How to Create a Mission Statement for your Business
Hooray! If you’re reading this right now, congratulations, you are one step closer to establishing your business professionally. Pat yourself on the back, I mean really...creating a new business the right way is no small task! Between filing for a business license, creating a name, and branding your business, creating a mission statement can be a daunting task.
What exactly is a mission statement?
A mission statement is the purpose of your business. Whether your business is a service or product, your mission statement is a simple way to describe your business, what it does, and why its different to your potential audience and market. It should be powerful, captivating, and descriptive. But it should also be simple. Remember that a mission statement is not only for your target market, but also as a framework for your business and brand and what it stands for. It should be definitive enough to resonate with consumers, but also simple enough to serve as only a framework; think of it as allowing for growth while maintaining core values and goals.
The last thing you want to do with your business is limit yourself! Always allow for growth.
Take Google’s mission statement for example:
“to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.” - Google
It is short and concise yet powerfully, progressive and unique. Google’s mission statement doesn’t even mention the search engine, it is just broad enough to allow them to maximize growth without having to rewrite its core mission. It also answers the most important questions required to write a powerful mission statement.
Why and What?
Why does your business exist? What makes it different?
Let’s use Amazon’s statement for example:
“serve consumers through online and physical stores and focus on selection, price, and convenience. “
Why do they exist: To serve consumers.
What makes them different: They serve through online and in store channels while maintaining good selection, price, and convenience.
Amazing is absolutely changing the consumer market completely! Not only have they dominated the online market, but also physical stores by providing a convenient way to shop for trendy items without compromising quality or price.
Key Elements
Once you’ve answered those two crucial questions, ensure you include these key elements:
Value – What is the value of the business to both customers and employees?
Inspiration – Why should people want to work/with for the company?
Plausibility – Make it sound reasonable
Specificity – Tie it back to the business
Source: (https://www.bigcommerce.com/ecommerce-answers/how-to-write-a-powerful-effective-mission-statement/)
K.I.S.S! Keep it simple sugar.
Do NOT write an essay and do not pour out all the passion that keeps you in the insane world of entrepreneurship. You want this statement to be a perfect blend of the business you dream for yourself and the reality of it what it for in its simplest form. Select specific words if it helps, words that you consistently use to define you, your business, and what you do. Share your mission statement with partners, employees, and even trusted clients to see if it fits the way they may describe the business, how it impacted them, or what they do as an employee.
Most of all, be willing to change your mission statement. It is not the end all be all. You and your business can potentially grow beyond what you’ve ever dreamed. Be ready to accept that challenge along with the possibility that your mission may actually change!
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