4 tips for writing powerful mission and vision statements

Having a powerful mission statement is important for every company. For a small business, a mission statement can be particularly valuable. While a vision statement can help explain where your company is heading, a mission statement is a strategic definition of your company’s heart and soul. It sets the tone for your business by defining the company’s goals, culture and decision-making processes. With a powerful mission statement, you create a clear picture of what your company does for customers, employees and its leaders or owners.[1]

Whether you have an existing mission statement that needs revisiting or you’re starting from scratch while creating a business plan, these four tips for writing a powerful and meaningful mission statement will help you craft a document that guides many aspects of the company

Tip 1: Know your why

You already know what your business does or will do. To craft your mission statement, think about the “why.” To truly inspire employees and delight customers, it’s important to emphasize why you’re doing what you do. Are you selling a product, or are you filling a need in your customers’ lives?

Once you have your why, connect it to how you plan to accomplish that goal. When your why and how connect, they should sync up with what your business does. This creates a complete big-picture view of your company’s scope.[2]

Tip 2: Make your mission actionable and quantifiable

Using buzzwords and vague terms doesn’t help convey your company’s true mission. Get specific and explain what you do and how you plan to do it.

For example, don’t simply say, “We create an exceptional experience for our employees and our customers.” Instead, write down what an exceptional experience looks like for both employees and customers by giving a specific example. Describe what their needs are and how they feel. Then, explain how your business provides an experience or meets those needs. The more specific it is, the easier it is to put into practice and to make sure the statement is reflective of your company’s culture.[3]

Tip 3:  Keep it succinct

In addition to being specific, a powerful mission statement is also succinct. It gets to the heart of who your company is and how you reach your objectives. The more targeted and succinct it is, the easier it is to remember—and to put into practice.[4].

Tip 4: Make your vision work for you

There are different ways to go about developing a mission statement. The right way for your small business to develop a powerful mission statement is to use the process that works best for you. Do you want everyone in the company to help contribute ideas? Do you want it to be a project that the founders or owners handle? Whichever process you use to develop your statement, the most important thing to remember is to create a statement that’s accurate and that rings true for both employees and customers.[5]

Looking at other companies’ mission statement examples can help you more closely define what your mission statement looks like. Keep in mind that your mission statement should be unique to the needs of your customers and employees—and to what your business offers them.

Your mission statement may change over time as your business grows. Having a powerful mission statement in place to guide you is an important part of better understanding your business and ensuring its success.

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[1] “The Art of Words: How to Write the Perfect Mission Statement,” Business.com, https://www.business.com/articles/the-art-of-words-how-to-write-the-perfect-mission-statement/, Feb. 22, 2017.

[2] “Four Tips for Writing a Powerful Mission Statement,” Nationwide.com, https://blog.nationwide.com/mission-statement-tips/ , Nov. 8, 2017.

[3] “The Art of Words: How to Write the Perfect Mission Statement,” Business.com, https://www.business.com/articles/the-art-of-words-how-to-write-the-perfect-mission-statement/, Feb. 22, 2017.

[4] “The Art of Words: How to Write the Perfect Mission Statement,” Business.com, https://www.business.com/articles/the-art-of-words-how-to-write-the-perfect-mission-statement/, Feb. 22, 2017.

[5] “The Art of Words: How to Write the Perfect Mission Statement,” Business.com, https://www.business.com/articles/the-art-of-words-how-to-write-the-perfect-mission-statement/, Feb. 22, 2017; “Four Tips for Writing a Powerful Mission Statement,” Nationwide.com, https://blog.nationwide.com/mission-statement-tips/ , Nov. 8, 2017.