where to put mission statement in business plan

Filter by Keywords

How to Write a Goal Statement (with Examples)

Sudarshan Somanathan

Head of Content

September 1, 2024

Start using ClickUp today

• Manage all your work in one place
• Collaborate with your team
• Use ClickUp for FREE—forever

If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.

Knock, knock! Quickly checking in—what was the name of the business book you planned to start this weekend? Or the graduate school application you promised to write this month? Or that personal essay you wanted to publish on Medium?

If you’re struggling to recall, you’re not alone because constant distractions in our personal and professional life, like doomscrolling on social media platforms, can easily derail us from our goals and priorities.

Recent research found that employees who set goals are 14 times more likely to feel inspired at work. That’s not all. Writing goal statements also leads to a 90% boost in performance and persistence​.

This highlights the power of goal-setting, goal-tracking, and self-accountability in reaching your objectives. It also reinforces the age-old wisdom: reading, writing, and consistent reflection on our goals are key to building habits and staying on track. 

So, let’s dive directly into how you can construct effective goal statements and make those goals a reality. 🎯

The relevance of goal statements in personal and professional life

The importance of a career goal statement, the role of goal setting in crafting an effective goal statement, using the smart method to create goal statements, tips for writing a goal statement, implementation, effective business goal statements, effective personal goal statements, periodically tracking and updating your goal statement, learning from successful real-world examples, being flexible and adaptable with your goal statement.

What Is a Goal Statement?

A goal statement is a concise outline of your goal or goals for the future, including your vision, mission, and values.

You can use a goal or mission statement for various purposes—like career objectives, personal development, and even long-term life planning. 

A professional goal statement not only outlines your career direction but also acts as a personal development blueprint. It breaks down the steps needed to achieve your strategic objectives, ensuring steady progress toward your aspirations. 

More importantly, it gives clarity and purpose to your actions, keeping you aligned with your future ambitions and enabling personal growth along the way. A strong goal statement points you in the right direction, but more than that, it gives you a clear path forward, whether you’re aiming for a promotion, switching careers, or picking up new skills. 

It acts as a roadmap, breaking down the steps you need to take while keeping you accountable along the way. A personal statement can consistently remind you of what you’re working toward and fuel your motivation to stay committed until you achieve your desired result.

The influential self-development expert, Brian Tracy, said in an interview :

I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is to decide exactly what you want–set your goals–and then determine how you will achieve them (what skills you will have to learn, what actions will you have to take). And these are totally under your control. These are not dependent upon anyone else.

Thus, goal statements prove to be invaluable in personal and professional life.

In your career, they help you with:

• Clarity and focus: Goal statements help you prioritize key milestones for career growth and avoid irrelevant pursuits
• Measurement and accountability: Goal statements enable you to track progress and maintain accountability
• Company and team alignment: Goal statements ensure your personal goals align with your team’s and company’s vision

When it comes to your personal life, goal statements can help with:

• Motivation: Goals can keep you motivated, especially when things get tough. They give you concrete timelines that make you feel more accountable and often more in control
• Decision-making: Goals guide your decisions, making it easier to choose actions that lead to desired outcomes
• Personal growth: Setting goals encourages you to keep improving and developing yourself. Most personal goal statements involve physical and mental betterment

Setting up an actionable objective is the first step in achieving success. 

According to research, employees in goal-oriented organizations are about 7 times more likely to feel proud of their workplace and just as likely to recommend it as a great place to work. 

Writing down your goals turns them into something tangible, making them easier to focus on and achieve. Here are some solid reasons as to why a goal statement is essential when it comes to your career:

• Responsibility: Writing down your goal makes you accountable and gives you an extra push to stay true to it
• Clarity and direction: A clear goal statement defines your path and the next actionable steps
• Timeline and progress: Professional goals with timelines help you plan your actions and track progress
• Motivation: Outlining your goals keeps you motivated by acting as a long-term to-do list

How to Write a Goal Statement 

Simply thinking about your goals isn’t enough to achieve them. To increase your chances of success, it’s important to write down your goal statements and, if you can, share your progress with people you trust.

Before you begin writing your first goal statement, understand that the key is to outline exactly what you want to accomplish, how you plan to do it, and what the timeline for it is.

Begin by clearly defining your goal, including what you want to achieve, the timeframe for completion, and the steps needed to reach it. 

Make sure your goal answers these essential questions:

What do you want to accomplish?

When do you want to accomplish it?

How will you make it happen?

A well-defined goal should provide clear direction, a realistic timeline, and a practical action plan.

Here’s how you can prioritize your goals and determine where to focus your energy when you’re setting a career objective. Start by asking yourself these key questions:

• Values: What values do you want to uphold in your career? (Ensure your goals align with your core principles and ethics)
• Your definition of success: How do you define success in the workplace? (Tailor your goals to match your personal vision of achievement)
• Your financial goals: What are your financial aspirations? (Set goals that support your desired financial future)
• Ideal work environment: What does an ideal work environment look like to you? (Create goals that foster a setting where you can thrive)
• Educational advancement: What additional degrees or certifications could help you excel in your field? (Identify educational goals to enhance your expertise)
• Work-life balance: How do you envision a healthy work-life balance? (Ensure your goals support a fulfilling life both inside and outside of work)
• Leadership ambitions: Are you interested in pursuing leadership positions? (Guide your career goals toward roles that match your aspirations)
• Strengths: What strengths do you bring to your work, and how can you leverage them? (Set goals that capitalize on your unique abilities)
• Entrepreneurial ambitions: Do you aspire to start your own company in the future? (Align your current goals with your long-term entrepreneurial ambitions)
• Seeking challenges: Are you keen on taking on more challenging roles in your workplace? (Set goals that push you toward growth and new opportunities)

To craft personal goal statements that foster your vision of personal enrichment, here are some guiding questions to consider:

• What kind of lifestyle do you aspire to have? (Set goals that drive you toward fulfilling your dreams and ambitions)
• What are your hobbies and interests, and how can you incorporate them into your life? (Align your personal goals with activities you genuinely love)
• What kind of impact do you want to make on your community? (Direct your goals toward contributing to the greater good of society)
• What steps can you take to improve your physical and mental health? (Ensure your goals keep you in prime condition)
• What can you do to nurture and improve your relationships? (Set goals that deepen your family connections and personal relationships rather than detract from them)

Answering these questions will help you determine the ‘What’ aspect of your personal goal statement. Remember to keep your responses focused, clear, and direct. Here, ClickUp can support you with its array of features. Let’s explore them as we go along.

ClickUp Docs

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all these questions, ClickUp Docs can help you organize your thoughts and draft clear goal statements.

Start by opening a new ClickUp Doc and jot down your goals. With ClickUp Docs, you can create detailed, customizable documents to outline your career path, set timelines, and align tasks with your objectives. 

Once your draft is ready, you can share the document with trusted friends and mentors for feedback, so they can comment directly within the doc. This feature keeps everything organized and ensures your goals are clearly defined and actionable.

Next, let’s address the ‘How’ and ‘When’ by applying the SMART method. This step requires in-depth research into what’s needed to achieve your SMART goals by creating achievable and measurable objectives .

Using the SMART framework helps clarify your goals, track progress, ensure feasibility, and monitor achievement within a set timeframe.

Here’s how SMART goals are set:

• Specific: Define your goal clearly and precisely
• Measurable: Ensure your goal has quantifiable criteria for tracking progress
• Achievable: Set a realistic goal that is attainable given your resources and constraints
• Relevant: Align your goal with your broader objectives and values
• Time-bound: Assign a deadline to create urgency and focus

💡 Example: If you’re aiming for a promotion that requires certifications, research the necessary courses, understand the time commitment, and plan your timeline accordingly. This approach ensures your goals are realistic and grounded in actionable steps.

It can be challenging to juggle all the elements of goal-setting while also creating realistic, relevant goals. That’s where ClickUp’s SMART Goals template comes in. 

ClickUp SMART Goals template

ClickUp’s SMART Goals template simplifies the process by helping you break down large objectives into manageable steps, track your progress, and stay motivated.

Here’s what ClickUp’s SMART Goals template offers:

• Enables progress tracking and success measurement
• Keeps you focused and motivated on long-term goals
• Identifies and addresses potential roadblocks efficiently

In addition to the strategies mentioned, here are some extra tips to help you craft a strong personal or career goal statement:

Tips & tricks

Review it regularly: Regularly review and adjust your goals as needed to reflect progress and changes

Set a timeline: Create a timeline with milestones for both short-term and long-term goals to stay motivated and on track

Request feedback: Share your goals with trusted individuals for honest feedback on your timeline and goal achievement, increasing your accountability

⚡ Template Archive: Need more SMART goal templates that can help you define and achieve your goals efficiently? Check out our library of free SMART goal templates that are easy to use, adaptable, and seamless to track and update.

Writing your goal statements is just the beginning; implementing them is where the real work begins. Break down your career goals into smaller, actionable steps. 

💡 Example: If you aim to land a leadership role, start by taking on smaller team projects to build your management skills. Prioritize these steps and establish a timeline.

Track your progress regularly and adjust as needed. Share your goals with a mentor or colleague for accountability and feedback. Celebrate small victories, like completing a course or receiving positive feedback, to stay motivated.

A flexible system is essential for successful goal implementation, and ClickUp Goals can help you effortlessly track, edit, and adjust your goals.

ClickUp Goals

ClickUp Goals is a powerful tool for creating, tracking, adjusting, and setting project goals or personal goals with ease. It offers flexible goal-setting with customizable targets, deadlines, and tracking methods tailored to fit your needs, making it easier to stay on track and achieve success.

You can break down larger goals into manageable milestones, ensuring steady progress. Visual tools like charts and progress bars help you monitor your progress, keeping you and your team motivated. 

Collaboration is also enhanced by sharing goals with your team, aligning efforts, and exchanging valuable feedback. 

Additionally, ClickUp Goals ensures that individual goals align with broader company objectives by grouping them into folders. It also automatically updates progress based on task completion, keeping everything up to date.

Examples of Personal and Business Goal Statements

Now that we understand the theory behind writing effective career goal statements, let’s explore some practical short and long-goal examples to inspire your personal and business goals.

Business goal statements can be complex, as they require detailed planning to outline your career objectives and the steps to achieve them. Professional goal statements may range from ongoing tasks to a specific one-time project.

A well-defined business or professional goal statement serves as both—a motivation booster and a roadmap for your career. It also enhances your resume by highlighting your career direction, aspirations, and self-awareness to potential employers.

Examples of effective business goal statements

An effective professional goal statement is clear, specific, and measurable. It provides clarity on what you want to achieve, how you’ll achieve it, and by when you expect to attain it. 

Here’s an example: Increase market share in North America by 20% by the end of Q4 2025 through increased ad campaign spending and sales team training

This professional goal statement is precise and quantifiable and includes all key elements: the desired outcome, location, strategy, and timeline.

Other examples include:

• Improve customer retention by 15% by Q2 2024 by enhancing product quality through a comprehensive competitive benchmarking exercise

This goal is focused and measurable, with a clear method for achieving the target.

• Secure a promotion to Senior Vice President by the end of 2026 by exceeding targets and demonstrating strong managerial skills

This goal follows the SMART framework, outlining a clear path for career advancement.

For organizational goals, it’s crucial to have tools like ClickUp Goals or OKR Templates to track and monitor progress across the company, department, and team levels.

By crafting clear and actionable goal statements, you set yourself and your business up for success, ensuring every objective is aligned with a strategic plan and has a defined timeline for achievement. 

