What does being a values-driven business look like?

It was July 2020. With the pandemic in full flux, it was an uncertain time on the work front for everyone. As an independent consultant, like many others, I felt I should say 'yes' to any project that comes my way.

So on a warm night, I received an email from one of the agencies I worked with about a potential project. It was for an e-commerce brand that I had never heard of before. As I landed on their homepage I felt uneasy by the aggressive-looking t-shirts, which were emitting toxic masculinity. I tried to push past them.

I clicked on a mug in hopes of a regular product, only to find out the owner of the mug would be proudly bragging about the 'bodies' they 'stack'. Confused, I scrolled through the reviews, trying to rule out this is a mug for serial killers!

That's when reality hit me - it was a mug for people who own guns and proudly talk about the animals they kill. 😳

This is not the first time I've been approached by a brand that is against my values. The signs were all there: product names that include the word 'patriot', and over-emphasized 'Made in the USA' claims.

Being a marketer, my job would be to try and sell these products to the presumably right-wing-voting, pro-gun, and not pro-choice customers of this brand.

I thought about it for a second but couldn't bear imagining how that would make me feel on a daily basis.

The main reason I decided to leave my 9-5 job may have been the flexibility of working conditions, but the opportunity to be working for brands I feel passionate about was a close second. I wouldn't want to be dreading turning on my laptop, a feeling very familiar to anyone who's been in a role they felt unhappy in.

So I quickly decided to say no. But without making it sound as if I'm the weird one for having values, or for wanting my projects to reflect them (or at least to not be 100% the opposite of them)!

I shrugged off the idea of people laughing reading my email, thinking I'm a fool for passing up on a good financial opportunity at a time that people were struggling for work, or for allowing my moral compass to be the deciding factor about my work.

I focused instead on the wonderful projects I allow space in my workday to have, for brands that I can be excited and passionate about! I reminded myself how good it feels to get behind a product I actually believe in, which doesn't harm the world.

And then I went ahead with my little speech, hoping to inspire the person that brought the project to me to make better decisions in the future, thinking about the impact they have.

I wasn't sure if they would listen to me, but I was sure I would go to bed knowing I did my bit - choosing to not put my skills towards generating revenue for people I wouldn't want to hang out with.

Maybe I would be considered difficult, or too sensitive, and being a woman in a tech field, that is always a fear. But at the end of the day, this is who I am, a person who is outspoken and driven by her values.

And maybe I'm just a typical millennial, but so are the consumers out there - Millenials, gen Zs, and gen 0s - they all make decisions based on their values and watch carefully what businesses do too.

The plot twist came the following day - the agency got back to me to let me know they had decided to drop the client!

I responded full of joy that it must have been a difficult decision, as I recognize they would have had to choose between profit and morals. To which their response was - "It was an easy one"!

Faith in humanity was restored and it was great validation that sticking to my values pays off. Even small decisions like this can bring about impactful change.