In this YouTube call‑in segment, host Evan Carmichael fields a question from caller Marisha about how a business’s core values can evolve or become more focused over time, using Oprah Winfrey’s shift from sensationalist, shock‑TV content to authentic, heart‑centered programming as the primary illustration. Speaker C reinforces that while core values such as integrity and putting customers first tend to remain stable, the specific problems a company solves and the way it innovates can change. Evan expands on Oprah’s journey, emphasizing that her growing self‑confidence and willingness to be vulnerable created a deep, loyal audience, and he advises entrepreneurs to embrace authenticity early, trust their raw self, and not be swayed by external criticism. The discussion also covers practical tactics—branding, recruitment, regular value reviews—to embed lasting values, and highlights the importance of vulnerability and service in leadership. The overall message is that consistent core values combined with authentic evolution foster lasting impact and audience trust.
Chapters
We have a call-in from, from Marisha.
Ideally, when you start your business, you're going to have a clear set of your core values. I'm wondering though, if you've ever navigated, not necessarily when your values change, but when they refine and when they focus. And what I'm thinking about specifically as an example is like, you know, the Oprah Winfrey Show, it started out doing a lot of kind of shock TV and more controversial tabloid topics. And then at some point right in the process, she had a value that just refined and she's like, I'm not going to do any more shock TV. I want to only focus on content that will bring light into people's lives. But there's a transition in that process. That I am wondering if you can speak to when, you know, when you are personally experiencing that maybe change in conviction, how do you transition in a way that not only just honors that change in yourself, but like honors your customers, honors your team? That's pretty much my question.
So what I'd say, Marisa, is, is Fundamentally, number one is typically I'd say most businesses I look at out there have the same core values when they start as when they're 10 years old, 15 years old, 20 years old. And the core values around, you know, we call out integrity, customers first, they're never going to change. What the subtle nuance is of what problem you're solving for customers or why you're knocking the ball out of the park for the customers or product innovation, That's going to change all the time. And with, you know, I'm just totally crazy. I challenge myself, the team. One of our values is around sort of revolutionizing the business for our customers. So we should never sit still. We should never be happy with the status quo. But the core values never change. And I think it's interesting. I just interviewed someone for a senior role at Sage. And the other company he was interviewed for, I can't tell you the name, it's probably unfair, but it was a tobacco company. And I just said, well, how come you kind of interviewed with us where we're really passionate about our values and our integrity, and then you're interviewing with a tobacco company? You know, people want to go and kill themselves, that's their choice, and I respect that. However, where you're going to spend two-thirds— you know, when you go to work, when you're an entrepreneur, you're spending two-thirds of your conscious life hopefully with people you love, colleagues you respect, customers that you're going to make raving fans, and you're going to make a difference to the world. And I think— I do think therefore, you know, it's a call-out. I think the millennials, guys like you, are much more conscious of that moral compass, and I think Sadly, in the past, people have compromised their moral compass and ended up working in companies who had no heart. So I don't, from a company point of view, from an entrepreneur's point of view, I'd really advise you to establish things that will last the test of time in terms of, and then build them out, you know, have branding around them, have recruitment. When you do, you know, sit down and have reviews, you call them out. They become part of the way you are. And they never change. And then as the market changes, the opportunity changes, as you evolve and you kind of grow up, then you can take advantage of wherever you sit in that. But the core values always probably stay.
Yeah, to answer that question about Oprah, you know, as you see Oprah evolve, I feel like she just became more and more self-confident and more and more trusting in who she was and not trying to be what other people wanted her to be. Right, so you can do this shock and awe campaign and, you know, boyfriend stabs girlfriend on air or whatever, and it gets you some ratings, but I feel like that wasn't truly her. If you watch Oprah, she's all about heart, right? Like Oprah really cares about people genuinely. Like you feel it, it radiates. But her earlier stuff, it's very formal, almost corporate, you know, it's like that, that true Oprah is not coming out. And I think, I mean, we have the luxury of being able to watch her over such a long period of time. You see her progression to becoming much more comfortable being herself and sharing that. And I think as she shared more, that's what really got like the hardcore audience, and that grew so big for her, right? That's why her influence became so powerful is because she was just honest and true to herself and then shared that with the world. Whereas the people who followed her, that shock style, and then she went off and did something else, those guys never built that following, right? You're just seeing coming on the scene like the latest jab, the latest stabbing, the latest whatever, and then they're off to see the next show where they don't develop that intense relationship. Um, and so I think for you and for the people watching, the way to get there faster is just have the confidence to be who you are sooner and express that. And I know it's hard because people judge you and you're going to get hater comments. And I know you do stuff on YouTube, uh, and there's always going to be people who hate on what you're doing, and that, that can sting in a bad way to the point where like you don't want to do anything anymore. Um, but I think if you have skills and you have the ability to make a positive impact on the world, then you have the responsibility to do it. And I know you do. You have great talents. I've seen some of your videos, and you know, we've been connected for a while. You've joined in on all the Hangouts and everything. Just being more genuine, more you, like raw, your raw self, and trust that people will like that. And not worry about what other people are saying. That's— if you watch Oprah, in my opinion, that's the evolution of Oprah, and that's how she built up her audience. So you can do it too. Your raw self.
Yeah, we— final thing on Oprah, we— I think with service, we absolutely need that. The thing about authenticity is also vulnerability. And I think Oprah has shown herself, and I think great leaders just are very vulnerable at points in time. And that means people gravitate to her. And her core mission and values, as Evan says, I think have been consistent right from the get-go, right through to now.