ClickUp Company OKRs and Goals template

ClickUp’s Company OKRs and Goals template is a powerful tool for aligning your team with your company’s vision and values. 

It simplifies the process of setting and tracking objectives, standardizes performance measurement, and ensures that individual goals support your organization’s overall objectives. 

By maintaining alignment and cohesion, this template not only streamlines goal management but also boosts team morale and productivity.

Here’s what the ClickUp’s Company OKRs and Goals template offers:

• Create and track objectives to maintain focus and direction
• Identify and prioritize goals for maximum impact and efficient resource allocation
• Ensure all team members are aligned around shared objectives, boosting collaboration and coherence
• Monitor progress and measure performance concisely
• Improve team motivation and morale by clearly defining and tracking success
• Facilitate better communication and understanding across teams

⚡ Template Archive: Looking for more goal-setting templates to ensure you’re on the right track? Check out these free goal-setting and tracking templates that will level up your goal-setting strategy .

While we’ve focused on career goals, achieving them is near impossible without taking care of your personal well-being. 

Personal goals reflect who you are, what you want, and where you’re headed. Not only do they guide your journey, but they also make a strong impression on potential employers or educational institutions.

Balance your goals by focusing on areas such as relationships, physical health, spirituality, and personal growth to prevent burnout and boost overall satisfaction. 

Use goal-tracking apps to organize and prioritize your goals effectively. Set reminders, break down larger goals into smaller tasks, and regularly review your progress to stay on track and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Examples of effective personal goal statements

When crafting personal goal statements, it’s essential to be specific about what you want to achieve, how you’ll achieve it, and the timeframe for completion. 

Here are some examples that follow the What, How, and When structure:

Reconnect with old friends: before the end of the month, schedule a coffee date with a friend you haven’t seen enough of lately

Learn Spanish: Dedicate 30 minutes daily to language lessons for 6 months to be at least semi-fluent by next summer

Complete a 10K run: Follow a 12-week structured training plan to boost fitness and mental resilience

These examples illustrate how clear, actionable personal statements of goals can lead to tangible outcomes, whether they involve personal enrichment, health, or career development.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French writer and pilot said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

Best Practices for Implementing Goal Statements

Now that you’ve written down your goals, it’s time to turn them into reality. 

Here’s how to make it happen:

Track and update your goals regularly to keep them aligned with your growth. Goals should be as dynamic and evolving as you are. Don’t let them collect dust—instead, review and adjust them consistently. 

Consider using goal-setting software to set reminders, track progress, and make adjustments so that your goals remain relevant and attainable as you evolve. When you achieve a goal or hit a milestone, take a moment to celebrate your success. Recognizing your progress keeps you motivated and reinforces positive behavior.

And if you miss a deadline or fall short, don’t be too hard on yourself. Instead, analyze what went wrong, learn from it, and adjust your approach to avoid repeating the same mistakes. 

By staying engaged with your goals and adapting as needed, you can ensure continuous progress and maintain the momentum needed to achieve them.

Real-world success stories offer valuable lessons and inspiration. For example, Elon Musk’s approach to goal-setting is a powerful model. 

His goal with SpaceX is to colonize Mars, and with Tesla, it’s to drive the world toward sustainable energy. What sets Musk apart is his ability to break these enormous goals into manageable steps, steadily working toward each milestone.

This shows the importance of setting bold goals while maintaining a practical, step-by-step approach. But you don’t have to look only at famous figures. You can also learn from those around you, like mentors or family members. 

Observe their strategies, seek guidance, and apply those habits to your journey. Their experiences can provide valuable insights to help you reach your goals more effectively.

If your original plan no longer feels right, don’t hesitate to adjust your goals, resources, or timeline. Flexibility is key to staying on track. Regularly reassess your goals to ensure they still align with your current situation and aspirations. 

Embrace changes as opportunities for growth. Sometimes, a shift in direction can lead to better outcomes than you initially imagined. Stay open to new possibilities and be ready to pivot when necessary. 

This adaptability will help you navigate challenges and seize opportunities as they arise.

Create Goals and Achieve Them with ClickUp

Personal and career goals are crucial for success—they outline your path, keep you motivated, and showcase your potential to employers. 

But with a busy life, managing these goals can be challenging. That’s where ClickUp steps in.

With multiple goal creation, sharing, review, and execution features and a variety of goal-oriented templates, it does all the heavy lifting for you, so you have more time to achieve your goals and dream big. 

Sign up for free today and start turning your aspirations into reality, one goal at a time!

Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.

Receive the latest WriteClick Newsletter updates.

Thanks for subscribing to our blog!

Please enter a valid email

• Free training & 24-hour support
• Serious about security & privacy
• 99.99% uptime the last 12 months

How to Write a Mission Statement + 10 Great Examples

17 min. read

Updated May 10, 2024

Why is an effective mission statement so valuable? It’s worth taking a minute to ask what it is about certain brands that keep us coming back. What is it about them that makes us spend more time, money, or effort over other options? Is it the price? Maybe the convenience? Or is it something more?

The brands and businesses that we really connect with do more than just supply a product or service . They showcase a purpose, a mission that we can get behind. This can be displayed in how they interact with customers, the organizations and communities they support, and even the way they develop their products.

And there’s no better way for a business owner to showcase this purpose, than through a well-written mission statement.

On this page

• What is a mission statement?

Mission statement or vision statement?

• Why write a mission statement?
• How to write a great mission statement
• 10 Examples of Great Mission Statements

A mission statement is a simple action-oriented statement that explains your company’s purpose. It summarizes what your company does for customers, employees, and owners, and typically includes general descriptions of your organization, its core function, and its goals. In short, you’re explaining what you do and why you do it within a mission statement.

Depending on the focus of your business, your mission statement may be even broader. Explaining not just how you serve your customers and employees, but your community and the world at large. Some businesses even opt to separate this larger aspiration into what’s known as a vision statement.

A vision statement is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a vision for the direction of your company and what it aspires to be. 

These two statements aren’t really interchangeable. They both reflect the purpose and goals of your business, but serve completely different purposes. Your mission statement is the roadmap to achieve your vision. Your vision statement is a much broader picture of the aspirations for your business. 

These can be completely separate written statements for your business, or they can be combined into a more comprehensive mission statement. Having all three does allow you to utilize them for different business purposes, so it may be worth developing variations over time.

Speaking of variations, it’s important to note that your mission statement will likely evolve over time as your business grows and changes. So, don’t be afraid to make adjustments when it seems necessary, and avoid looking for the perfect version of your mission statement. 

Brought to you by

Create a professional business plan

Using ai and step-by-step instructions.

Secure funding

Validate ideas

Build a strategy

I’ve had a 30-year love-hate relationship with mission statements. I’ve read thousands. I love it when a mission statement defines a business so well that it feels like strategy—which does happen—and I hate it when a mission statement is generic, stale, and completely useless. 

Just because a traditional business plan often includes a mission statement isn’t a reason to do one. If it’s not going to be useful for you and help guide your business, don’t bother. The vast majority of the mission statements are just meaningless hype that could be used to describe any business.

Don’t fall into the trap of writing a mission statement just because some checklist or expert said you had to. There are actually sites that poke fun at how most mission statements use vague, high-sounding phrases to say nothing. You should write a mission statement if you want to add clarity to your business goals and you want to get your employees, investors, and customers to understand what your organization is all about. 

Developing your company’s first mission statement, or writing a new or revised one, is your opportunity to define the company’s goals, ethics, culture, and norms for decision-making. The daily routine of business gets in the way sometimes, and a quick refresh with the mission statement helps you take a step back and remember what’s most important: the organization has a purpose. 

So how do you make a useful mission statement? Over the decades I’ve spent reading, writing, and evaluating business plans , I’ve come up with a process for developing a useful mission statement, and it boils down to these five steps.

1. Start with a market-defining story

A really good market-defining story explains the need, or the want, or—if you like jargon—the so-called “why to buy.” It defines the target customer or “buyer persona .” And it defines how your business is different from most others, or even unique. It simplifies thinking about what a business isn’t, what it doesn’t do.

Imagine a real person making the actual decision to buy what you sell. Why do they want it? How did they find your business? What does it do for them? The more concrete the story, the better. And keep that in mind for the actual mission statement wording: “The more concrete, the better.”

This isn’t literally part of the mission statement. Rather, it’s an important thing to have in your head while you write the mission statement. It’s in the background, between the words. If you’re having trouble getting started, make a quick list of what your company does and doesn’t do.

2. Define what your business does for its customers

Start your mission statement with the good you do. Use your market-defining story to suss out whatever it is that makes your business special for your target customer .

Don’t undervalue your business: You don’t have to cure cancer or stop global climate change to be doing good. Offering trustworthy auto repair, for example, narrowed down to your specialty in your neighborhood with your unique policies, is doing something good. So is offering excellent slow food in your neighborhood, with emphasis on organic and local, at a price premium.

This is a part of your mission statement, and a pretty crucial part at that—write it down.

If your business is good for the world, incorporate that here too. But claims about being good for the world need to be meaningful, and distinguishable from all the other businesses. Add the words “clean” or “green” if that’s really true and you keep to it rigorously. Don’t just say it, especially if it isn’t important or always true.

For example, Apple Computer’s 2020 mission statement is:

“Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms—iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS—provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it..”

That one obviously passes the test of defining the company with flying colors. Nobody could mistake that mission for generic hype. And it’s an interesting change from the early mission as defined by founder Steve Jobs:

“To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind.”

Ikea, on the other hand, starts its mission statement with something that could be any company anywhere. “Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the [sic] many people.” To its credit, it goes on to define a “rest of the mission” that could only be IKEA:

“We make this possible by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.”

And note, in this mission statement, how Sweetgreen incorporates a world vision into a product-oriented mission statement:

“Founded in 2007, Sweetgreen is a destination for delicious food that’s both healthy for you and aligned with your values. We source local and organic ingredients from farmers we know and partners we trust, supporting our communities, and creating meaningful relationships with those around us. We exist to create experiences where passion and purpose come together.”

3. Define what your business does for its employees

Good businesses are good for their employees too or they don’t last. Keeping employees is better for the bottom line than turnover. Company culture matters. Rewarding and motivating people matters. A mission statement can define what your business offers its employees.

My recommendation is that you don’t simply assert how the business is good for employees—you define it here and then forever after make it true.

Qualities like fairness, diversity, respect for ideas and creativity, training, tools, empowerment, and the like, actually really matter. However, since every business in existence at least says that it prioritizes those things, strive for a differentiator and a way to make the general goals feel more concrete and specific.

Don’t worry about being fully unique

With this part of the mission statement, there’s a built-in dilemma. On the one hand, it’s good for everybody involved to use the mission statement to establish what you want for employees in your business. On the other hand, it’s hard to do that without falling into the trap of saying what every other business says.

Stating that you value fair compensation, room to grow, training, a healthy, creative work environment, and respect for diversity is probably a good idea, even if that part of your mission statement isn’t unique. That’s because the mission statement can serve as a reminder—for owners, supervisors, and workers—and as a lever for self-enforcement.

If you have a special view on your relationship with employees, write it into the mission statement. If your business is friendly to families, or to remote virtual workplaces, put that into your mission.

You may not need to focus on employees

And this is rare in mission statements. The vast majority are focused on messaging for customers. My recommendation here is not the norm. I include it because it’s good practice, even though not common.

