Setting Goals for Success

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Setting goals is an imperative part of the process of becoming successful. However, it is important to note that not all goals are created equal. Setting goals that will end in success is one of the most important things you can do in your career. How you set your goals is just as important as the goals themselves. These tips can help you re-evaluate your goal-setting process as well as get you on the fast track to success. 

  1. Ask yourself why?

Ask yourself why you are setting this goal. Truly understand what you want to get out of it and why it matters so much to you. A common business goal is to make more money. Of course, everyone would probably want to make more money. Analyze why you want more money. Is it because you want all the things money can buy or because it will make you look better in the eyes of people you admire? Will more money make you feel more financially secure or to be recognized for the work you do? 

  1. Believe in yourself. 

Believe you can accomplish what you’re setting out to do. A lot of what holds us back from doing really amazing things in life is our mind. I know it is hard, but learn to silence the noise in your head telling you that you can’t accomplish your dreams. You can do anything you set your mind to! 

  1. Visualize where you want to be. 

This goes hand in hand with believing you can do whatever you set your mind to. Visualize yourself where you want to be in five, ten, twenty years. Where do you see yourself? Place yourself in the roles you want to be in. What does your life look like and what is required of you to get there? The clearer your visions are, the easier it is to accomplish them. 

  1. Write them down.

For me, it helps to get anything big that is floating around in my head out and onto something more tangible, whether that is on an actual piece of paper or a word document on your laptop. Being able to visually see your goals rather than have them in and out of your brain will help you better stick to them. 

  1. Get going. 

You have to start somewhere. Start small and work up to your goals one day at a time. Build up from the small to medium, to large goals as time goes on.  It is hard to understand the big picture when we’re focused on the meticulous details and vice versa, if we are only focused on the large scale, you can be left in the dust of your dreams. According to Forbes, “Knowing the ultimate goal, the middle steps, and the micro steps needed each day completes the picture.”

  1. Hold yourself accountable. 

Every so often, go back to the goals you wrote down and hold yourself up to them. Have you been on track or are you slipping behind? Set a grade for yourself and then vow to get better if you feel as though you need to step it up. Reviewing your goals keep them fresh in your mind and allows you to re-assess them as time goes on. Maybe you have accomplished one and you can cross it off or your realize one needs to be reworked. 

These tips will allow you to set attainable goals for yourself, and by practicing them, will help you achieve them successfully. I know it isn’t always easy and you may want to hang in the towel once in a while, but refer back to these tips and stay focused on the goals you have set. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish. 

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Getting Zesty – Interview with Emma Napier

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Happy August! Each month for the rest of the year, Ment is partnering with a local business on our blog and social media accounts. This month is Zest Juice for Life, owned by Emma Napier: a 24-year-old from Bowling Green, Kentucky. The local juice shop located in the heart of the downtown scene has many flavors of tasty, healthy juice and they promote a healthy lifestyle in everything they do. 

Emma Napier, a graduate from Western Kentucky University, got her start working in an office for a national company in a corporate office. She was teaching spinning at The Spot next door to what would be her future business as well. She loved her coworkers and the work she was doing but disliked the stuffy and strict culture that was in her cubicle-filled office. “I soon realized that sitting at a desk was not for me,” she recalls.  

                             

Emma knew the previous owner of Zest from her job at The Spot and soon became friends with her. From this friendship, she fell in love with juice. She would drive all the way across town to get juice from the original Zest, the home of the former owner. The owner mentioned selling the business and asked if she knew of anyone who was interested. Emma knew instantly that this was the perfect opportunity to transition out of the cubicle and bought Zest Juice for Life. 

One of Emma’s favorite things about owning Zest is the amazing small business community located in Bowling Green. While she is a fairly new business owner, owners from all over town have offered to help her. “Bowling Green has such a thriving community of small business owners and truly want to see each other succeed,” she notes. She says learning a lot from so many people who have been in the same shoes as her. She has gotten to work with and collaborate with some of them and says they have helped her create her space, the logo, the menu boards, and more. 

