initiatives that change the way business is done. But, realistically, we don’t often have the bandwidth or budget to implement similar programs in our small businesses. It can be discouraging to think of the endless possibilities in making your business more ethical when you feel restricted by limited resources and your staff is already stretched thin.

  1. Start with yourself: As entrepreneurs, we spend most of our time building our businesses, and the little time we have left is often dedicated to our families and friends. With all of this our plates, it can be difficult to prioritize self-care and introspection.
  2. Create space for families: Being a mom myself, I want to make sure to develop a culture that allows for true work-life balance. Simply creating a cozy, child-friendly space in the office is a good way to show your commitment to working parents.
  3. Codify your values — together: Lots of companies have their values written down, but where do they come from? Do they come from the person or people in charge? When my company made a major pivot in 2016, we started by reflecting on our own brand and values.
  4. Be intentional about fun activities: Our team regularly has lunch together, goes out for ice cream, or gathers for cocktails. It’s always a good time, but sometimes group outings can turn into learning opportunities, too.
  5. Show your team how the business works: Our team meets at least twice a year to look at the past, present, and future. It keeps everyone on the same master plan, but at times it’s difficult for people to apply the company’s vision to their daily work.

Read the full article about improving your business by Emily Lonigro at B the Change