I know that the term “culture” has become a bit of a buzz word in recent years. Every business, company, family, and organization seems to be exploring what its “culture” is and we all talk about whether or not we fit in to a certain “culture.” We have appropriated a term that was used previously on a much larger scale and now use it for all sorts of small groups and organizations that we may be a part of. It is probably not surprising then that I think we can apply it to our small home businesses too. Surely you are establishing a way of doing business, a mission, and a “spirit” of your home business that is probably unique to your circumstance.
What differentiates a home business culture, I think, is that we really do have a great deal of influence over what it turns out to be. Many of us are running our operations by ourselves and we can make personal choices about what we want the mission and driving forces of our home business to be, how we want to operate, and even who we want to have as customers and clients. We can decide if we want a tightly-run professional operation or something a little more lose and flexibility. We get to decide what the “dress code” will be, what the expectations for working with customers will be, whether there is a strong focus on profit or service, etc. I really do believe that we have the power to shape and direct our business “culture” from the ground up in ways that we just don’t have with other things or other groups we may be involved in—families included!
You might choose to just let your home business culture evolve, trusting that if you let your values be your guide, your business operations will reflect that—or you might want to take a more active role in creating a business culture that reflects exactly what you want it to be. Keep in mind that the more individuals who get involved in your business, the less control over shaping the culture that you will have.
See Also the Popular Culture Blog