  

Of course, I had to ask Emma what her -ment word was, which is a little something we do here at Ment by picking your favorite word with -ment as the subject and having it describe you, such as experiment, achievement, nourishment. Emma said her word was encourage-ment. She aims to be a smiling face to anyone who walks through the doors of Zest, and hopes her encouraging spirit keeps people coming back for years to come. 

Emma’s favorite juice she sells is kickin’ carrot, a juice that contains apple, ginger, and the star: carrots. Other juices you can find at Zest include Kale Yeah!, Jolly Green, Happy Beet, or my favorite, Hula Hooch. 

Check Emma and the rest of the Zest team out on their Instagram: @zestjuiceforlife! 

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Conflict Engagement

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Written by guest writer and Ment member, Nolan Bramschreiber: Hello! My name is Nolan and I’m a husband, student of Organizational Behavior, Outcome & Planning Specialist with interCare and a mountain bike coinsure!

Conflict exists whether it is acknowledged or not. If placed on a spectrum, conflict would range widely in degree.  Some conflict could be categorized as surface level and easy to resolve, while other found to be deeply imbedded and spanning generations without full resolution.  If conflict is somehow ominously present, touching all relationships and interactions at some point and to some certain degree, why does it seem so difficult to navigate? Wouldn’t continual exposure positively increase one’s ability to engage conflict effectively? It is imperative we understand what creates conflict and prevents us from engaging it in a productive fashion. 

Building an Understanding

In order to understand how one might engage conflict productively, we must first understand what brings it about. Conflict is an interaction that can provide solid ground to build upon. Instead of vilifying views, opinions or differences, its best to seek clarification and understanding. This process referrers to differentiation. It is absolutely imperative for those engaging in conflict to spend significant time understanding differences between each other if their hope is to move away and out of the differentiation stage. Without all constituents embracing and understanding present differences, differentiation will move into integration with one foot still in the differentiation stage; forcing parties to start over in the future.

Acting on an Understanding.  

Understanding and legitimizing difference in perspective is not enough to solve a problem in conflict.  While an in-depth understanding is the foundation to problem solving, the integration stage is where parties explore and implement resolutions based on common ground. Integration can be marked by “standoffs” and “slings and arrows”, but if parties can endure the pain of furthering those processes forward, the diversity of thought can lead to actual solutions between parties. In practical application and to effectively handle conflict, understanding of conflict management approaches need to be addressed throughout all management levels, rather than strictly through Human Resources or a legal office. In the application of understanding differences and moving conflict management forward, parties need to understand what scenerios could arise to derail progress.  

It’s imperative the field based application be centered and focused on the understanding of differentiation, integration and aspects that disrupt the effectiveness of the linear model. Avoidance and escalation are threats in moving conflict management forward. The mere appearance of either escalation or avoidance do not presume ineffectiveness, but if gone unregulated, could derail the conflicts journey to problem solving. 

Applying my Understanding.  

In encountering conflict with loved ones, colleagues and friends, I have often found myself in an uncomfortable position. In order to mitigate potential conflict, my default position would be to heed the opinions or perspectives of whomever is speaking, and not state my opposing position.  While this behavior has evolved over time with growing confidence in independent perspectives and perceptions, I feel a tension to fall back into this uncomfortable position of forfeiting my difference by not advocating for or engaging it. This behavior is often perpetuated by failed attempts to voice my developing opinion.  Now, with the understand of how differentiation and integration works, I can confidently approach conflict with a genuine curiosity about why other perspectives deviates from mine. This acknowledgment provides a rich and robust opportunity to expand my horizon beyond norms applicable to me. If harnessed, I believe we can all have a better chance at conflict engagement. 

