Why Core Values Are Important: Land the Right Clients, Lose the Wrong Ones

Have you ever wondered why some clients feel like an absolute dream… and others make you question every life choice that led you to this moment? Spoiler alert: It’s not just bad luck…which is why core values are essential. 

If your values are tucked away in some forgotten corner of your website, you’re practically inviting the wrong clients in. The ones who don’t respect your boundaries, work or expertise. The ones who make you dread opening your inbox.

But when your values are front and center, they do the heavy lifting. They filter out the bargain hunters, the energy vampires, and the endless revision requesters before they ever book a call. Because a business that aligns with your values? That’s the key to a boring—aka peaceful, profitable, and predictable—business.

Let’s talk about how to put your values to work so you land the right clients and lose the wrong ones—before they drain you dry.

Why Your Business Needs to Lead with Values

Conventional wisdom says to keep politics and personal beliefs out of business. That advice is total bullshit—especially now.

As a solo business owner, your business reflects who you are. It embodies your values, identity, and what truly matters to you. Stripping that away creates a watered-down version of yourself designed to be palatable to everyone—and that’s impossible.

Worst of all, clients who don’t respect your values will erode your business and sense of self. This isn’t just about making a living. Your security, safety, and peace of mind rely on working with clients who align with your values. If you don’t want to work with people who dismiss or undermine you, your values must be explicit and unapologetic.

When your values are clear, your business serves you, not vice versa. The more aligned your clients are, the more secure, stable, and fulfilling your work becomes. That’s why values are the foundation of a sustainable, profitable, and enjoyable business.

Core Values: Your Business’s Built-In Filter

Core values guide your business decisions, interactions, and client experience. They shape how you set boundaries, define success, and stay aligned with what matters most. Without them, your business feels unmoored. When upheld, they attract the right clients and prevent you from compromising for profit.

Think of your values as a filter. When clear, they naturally repel the wrong clients and attract the right ones. When they’re buried or inconsistent, you’ll deal with clients who don’t respect your boundaries or expertise, making every project feel like a battle.

A values-driven business isn’t just a nice idea; it keeps your business running on your terms. You decide who you work with, how you work, and what your business stands for. Especially now, as people demand integrity and ethical business practices, putting your values front and center isn’t just smart—it’s self-preservation.

Defining Your Business Values: Beyond the Buzzwords

Business values aren’t just feel-good words for a website. They define how you operate, make decisions, and serve clients. Too often, however, values are reduced to corporate jargon, with terms like integrity, excellence, and innovation that sound nice but mean nothing in practice.

A values-driven business isn’t just about branding. It’s the foundation of a boring business, and that’s a good thing. When your values are clear and consistently upheld, your business becomes predictable in the best way possible.

No more rollercoaster clients who ghost, scope creep disasters, or energy-draining drama. Instead, you get a smooth, steady, and sustainable flow of work that pays well, respects your boundaries, and feels good to run.

But a boring business? That’s where real success lives—peaceful, profitable, and built to last.

Your values should be more than a branding exercise. They need to be clear, actionable, and something you live and operate by.

Ask yourself:

• What are the non-negotiables in my business?
• Where have I made decisions that felt off? What was missing?
• How do I want clients and collaborators to describe working with me?
• Do my offers reflect my values?

Once defined, your values must guide your daily decisions. For example:

• If transparency is a value, do you set realistic expectations from the start?
• If inclusion is a value, do you participate in events that prioritize diversity?
• If respect is a value, do you enforce boundaries around communication and scope creep?
• If fair pay is a value, do you price your services to reflect your expertise and ensure you’re not undercharging or undervaluing your work? Do you pay any collaborators above the market rate? 

Remember, values should make your business feel right, not just for clients but for you. When you align with them, your business becomes sustainable and fulfilling without the drama of second-guessing yourself.

Attract & Repel: Using Values to Filter Clients

Your values act like a lighthouse, guiding the right clients safely to shore while warning off those who don’t align. Instead of convincing people to work with you, your values attract clients who resonate with your approach. These clients trust your expertise, respect your boundaries, and make projects smoother and more enjoyable.

