11 Core Value Examples for Small Businesses in 2023

Core values are essential for any organization, big or small—they are the strategic traits, ethics, behaviors, and beliefs fundamental to its overall brand identity. These values are reflected in day-to-day operations, offerings, and interactions with employees and customers. We’ve rounded up a list of the best small business core value examples to inspire yours.

1. PK Floral Design

Core values: Service, Communication, Details, Environment

Many of the core value examples in this list define how a company operates its business. One of the best instances of this is from PK Floral Design, an event organization and flower arrangement company. The business’ success hinges on providing high-quality services, presentation, and creativity all the way down to each detail—and all of these traits are reflected in the company’s core values list: service, communication, details, and the environment.

The values are simple, straightforward, and relevant to their mission. They show that the brand has a meaningful understanding of how to provide top-notch customer service, and how this contributes to the business’ success and overall brand presence.

2. Ocean House

Core values: Excellence, Tradition, Service, Empowered, Innovation, Teamwork, Growth, Integrity, Community, Success

Compared to the example above, Rhode Island-based hotel Ocean House core values list is much longer—at a total of 10 company values. However, each value plays a significant role: as a service-based organization, their interactions with customers are the core of the business and the primary key to their success. Therefore, the hotel’s core values don’t just live on paper—they’re practiced and reiterated by employees in every guest interaction.

Finally, Ocean House’s values also outline the specific qualities that make their services unique from others. These traits effectively help steer them toward their company mission of “personalized service and gracious hospitality.” This, in turn, comprises a unique selling proposition for the business.

3. Longbottom Coffee

Core values: Premium Quality, Authenticity, Integrity, Customer Respect, Passion

Good core value statements are straightforward, easily understandable, and most importantly, specifically relevant and authentic to the business. While you can adopt hundreds of values, only a specific few will be closely related to your industry and your brand’s mission and vision. An excellent example of this is from Oregon-based coffee shop Longbottom Coffee.

As a brand, the cafe places high value on its heritage and sustaining it for future generations of coffee drinkers. The company core values reflect this mission, clearly outlining the attitudes and beliefs required to achieve that goal.

4. Beeghly & Company

Core values: Quality & Value, Integrity & Service, Passion & Fun, Community & Education

Core values can embody the human soul behind each business, and therefore play an especially meaningful role for jewelry brands. Jewelry often carries sentimental value or personal meaning, and the right core values are the best way for brands to showcase an understanding of this to customers.

Beeghly & Company’s core values are a great example of a jewelry brand that understands its products’ value to its customers. It also uses it to guide company standards and provide excellent service. The values place customer satisfaction front and center and outline the steps to achieve it: providing high-quality craftsmanship, top-notch service, and contributing to the local community.

5. Distil

Core values: Simplicity, Empathy, Utility

North Carolina-based brand Distil is a design studio creating unique, handy, everyday items you won’t find in other retail stores. Its mission is simple: to create thoughtfully designed everyday products that take the stress out of everyday life, from streamlined wallets to magnetic sunglasses. However, what makes the brand stand out are the three key principles at the core of all of its products: simplicity, empathy, and utility.

As a one-of-a-kind brand, Distil’s three corporate values help the business stand apart from the competition. The values serve as guidelines for how to create unique products to best serve its mission of simplifying customers’ lives.

6. Juice Beauty

Core values: Sustainable Farm to Beauty Organic Formulas, Sustainable Packaging and Practices, Vegan and Cruelty-free, Free From Harmful Ingredients, Social Responsibility

Eco- and earth-friendly values are essential for businesses anchored on environmental advocacy, like sustainable beauty brands. These values give customers a clear view of the causes you stand for and what your business does to contribute to them. This is precisely why organic beauty brand Juice Beauty has some of the best examples of value statements for a small business.

The statements are easy to understand. They instantly inform readers of the company’s commitment to sustainability and, more importantly, what it does to achieve it. With eco-consciousness on the rise for 75% of U.S. consumers, this is especially valuable as it indicates the company’s transparency, in turn helping build credibility, trust, and affinity.

7. Studio Lucé Photography

Core values: Leadership, Integrity, Growth, Humanity, Teamwork

The values of creative entrepreneurs like artists and photographers are vital for two reasons: they guide the quality of your output and help your personal brand stand out. They give potential clients a more well-rounded sense of who you are and what makes your services different from others.

As such, consider core value examples that best showcase the beliefs and traits you care about most in your business and can guide your work process. Studio Lucé Photography’s values list exemplifies this—it explains the guidelines that drive both operating and creative processes.

8. Honest to Goodness

Core values: Genuine & Relationships, Thrive Together, We Elevate, Here for Good

Many core value examples are created to work in tandem with corporate vision and mission statements. Ideally, your core values list should act as guidelines pointing you toward fulfilling your vision, as it does with Honest to Goodness’ values list.