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Butterflies and Mud Pies: My 4 Rules for Embracing Summer Break as a Work-at-Home Mom

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Written by guest writer Lindsey DeVore: Hi, I’m Lindsey-a small business owner, former educator and a blessed mom to a little boy. 

Summer break (formerly known as, summer “vacation”) used to conjure up images of long days by the pool, unencumbered free time and endless possibilities for spontaneous get-togethers and adventures with friends. Fast forward to present day as a work-at-home small business owner (with a busy toddler) and the picture looks quite different, to say the least. My goal is to spend these months giving my son the best summer experience possible. Meanwhile, clients are calling, the email box is filling up, and those day-to-day tasks of running and growing a business are not going away.

How can one manage working from home while surviving (and more importantly, enjoying) summer break with their children? I’m sharing my top 4 rules in my life to embrace summer break as a work-at-home mom.

1) Change the narrative.

Summertime presents a challenge for all parents regardless of their schedule and level of work flexibility. Logistics and childcare can be tricky to figure out, however the first challenge I realized I needed to overcome was the story I was telling myself. The narrative that I’m not doing enough for the business, as a parent and the idea that I should be able to seamlessly balance it all. I now believe that balance doesn’t really exist and the expectation that we can achieve it if we only “try harder,” is a self-defeating pursuit. Let go of the notion of balance and find peace in the acceptance of what your current circumstances are, also knowing that they will continue to evolve and change. The truth is while no parent can “do it all” during the summer months, we can do a lot, and by doing our best to take care of our business, ourselves and our family-this is enough, this is more than enough.

2) Lower expectations.

We all have certain expectations for how we conduct our work and home responsibilities, I’ve come to the realization that my standards need to be lowered during the summer months. This is the time to let things go of non-essentials and focus my high expectations to what work tasks must be completed and to the personal priorities that truly matter. Some things will need to be put away and can be picked back up once school starts back; they will survive and will be there waiting. Some things are ripe for the picking during the summer months and I want to take advantage of them-like backyard barbeques, time with extended family, and creating homemade meals with fresh corn on the cob and watermelon. Decide what you want to focus on during summer break and then let the rest go.

3) Get a work plan in place.

When it comes to getting my work tasks done, summer break is the time to channel my most organized, “Type-A” self. I try to be methodical in setting time and physical boundaries around work priorities and sticking to them. It’s a great idea to anticipate when you may have 15, 20, 30 minutes of time to work and have a plan for how to best utilize it- this will lessen feelings of overwhelm and help you get right to knocking to-do’s off your list. Schedule tougher assignments that require quiet and more attention for when you know you’ll have the house to yourself. Consider scheduling a chunk of time each week to work outside of the home at your favorite coffeeshop or coworking space, especially when you want to work on creative and new projects. Time out of the house will also give you a chance to get out of your yoga pants and mingle/converse with other adults (sounds like a vacation to me!)

4) Show yourself grace and kindness.

This is my favorite rule and the one I can struggle with the most. As we’re stretched for time focusing on managing our work and family, its easy to neglect ourselves. We need to show ourselves extra kindness during this crazy season in whatever ways make sense to you. Examples of self-kindness for me may include: unapologetically asking for help, outsourcing household tasks (cleaning, mowing, laundry), saying no to requests and invitations, and having fun whenever I can (Slip and Slide, anyone?) Remind yourself that your health and happiness are a good and essential use of your time.

Summer breaks may be different now that children and work responsibilities fill up the long days, but it can be pleasurable and memorable, nonetheless. I’m choosing to embrace this season of the year (and life) for what it is- tough but magical, long but also fast, and days filled with butterflies and mud pies and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.

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5 Tips to Combat Writer’s Block

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Everyone at some point in their life has probably experienced some sort of creative drought. What we call writer’s block can happen to anybody. Famous writers experience it all the way down to little old me, writing this blog. Sometimes the timing just isn’t right. You might be scared about putting yourself out there, on paper and in life. You might also be trying to hard for your writing to be absolutely perfect. Every writer has definitely struggled with it at one point or another. However, just because you are down does not mean you should count yourself out. 