While I consulted for Apple Computer, for example, that business differentiated its goals of training and empowering employees by making a point of bringing in very high-quality educators and presenters to help employees’ business expertise grow. That was part of the culture and, to my mind, part of the mission; but it wasn’t part of the mission statement. It could have been.

American Express, however, includes the team in its mission:

“We have a mission to be the world’s most respected service brand. To do this, we have established a culture that supports our team members, so they can provide exceptional service to our customers.”

4. Add what the business does for its owners

In business school, they taught us that the mission of management is to enhance the value of the stock. And shares of stock are ownership. Some would say that it goes without saying that a business exists to enhance the financial position of its owners, and maybe it does. However, only a small subset of all businesses are about the business buzzwords of “share value” and “return on investment.”

In the early years of my business, I wanted peace of mind about cash flow more than I wanted growth, and I wanted growth more than I wanted profits. So I wrote that into my mission statement. And at one point I realized I was also building a business that was a place where I was happy to be working, with people I wanted to work with; so I wrote that into my mission statement, too.

However, this element too, as with the suggestion about including employees, is unusual. Few mission statements do it. That’s understandable, since most mission statements are outward-facing only, aimed at customers and nobody else.

Still, some of the best mission statements incorporate a much broader sense of mission that includes, or at least implies, the mission of ownership.

Warby Parker, an eyewear company, does a great job at voicing a higher mission that includes customers, employees, and owners.

“Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially-conscious business.”

5. Discuss, digest, cut, polish, review, and revise

Good mission statements serve multiple functions, define objectives, and live for a long time. So, edit. This step is worth it.

Start by considering developing a full mission statement for internal use and using a customer-facing subset for general publication. That’s common. Many companies have segmented mission statements, with sections set aside and categorized by type or goal. Use bullet points or sections if that works for you. Part of the reason people confuse mission with mantra and vision is that many businesses use them together, and many others also redefine them to fit their context. So what a company does for customers is often called vision, despite the formal definition.

Remember, form follows function, in mission statements, as in all business writing. Make it work for your business. Or don’t do it at all. If you want to call it a vision, and that works for employees and customers, then do that.

Cut out general terms

As you edit, keep a sharp eye out for the buzzwords and hype that everybody claims. Cut as much as you can that doesn’t apply specifically to your business, except for the occasional special elements that—unique or not—can serve as long-term rules and reminders. Unique itself, the word, means literally, the only one in the world. Use it sparingly. Phrases such as “being the best possible,” “world-class,” and “great customer service” mean little because everybody uses them. Having great customer service is way harder than writing that into a mission statement.

Read other companies’ mission statements, but write a statement that is about you and not some other company. Make sure you actually believe in what you’re writing—your customers and your employees will soon spot a lie.

Then, listen. Show drafts to others, ask their opinions and really listen. Don’t argue, don’t convince them, just listen. And then edit again.

And, for the rest of your business’s life, review and revise it as needed. As with everything in a business plan, your mission statement should never get written in stone, and, much less, stashed in a drawer. Use it or lose it. Review and revise as necessary, because change is constant.

• Great Mission Statements: 10 Examples

If you’re looking for some inspiration to get you started on your own mission statement, here are a few of my favorites.

1. Southwest Airlines

“The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.”

What’s most interesting about Southwest’s mission statement is that they don’t mention anything about getting from point A to point B. Their mission is all about how they differentiate what, these days, can be seen as a commodity experience. They also focus on their own employees and the “spirit of the company”, not just the customer experience.

2. Urban Outfitters

“A lifestyle retailer dedicated to inspiring customers through a unique combination of product, creativity and cultural understanding. Founded in 1970 in a small space across the street from the University of Pennsylvania, Urban Outfitters now operates over 200 stores in the United States, Canada, and Europe, offering experiential retail environments and a well-curated mix of women’s, men’s, accessories and home product assortments.”

Urban Outfitters focuses on the experience that they deliver and the focus on what they do. Their mission drives what their stores look like and what their goal is: to inspire. They also nod to their heritage of starting small and growing.

“At Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) we believe a life outdoors is a life well-lived. We believe that it’s in the wild, untamed and natural places that we find our best selves, so our purpose is to awaken a lifelong love of the outdoors, for all.”

REI’s mission focuses mostly on what it wants to do for its customers, but hidden in the mission statement is a mission to preserve the environment as well. Their focus on “getting outside” is what creates a connection between them and their customers.

4. Starbucks

“To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”

Starbucks expands on its mission statement by stating its core values. This is really an extension of the mission statement and explains how they focus on their customers, how they grow their company, and how they work with employees. You can read their values here .

5. Walgreens

“Walgreens’ mission is to be America’s most-loved pharmacy-led health, well-being, and beauty retailer. Its purpose is to champion everyone’s right to be happy and healthy.”

Walgreen’s mission really defines their goals: what they want to achieve and in what product categories they want to achieve it in. They also bring in their broader purpose when they talk about “everyone’s right to be happy and healthy.”

“Make work-life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.”

While Slack’s mission statement is short, it implies a lot. “Work” doesn’t just mean their customer’s work, it means their own work at their company. Their mission statement serves them both internally and externally.

7. The Coca Cola Company

“Refresh the world. Make a difference.”

Coca Cola takes a slightly different approach with a statement of purpose and then a vision statement. Their purpose is essentially their mission statement and says a lot for being so short. They want to refresh people in both body and spirit while making a positive impact on the world. Their vision also implies their goal of serving the entire world’s population which hits on their corporate and shareholder goals.

8. Patagonia

“We’re in business to save our home planet.”

Another short mission statement that says so much more than you would think at first glance. First and foremost, Patagonia doesn’t say that they are a non-profit – they state that they’re a business. And, this implies that they need to be a strong, healthy business to meet their goal of saving the planet. Their mission applies to their employees, their customers, their products, and their activism.

9. charity: water

“charity: water is a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries.”

charity: water’s mission statement is clear and to the point – it simply describes what it does and who it does it for. For most non-profit mission statements, this is enough.

 10. Asana

“Asana’s mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly.”

Similar to other mission statements, Asana blends a message about what they do with a higher goal of enhancing the world outside of their company. Yet, they still hint at their target market and goals of being a world-wide company, thus improving the lives of their employees and shareholders.

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.

Table of Contents

Related Articles

3 Min. Read

Don't Make These 4 Mistakes in Your Executive Summary

10 Min. Read

How to Write the Company Overview for a Business Plan

16 Min. Read

How to Write a Competitive Analysis for Your Business Plan

The LivePlan Newsletter

Become a smarter, more strategic entrepreneur.

Your first monthly newsetter will be delivered soon..

Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy .

The quickest way to turn a business idea into a business plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

No thanks, I prefer writing 40-page documents.

Discover the world’s #1 plan building software

ZenBusinessPlans

Home » Business Plans

How to Write a Business Plan Mission and Vision Statement [Sample Template]

Are you currently writing a business plan? If YES, here’s an in-depth guide and sample template on how to write a workable mission & vision statement for a business. A vision and mission statement are some of the most important requisite for business success and sustainability, but unfortunately, most entrepreneurs and small business owners run their business without these two thing out of ignorance.

What is a Mission and Vision Statement?

A mission and vision statement ( more commonly called a mission statement or a vision statement ) is a brief sentence that declares the goals that a business plans to achieve in the future. Like a compass guides a ship, it guides a business to success by providing continuously inspiring its stakeholders in their daily operations and strategic moves.

A mission statement helps you plan your business effectively. It provides the destination for your journey to business success. Of course, without a destination, you can’t plan a route. Before we discuss the steps involved in developing a mission statement for your business, let’s look at the components of a mission statement and why you really need a mission statement for your business.

Today, I will be sharing with you an underground secret to building a business from scratch. This secret is one of the contributing factors to the success of any business; yet, it’s often ignored. This secret is nothing more than a “ Business Mission Statement. ”

“The thing I really care about is the mission; making the world open.” – Mark Zuckerberg

The importance of a mission statement can never be over emphasized. I have seen so many startups without a mission; even some established firms also make the mistake of operating without a mission.

“Being an entrepreneur, I have come to realize that all successful businesses are driven by three fundamentals. One is the cash flow, two is the team and three is the mission. Of these three, the mission is the most important.” – Ajaero Tony Martins

Now what has a mission statement got to do with building a business? What’s the impact of a mission statement on an entrepreneur undergoing the entrepreneurial process? Is a mission statement a source of ? While I am not going to answer these questions directly, the following points will help you further understand why you need to develop a mission statement for your business?

Why Your Business needs a Mission Statement

1. The mission is the foundation on which your business will be built. It’s the true purpose of your business and that purpose is reflected in the mission statement. Without a strong mission statement, you don’t have a true business. All you have is just a profit making venture that will soon be wiped out with time.

“To turn really interesting ideas and fledging ideas into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines.” – Steve Jobs

2. The entrepreneurial spirit is found in the mission statement. When I look at the mission statement of any business, I get a peep into the life of the entrepreneur that founded that business. The entrepreneurial spirit is what drives the entrepreneur forward. If the mission is strong, your spirit will be strong towards the pursuit of your goal.

“The IKEA spirit is strong and living reality. Simplicity in our behavior gives us strength. Simplicity and humbleness characterize us in our relations with each others, our suppliers and our customers.” – Ingvar Kamprad

3. Your mission statement is the bond binding you, your team, employees and your customers to the business. Take away the mission and other key elements will fall apart. Your mission also has the power to attract other like-minded individuals and entities to your cause. The reason is that people with the same mission align together; more like birds of the same feather flocking together.

4. With a strong mission, your business will weather any storm. Take a look at businesses that has been around for over 100 years and you will see businesses with a strong mission. As an example:

• General Electric has stood the test of time because the spirit of its founder “ Thomas Edison ” continues to guide the company through its mission.
• Henry Ford’s mission statement was: “ To democratize the automobile ” and that mission has kept the Ford Motor Company going.
• Aliko Dangote’s mission statement goes: “ Providing your basic need ” and this mission drives the Dangote Group to dominate the commodities market of
• The Rich Dad Company; founded by Robert Kiyosaki keeps waxing strong because of its mission, which is “ To elevate the financial well being of humanity .”

By contrast; I have come to observe that when a company forgets its mission, its starts to lose its relevance. The bond holding the business will be broken and good customers will leave, employees will resign and the business will dwindle. Just as the case of the Dot com burst, many profitable Dot com companies went under because they forgot their mission.

3 Components of a Mission and Vision Statement

1.  a vision.

This, simply put, states the impact you envision your business having on the world in years to come. You can have more than a single statement in here, but don’t go beyond three. Gloss it over to make sure anyone who reads it feels at least one of inspiration, hope, commitment, and awe.

In addition, your vision statement must be compelling, detailed, and reflective of the intended end outcome. Avoid one that is bland, generic, uninspiring, or unreasonable. An example of a good vision statement is that of Amazon:

“Our vision is to be earth’s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

2.  A mission statement

This is a brief statement that states the important goal or purpose that your business is poised to achieve. In other words, it’s a single sentence stating why your business exists in a convincing manner. Keep your mission statement specific and concise ( the shorter it is, the better ), make it connect with both employees and stakeholders, and make it highlight your value proposition. Don’t make it too long, generic, or confusing. An example of a good mission statement is that of Nike:

“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”

Here’s another example of a mission statement:

“To contribute to development of value-added agricultural businesses . ”

3. Core values

These outline the principles and values that the stakeholders in a business will follow in their bid to achieve their vision. They also specify the bounds or limits that the stakeholders must watch while trying to actualize the mission. The following are examples of core values:

• Respect and protect the environment
• Offer high quality products that are safe for consumers
• Meet the ever-changing needs of consumers
• Practice highly ethical business standards

If your business is going to stand the test of time, then you will have to build it upon a strong mission. With the above in mind, let’s now look at the steps involved in developing a mission and visions statement.

