Ask most small business owners what makes their company unique. And they'll tell you it boils down to the people and the culture. That great culture attracts more potential employees and clients.

Now it's easy to maintain your culture when you have longtime employees. But it's much harder when you have turnover and rapid growth.

How do you hold on your culture as your organization grows? It starts with clear well defined values. And this is more than just a mission statement you put in some obscure corner of your website. Your core values really define how you behave in the marketplace and how you want others to view you.

The values need to be part of your hiring process helping you evaluate candidates who do or don't fit. They need to be part of your onboarding, and they need to be part of the evaluation process as you give feedback and coaching to your

Your values need to come through your marketing material, so you  attract customers who you enjoy working with because they are a great fit.