I don’t have a one-stop fix for writer’s block. I highly doubt anyone does—if you do, give your girl a call. You have to tackle combating writer’s block one step at a time in your own way. Here are some tips that I have found work for me and I am by no means a professional writer, but maybe some of them will work for you. 

A change of scenery. This is a tip that I have found works most for me but I take a little from each tip to get me back on track. If I am stuck on what direction I want to take something, whether it be a term paper or project for a class or one of my blogs for Ment, changing my location seems to help. I truly believe your surroundings have a great effect on your mood. If I am working at my desk at home, I will get up and drive to a coffee shop. If I am at work, I will change rooms. A new outlook can maybe spark something in you.

Take a break. Sometimes you have just written so much that your brain is fried. A break helps you clear your head so you can come back to your writing in a good space. Call up a friend, watch an episode of your favorite sitcom, or just mindlessly scroll through Instagram. Just make sure it is long enough for you to feel relieved, but not too long where you start procrastinating.

Go outside. This one may go hand in hand with the last tip, but can also be quite different. Get outside and move a little bit. Get some of that Vitamin N. Go for a walk, run or go to the gym.

Write something else. Got a lot of writing to do? If you are stuck on one piece of writing you’ve got, go to another one. It’ll take your mind off the one you’re hung up on and you can come back to the original one with a fresh take.

Play mind games with yourself. This tip might be a little counterintuitive, but it can work for some. Your mind is pretty powerful. Tell yourself you’ll write for five minutes. When that time is up, say you’ll write for five more minutes. Keep going with that system until you are satisfied with what you’ve got.

Don’t stress if you find yourself in a rut when it comes to your writing. Every writer has gone through it so don’t feel as though you’re the only one stuck in this situation. The one takeaway I can leave you with is don’t give up. Keep writing, keep fighting, and one day you will have something great. Don’t put yourself under too much pressure and follow these tips, and you will find writing to become easier and easier. Find that inspiration and don’t let go!

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How to say “Thank You” as a Business

Thank you. 

Those two words right there go a long way, farther than you might think. You might say them when someone holds the elevator for you when you are coming to work in the morning, or when your waiter brings you your drink at a restaurant. Those two words convey appreciation and gratitude but they are lacking in the corporate world. 

This article from Proposify really states it well: “A simple ‘thank you’ can show your clients and partners that you value the relationship, and it helps build rapport. For employees and co-workers, ‘thank you’ can instill confidence, demonstrate that the work they do is integral to the success of your organization.” 

A good, old-fashioned thank you can establish brand loyalty. People, when participating in your brand, will feel wanted and appreciated. People don’t want to show support to brands that treat their customers or employees poorly. Customers don’t only pick what brands they like solely on their products or services, they take into account the brand’s values. 

There are many specific ways to say thank you as a business. Of course, there is a thank you note. It is a classic for a reason. It feels personal and that someone took the time to sit down and write a note for you. A handwritten one obviously feels more intentional than an email, but in today’s technological world, it can have the same effect. If you find yourself writing a thank you note, be as personal and thorough as you can. Like I have said time and time again, people, at an innate level need to feel appreciated and your thank you note can provide that. Detail all that this person did that you are grateful for. 

A thank you doesn’t only have to go to just one person. A business can thank all their customers at once! Having a sale or promotion to say thank you for all their service to you as a business is usually well-received. The only thing I can say about this is to make sure that the promotion is filled with real sentiment and not just a reason to make more money. Customers can usually tell the difference. 

As you probably know, Ment Cowork has been celebrating our one year anniversary all month long. We have had a lot of celebrations, which is wonderful. But, our celebrations are about our members and the people who walk out of the elevator into Suite 203 every single day. We want to say thank you to everyone who has been a part of our year-long journey and we can’t wait to see where we go from here. 

