These 5 Core Values Are the Secret Behind 20 Years of Growth and Success

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These 5 Core Values Are the Secret Behind 20 Years of Growth and Success

By Nathan Miller | Edited by Kara McIntyre | Entrepreneur | December 02, 2025

3 key takeaways from the article

1. Should our core values really change? They might evolve or expand as our businesses grow and we gain experience, but our fundamental values shouldn’t disappear with each pivot. After all, they define who we are and why we do what we do as entrepreneurs.  
2. After reflecting on two decades of building and growing a business, the author has found that while his company has certainly transformed and adapted over time, the values guiding his decisions have remained remarkably consistent. 
3. Five core principles have served as his North Star from day one are:  A) It’s not enough to set a vision and step back; a leaders need to truly immerse in the day-to-day realities of a business — listening to employees, connecting with clients and observing operational challenges.  B) Stay close to the people you serve, ensuring that feedback is not only heard and valued, but acted on.  C)  Maintain independent ownership and avoid outside investment.  D) Innovation isn’t always about being first to market — it’s about being the most responsive, adaptable and committed to delivering lasting value to the customers.  And E) Invest heavily in industry education, both internally and externally.

Full Article

(Copyright lies with the publisher)

Topics:  Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Values, Business Growth

Extractive Summary of the Article | Read | Listen

According to the author, he was recently a guest on a podcast where the host asked him a deceptively simple question: “How have your core values shifted over your career as an entrepreneur?” He has been thinking about it ever since. Should our core values really change? They might evolve or expand as our businesses grow and we gain experience, but our fundamental values shouldn’t disappear with each pivot. After all, they define who we are and why we do what we do as entrepreneurs.  After reflecting on two decades of building and growing a business, the author has found that while his company has certainly transformed and adapted over time, the values guiding his decisions have remained remarkably consistent. These five core principles have served as his North Star from day one.

1. Personal connection.  Time and time again, he has watched businesses stumble when leadership is absent — quality slips, culture dissolves and customers start to walk away. In his experience, being present and engaged has had the greatest impact on his company and has been absolutely critical to his ability to lead effectively. It’s not enough to set a vision and step back; the leaders who can truly immerse themselves in the day-to-day realities of a business — listening to employees, connecting with clients and observing operational challenges — build stronger teams and create businesses that thrive over the long term.
2. Exceptional service.  Our biggest differentiator in the software space isn’t the size of our company or the scope of our budget — it’s how we show up for our customers and deliver, every single day.  Ever since I hired my first employee, I’ve committed to keeping our customer service entirely in-house and in-office — a decision that remains true today, almost twenty years later. Not only has this allowed us to build a culture that often feels more like a family than a workplace, but it’s also allowed us to maintain full control and ownership over the quality of service our customers receive. We’re able to stay close to the people we serve, ensuring that feedback is not only heard and valued, but acted on. At our company, service isn’t just a department — it’s a philosophy that guides everything we do.
3. Organic growth.  When companies answer to a board of directors, decisions ultimately revolve around satisfying investors — often prioritizing growth and profit at the expense of customers, employees or even the product itself. According to the author he has experienced this himself in the past and seen it damage others in his industry, which is why he has always valued maintaining independent ownership and avoiding outside investment.
4. Continuous innovation.  In the software world, standing still is the fastest way to fall behind. Our customers’ needs are constantly evolving, and the technology that supports them needs to keep pace. Innovation has always been at the core of our business — not by chasing every new trend, but by continuously improving the tools and value our customers rely on to do their jobs.  Innovation isn’t always about being first to market — it’s about being the most responsive, adaptable and committed to delivering lasting value to our customers.
5. Industry education.  According to the author at his company, they invest heavily in industry education, both internally and externally. Internally, that means keeping their team knowledgeable and up-to-date, whether it’s technical training in our software platform, customer service skills or the latest property management best practices. Externally, he is passionate about sharing that expertise with his customers and beyond. His team spends thousands of hours each year building blog posts, webinars, guides and tutorials that they share for free with anyone in the industry. By empowering others with information, they help elevate the entire industry while also driving impact for their customers. A bonus — this commitment to education has become one of our strongest marketing tools, reaching millions of people every year and positioning our team as experts in our field.