If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or founder who keeps second-guessing decisions and stalling growth, this episode is essential listening. MentorBusiness.com is at the heart of this conversation because your values drive every high-stakes move you make.

Lewis Haydon breaks down why hesitation isn’t a strategy problem, it’s a values problem. He shares the four personal values that now anchor every hire, bet, and investment he makes and shows you how to define yours so decision-making stops feeling heavy and starts moving fast. This isn’t theory. It’s the raw, boardroom-level operating system top founders use to choose the right people, say no quicker, and scale with conviction.

You’ll hear exactly what a values-driven decision framework looks like in practice, from filtering investors and clients to protecting culture, pace, and standards. You’ll learn how to codify your values, test them under pressure, and use them to create speed without sacrificing integrity.

Takeaways:

• Your “indecision” is misalignment, define personal values before you touch strategy.
• Business values must be built on personal values; culture follows values, not slides.
• Four values that scale decisions: Family (past/future/present), Potential, Fun, Prove It.
• Hiring and investment filters: values first, then logic; say “no” faster to protect focus.
• Speed matters: fast, values-anchored decisions beat slow, over-analysed moves.
• Habits back values: standards (e.g., 4 a.m. starts) signal commitment, not performative grind.
• “Prove it” > résumés: work with people doing the thing now, not just talking about the past.
• If it’s not energising (no fun, no alignment), end it—clients, vendors, even ideas.
• Use values to set price, positioning, and ideal customer profile, reduce friction and churn.
• When stakes are high (health, crisis, mission-critical), assemble the right room fast.

Chapters:

00:00 – Why you’re second-guessing: it’s not strategy, it’s values

03:18 – Personal vs. business values; culture built on purpose

06:42 – Hiring/investment through a values filter; dashboards vs. people

09:55 – Why MentorBusiness.com exists and how it aligns to the mission

12:10 – Core Value #1: Family (past, future, present)

14:45 – Mid-episode share + support break

15:31 – Core Value #3: Fun (energy as a decision criterion)

18:20 – Core Value #4: Prove It (walk the talk, current results > past stories)

24:12 – Habits and standards: 4 a.m. club, protecting the gate of your mind

29:08 – Coaching ethos, client fit, and making hard calls quickly

33:40 – Space-shot vision: using values to stretch the team’s imagination

37:15 – Urgency under pressure: assembling the right experts fast

41:02 – Final truth: anchor to values, then move, speed compounds

Keywords:

founder core values, entrepreneurial decision-making, leadership clarity, culture vs strategy, hiring for values, investment filter, founder burnout, scaling from operator to CEO, fast decisions, prove it mindset, personal values in business, building high-ownership teams, strategic focus, CEO operating system, MentorBusiness.com

Share + Review:

If this hit home, share it with one founder who needs it today. Then leave a review and DM me once you have so I can shout you out on the show.

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