Saying thank you should be an integral part of business relationships. It creates an air of goodwill surrounding your brand. The main take-away from this is if you are going to say thank you as a business (and I hope that you do,) make it intentional. Make saying thank you a priority in your company. 

Thank YOU for reading this blog. 🙂

 

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Investing in Your Business

Starting your own business is scary. There is a lot of uncertain variables that can factor into creating your own company from scratch. The biggest question, of course, is money. Money makes the world go ‘round, whether that is a good or a bad thing: it’s true.

There are all kinds of ways to invest in your business. If you shoot videos for a living, maybe buying state-of-the-art video equipment. Maybe it is expanding your product line. Whatever it might be, an investment can go a long way and mean profit for your business. But, many entrepreneurs can be afraid to take that step towards their ultimate success. Investing is a big deal, especially into something you might not see turnover immediately in. Investments require time and money, both things that entrepreneurs value above all else.

The future is unknown, which is another reason why investing in the future of your company might be a little terrifying. Your investment might not even pay off (hopefully that won’t happen!) But, you have to ask yourself, is the risk of this investment worth the possibility of the greater reward?

Align your investment with your business goals. Create a clear line to sales and make sure that it can be profitable. For example, say you are a photographer. If your current camera is a little old, consider the possible investment into a new camera that takes phenomenal photos. With the better camera, you can afford to charge a little more for the pictures you take and that camera will pay for itself.

Set goals for your business and evaluate how some little investments along the way can help you grow. Create a system to track your investments, whether that be Google Analytics or some other metrics system, just create a visual to actively track what you are doing for your investments.

Making an investment doesn’t have to be one big end-all, be-all thing. For instance, you may be an entrepreneur who meets with clients and your business is ran out of your home. But, you also have a dog and two young children running around the house. Those little rascals, though you love them, might get in the way. You need a quiet place in a professional setting to get work done and meet with clients. That is where a coworking space, particularly Ment comes in. We obviously have memberships where you can always work here, but you might be a small business, wary of the cost of the investment and what that would look like. We offer day passes, which allows you to try out our services for yourself before you take the deep-dive into coworking. A day pass is a great way to begin to invest in your business.

Investing in your business requires a lot of external factors. Is your business profitable enough to take a hit if it has to? Is your personal finances have enough in it to suffice an investment? If you are ready to really take your business to the next level, great! Go for it. Create the business of your dreams. We’re here to support you!

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Incorporating Podcasts into Your Content Marketing Strategy

Hi, my name is Emily and I am obsessed with podcasts. I listen to one probably every day in some capacity. They have taken over my Broadway cast albums I would normally listen to on a long drive (sorry, Lin-Manuel Miranda, I guess I threw away my shot.) Podcasts, if you have somehow been living under a rock, are just generally a broadcast conversation, much like talk radio. There are podcasts about every topic you could ever dream of—from politics to business to beekeeping.

Podcasts are really the new media frontier. They only require an internet connection and can go anywhere with the listener. They provide opportunities to learn something new without having to actually do any work. You can drive, clean your house, or work out, all while listening to an episode of your favorite podcast.

Podcasts are becoming a part of content marketing strategies across the globe. Many famous celebrities and influencers have turned to podcasting as a way to further enrich their followers with their brand—even Oprah has a podcast.  Podcasts are usually easier to create than, say, a blog post or a highly-produced video. All that is needed is a microphone and editing software. You can put out high-quality content about your brand with minimal effort on your part.

Podcasts establish brand recognition on a personal level. People identify with your voice, they feel like they’ve made a friend and have invited you into their home or car. And, if you do it right, will want to listen to you everyday. Establish a certain amount of trust with your listeners. People will follow your podcast and in turn, participate in whatever your brand is doing.

