High-integrity entrepreneurs are the world-changing force we need. And the business development industry may be their greatest threat.

High-integrity entrepreneurs with a worthy cause — they’re the ones who see a need, genuinely want to help, and figure out a way to make a business of it. They’re the ones that, in business, choose what is right and ethical over what is easy or comfortable. They are the ones who have the power to link wealth production to positive change. They are the antidote to profit-over-people.

I believe this way of doing business has the potential to change the world.

The way that small, lifestyle entrepreneurs are able to serve a small niche without having to vie for mass market appeal means that they have intimate understanding of the problem and freedom to create meaningful solutions. When linked to wealth production, and done ethically, these meaningful solutions can create change within a broken system without waiting for everything to be fixed.

For many entrepreneurs who are just starting out, the first place to look for the how-tos is the internet. And business advice, support, facebook groups, articles, mentorship groups, free content, courses, etc are widely available to help businesses get off the ground. But “build your business to be a force for good” or “live your values” are not the themes that the business development industry runs on. Instead, the message that has taken over is “this is the formula to follow to make 6 figures, 7 figures, and beyond. Do this, and things will work and you’ll be successful. Don’t, and…well, you’re on your own.”

The result: aspiring or budding entrepreneurs who are looking to create meaningful solutions and change are unseen and unsupported in the industry that they are turning to for support. Eventually, they may find the small corner of the industry where they belong, but only if they push through the initial period of being told that they don’t understand how business works, don’t have what it takes, and will never make it without adopting practices that are completely misaligned with their values.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of business coaches, mentors, and successful entrepreneurs out there who are saying that you should be a force for good in the world. But in an industry that has been completely overrun by hustle-to-6-figues narratives, overnight success stories missing a lot of details, and growth strategies that, frankly only work when your potential clients are being decieved, what people are saying only goes so far.

The reality is that harmful, deceptive, and manipulative business practices dominate the business development world, and when these are the people you’re learning and taking advice from, it can be very easy to get the message: “sacrifice your integrity or go broke” and “people like you don’t make it here.”

As a mentor for entrepreneurs who are looking to build values-aligned businesses, I hear a few common experiences:

1. I didn’t actually believe it was possible to be successful in business and not sacrifice my values
2. I was afraid to even try because I figured there’s no way my idea would work. I thought people were only interested in solutions with concrete ROI, not the benefits that I was offering.
3. I thought I was completely not cut out for business because the things I was being told I had to do to be successful made me feel like such shit.

The business development industry — made up of business coaches, mentors, marketing experts, business service providers, and anyone whose work exists to help others grow their businesses — especially as it exists online, has a problem.

Harmful businesses practices that are running rampant are creating an environment where people who value profit over all else find a sense of belonging, and people who value change, impact, freedom, trust, and peace receive the message that they don’t know how it works, don’t belong, and can’t make it without living out of integrity with the values that they ultimately wanted to go into business for in the first place.

For high-integrity people, trying to negotiate with a dichotomy where their values are on one side of the spectrum and success is on the other, is a recipe for burnout. This battle with self takes the focus off of the vision for the business, zaps creativity, leaks energy by leading people to rely on practices that are unsustainable, and disconnects people from the values that are ultimately the backbone of successful businesses.

But the biggest issue is that when people are being encouraged to follow someone else’s formula to achieve someone else’s version of success, they are ultimately being led away from true leadership and vulnerability. And as we know from the work of Brené Brown, creativity and innovation are not actually possible without vulnerability.

Instead of fostering real leadership qualities and an environment that breeds innovation, many of the businesses in this space are actually an active force against creating fertile ground for creativity, innovation, change, and success that goes beyond arbitrary income goals.

The latest stats says that 50% of businesses fail in their first 5 years of business. According to the stats, 42% of businesses fail because there wasn’t a need for what they were providing. I know from mentoring budding entrepreneurs that when things feel challenging, the first thing they will assume is “nobody wants what I’m offering”. For many of these entrepreneurs, and many of the people who are the target audience for the online business course and coaching industry, it actually only takes a relatively small number of customers to create a lifestyle business that is by all accounts, very successful (If this very talented woman can sculpt cheese and make it, let’s not jump straight to “nobody wants it so I’m going to fail”.)

After questioning, I typically find that it is not necessarily true that nobody wants what they are offering. Instead, it feels so vulnerable to show up in a space where they are not represented, and based on what they’re being told in that space they are almost certain that nobody would buy their product or service anyways, so they continue to hold themselves back from putting their full energy into their vision.

If those same clients were to close up shop and you asked them to self report on why, they may tell you “nobody wanted what I was selling,” when not being able to tolerate vulnerability or uncertainty plus a lack of belonging is what is really going on.

The lack of focus, creativity, and vulnerability, and the internal battles that I mentioned above could easily contribute to, cause, or be self reported as “ignored customers”, “lost focus”, “pivot gone bad”, “lack of passion”, and “burned out” — causes that account for another 51% of business failures.

So what are high-integrity entrepreneurs to do if the places they are looking for help are actually hurting their progress?

1. Know the industry is, in many ways, broken

Just knowing the above about the business development industry is important and powerful. When you see something going on that is unethical, deceptive, or manipulative and question if you have to do those same things to succeed, remember that while some people find “success’ using those tactics, it is likely a different version of success that what you are looking for, and they aren’t creating the change that you are here to create.

In short, if your bullshit detector starts going off, trust it.

2. Find mentors who are doing things the way you’d like to do them

Rather than picking mentors based on the amount of money they’ve made of the “authority” that they have, choose mentors that are doing things the way you would like to do them.

Are they creating change? Do you have the same values? Have they managed to do things differently, in a way that looks appealing to you? Are they running an ethical business?

Finding a mentor who runs their business in a way that you would like to run yours will allow you to learn how you can proceed in a way that is aligned, sustainable, and ethical.

3. Get clear on your vision

Why do you want to create this business? What change will it create? What does success look like for you? What values do you want to bring to life? What do you want to do differently?

The greatest visionary leaders in history were able to imagine what could be, rather than get stuck on what already is. If your vision seems like it couldn’t possibly work because nobody else is doing it, you may well be onto something.

4. Use truth, trust, and practice to align with that vision

Truth, trust, and practice are the three guiding forces I use to help clients stay aligned with their vision and not get distracted by what they think they “should” be doing.

Truth — what do you choose to hold as true as you move forward? This can relate to belief systems, values, or guiding principles. For example: I operate according to the truth that integrity is more powerful than current systems.

Trust — in your day-to-day actions, where are you putting your trust? Are you moving forward trusting what is true, or trusting what others say you should be doing? This is a vulnerable shift, but it is necessary.

Practice — Are you willing to keep showing up in small steps toward your vision in truth and trust? Are you checking in to make sure you’re aligned with your values and your vision along the way? Are you willing to course correct and keep going when needed. Practice is the opposite of doing whatever it takes for the “overnight success”.

5. Get use to vulnerability

Moving forward toward a vision for change in business will be vulnerable. Resist the urge to try to create certainty by following “tried and true” methods that you know are not aligned with your vision and values.

Many of the solutions that exist in the business development industry are appealing because they remove vulnerability from the equation, offering a simple step-by-step approach. Resist the urge to make the vulnerability go away, and instead know that if vulnerability is not present you likely aren’t moving in the right direction.