How to Write a Mission and Vision Statement for a Business Plan

Please bear in mind that you are learning as much of yourself each day as you are about your customer. So, don’t feel that anything you state here is etched in stone and cannot be changed. The more you understand your customer and the market, the more necessary it would become for you to shift grounds accordingly. But you need to state here what you have to offer at the moment. This will be a starting point for any changes you may need to effect later ( as your business grows ).

1.  Sit down in a quiet spot and reflect upon your thoughts

Ask yourself what drives you forward? What keeps you motivated? When you have figured out the answer to these questions, put it down in writing.

2.  Ask yourself how best you can serve your customers

What will your business stand for in the heart of your customers? What will be the ultimate benefit your customers can derive from your business? When you figure the answer to these questions out, put it down in writing.

3. Brainstorm for your vision statement

The vision is the most important component of your mission statement. Simply put, this is a picture or idea of what you plan to achieve in future . A vision statement is always concise and easy to remember, and for this reason, every stakeholder in a business can easily focus on it; and their decisions and activities are directed towards achieving the vision. Here is a good example of a vision statement:

“ Creating a vibrant rural economy driven by value-added agriculture. “

Once you get one down, then getting other components becomes very easy. To find the best vision statement for your business, simply ask yourself the question, “Why does this business exist?” Present answers from various angles, and you will find your mission statement among them.

4.  Get down your mission statement

As stated earlier, your mission statement is that action sentence that describes how you will achieve your vision. Finding this is much easier once you have found your vision statement. If you are stuck, just do it this way: If your vision is “A diabetes-free society” , then simply add the word “ To ” and another suitable verb to convert it to an action sentence. And there you will have your mission statement.

Using the same vision, you will get “To bring about a diabetes-free society .” You can go further by tweaking it, so that you will have something like: “To manufacture products that can cure diabetes effectively and permanently.” You get it now?

5.  List your core values

First off, you need to clarify your values. This means taking into account all the various stakeholders that your business is ( or will be ) accountable to—including investors, customers, employees, and suppliers. Now, consider how you would like to ideally conduct business with each of these stakeholders. Start making a list and your core values should start to emerge.

These are the various steps you will follow in your quest to achieve your vision. Brainstorm for as many as possible, list them down, and the prune your list down to as few as possible without leaving out any important ones. Now, let’s look at some additional tips that you will need to keep in mind when preparing your mission and vision statement.

4 Extra Success Tips for Developing a Business Plan Mission and Vision Statement

• Your mission statement must be brief and simple. Being succinct as demanded by a mission statement isn’t easy. And you may need to go through several hours of tweaking and editing before arriving at the perfect sentence. Though short, your mission statement must capture the very essence of what your business plans to achieve. The fewer words the better. Use just only the few words needed to pass the message without leaving out any vital details.
• Your mission statement must be in tune with your vision, and both sentences must blend to form a single thought.
• There’s no rule that says you must get it perfectly at once. You can keep review your mission statement later, if necessary.
• Your mission and vision statements must give the reader an insight, a covert one, at least into what you offer. This is more important if the name of your business doesn’t suggest what products or services you’re offering.

If you follow the guidelines I shared in this post, you will prepare a perfect vision and mission statement that will drive your business to success. Now I want you to know that no one can help you develop a mission statement. You alone can develop your mission and as a final note, it’s worthwhile you know that of the entire business system, the mission is the most important.

• Go to Chapter 8 Part C: Writing your Business Plans Goals and Objectives
• Go Back to Chapter 7 : H ow to Write a Business Plan Executive Summary
• Go Back to Introduction and Table of Content

More on Business Plans

Ownr Blog  > Ownrship 101  > Business Stages  > Managing Your Business  > Marketing  > How to Write an Effective Mission Statement for Your Business

How to Write an Effective Mission Statement for Your Business

Writing a mission statement is a fundamental step for any business. A good mission statement effectively communicates to customers, investors, employees, and other businesses who you are, what you do, and why you do it. In this guide, we describe what a mission statement is, provide some mission statement examples to inspire you, and walk you through how to create a mission statement for your own business.

• What is a Mission Statement?

A mission statement is a clear, succinct explanation of the purpose of a business. You already know exactly what your business does and why, but your mission statement needs to summarize all of that information into a single sentence or short paragraph. 

Unless your company changes drastically, a business mission and mission statement usually don’t change too much over time.

• What are the 3 Purposes of a Mission Statement?

A mission statement explains a business’s objectives, and in doing so, fulfills the following 3 specific purposes:

• 1. Communicate Business Values

The main purpose of a mission statement is to clearly express what your business is all about, including your company values. A unique, memorable mission statement can provide you with a competitive advantage by differentiating you from the competition.

• 2. Connect with Customers and Team Members

A good mission statement fosters genuine connection with potential customers and employees, which in turn can lead to growth in reputation, brand loyalty, and overall profitability.

• 3. Guide Business Decisions

Being a business owner means having to make all kinds of decisions constantly, both big and small. Your mission statement should act as a guide you can refer back to for all manner of business decisions, as well as a means of evaluating how your company performance is measuring up to the goals you set.

• Mission Statement Examples

To give you a better idea of exactly what mission statements involve, here are some mission statement examples from leading companies:

• 1. Starbucks

To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time.

Why it works: Starbucks is more than a utilitarian coffee shop where you go to get your caffeine fix and leave. They “inspire and nurture the human spirit” by inviting customers to linger and relax in coffee shops outfitted with art and inspiring images and stories about their coffee growers – their “partners”. To create a sense of community and provide a personal touch they ask for customers’ names, making customers feel welcome “one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” We get a strong sense of Starbucks’ “why” from this mission statement.

To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. *If you have a body, you are an athlete.

Why it works: Nike provides an excellent example of how you can employ your brand’s tone of voice effectively even in something as brief as a mission statement. Here, their famous commitment to being innovators in the sports apparel space is clear. This mission statement communicates that one of their core “whys” is to inspire. The best part, though, is the cheeky and unexpected asterisk accompanied by the inclusive declaration that “if you have a body, you are an athlete.” This perfectly communicates that Nike is committed to empowering all people, regardless of body type or athletic ability, in an unexpected mission statement structure that is both memorable and on-brand. 

To enrich the lives of everyone in WestJet’s world. We’re proud to have won awards that show us you think we do.

Why it works: This is a great example of a mission statement that reflects a commitment to both customers and employees. By stating that its mission is to “enrich the lives of everyone in Westjet’s world,” Westjet conveys its commitment to provide a satisfying work environment for employees, as well as a rewarding travel experience for customers. By using the word “world” instead of, say, community, it invokes the idea of travel and exploration, reminding us that “Westjet’s world” spans the globe. The second line offers proof their mission statement isn’t just empty words. Not only has the company won awards, they indicate gratitude to the reader for helping them with that achievement. 

To make work life simpler, more pleasant and more productive.

Why it works: Slack’s “why” is all about keeping things uncomplicated, and achieving more with ease. This mission statement shows that brevity can be very effective. It’s short even by mission statement standards, but it reflects the experience that Slack wants its users to have on the platform: simple, pleasant, and productive. The choice of the term “work life” instead of just “life reminds us that work is a major part of life, so we should aim to make it less stressful and complicated, something Slack achieves with their product. Finally, their stated aim to make work life “more pleasant”, evokes their generally positive outlook about work and their mission to make it even better.   

To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

Why it works: Tesla is a car manufacturer known for its pioneering electric vehicles. Tesla is certainly a car manufacturer with a mission, and even people who don’t know much about cars can associate the name with electric vehicles. Their mission statement reflects a commitment to reducing the world’s reliance on fossil fuels by speeding up a transition that is already underway. Notice that they don’t even mention cars in their mission statement, but rather allude to driving with the word “accelerate”. It’s great copy that is subtle and clearly demonstrates their vehicles are a means to a greener world. 

To create a better everyday life for the many people

Why it works: Ikea’s products have changed the way people furnish their homes by offering sleek, innovative solutions for every room at an affordable price. Their mission statement indicates their broad range of products with the phrase “better everyday life”. And “the many people” conveys their mission to serve as many people in the world as possible. The slightly awkward use of “the” in “for the many people” cheekily invokes their Swedish origins and their often idiosyncratic ads, typically delivered in a Swedish accent. This mission statement is uncomplicated, just like their products. 

To be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity. 

Why it works: Since Sony makes such a wide range of electronics and technologies, from cameras and gaming consoles to robotics and AI, they keep it simple by focusing on one thread that runs through their enterprise: curiosity. Whether it’s curiosity about the world, art, music, technology, or entertainment, Sony conveys that their products will not only inspire their customers’ curiosity but also provide the means to fulfill it through innovative products, themselves the result of curiosity and ingenuity.  

• 8. Microsoft

To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential

Why it works: Microsoft’s mission statement is clear, simple, and to the point: their products are made for people and businesses, and by using Microsoft’s suite of products, individual and corporate customers can reach their full potential.  

To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Why it works: Google’s concise statement reveals an enormous mission: to catalogue all of the world’s information so that it can be accessed by anyone, anytime. This statement indicates Google’s commitment to democratizing access to information in an organized and easy-to-use manner. 

• 10. Ben and Jerry’s

To create fantastic ice cream (for its own sake). 

Why it works: Ben and Jerry’s is known for its delicious, ever-expanding variety of ice cream flavours. Its mission statement explains what they do in simple terms: make fantastic ice cream. This clearly indicates their commitment to a delicious, high-quality product. The unique use of parentheses to explain why they do this—”for its own sake”—keeps the tone light and fun, and cheekily affirms that ice cream, itself, is inherently reason enough (as if to say, who doesn’t like ice cream?)

• 11. sweetgreen

“Building healthier communities by connecting people to real food.”

This mission statement concisely informs the audience of the type of products they provide, while tying into sweetgreen’s broader commitments to animal welfare and becoming carbon neutral.

“Discover and spread ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding, and drive meaningful change.”

TED’s mission statement effectively communicates their core idea: that sharing ideas can change the world for the better. It’s a lofty goal, but it seems more achievable because of the way they break it down.

“The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.”

In their mission statement, Disney makes a point of first emphasizing the power of storytelling before moving on to graciously acknowledge and bring attention to the brands, employees, and technology that sets them apart from the competition.

“Giving people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.”

Meta makes it clear right off the bat that they are all about empowering their customers, giving them the ability to connect with consistent innovation and development.

• 15. Penguin Random House

“To ignite a universal passion for reading by creating books for everyone. We believe that books, and the stories and ideas they hold, have the unique capacity to connect us, change us, and carry us toward a better future for generations to come.”

With their initial statement, Penguin Random House emphasizes that they serve everyone. They go on to explain how they believe that books can connect and change present and future generations. These values can be seen in their focus on equity, inclusion, and amplifying diverse voices.

“Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon.”

Amazon opts for a lengthier mission statement that lists their business principles before expressing their desire to be not only the most customer-centric company, but also the best employer and safest place to work. They then list a number of innovations which may be recognizable to consumers, emphasizing their impressive market share. 

• 17. YouTube

“Our mission is to give everyone a voice and show them the world. We believe that everyone deserves to have a voice, and that the world is a better place when we listen, share and build community through our stories.”