This type of content marketing isn’t only for those local to you. Podcasts are worldwide, people. You can only spread your brand so far on your own and podcasts can help send it even further.

If you are interested in starting a podcast, make sure it is entertaining as well as relevant to your brand and your industry. It has to incorporate your brand in there somewhere, or it is just you talking into a microphone for fun (which is also great, but not what we’re trying to do here.) Think of a podcast just like you would any other piece of your content marketing strategy—do your fair share of planning, target a specific audience, and engage them in the content you are producing.

Lastly, this is just for fun. If want to start listening to podcasts, you have come to the right place. Here are five of my favand why I love them:

  1. And That’s Why we Drink: The podcast that got me into podcasts. Now, I know that true crime and paranormal activity isn’t for everybody, but it is for me. The ladies of ATWWD (Em and Christine) are so personable and make murder and ghosts as fun as you probably can.
  2. Wine and Crime: Another similar podcast like the one above. I haven’t dived too deep into this one, but it is also wonderful.
  3. Slow Burn: Oooooh, I love this one. I think I binged this one in a weekend. It is about two political scandals in America’s history—season one Watergate and season two is the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky affair. I learned so much from this.
  4. Soul Sugar: This podcast is described as “sugar for your soul,” and that is exactly what it is. Carrie discusses all things self-love, self-care, and provides a little inspiration every Sunday.
  5. Rise: Now, I just started this one last week, but I have become quickly obsessed. The host, Rachel, provides business and personal development insight and she is just a wonderful lady. Definitely recommend.
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The Power of Empower-Ment

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Written by Pare and Flourish Co-Founders, Katie Butler and Skylar Wooden

When asked what our “-ment” word was, it was obvious. Empowerment.

From the start of Pare and Flourish, we had one mission in mind: to empower others. Through articles. Through close-knit conversations. Through panel discussions.  

And though it’s taken different forms, our mission has always been the same.

Carrying that vision forward, we’ve chosen Ment Cowork as the location for our second Flourishing Females event on June 1st. [This event includes a panel discussion about finding your niche, a workshop on grabbing your audience’s attention, and lots of food, drinks, and networking.]

Ment is leading the charge for coworking in Bowling Green, bringing with them a culture of uplifting collaboration—perfect for a day of learning, growing, and connecting with local female entrepreneurs. Perfect for empowerment.

>> Interested in checking it out? Information and tickets for the event are available here.

In honor of this event being at Ment, we’ve reflected on the ways we’ve set out to empower women in our community, and what empowerment means to us.

Empowering Our Readers

Whether it gives you the power to network without fear or to ask for that raise, a blog article speaks to a part in us that needs development. Parts of us that we know are there, but need a push to be put into motion.

That’s how we started—writing blog articles on topics we struggled through and learned from, in hopes of empowering someone else to jump the hurdle. We shared our advice in the most genuine, authentic way we could.

Here’s a snippet from our very first post, setting the tone for Pare and Flourish:

“It is a personal mission of ours not to romanticize our lives, as is so often done in the age of social media.

So here we have a safe space. A space for the real, the authentic, and the genuine.

In this blog, you can expect first-hand accounts of our daily life struggles, how we’ve learned (so far) to become happy with the choices that we’ve made, and pieces of advice that we would like to have learned earlier on. You’ll find that we’ve made mistakes. You will also find what we’ve made of those mistakes. We hope that you apply our retrospection to your life, and come out ahead.”

Read the rest of this article here.

Empowering Our Peers

When blog articles didn’t feel like enough—like we weren’t reaching enough people, like we weren’t making a big enough impact—we transitioned to events.

Our first foray into events was the Flourish Roundtable. Roundtables are small group discussions, promoting authenticity and empowerment.

We wanted more than screen engagement. We wanted real, deep connection based on topics that are relevant to all of our lives. To provide a place where women could look around and see that there are other women feeling similar emotions, having similar thoughts.

Roundtables are a place for thoughtful engagement, advice, support, and all the good feels.

