April 14, 2021

What do you believe?

The last year has been hard for so many reasons. One thing that became clear for me is my personal need to build a business that is driven by strong values.

I’m not alone in this. I could share so many examples but I’ll save that for a blog post.

Here’s an example I stumbled on this week:

Recently, on Twitter, the account @steak_umm put their steak in the ground on science in reply to a tweet from Neil deGrasse Tyson.

If you don’t know the Steak-umm brand, it’s understandable—I’ve only ever seen it at one grocery store in nearly 21 years living in Canada and it was only there for a year or two. But Steak-umms were on the menu semi-regularly when I was growing up in the US. They aren’t gourmet or particularly healthy but they’re a cheap, easy way to feed a family of 5.

What’s it like to eat? Think beef donair, but thinner and you have to add the spices. In my family, we used it to make steak subs.

Back to @steak-umm’s tweets: I was scrolling through the replies on Twitter and what stood out to me was how many people questioned why a brand that specializes in processed frozen meat would have anything to say about science or dare to take on Neil deGrasse Tyson (if you’re a fan, I promise this isn’t about him).

But this isn’t the first time (nor will it be the last) Steak-umm has been outspoken about a meatless topic. However, they’re one of the only brands I’ve seen that’s upfront and honest about what they hope to get out of the stance they take.

It’s so bloody refreshing to see.

I don’t know about you, but I've been holding back a lot in sharing my views on my business profiles. But this year I’m working to be more open about what I believe and staying true to my values.

My motivation?

To find clients who know where I’m coming from and hopefully mostly agree. Because I do want to make money and I think you can be open about what you believe and the values you hold dear and still grow your business.

Ya, I took all that from a frozen meat company’s tweets. In fact, one of the thousands of replies that stuck out to me is one from someone who’s been trying to find Steak-umms at the grocery stores in their area for 6 months and they're always sold out. All because they talked about something that wasn't meat.

Fans of the aforementioned astrophysicist may be less inclined to buy, and that’s okay. The goal isn’t to win anyone over. The goal is to connect with the people who get you.

Here’s a sample of what I believe and what drives me in business:

• The inequity in the world today is not okay.

• Black lives matter.

• Indigenous people deserve true reconciliation.

• Everyone should have a safe place to live and plenty of food and not worry about how to pay for it.

• There is never a valid reason to discriminate against LGBTQ2IA+ folks.

• Marketing can be ethical and valuable without manipulating your audience.

Not everyone who interacts with me will agree with these things. So, I’m unlikely to be the right person to help those who don't. But I know there are plenty of people out there who share my values and putting it out there is the best way to find them.

Karen

PS - What do you believe? And how does it show in your marketing?