YouTube keeps their mission statement relatively simple, focusing on giving everyone a voice while providing access to all of the other voices around the world. They take it a step further by expressing the belief that sharing our stories and listening to others makes the world a better place.

“Keep Commerce Human Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. It’s home to a universe of special, extraordinary items, from unique handcrafted pieces to vintage treasures. In a time of increasing automation, it’s our mission to keep human connection at the heart of commerce. That’s why we built a place where creativity lives and thrives because it’s powered by people. We help our community of sellers turn their ideas into successful businesses. Our platform connects them with millions of buyers looking for an alternative – something special with a human touch, for those moments in life that deserve imagination. As a company, we strive to lead with our guiding principles and to help spread ideas of sustainability and responsibility whose impact can reach far beyond our own business.”

Etsy’s statement is unique since they choose to summarize their mission in three words, before going into detail about what their business offers the consumer and how they support their sellers, all while emphasizing the human touch.

“We are revolutionizing commerce globally. With this mission as our North Star, we are aligned around one central vision: to make sending and receiving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure. Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day.”

This statement immediately expresses PayPal’s mission to revolutionize commerce around the world, going on to provide further context by mentioning what services they offer, emphasizing  keeping the experience simple and safe, and stating that these values guide their everyday operations. 

• 23. Alzheimer’s Association 

“The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.”

The Alzheimer’s Association’s mission statement speaks to their future goal of eradicating Alzheimer’s and dementia, while succinctly stating the methods they use at present to achieve these goals. 

• Why are Mission Statements Important?

A great mission statement can be a valuable tool to keep your business on track, especially when setting goals or making big decisions, ensuring your efforts remain aligned with what you want your business to accomplish. The ability to maintain a clear vision for your business approach is a trait that distinguishes the most successful businesses . 

In addition to helping guide business decisions, a mission statement can also serve to provide guidance and a sense of identity to employees.

• Not Just for Internal Use

Potential customers, employees, or investors may look at your mission statement when determining whether to work with you. A well-written mission statement can make all the difference.

• What to Include in Your Mission Statement

Your mission statement should be unique to your business, and what you include will depend on your particular focus and values. Typically, a mission statement includes a basic description of the company, its purpose, its goals, and can also cover how the business serves customers, employees, the community, and the world.

That said, here are the 3 main things you should include in a mission statement:

• 1. What your Business Does

Anyone reading your mission statement should be able to tell what type of business you do.

• 2. How your Business Achieves its Goals

Make sure to address what you’re doing differently and why people should choose your business over your competitor.

• 3. Why you Do What you Do

Give people something to root for by talking about your larger purpose and why it matters.

• How to Write a Mission Statement

Here’s a step-by-step process to help you create a mission statement:

• Write some bullet points about what your business does, the product or service you offer, and your target audience .
• List some of your core values, including what motivated you to start this business, and what principles guide your decision making.
• Bring the two together by defining how your offering aligns with the values you’ve identified.
• Finally, take what you’ve written and condense it into a straight-to-the-point mission statement. 
• Keep it Concise

Part of the challenge of mission statement writing is figuring out how to say everything you want while keeping it brief. Remember, you can include additional information elsewhere: many leading companies have sections on their websites that go into further detail than the initial mission statement.

• Mission Statement vs Vision Statement

A mission statement differs from a vision statement, although some companies may lump them together. While a mission statement focuses on the company’s fundamental purpose, a vision statement typically outlines where the company plans to be in the future and can provide more details on its strategy to get there.

If you’re looking to craft a vision statement, the Vision Statement module of Ownr’s free business plan generator, Blueprint contains examples to kickstart your imagination and help you build a compelling vision statement for your business.

Here are some vision statement examples to help you tell the difference:

• Vision Statement Examples
• 1. LinkedIn

“Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.”

• 2. Alzheimer’s Association 

“A world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia®”

• 3. American Express

“Provide the world’s best customer experience every day.”

• Mission Statement vs Purpose Statement

Some organizations write purpose statements in addition to mission statements. A purpose statement focuses on why a business came into existence in the first place. This may include mentioning a problem the business seeks to solve or a unique opportunity the business is leveraging. It can also be a bit longer and provide a brief summary of how the business came to be. 

• How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Mission Statements

According to some experts, many companies have mission statements that are too vague , unrealistic, or contain too much business jargon. 

Here are some tips on how to avoid these common pitfalls:

• Be Accurate

Don’t include words just because they sound good. You may end up with a mission statement that sounds catchy, but serves no use as a guide for your company.

• Be Realistic

It’s good to be ambitious, but your mission statement should be realistic. If the mission statement sets a purpose and goals that are clearly unobtainable, it won’t be taken seriously.

Avoid writing a mission statement that’s generic or vague. One useful trick is to ask yourself if one of your competitors could use the exact same mission statement. This will help you focus on being more specific about your unique purpose, goals, and values.

Now you know what it takes to craft an effective mission statement. Put these tips into practice and you’ll have a clear and concise statement that keeps your company on track.

This article offers general information only, is current as of the date of publication, and is not intended as legal, financial or other professional advice. A professional advisor should be consulted regarding your specific situation. While the information presented is believed to be factual and current, its accuracy is not guaranteed and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the author(s) as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by RBC Ventures Inc. or its affiliates.

85 Mission Statement Examples That Define Companies and Inspire Customers

Plus a guide on how to write a mission statement.

Some skeptics are eager to criticize mission statements. They see them as generic and platitudinous , another startup box that founders need to check.

 Turns out, though, a mission statement’s success depends on how it’s written.

What Is a Mission Statement?

In his influential 1998 research article , consultant and business professor Chris Bart found “a significant and positive correlation” between organizational performance and mission statements when managers were satisfied with those statements . He also found a correlation between performance and the process used to develop statements. Simply having a mission statement was a non-factor, but one created with real buy-in delivered the goods.

Related Reading Tips for Effective Business Storytelling

Mission Statement Examples

Later, we’ll tease out what exactly makes a mission statement effective and explore tips for writing one. But first, here are some examples to fuel your inspiration.

• Apple: “To bring the best user experience to customers through innovative hardware, software and services.”
• Procter & Gamble: “To provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come.”
• Reddit: “To bring community and belonging to everyone in the world.”
• Nike: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

TurboTenant

Mission statement: “At TurboTenant, our mission is to provide the software and processes to make managing their rentals efficient and professional so they can spend less time managing their properties while hitting their financial goals.”

Scaled Agile, Inc.

Mission statement: “To be the trusted provider of the system that enables our customers to achieve and sustain business agility.”

Mission statement: “We’re passionate about powering safe, informed, and efficient communities. Our mission is to innovate with heart by building intuitive COA software solutions that foster transparency, efficiency, and collaboration for everyone who calls an association home.”

Mission statement: “We help people in crisis get life-changing aid.”

Geode Capital Management

Mission statement: “To manufacture precision building blocks to help our clients efficiently achieve their investment objectives.”

Piaggio Fast Forward

Mission statement: “Our mission is to build technology products that move the way people move.”

Supernova Technology

Mission statement: “At Supernova, our mission is to enable investors to achieve financial wellness.”

Jabra Hearing

Mission statement: “We empower people with hearing loss to connect with their world through effortless technology and delightful care.”

Mission statement:  “At Hivebrite, our mission is to help organizations build vibrant communities.”

Mission statement: “Humanizing brands to move people.”

Bectran, Inc

Mission statement: “Our mission is to reshape the credit industry and disrupt traditional processes. We believe in leading our business partners into the digital age to adapt to the tools and technologies that will allow them to remain at the forefront of their industries. Here at Bectran, we are committed to helping businesses leverage the power of SaaS solutions to save time and money and actualize their full growth potential through innovated, automated software.”

Mission statement:  “To save lives and minimize loss by identifying active threats globally and facilitating timely communications when an emergency situation threatens personal safety and business continuity.”

Mission statement: “We help people secure their future and protect the ones they love.”

Mission statement:  Make a difference: Improve community health and safety through the power of data.

Mission statement: “We’ve built the nation’s leading social care network with a clear focus on our mission — to connect people to the help they need with dignity and ease.”

Mission statement: “In a world rife with complex relationships and hidden risk, we stand as torchbearers of corporate transparency, aiming to illuminate the intricate connections that exist between businesses, people, supply chains and the inner workings of a globalized economy.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is simple: To provide employers with a uniquely fair, predictive, and easy-to-use assessment that helps them identify the candidates most likely to succeed in all their open roles.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to make the best care possible for all pets.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to help financial institutions win and keep customers by delivering flawless customer experiences. Pinwheel’s activation and lifecycle management solutions remove friction, increase transparency, and help create a fairer financial ecosystem for all.”

Mission statement: “Founded on the mission to simplify healthcare and improve outcomes.”

Mission statement: “Our mission: deliver powerfully-simple email marketing software for small businesses that does 90 percent of the work for you. We leave the last 10 percent for you to have fun!”

Bridge Legal

Mission statement: “At Bridge Legal, our mission is simple: To improve access to legal services in America.”

Mission statement:  “At Personio, our mission is to help HR focus on what matters most: people.”

GrayMatter Robotics

Mission statement: “Our mission is to help your people and your industrial assets become smarter and more visible.”

Inspira Financial

Mission statement: “We solve complex problems for countless strategic partners and thousands of employers. We help millions of individuals to thrive today, tomorrow and into retirement.”

Scythe Robotics

Mission statement: “To provide the most advanced and sustainable autonomous technology for maintaining off-road environments safely, effectively, and responsibly.”

Biz2Credit Inc.

Mission statement: “Our mission is to provide small businesses with the best funding options for each and every project or capital need, with technology that makes business financing easy to understand and easy to access.”

Gradient AI

Mission statement: “Gradient AI is on a mission to increase precision and automation throughout the insurance industry.”

Mission statement: “At Inato, we’re on a mission to bring clinical research to each and every patient, regardless of who they are and where they live.”

Formation Bio

Mission statement: “Our mission is to bring new treatments to patients faster and more efficiently. We are a tech-driven, AI-native pharma company changing the way drug development is done.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to empower every homeowner. We’re creating a world where home ownership comes with ease, security, and financial know-how.”

Bilt Rewards

Mission statement: “Renting should be rewarding.”

Mission statement: “FPFX Tech delivers technology solutions that bridge the gap between what brokers offer and what traders want, with innovative products and applications that create points of differentiation and client loyalty.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to make authentication and authorization simple and secure for every developer.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to place the right person in the right shift, every time.”

Invoice Home

Mission statement: “We strive to maximize business efficiency with an affordable and easy-to-use billing and invoicing service. We cater to time-strapped small businesses and freelancers who seek to grow their business and build their brand.”

LoanStreet Inc.

Mission statement: “Our mission is to provide the most efficient, transparent and robust tools for financial institutions to manage their balance sheets, connect with partners and effectively share risk.

Mission statement: “Meetup’s mission is to help people grow and achieve their goals through real-life, human connections. From professional networking to craft brewery crawls to coding workshops, people use Meetup to get out of their comfort zones, meet new people, learn new things, pursue passions, and find supportive communities that will help them thrive.

Gogo Business Aviation

Mission statement: “To keep your passengers, pilots and planes seamlessly and continually connected worldwide.”

Snap! Mobile

Mission: “To empower coaches and educators in their dedication to develop the leaders of tomorrow. Our vision is to strengthen developing programs through technology-driven, community-first solutions that support dedicated leaders and champion the next generation.” 

VelocityEHS

Mission statement: “Making the world’s best workplaces safer and more sustainable.”

