Tamra Andress: Why value- and passion-driven entrepreneurship is vital for success

Building a successful business requires more than just a “great idea.” Many individuals have great ideas for a product or service, but this doesn’t mean they are able to translate them into a successful business venture. So, what is it that ensures that a great idea can ultimately become a successful business?

As Tamra Andress, speaker, business coach and author of The Joy-Full Entrepreneur: Solutions, Signs, and Wonders explains, entrepreneurs who are driven by their values and an intense passion for what they do have the right ingredients to achieve lasting success. By using these essential traits to guide their efforts, they are better equipped to find innovative solutions and an enduring audience.

Defining values in entrepreneurship

The market has never been more focused on brand values. In fact, surveys have found that 89% of customers are loyal to brands that they feel share their values. Similarly, employees increasingly prioritise working with a company that shares their values, with over half saying they wouldn’t even consider working for a company that doesn’t share their political values.

Of course, a company doesn’t have to be politically active to have a strong set of values. As Andress explains, “Each of us has our own set of core values that define who we are and what we believe in. My co-author Angela Bellar notes that engaging in activities that align with our passions and values is essential. For her, this mindset allowed her to wake up with a daily sense of her calling in business so she could find fulfillment in her work. I believe that when our work is tied to what we value most, we have more strength and energy to give it our best effort.”

Successful entrepreneurs usually let their personal core values influence the core values of their company as well. When the business and its leader are in alignment with each other, the company culture remains consistent, helping employees fulfill their potential and ensuring that the business meets the needs of its customers.

“My co-author Keith Callaway learned that a good work culture needs constant attention and upgrading, and that this is largely achieved through core value reminders,” Andress explains.

“His business found success by using the company’s core values to guide quarterly work goals and anonymous peer reviews for each team member. By aligning personal growth goals with the company’s core values, they have been able to uplift and grow what individual team members are capable of while creating a stronger company culture.”

Letting passion lead the way

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that passion is often cited as a crucial ingredient for fulfillment and profitability in entrepreneurship. After all, it is usually passion for a particular industry, product or idea that leads someone to start their own business in the first place.

But as Andress explains, how passion leads the way can often look different from what one might typically expect. In some cases, entrepreneurs discover new passions along the way as they seek self-improvement or as their life circumstances change.

“I was especially inspired by my co-author Marcus Ellis, who while growing up had an incredible passion for music. He designed sound systems for nearly 30 years, but after his company was bought by a larger corporation, he felt unsatisfied. This caused him to dig deep and discover his passion for helping people in need — and this in turn led him to pivot toward being a real estate investor, with a focus on helping people in foreclosure. It’s very different from how he started, but it’s proven to be fulfilling in its own right.”

Passion doesn’t just help entrepreneurs become more resilient and find alternative pathways to creating career success. An entrepreneur’s passion for their business and its products or services can be a powerful influence on their target audience.

“My co-author Julianne Kirkland overcame a variety of personal and business challenges as she strove to create a successful salon business,” Andress explains.

“I think it’s important, however, that she used these setbacks as a means for personal growth. Even during times of suffering, she looked for purpose in her situation so that she could improve and become better aligned with what she hoped to achieve.”

An entrepreneur’s passion and enthusiasm are immediately apparent to those they interact with. The idea that enthusiasm is contagious is well-documented. Turning one’s passion into a positive, enthusiastic attitude can give entrepreneurs an inherent advantage that helps them stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Foundations for success

As the experiences of Andress and her associates illustrate, value- and passion-driven entrepreneurship are key to achieving desired outcomes in the business world. By focusing on these two crucial ingredients, entrepreneurs can find the motivation and drive to keep working at their business, even when times get hard.

Perhaps even more importantly, they will have the sense of direction necessary to guide their decisions and processes so that the business becomes what they want it to be.

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