What Building an Ethical Business Means

It’s not a secret that the (online) business world has become very noisy, spammy and dysfunctional.

And it’s no secret either that more and more people are put off by it. Unfortunately, the first ones to give up on shining their light and promoting their brilliant services online are the thoughtful, often more introverted people with high ethical standards.

Maybe that’s you? Do you wonder if there is a different way to have an impact and get paid for it?

I was guilty of this myself. In the early days of my business, I invested a lot in programs that sold me on the promise of getting lots of clients and making money fast. I had to pay bills and make a living, and I wanted to gain „financial freedom” quickly in order to do whatever I wanted, travel the world, and generously give money to causes I cared about and people in need.

But eventually, I realised that

• the ones selling the programs are the ones making money, not those of us buying into their programs (unless we jumped on their track of selling big overnight success to others); and
• by spending my time and money on shiny programs and strategies and following the hype, I was moving further away from the business I actually wanted to build. Almost none of the strategies and tactics I learned felt right to me, but went against my values and the contribution I wanted to make in the world.

When I finally woke up to those hyped shiny-object dynamics and stopped wasting my time and money on supporting the stuff that never felt good, I could create the space to build a business on my own terms – aligned with my values, not against them.

What that means?

Let’s take a step back. The biggest motivation for me to leave my well-paid corporate job was to have a bigger impact. I wanted to help others with what I had learned in my various careers, encourage them to follow their own path, and enjoy more freedom in my work and life.

I imagined my business as a force for good, a place where I could make a difference in people’s lives, and where the people I work with play the starring role.

In simple words, I wanted to work for people, not just numbers. And make money by helping others, not by exploiting them.

[Which doesn’t mean that I don’t like numbers and wanted a profitable business (if you’re in my world for a bit, you know I do 😉). But my main motivation was to share my experience and gifts and make a difference.]

And that was why I started my own business. I wanted to work with and for people, and not only a company’s bank account (which was already big enough also without my work).

Then reality hit.

I found my principle ‘work for people, not numbers’ quite simple, but I couldn’t seem to find a way to live it out. Was building a business really all about noise and manipulation?

I refused to accept that. And being stubborn, I slowly (albeit cautiously) started to do things differently and become an advocate for ethical business building.

My big vision

It may sound lofty, but that was the time when my vision to influence the business world for the better evolved.

Imagine a world where the most prosperous businesses are those that put people before profit and whose main concern is to make our world more humane and joyful. Where connection, integrity, and kindness trump greed and profit-at-all-costs. Where businesses thrive by making a positive impact. Where owners put their clients’ best interests first and are rewarded for the value they provide. Where meaning and impact outweigh revenue.

This is the world of thoughtful and ethical business.

It includes how we design, price, and present our offers.
It’s about refusing to manipulate or exploit people’s fears.
It’s about marketing and selling in a way that feels authentic and ethical to us as owners and to our clients.

As thoughtful business owners („thoughtpreneurs“?), we walk our talk by

• Acting with integrity, generosity and kindness.
• Constantly seeking to ensure that our services are of great value to our audience.
• Seeing human connection and trust as core elements in our business;
• Being genuinely interested in providing value to the customer’s needs, which also means to put our customer’s needs above making a sale:
• Seeking different solutions for the customer when we realise that we are not the best person to solve their challenges;
• Knowing that it matters how we operate, market and sell;
• Presenting what we have to offer in a clear, transparent and honest way without using tricks or gimmicks to hide the fact that we are selling;
• Avoiding tactics that are manipulative, pushy or put otherwise pressure on the customer;
• Being led by the idea that whatever we create shall be a force for good and make a positive impact;
• Treating our work as a source of joy – for ourselves and our clients.

Does this sound naïve to you? Or obvious?

Here’s the thing. I often talk to people offering amazing services that could be of great help to others. But then they try to market and sell it in a way that they’ve learned in one of the mainstream marketing programs or sales courses. Without realizing it, they undermine their good intentions by applying icky, manipulative methods.

If we, as thoughtful, heart-centered business owners, use gross sales strategies, we defeat the purpose of creating something positive.

We do not only have the desire, but also the responsibility to act with integrity — to be a lighthouse of trust in a sea of sleazy tactics and unsustainable advice.

Here’s the good news.

By being the antidote to all the noise out there, we have a huge opportunity. We can lead by example and show that there IS a way to do things differently.

We can build joyful businesses without selling our souls.

And we can spread our message far and wide, refusing to let the online world be dominated by noise and spam that serves no one (except the creators of said noise).

Let’s humanise business.

Our world — rife with materialism, consumerism, greed, a profit-over everything approach and selfishness — desperately needs it.