OTR Solutions

Mission statement: “OTR’s mission is to create exceptional value for our clients by providing industry leading financing and back-office solutions. Three pillars that are crucial to supporting that mission are outstanding customer service, technology that creates efficiency for ourselves and our customers and a culture that provides the opportunity for employees to achieve greatness.”

Mission statement: “To be a trusted partner in providing homeowners and their families safety, enjoyment, convenience, and peace of mind through innovative, professionally installed solutions that protect the condition and grow the value of their homes.”

GameChanger

Mission statement:  “Help families elevate the next generation through sports.”

Mission statement:  “We exist to advance the economic power of people living and working in the real world.”

Mission statement: “Always with you, building a more confident future. MetLife contributes to a more confident future as an employer, an investor and a provider of financial solutions and expertise. Our purpose is at the heart of our virtuous circle of delivering for our colleagues, our communities, our customers and our shareholders.”

Mission statement:  “We bring together brands and their audience to make connections that matter.”

Mission statement:  “For over a decade, we’ve been building tech for food people, so restaurant owners can save money, staff members can save time, and diners can order better. Because when restaurants thrive, they can keep serving food that gives your community its unique flavor. We want to keep it that way.”

MobilityWare

Mission statement: “Bringing joy to others one game at a time.”

Mission statement:  “We empower everyday people to move forward on the path to a better financial future.”

First Entertainment Credit Union

Mission statement:  “We build lifelong financial relationships with the people in entertainment based on a deep understanding of how they live and work.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to rebuild the infrastructure of the travel industry in order to bring freedom, simplicity, and trust to travelers everywhere. We are bringing change to an industry that has been held back by outdated technology and complicated financial incentives that solve for the needs of middlemen instead of providing the best experience to users. Travel matters when communication is essential to building trust, commitment, and a shared sense of purpose. In essence, business travel is a necessity any time success depends on the strength of human connections.”

PatientPoint

Mission statement:  “ PatientPoint is on a mission to make every doctor-patient engagement better, and that goal is at the core of everything we do. We are the patient engagement platform for every point of care. Our digital solutions impact 750 million patient visits every year, helping drive better health outcomes that enable people to live longer, healthier lives.”

Mission Statement:  “At Trupanion , we’re on a mission to help loving, responsible pet owners budget and care for their pets.”

Mission Statement :  “We’re on a mission to simplify the complexities of payments to help you grow.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to bring the best user experience to customers through innovative hardware, software and services.”

Mission Statement : “To help humanity thrive by enabling the world's teams to work together effortlessly.”

Mission Statement : “To be the most trusted and convenient destination for pet parents (and partners), everywhere.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to increase economic freedom in the world. Everyone deserves access to financial services that can help empower them to create a better life for themselves and their families. If the world economy ran on a common set of standards that could not be manipulated by any company or country, the world would be a more fair and free place, and human progress would accelerate.”

Mission Statement : “DoorDash is a technology company that connects people with the best of their neighborhoods across the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Germany. We enable local businesses to meet consumers’ needs of ease and convenience, and, in turn, generate new ways for people to earn, work, and live. By building the last-mile logistics infrastructure for local commerce, we’re fulfilling our mission to grow and empower local economies.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to design a more enlightened way of working. Dropbox helps people be organized, stay focused and get in sync with their teams.”

Bright Horizons

Mission Statement :  “Dedicated to the highest quality education and care; making a lasting difference, one child, one student, one teacher, one family, and one employer at a time.”

EFFECT Photonics

Mission Statement : “To interconnect humanity through fast, affordable, sustainable, and effective communication technologies.”

Mission Statement:  “Our mission is to build the most popular car subscription platform. Our aim is to help anyone who loves driving a car of their own but fears the struggle, commitment, and intransparent costs associated with ownership to get behind the wheel.”

Mission Statement : “The Fivetran mission is to make access to data as simple and reliable as electricity. The invention of the lightbulb spawned generations to change the world through electricity, creating millions of new products, devices and services. We’re empowering future ‘Thomas Edison’s’ to transform the way the world makes decisions through our always-on access to accurate data. This helps drive better data-driven decisions in pursuits like discovering new drugs, serving humanity in ways big and small (think: banking the underbanked, keeping hospital records up to date, and more!), and enabling social good organizations to do what they do best by improving lives everywhere.”

Mission Statement : “It is GitLab’s mission to make it so that everyone can contribute. When everyone can contribute, users become contributors and we greatly increase the rate of innovation.”

Intel Corporation

Mission Statement : “We create world-changing technology that improves the life of every person on the planet.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to ensure the Internet is a global public resource, open and accessible to all. An Internet that truly puts people first, where individuals can shape their own experience and are empowered, safe and independent.”

NBCUniversal

Mission Statement : “To be the premier content provider for television and digital platforms, spanning all television.”

Mission Statement : “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.

*If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

The Pokémon Company International

Mission Statement : “At Pokémon, our mission is to become an entertainment leader and bring the fun of Pokémon to people around the world!”

Procter & Gamble

Mission Statement : “We will provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come. As a result, consumers will reward us with leadership sales, profit and value creation, allowing our people, our shareholders and the communities in which we live and work to prosper.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to bring community and belonging to everyone in the world.”

Mission Statement : “We help people achieve independence by making it easier to start, run, and grow a business. We believe the future of commerce has more voices, not fewer, so we’re reducing the barriers to business ownership to make commerce better for everyone.”

Mission Statement : “At Smartsheet, our mission is to empower anyone to drive meaningful change — for themselves, their businesses and even for the world.”

Warby Parker

Mission Statement : “To inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose, and style.”

Mission Statement : “We’re empowering everyone to create for the web — and leading impactful, fulfilling lives while we do it.”

Mission statement: “To unite everyday people to unlock their financial progress. By eliminating unnecessary fees and simplifying the credit building process, we’ve empowered millions of everyday people to take control of their finances.”

Mission statement: “Restaurants sit at the heart of communities. It’s our mission to strengthen their roots, deepen their connections, and increase the positive impact they have on people and society.”

Blueprint Test Prep

Mission statement: “To provide the most personalized and innovative experiences to help our learners achieve their goals.”

Clean Power Research

Mission statement: “Our mission is to power the worldwide energy transformation with trusted, adaptable and efficient software.”

Mission statement: “To empower insurance to communicate simply, build trust and protect what people love.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to improve health outcomes by eliminating confusion around benefits and coverage.”

How to Write a Mission Statement

When it comes time to draft your company’s mission statement, consider the following:

Tips for Writing a Mission Statement

• Make it simple, aspirational and memorable.
• Direct it toward stakeholders, but don’t prioritize shareholders.
• Keep employees — current and future — top of mind.
• Avoid saying you’re “the best.”
• Leave room for the mission to evolve.

Make it Simple, Aspirational and Memorable

A successful mission statement has three important traits, according to Jeffrey Abrahams, author of 101 Mission Statements From Top Companies . They are simplicity, aspiration and memorability.

There’s no magic word count, but experts agree that concision is best. Abrahams recommends aiming for a single-sentence statement. “That has greater impact and can be communicated easily, both within the company and to the target audience,” he said.

Bart, meanwhile, recommends capping at around 70 words. And Inés Alegre, a professor at the business school of the University of Navarra who led a 2018 review of mission-statement research, told Built In that three sentences or so is appropriate.

Your precise mileage may vary, but the “KISS” recommendation put forward by Bart in his 1998 paper still seems appropriate: Keep it simple and straightforward.

It’s common to find an organization’s mission statement posted on an “About” page, but it doesn’t have to be merely descriptive; incorporate some ambition, Abrahams suggested. He invoked Microsoft’s statement: “Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”

Memorability

Action verbs, wariness of jargon and bizspeak — these are a CEO’s allies when drafting a statement. It should be organization-specific, too. 

“If the mission statement could be used by a number of companies, especially competitors, it’s not going to be either memorable or serve the company very well,” said Abrahams. “You want it to be distinctive.”

Direct It Toward Stakeholders

“Missions describe why an organization exists, but in particular, they should describe the relationships that the organization wants to have with the stakeholders upon whom it depends for survival, growth and sustainability,” Bart said.

According to him, an effective mission statement should at least speak to two audiences: customers and employees. He cited Southwest Airlines as an illustrative example:

“The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride and company spirit.   To our employees: We are committed to provide our employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, employees will be provided the same concern, respect and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest customer.”

In addition to customers and employees, a strong statement will also often address shareholders and the community at large, Bart said. Here’s one he helped draft for a casino resort that directly targets all four groups:

“Our mission is to provide every guest with a ‘blow away experience’ that is inspired by a celebration of the sea and the myth of a lost civilization. We accomplish this by bringing the myth of Atlantis to life by offering warm, positive, engaging service.   At Atlantis, we are a team of individuals who are passionate and committed in everything that we do. We continuously strive for perfection. We are proud to work at Atlantis because we are a caring and learning organization, which rewards accomplishment and promotes teamwork, respect and innovation.   At Atlantis, we are the pride of our community while providing enduring value for our shareholders. When Atlantis succeeds, we succeed as individuals, and we contribute to the success of the Bahamas.”

… But Avoid Prioritizing Shareholders

It may be more obvious today — after the rise of sustainable investing , office-perk culture that caters to employee happiness and the fact that we’re in the midst of a job seekers’ market — but the thrust of the mission can’t simply be shareholder yield.

Statements that center the returns of the investor class will align approximately zero employees to an organization’s mission. “Shareholder value was the typical mission in the nineties — not anymore,” said Alegre.

One possible symptom of such misalignment? Jargon creep. “When buzzwords and platitudes happen, they usually happen when the focus of the company moves from customer to shareholder,” wrote entrepreneur and Built In expert contributor Joe Procopio.

Read Next 3 Reasons to Prioritize Mission Over Profit in Tech

Resist the Superlatives

As mentioned, mission statements should have an air of the aspirational. But, especially in this era of superlative fatigue , beware of “the biggest,” “the boldest” and “the best.” They’ll inspire more shrugs than hearts, especially when unsupported.

“When a company says its mission statement is to be the best [category here] company in the world — the best steel company in the world or the best clothing company in the world, it’s too general,” said Abrahams. “It needs to be backed up by strongly worded core values, a vision, and guiding principles and beliefs.”

Think of It as a Management Tool

Even though mission statements address multiple audiences, they shouldn’t pretend to think each audience is listening with equal attention.

“There’s a question of prioritization of stakeholders — is it the clients, employees, suppliers, investors? You probably cannot satisfy all at the same level,” said Alegre.

That begs a question: Should companies think of mission statements more as an internal compass for culture and strategy, or an external branding — or even recruiting — element? That is, are they management or marketing? 

“My answer is yes,” said Abrahams. 

Ideally, it can serve as both, experts told Built In, but it should be considered first and foremost a management tool. (Indeed, most research on the topic is published in management, not marketing, journals.) “My impression is that it’s much more useful as an internal alignment tool than external branding,” said Alegre.

Think of the statement primarily as something for employees, Bart said, a true north against which the workforce can always orient itself.

Reinforce the Mission Statement in All Your Communications

Once the statement is finalized, think of it as a muscle: Exercise it often to prevent it from losing definition. Reference the mission during onboardings, training, team meetings, board reviews of key projects and wherever else reinforcement makes sense. Post it on your website, of course, but also your wall. “I work in a business school where the first thing you see after the entrance is the mission,” Alegre said.

Mission statements are especially important during times of uncertainty, such as early in an organization’s life or during growth pushes, Alegre said. Still, lean on them in times of greater stability, too. That provides room for the mission to organically evolve.