As an organic food store, Honest to Goodness’ values are the central anchor of the entire organization, guiding everything from internal team dynamics to community impact. Each plays a specific role in fulfilling the company’s long-term vision of making healthy living simple, sustainable, and accessible.

9. Anything With Plants

Core values: Do the Right Thing, Do What You Say You’re Going to Do, Own It, Never Assume, Take Initiative, Be Positive and Encouraging, Be Open

While many businesses’ core values are broad and open to interpretation, Anything with Plants’ core values stand out for being specific and comprehensive. As such, the statements also double as a list of company regulations or a code of conduct that staff members can easily follow in day-to-day operations, and can even be adapted for performance evaluations.

10. Sugar Bowl Bakery

Core values: Family, Simplicity, Humility, Creativity, Integrity

Combined with your mission and vision, core values make up your overall brand identity statements. They also influence how your brand is perceived in public, i.e., the core values you choose play a significant role in your brand’s overall public image.

An example that showcases this well is Sugar Bowl Bakery, a family-owned baking business. Its core values list clearly demonstrates a well-thought-out process and context behind each value’s significance to the business. This creates a more relatable and genuine brand that customers can connect with.

11. TechnologyAdvice

Core values: Be Transparent, Crave Knowledge, Value Each Other, Make Calculated Decisions, Challenge Mediocrity

We’d be remiss if we didn’t share our corporate values as an example here as well. In our case, these statements are part of our day-in and day-out. They are used to guide goal setting and fuel employee interaction, as well as a measure of our professional performance.

Our corporate values also influence company-wide work life. For example, we support “crave knowledge” with opportunities for educational and professional development as well as groups like book clubs. When crafting a values statement list for your business, consider how each value can impact your business in similar ways.

Why Have a Core Values List?

You’ve likely come across countless core values (aka corporate values) statements on the walls or websites of large enterprises, but they’re just as valuable for small businesses too. Core values explain how you’ll achieve your business mission and guide the steps you take to realize your company vision.

In short, core values encapsulate the “how” of your business—they act as your company’s shared moral compass guiding all your actions and operations, from internal strategic decisions to how you interact with customers day by day.

Having a formal list of corporate values is essential because they uphold the human core of your organization. Your company is made up of people, and your core values are the beliefs and behaviors that bind them together. In the modern workplace, this is more important than ever: according to recent studies, 54% of employees placed more importance on company values than financial compensation.

Examples of Core Values to Start With

Every business should have a set of authentic core values tailored specifically to its brand and carefully chosen to guide its mission and vision. No two core value lists are the same, and creating one for your business takes lots of planning and deliberation. Below is a list of some of the more common core values examples you can use as a starting point for your business.

The above core values list is just a small sample—there are hundreds more values that you can use and tailor to best serve your business needs. If you need more, The Science of People has a list of more than 200 examples. These values can also be modified, added on to, or combined with others to form more accurate and tailored lists for each business.

Best Practices for Core Values

While each business prioritizes different values, they all share a few common traits that lead to eventual success. As illustrated by the business value statement examples above, here are a few best practices when choosing and crafting core values for your brand.

• Support your company’s mission: Your business’ mission, vision, and corporate values work in harmony with each other. Your vision and mission answer the “what” and “why” of your business, while your core values determine your “how.” When creating your core values, choose those that support your mission and vision.
• Keep them attainable: Your company values are meant to be practiced and executed every day that you operate your business. For this reason, they should be easy to understand and accomplish in everyday operations.
• Keep them specific: The best core values lists are specific and well-defined. While you can use a general core value as a starting point, e.g., “integrity” or “sustainability,” expound on what the value means specifically to your business.
• Make them applicable to all stakeholders: Your core values should encompass all members of your business, internal and external. For employees, vendors, and suppliers, they should act as a set of guidelines for interactions and operations. For customers, they exemplify the human core of your company and what to expect when they choose to do business with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are basic core values?

Basic core values are the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors a brand prioritizes and exemplifies. They act as a set of guidelines and principles that help steer the company toward fulfilling its mission and vision. While basic core values differ for each business, some of the most common include integrity, teamwork, quality, service, and community, among others.

What is the importance of core values?

Core values serve as a moral compass for a business’ operations, guiding everything from strategic business decisions to customer interactions in pursuit of its mission. They also humanize the company and offer reasons for customers to choose one business over another based on shared values.

What are the different types of corporate values?

Corporate values may fall into multiple categories, and will often overlap. Some of the different types of values include:

• Character or behavioral values (e.g., commitment, loyalty, transparency)
• Social values (e.g., equality, diversity, growth)
• Work values (e.g., leadership, excellence, knowledge)
• Cultural values (e.g., hospitality, freedom, innovation)
• Moral values (e.g., justice, human dignity, respect)

Bottom Line

Having a core values list for your small business is vital to guide business operations and propel you toward achieving your mission and vision. On a public level, values add a human core to your company that help customers connect with your brand more easily. The core value examples above are a combination of these—use them as inspiration as you craft your own small business’ core values.