Why You Should Develop a Personal Ethics Statement

This statement can differentiate you from other businesses and entrepreneurs in your space.

By Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD • Jul 16, 2019

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

As an entrepreneur, it can be helpful to create a personal ethics statement. A personal ethics statement is an assertion that defines your core ethical values and beliefs. It also delivers a strong testimonial about your code of conduct when dealing with people.

This statement can differentiate you from other businesses and entrepreneurs in your space. It should include information regarding your position on honesty and be reflective of how you interact with others. You can use your personal ethics statement or video on your website or when speaking with clients.

When you create it, you should include information about your fundamental beliefs, opinions and values. Your statement will give potential customers some insight into what it's like to do business with you. You should also talk about anything that's happened in your life that has impacted your ethical stance. Were you wronged in the past or affected by some injustice you witnessed? How did that shape and define you?

Remember that you're basically telling clients why it's better to do business with you than other entrepreneurs and communicating what you value as a person. Give creating a personal ethics statement a try. It's a wonderful exercise and can provide value to your customers.

Need some help with this, or have other questions? Book a consulting session with me on Entrepreneur's Ask an Expert platform. My schedule is always up to date, and you can even record the meeting if you'd like. Hope to speak with you soon!

Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD

Entrepreneurship Coach, Business & Branding Mentor, Author, Speaker, Executive

Need a mentor, accountability partner or co-strategist? Charlene Walters is a Business/Branding expert who developed a Digital Entrepreneurship MBA program. She is also an entrepreneur and has held a variety of sales, management and marketing roles at startups and larger corporations. Charlene enjoys combining her knowledge and love of marketing and business strategy with her passion for innovation and desire to help others succeed. Her biggest fulfillment comes from working one on one with entrepreneurs to launch their startups, hone their personal brands and further their business strategies and entrepreneurial goals.

Charlene is also the author of Launch Your Inner Entrepreneur: 10 Mindset Shifts for Women to Take Action, Unleash Creativity and Achieve Financial Success, a guidebook for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to develop the mindset needed to successfully launch and grow their businesses, and Own Your Other, a memoir about overcoming tragedy/loss and moving forward in life based on her own personal experience. As part of that, she serves as a speaker and mentor to others, and writes and contributes to numerous publications on business and motivational topics.

Charlene also specializes in consulting, curriculum and content creation, thought leadership development, and social media and business startup/growth strategies. She has created and taught numerous business/marketing courses and workshops and mentored many entrepreneurs and innovators.

Charlene completed a BA in English at The University of Connecticut, an MBA/Management at St. Thomas University, and a PhD in Business Administration/Marketing at Northcentral University where she researched Consumer Internet Behavior and analyzed why consumers choose to make purchases on one site versus another.

Charlene lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and is a writer, entrepreneur, life enthusiast and mother of two. She looks forward to helping you achieve your business and personal goals.

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