Recent Founders + Entrepreneurship Articles

AI ASSISTANTS

Upmetrics AI Your go-to AI-powered business assistant

AI Writing Assist Write, translate, and refine your text with AI

AI Financial Assist Automated forecasts and AI recommendations

TOP FEATURES

AI Business Plan Generator Create business plans faster with AI

Financial Forecasting Make accurate financial forecasts faster

INTEGRATIONS

QuickBooks Sync and compare with your QuickBooks data

Strategic Planning Develop actionable strategic plans on-the-go

AI Pitch Deck Generator Use AI to generate your investor deck

Xero Sync and compare with your Xero data

See how easy it is to plan your business with Upmetrics: Take a Tour  →

AI-powered business planning software

Very useful business plan software connected to AI. Saved a lot of time, money and energy. Their team is highly skilled and always here to help.

- Julien López

BY USE CASE

Secure Funding, Loans, Grants Create plans that get you funded

Starting & Launching a Business Plan your business for launch and success

Validate Your Business Idea Discover the potential of your business idea

E2 Visa Business Plan Create a business plan to support your E2 - Visa

Business Consultant & Advisors Plan with your team members and clients

Incubators & Accelerators Empowering startups for growth

Business Schools & Educators Simplify business plan education for students

Students & Learners Your e-tutor for business planning

• Sample Plans

WHY UPMETRICS?

Reviews See why customers love Upmetrics

Customer Success Stories Read our customer success stories

Blogs Latest business planning tips and strategies

Strategic Planning Templates Ready-to-use strategic plan templates

Business Plan Course A step-by-step business planning course

Help Center Help & guides to plan your business

Ebooks & Guides A free resource hub on business planning

Business Tools Free business tools to help you grow

How to Write a Mission Statement for Business Plan With Examples

Mission and Vision Statement Templates

• December 15, 2023

Every business is as unique as its audience. Each one strives to put its best foot forward, especially when it comes to customers.

While there are countless marketing strategies—social media, content, email—all of the above marketing materials are linked to the business’s common purpose.

This is where a mission statement comes in. A business plan mission statement displays the purpose and values of a business, giving a clear message to customers about what your business is about.

But writing a mission statement that’s catchy and concise is a task. So, in this article, let’s see how to write a mission statement and why you need it.

What is a mission statement?

A mission statement is a short actionable statement that specifies your company’s core purpose, principles, and goals. It states the value your company creates for your customers, employees, stakeholders, and owners.

In short, it’s a snippet representing why your business exists and what it does.

People often use mission and vision statements interchangeably, but they are different. Let’s see how.

Mission statement vs. vision statement

Your mission statement focuses on what you do and how you do it. It details the organization’s current purpose, core values, and primary objectives. This provides a framework for the organization’s day-to-day operations.

In contrast, a vision statement describes where you aim to reach in the future. It outlines the long-term goals and the desired future position of the company. A clear vision statement inspires and motivates stakeholders by offering a clear and compelling future direction.

Now that we’ve clarified the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement, let’s dive into why the mission statement is so important.

Why is a mission statement important?

Mission statements are necessary for any business. They not only guide internal operations but also communicate the company’s purpose to external people.

Here are some of the reasons why you need to have a great mission statement in a business plan:

Gives clear direction

A mission statement outlines the company’s purpose. Thus, it acts as a guiding star for decision-making and strategic planning, ensuring that all actions align with the company’s core values and primary goals.

Inspires and motivates employees

A well-crafted mission statement can inspire and motivate employees by providing them with direction. It also helps them understand how their roles will contribute to the company’s goals, especially the larger ones, encouraging unity among them.

Engages customers

A concise mission statement communicates the business’s values and company’s goals to customers, helping to build trust and loyalty. It tells customers what the organization stands for and why they should choose its products or services over competitors.

Supports marketing efforts

A mission statement can enhance branding and marketing efforts by clearly conveying the business’s identity and purpose. It helps create a strong, recognizable brand that resonates with customers, investors, and other audiences, boosting the business’s market position.

Now that you know the importance of the mission statement, let’s dive deep into learning how to write one.

How to write a mission statement for your business plan?

A company’s mission statement is barely three sentences long. But, ironically, its simplicity makes it so tricky to write.

Here are the following steps that make it easy for you to write a mission statement:

Step 1: Ask the right questions

Before you begin the mission statement writing process, understand your business in its entirety. Articulating the answers to the following questions can be helpful:

• In what industry are you working?
• Who’s your target audience?
• What are your offerings?
• What are your unique selling propositions (USPs)?
• What customer problems do you solve through your offerings?
• What’s the value you deliver through your product or services?
• What’s your brand personality?
• What are your competitive advantages?

Want to Generate a Mission Statement for Your Business?

Craft a strong and purposeful mission statement in minutes with our easy-to-use Free AI Mission Statement Generator .

Step 2: Organize the answers

After answering all the above questions, organize them into the following categories:

The value you add to your customers

List down how you make your customers’ lives better. It can be through your products, the methods you use to deliver them, or through non-profit work and community service.

For instance, if you own a green tea brand, you add value to your customers by providing healthy beverages. Additionally, if you support recycling, you provide a sense of ethical consumerism.

The value you add to your employees

Here, write down how you create value for your employees.

These could be the:

• Employee retention strategies you employ
• Benefits and perks you offer
• Work culture in your company
• Training programs you offer

The value you add to your owners

Here’s the thing: Not many mission statements talk about the owners and stakeholders.

However, it can be beneficial to state how your business adds value to them. Why? Doing so can be a subtle indication to prospective investors that they might want to be associated with your company.

For example, “ Our mission is to deliver exceptional value to our customers while ensuring significant returns and growth opportunities for our owners and stakeholders. ”

The impact you want to create

Here, state the mission you want to achieve in the long run through your offerings. State the impact you aim to create via value addition for your target audience, employees, owners, and stakeholders.

Remember the green tea brand example? The goal of such a company could be to promote a healthy lifestyle and advocate for sustainability.

Step 3: Draft, edit, and review

Once you have organized all the answers, start creating drafts of your mission statement. Don’t make it a lengthy essay; remember, a good mission statement is supposed to be short and simple. Below are the components you need to incorporate in your mission statement.

Key elements of a great mission statement

• Core values: Mention how you create and deliver value to your customers, employees, investors, and society at large.
• Inspiration: Define the motive for people to follow you. Why do they want to buy from you, work with you, or invest in you?
• USP: Highlight the unique aspects that make the organization distinct and valuable.
• Target audience: Identify the primary stakeholders or target audience the organization serves. This could include customers, employees, shareholders, or the community.

Without a mission statement, you may get to the top of the ladder and then realize it was leaning against the wrong building. – Dave Ramsey

Step 4: Update when needed

It’s necessary to keep updating your mission statement to align with your company’s current situation.

As your business grows and evolves, so do your company’s goals , target audience, and guiding principles. Therefore, regularly revisiting and revising your mission statement ensures that it reflects the current company’s vision and direction.

A strong and concise statement can keep your investors hooked and inspire your team. Don’t just write buzzwords. A mission statement should be accurate, ambitious, ethical, and achievable.

Make it a practice to review your mission statement frequently—at least once a year or whenever significant changes occur in your business. This proactive approach helps maintain alignment between your mission and your company’s path forward.

Mission statement examples of popular brands

A well-written mission statement tells everything about your company. Here are some examples of well-crafted mission statements by famous companies:

1. Starbucks

To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.

In the first part of the statement, Starbucks describes the work culture it promotes and the customer service delivered. The second part points to its mission of growing and expanding.

To provide the best in cosmetics innovation to women and men around the world with respect for their diversity.

L’Oréal’s mission statement is simple and direct focusing on two aspects.

One: Provide the best products.

Two: Promote inclusivity by creating products for a diverse population.

To bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, businesspersons, and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.

Apple’s mission statement doesn’t have much wordplay and clearly conveys the point. It emphasizes three key aspects: its products, its audience, and its scope of business.

To be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.

Amazon aims to satisfy customers the most by providing a vast selection of products and making shopping easy. This is exactly reflected in the company’s mission statement.

5. Microsoft

To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Microsoft’s mission statement is simple yet powerful. It concentrates on empowering individuals and organizations by providing them with the technology to reach their full potential.

To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.

Nike’s mission statement focuses on inspiring all levels of athletes and the inclusivity of everyone as an athlete. Besides that, they also emphasis innovation in sportswear.

To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

This statement is about forward-thinking. It’s all about speeding up the use of sustainable energy solutions.

To entertain, inform, and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds, and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.

Disney’s mission statement emphasizes its commitment to creating magical experiences for audiences worldwide. Through their iconic brands, creative talents, and innovative technologies, Disney aims to delight and inspire people of all ages, shaping the entertainment world.

To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Google’s mission statement is loud and clear. It emphasizes organizing all the information available globally and making it accessible to everyone.

To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.

Meta’s mission statement is empowering and inclusive. It emphasizes providing people with the tools to build communities and fostering connections to bring the world closer together.

In summary, a mission statement is the essence of a business in under 30-40 words. It shows what your business is all about and why it matters.

However, creating a mission statement along with a solid business plan is necessary yet challenging. Consider using software like Upmetrics to ease your journey of business planning and financial forecasting.

Upmetrics guides you step-by-step, helping you create a clear and effective mission statement with a business plan that sets you up for success.

Start crafting yours today with Upmetrics and see where it takes you!

Build your Business Plan Faster

with step-by-step Guidance & AI Assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who decides the mission statement.

Founders, the CEO, or the chairperson frame a mission statement. Many times, such people even team up to develop a mission statement. This team consists of senior and board members who know the company inside out.

Can we change the mission statement?

Changing a mission statement is uncommon but possible. So yes, if the mission changes over the course of years, companies may change their mission statements. The change could be for rebranding purposes, a change of product or services, a change of target audience, a change of authority, or so on.

If the company changes, does the mission statement change too?

If the company’s mission has changed, then yes. However, the company’s change can mean many things, like:

• Has the product and services changed?
• Has the target audience changed?
• Has the authority changed?

Sometimes, the change of the company also means the presence, absence, or change of a merger and/or association. In any case, the company can change its mission statement.

How important is it to have a mission statement?

An effective mission statement is a necessity. Through it, you answer some of the most important business questions like why does your company exist? What change is it trying to make in society? How does the world benefit from its existence? Answers to such questions keep you and your team on track.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

Reach Your Goals with Accurate Planning

• Credit cards
• View all credit cards
• Banking guide
• Loans guide
• Insurance guide
• Personal finance
• View all personal finance
• Small business
• Small business guide
• View all taxes

You’re our first priority. Every time.

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free.

So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Here is a list of our partners .

How to Write a Mission Statement

Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

When you’re first starting a business, writing a mission statement may seem like a challenge, but it can be pretty simple. Your mission statement is a critical component of your business plan . It articulates why you started your company and what you hope to achieve. And when written well, your mission statement serves as an invaluable marketing tool for your business.

In this article, we’ll show you how to craft an authentic mission statement that resonates with your customers, employees and business peers. Also, be sure to review our mission statement template infographic at the end of this guide — it will help you dive into the writing process with greater clarity and confidence.

What is a mission statement?

Your mission statement explains, briefly and concisely, the mission you first set out to accomplish when you started your business. Your mission statement should also make clear how you’re unique to your competition, hint at your business strategy, reflect your core values and ethics and take your universal or longer-term business goals into account.