Conversely, when your values aren’t clear, you risk misaligned clients who bring drama—scope creep, endless revisions, late payments, and energy-draining interactions. And drama costs you time, money, energy and your sanity.

Leading with your values helps eliminate that chaos before it starts. The right clients will feel that connection before reaching out, leading to fewer headaches, fewer misaligned expectations, and stronger relationships. Instead of chasing quantity—more clients, more revenue—you can focus on quality.

A handful of aligned, values-driven clients will always bring more ease than a flood of misaligned ones. When you work with clients who truly align with your values, things tend to feel much easier.

The best way to avoid misaligned clients? Make it crystal clear who you work with. Your values should be so deeply embedded in your business that the wrong people don’t even bother reaching out.

Wrong-fit clients will self-select when you’re unequivocal about your pricing, process, boundaries, and beliefs. The bargain-hunters, boundary-pushers, and bigots will see upfront that you’re not the right match and move on before you waste time on a sales call.

If your business is rooted in values like inclusivity, equity, or a stance on social issues, being vocal about them ensures that people who clash with those beliefs won’t knock on your door.

This isn’t about exclusion—it’s about making sure the right people recognize you as the perfect fit while the wrong ones move along.

This isn’t just theory—I’ve built my own business, BS-Free Business, around core values that repel the wrong people and attract the right ones.

Two of my core values are being humane and being truthful. That means I don’t buy into the hype-driven, high-pressure tactics that dominate online business spaces. I refuse to manipulate people into spending money they don’t have, chasing someone else’s version of success, or believing they’re just one investment away from everything magically falling into place.

Because of that, I don’t work with “scale at all costs” bros, manipulative marketers, or anyone pushing exploitative success formulas. My website, podcast, and entire brand clarify that I stand for honest, human-first business practices that respect my clients. 

Because of that, the people who come to me already get it. They’re service-based business owners who want a sustainable business, not an exhausting chase for endless revenue. I don’t waste time convincing them to do business differently as they already share my values.

That’s the power of leading with values. When your stance is clear, the wrong people opt out before they waste your time. And the right people? They feel seen, understood, and eager to work with you.

How to Make Your Values Crystal Clear

Having strong values is one thing, but ensuring people know them is another. If your values aren’t evident in your messaging, policies, and processes, you leave room for misaligned clients to sneak in.

Your values should be woven into everything from your website copy to client interactions to pricing and service delivery. Here’s how:

• State them clearly on your website: Don’t bury them. Feature them in your service descriptions, contact page, and anywhere potential clients interact with you.
• Weave them into your content: Talk about what matters to you. Share why you work the way you do and what’s a dealbreaker.
• Be upfront in your sales process: Reinforce your values in sales calls, proposals, and contracts. If collaboration is essential, say so. If you don’t do last-minute rush projects, make that clear.
• Set non-negotiable policies: If you value work-life balance, have clear communication windows. If you prioritize respect, don’t respond to demanding, all-caps emails at 11 p.m.
• Show, don’t just tell: Anyone can list values, but do you actually live them? If you say you believe in fair pay, do your pricing and policies reflect that? Is that evident in your onboarding and support if you prioritize client success?

Put Your Values First—Always

Your values aren’t just a side note but the main thing. If they’re not at the forefront, you risk working with people who drain your time, energy, and enthusiasm or flat-out disrespect you as a human. And once that happens, it’s only a matter of time before you start questioning your business and sanity.

So, take a step back and assess: Are your values loud and clear in your marketing, sales, and daily operations? If not, it’s time for a shift.

You don’t have to force anything when you lead with your values. The right clients will come, opportunities will appear, and you’ll enjoy running your business.

You’ll have less chaos and be on your way to a boring business that’s supporting the life you want.

If you’re ready to build a solo business that’s peaceful, profitable, and actually works for you, it’s time to stop following advice that doesn’t fit. That’s exactly why I created the Staying Solo Squad—a space designed for solo service business owners who want to grow on their own terms without the hustle, hype, or pressure to scale for the sake of it.

The Staying Solo Squad is opening for new members in mid-March, so now’s the time to get on the waitlist!

By joining the waitlist, you’ll be the first to know when doors open Sign up now at so you don’t miss your chance to join us!