Recounting a Roundtable experience, this is what we wrote:

“If you’ve ever wanted to be a part of something bigger than yourself, something that makes you feel connected to someone based on more than your common interests, but on your common beliefs and feelings, this is the place for you. A Flourish Roundtable event creates that connection. And we are honored to facilitate that connection.”

Read the rest of this article here.

Empowering Our Flourishing Females

When Roundtables weren’t enough, we widened our audience. Flourishing Females Panel + Workshops became a way to do more than gather.  

We widened our net to any woman who owns her own business, or aspires to. No matter the situation, there’s something to gain from this event.

Networking with like-minded women.

Learning from established entrepreneurs and leaders about their own challenges and advice.

Engaging in workshops to collaborate and motivate.

 

After our first Flourishing Females event, as always, we wrote about it.

“We created this Panel + Workshop as a way to expand our reach, and include a wider point of view from our panelists in their respective industries. Without knowing what shape it would take, we started putting together a panel, planning a workshop, and connecting everything in between.

We were overwhelmed with the number of people who were willing to jump in and make this happen. It confirmed something we already knew about Bowling Green: everyone wants to see each other succeed.”

Read the rest of this article here.

Join us at our second Flourishing Females Panel + Workshop to feel the empowerment first hand. Maybe you’re starting a business and need a network. Maybe you have a business and feel alone in it. Maybe you have a great idea and you need the courage to put it out there.

No matter what, and no matter what you do, this event is for you.  

Don’t forget to register!

 

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How Do You Define Your Values?

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From the first time a potential customer hears your company’s name, they are subconsciously analyzing what makes up that company. Things like why are they here? what do they do? and what makes them stand out? are among the questions that wrack a consumer’s brain and this is all before they consider buying your product or using your service.

In this day and age, consumers are getting online and researching all there is to know about a company before applying for a job, eating at their restaurant or even just getting a haircut. The decision is made before they step foot into your space. Your online presence and your brand convey something a good review just cannot say: your values.

It is important to define a company’s values in a language that is plain and simple so that customers can grasp them, but complex enough to define your entire brand in just a few words. Values allow the potential consumer to really take a glimpse inside your brand and see whether they align their beliefs with yours. Today, a company’s values are just as important as the first sale and it is imperative for a brand to have them and use them well.

First and foremost, a set of values identify a brand to its consumers. It shows the company in a favorable light and provides the customer with all that the brand is and wants to be. Values clarify what a firm stands for, and if they have a great set of values compared to a competitor that has lax values, (or none at all) I know I would choose the one with the clear values backing their brand.

Values allow a company to have something to fall back on in light of a difficult decision. If a conflict arises, a company can look to their values to answer there question. If one of their values is honesty and they are knee-deep in a scandal, it might be best to tell the public the truth.

Ment has been focusing on defining our values recently and we thought we could share our process with you in hopes that it could help your business maybe do the same.

First off, we sat down and did our research. There are five existing core values for the coworking industry: Community, Openness, Collaboration, Accessibility and Sustainability. While these values are ones we uphold as well, we felt there were different words to describe how Ment feels and how we want it to feel for others. Therefore we pulled up our handy dandy Google search and began looking for other words that stuck out to us but still fell under the five industry values. There were many (a lot) of -ment words that we pulled out and as you will see we kept a few of them too.

We wanted to really harvest what we were trying to do as a coworking space and then provide that to the members and the community of Bowling Green as a whole. With this, we landed on four core words that we ended up realizing they cultivated the image of a plant growing into a garden.

Take a step back and think about what makes up your brand, what makes it stand out, and what you want to convey to the public. Those qualities are what will make up your values. Proceed then to share them on a website, blog, or on your social media accounts. Your values will allow you to dive deeper toward your customers and provide a more personal approach to business which will result in a brand that will last through any recession, any hiccup, and any mistake.

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