Switching from Beehive to Kit using Value-Based Decision Making
- Built on YES
- Jan 22
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 24
Oh B*Y, here we go: Creating Mindful Decisions Using A Value Set
How to create mindfulness in business decisions?
Mindfulness is easy to recognize in personal life—taking a breath before responding, setting boundaries, or even just savoring your morning coffee. But how does mindfulness translate into the world of entrepreneurship and business? Spoiler alert: it’s a game-changer.
Some things I’ve experienced in entrepreneurship and business where I could have used more mindfulness:
Navigating tricky client conversations
Setting (and maintaining) boundaries with employees and clients
Pausing to properly research and understand data before making decisions
Hiring thoughtfully, not out of desperation
… the list goes on. Mindfulness is just like any other skill, it needs to be continually practiced in order to be effective and impactful truly.
Let me tell you a story of how I practice mindfulness in business decisions, with a recent change in software for Built on YES.
The Beehive Experiment: A Lesson In Alignment
During the middle of the year last year, I kept hearing an advertisement for a company called “Beehive.” It was a new software platform for people who write newsletters (like the one you get from me). I was totally intrigued. You see, my favorite newsletters that I read are on this same platform, and if they are successful…well, that means if I use it, I bet mine would be too.
I signed up.
If you don’t know me well, you probably don’t know but could assume that I’m a don’t read the directions kinda girl. I tend to just figure it out. Sometimes it doesn’t work, and sometimes it does. As I’m sure you can imagine there were a lot of learning curves, because I didn’t ever read or watch the tutorials, but I started figuring it out.
One of the key selling points of Beehive that had me laser-focused was their AI matching of newsletters to sponsored ads. Beehive advertised that they would match, and you would get ads that are aligned with your newsletter and you could run the advertisement and monetize your newsletter. That sounds easy. I’m game for that.
However, as my subscriber base kinda grew (not really with the help of Beehive) things began to feel off:
My open rates dipped
Long-time readers weren’t engaging
The sponsored ads? They got weirder and weirder…
The final straw? I used Beehive exclusively for about 6 months, and after receiving a sponsored ad for “Nike’s for Men” it was clear that Beehive and their AI didn’t actually know a thing about my audience. While women are usually the primary purchase-makers of their household, I was not about to approve a “Nike’s for Men” Ad.
So, how does mindfulness come into play here? It’s all about values.
The Value of Value-Based Decision Making
Here’s the thing: every decision I make for my business is rooted in authenticity, storytelling, and delivering real value. When those ads started to clash with those values, I knew it was time to move on.
The ads Beehive kept sending to me, I kept declining…over and over and over again. I realized something needed to change. I knew that if I put a sponsored ad up that didn’t actually align with any of the values of myself or my business, people would start to disengage.
I have no proof, only theory, but I also wondered if the Beehive stats seemed to change because I wasn’t fully using their tools.
It was time for a new newsletter software company. When I was researching Beehive I came across, Kit (previously known as ConvertKit.)
Switching to Kit was like a breath of fresh air:
Templates that are actually useful
Subscriber growth tips that feel authentic
A more intuitive interface (and yes, I still haven’t watched a tutorial)
Most importantly, Kit aligned with my values. And that’s what mindfulness in business is all about—making valude-basaed decisions that align with who you are and what your business stands for.
Building a Value Set for Mindful Decisions
Mindfulness in business isn’t just about listing pros and cons. It’s about grounding every decision in your core values. If you haven’t already, take time to define those values for yourself and your business. Here’s how to get started:
Reflect on Your Goals: What’s your mission? What are you working toward?
Identify Core Values: Authenticity, creativity, resilience—what principles guide you?
Evaluate Decisions Through These Values: Before saying “yes” to a tool, partnership, or opportunity, ask yourself: Does this align?
Mindfulness isn’t about perfection. It’s about intention. By grounding your business decisions in a clear Value Set, you’ll create more than just a business—you’ll create a legacy built on alignment and purpose.
Keep saying YES to what matters most.
For another example of using Value-Based Decision making to help guide your business, check out Wine, Work, and Mindfulness: Uncorking Entrepreneurship with Kirsten Lock of Locke Vineyards, Built on YES The Podcast.