If you’re starting a daycare , for instance, your mission might be to provide safe, flexible and affordable child care and children’s education for parents in your community. If you’re starting a wedding planning business , your mission may be to provide hands-on, personalized support to busy spouses-to-be who don’t have the bandwidth to deal with crazy wedding logistics. Your mission statement is simply a polished and cohesive version of your business's essential purpose.

You will usually feature your mission statement on your website in the “About” section or company overview section, and in job postings, marketing supplements and your business plan. It’s one of the business fundamentals that you’ll find will have many uses as you grow your business.

Why you need a mission statement

In his Ted Talk about effective leadership, Simon Sinek says that business leaders should be able to answer these questions: “What’s your purpose? What’s your cause? What’s your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care?”

When you encapsulate your answers in a cohesive mission statement, you tell everybody:

Who you are.

Why you matter.

What you stand for.

This is critical because your mission statement should affect every future business decision — from hiring your first employee to how your brand yourself. Every choice you make should align with your company’s core purpose and beliefs.

Now, let’s move on to the nuts and bolts of writing your mission statement. It will help you create a comprehensive business plan that will guide you in launching, running and growing your business.

How much do you need?

with Fundera by NerdWallet

We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the unique needs of your business.

Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you on the process moving forward.

How to write a mission statement in 5 steps

Now that you understand why a mission statement is essential, we’ll dive into the details about how to write a mission statement.

1. Free write about starting your company

Don’t expect to produce a polished and publishable mission statement as soon as you put pen to paper (or fingers to keys). To overcome any stress or writer's block, try “free writing” about your business instead.

As we’ve mentioned, your mission statement conveys your business’s “why.” What problem did you seek to solve when you started your business? Why was this particular problem important for you to take on? What inspired you to start your business? And how does your product or service solve that problem better than your competition does?

If you have or plan on hiring employees, touch on the vision of the working environment you aim to provide for them, as well. What kinds of people comprise your team, and how do they align with your business’s overall values?

At this stage, you’re simply gathering your thoughts and pointing yourself in the direction of a complete mission statement. The most important thing is to generate the raw material; you can hone and edit from there.

2. Explain what your company does

Next, you can get a little more granular and explain precisely what product or service your company provides, focusing on how your particular product or service offers value for your target customer. This explanation should touch on your broader mission and how your business differs from others like yours, either explicitly or implicitly. Keep this short, concise and specific.

For example, let’s take a look at our hypothetical wedding consultant example. If that’s you, you could write that you provide couples with wedding consulting and planning services, as well as day-of coordination. Personalize your services according to the couple’s particular needs and wishes. This thoughtful, bespoke level of service puts busy couples without the time or desire to handle planning and logistics at ease, so they can truly enjoy their big day.

3. Describe your ideal customer

Learning how to write a mission statement is a critical component of customer-facing marketing material; it must articulate who your business serves, why someone should choose to work with you, and what you can do for your customers.

Start by describing your ideal customer: What are their general demographics? What do their professional and personal lives look like? What problems or challenges are they facing? How do they find new businesses or products (i.e., Instagram, word of mouth, or another marketing tactic)? How do you want your customers to feel when they use your product or service?

On the flip side, you can consider the types of customers your business wouldn’t be best suited for. This is also known as creating a buyer persona, and it’ll help you hone in on who your target market is and how to fashion your mission statement so that it resonates with their particular needs and desires.

This probably won’t appear verbatim in your final mission statement, but it’ll help you hone in on what you do, why you do it and the unique value you bring to your customers’ lives.

4. Define your core values

Your mission statement should convey your business’s values and ethics as much as it does your literal product or service.

Let’s return to our daycare center owner example. Your business’s core values might:

Flexibility.

An accessible price point for parents with demanding or unusual working hours.

Providing children with a creative, nurturing and cooperative environment.

Specializing or focusing on a particular subject, such as art, music, or group projects.

This is as important for your customers to understand as it is for your current and prospective employees, as well as key stakeholders like lenders, investors and other owners. Those core values shape your company culture, offer your current employees both an ethical and goal-oriented guidepost and attract the right employees. You will also help lenders and investors understand your larger, longer-term goals (and why they should invest in your business).

5. Revise and condense your mission statement

We’ve noted that your mission statement should reflect your business’s purpose and goals and that you should be authentic — but don’t mistake your mission statement for an essay, op-ed, or journal entry. At its core, your mission statement is a marketing asset. That means it should be relatively short and concise.

Once you’ve written to your heart’s content, try to cut your statement down to a few paragraphs. Then, try to condense it even further so you can easily use this one- or two-liner in your marketing materials; think of this as the elevator pitch version of a more comprehensive mission statement.

Get some readers on board, too. If you have employees, run your mission statement by them to gauge their opinion (after all, this is as much for them as it is for you and your customers). Also, consider sharing your mission statement with your advisors and even trusted customers to ensure that your statement accurately portrays your business and reflects your long-term goals.

Mission statement examples

If reading about how to write a mission statement still leaves you feeling stuck or lost, you can always consult the brands you admire to get a sense of how they approached their statements. Typically, brands include their mission statements on the “About,” “Our Story” or “Our Mission” page of their websites.

Here are just a few mission statement examples we collected from successful brands. Note that some of these mission statement examples are longer than what we’ve included here, so if one resonates with you, we’d recommend heading directly to their website to read the full statement.

Glossier: “You have now entered a people-powered beauty ecosystem. Here you’ll find products inspired by the people who use them, along with people to be inspired by, and for you to inspire. Glossier was founded on the fact that beauty isn’t made in a boardroom — it happens when the individual is celebrated. Personal choice is the most important decision a brand can never make.”

Spotify: “With Spotify, it’s easy to find the right music or podcast for every moment — on your phone, your computer, your tablet and more. There are millions of tracks and episodes on Spotify. So whether you’re behind the wheel, working out, partying, or relaxing, the right music or podcast is always at your fingertips.”

Patagonia: “At Patagonia, we appreciate that all life on earth is under threat of extinction. We aim to use the resources we have — our business, our investments, our voice and our imaginations — to do something about it.”

SoulCycle: “Our mission is to bring Soul to the people. Our one-of-a-kind, rockstar instructors guide riders through an inspirational, meditative fitness experience that’s designed to benefit the body, mind and soul. Set in a dark candlelit room to high-energy music, our riders move in unison as a pack to the beat and follow the signature choreography of our instructors. The experience is tribal. It's primal. It's fun.”

Casper: “We believe sleep is the superpower that charges everything people do. We’ve spent years studying the magic and science of sleep. The more we learn, the more we’re sure: Great sleep changes everything. It makes us friendlier, faster, smarter… even warmer-and-fuzzier. If we all got great sleep, the world would be brighter.”

LLC Formation

The bottom line

In the beginning, you may be tempted to bump learning how to write a mission statement to the bottom of your very, very long starting-a-business checklist. But the very start of your venture is arguably the most auspicious time to write your mission statement. Right now, you’re deeply in touch with your business’s “why” — otherwise, you wouldn’t be putting in the hard work of starting your business at all. That motivating purpose underlies your mission statement.

As you grow and evolve, you’ll be grateful that you took the time to put that passion and energy into words. Use it as a kind of ethical guidepost as you and your team face increasingly challenging decisions over your business’s lifetime. Plus, your mission statement will be an essential marketing tool that you’ll use both to draw in potential customers and employees.

And keep in mind that your mission statement isn’t an essay — it should be the opposite. Your finished mission statement should be a few paragraphs at most. As you get to work drafting your mission statement, be sure to craft an authentic and memorable story about your company.

This article originally appeared on JustBusiness, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.

On a similar note...

• Search Search Please fill out this field.
• Building Your Business
• Becoming an Owner
• Business Plans

How to Write a Mission Statement

Focus your company in 3 easy steps with examples

Susan Ward wrote about small businesses for The Balance for 18 years. She has run an IT consulting firm and designed and presented courses on how to promote small businesses.

© The Balance, 2018

A mission statement articulates a company's purpose. It announces to the world at large why your company exists. Every business should have a mission statement as a way of unifying the organization.

You can think of a mission statement as a combination of what your business or nonprofit does and how and why it does it, expressed in a way that encapsulates the values that are important to you. It can be a challenge to clearly and concisely bring these ideas together, though. Here is a simple guide—along with some examples—for writing your own company mission statement.

Describe What Your Company Does

There's no need to be fancy here. Just say it simply for the moment. What product or service does your business produce or provide? Get down to the bare basics and don't add any filler. You will elaborate on this purpose in the next steps.

My company's purpose is to:

• Provide educational services
• Grow market vegetables
• Design phone apps 
• Provide financial advice
• Sell women's clothing
• Provide pet sitting services

Describe How Your Company Does What It Does

This is the tricky part, because we're not looking for a detailed description of your business' physical operations here. Instead, we're looking for a description of how your business generally operates. This usually means incorporating one or more of your core values into your description.

So take a moment to list the core values that are important to express in your business. Here are some sample values that you may want to use when you write a mission statement:

• Provide high product quality
• Provide superior customer service
• Protect the quality of the environment
• Ensure equal access to resources
• Encourage innovation /creativity
• Practice sustainable development

It might be helpful to focus on your business' core competencies when you're considering which values are worthy of including in your mission statement. Zero in on one (or two at the most) to add to your description of what your company does.

Mission Statement Examples

Here's what the first three examples from step one might look like when you add values to them. 

• Sell shoes of the highest quality.
• Provide educational services that allow all children to experience learning success.
• Grow market vegetables using organic, sustainable farming practices.

Remember, these are not finished yet. There's one step to go before your mission statement is complete.

Add Why Your Company Does What It Does

This is the part of your mission statement that describes your spark—the passion behind your business.

Why does your business do what it does? For some people, it helps to think back on why they started their business in the first place.

This is what our three mission statement examples might look like when you add "why" to them: 

• Sell shoes of the highest quality so every customer can find a pair of shoes they actually love to wear.
• Provide educational services that allow all children to experience learning success and become life-long learners and contributing members of our community.
• Grow market vegetables using organic, sustainable farming practices to give people safe and healthy food choices.

When you're finished, have another look at your mission statement and see if it captures what you want to say or if there's a better way of phrasing it. Be sure to change the phrase "my company's purpose" to the name of your company.

"My company's purpose is to grow market vegetables using organic, sustainable farming practices to give people safe and healthy food choices,"

might become:

"At Earth's Bounty, we grow market vegetables in a way that's good for the earth and good for the table."

And, "Our company's purpose is to provide educational services that allow all children to experience learning success and become life-long learners and contributing members of our community,"

could be better phrased as:

"Our company, Hopscotch Learning, exists to provide educational services that allow all children to experience success in learning and success in life."

Put Your New Mission Statement to Work

Once you've crafted your business's new mission statement, you'll want to put it to work right away.

Besides directing your business planning , you want your mission statement to be front and center in the minds of everyone who works in or interacts with your business. As the statement of why your business exists, it also explains to them why they would want to do business with you.

Some businesses go so far as to make their mission statements the themes of their advertising campaigns. If you do nothing else, you should make sure your mission statement is highly visible on your business premises, website, and all your marketing materials.

A good mission statement isn't just a slogan; it's the foundation of your operations manual—and it can't provide guidance if people aren't familiar with it.

Besides having mission statements to communicate who they are and what they do, successful small businesses also have vision statements to describe their ultimate achievements. You can follow a similar process to create your own vision statement.

Examples of Famous Mission Statements

  Justin Sullivan  / Staff / Getty Images

Virgin Airways : "Our mission statement is simple, yet the foundation of everything we do here at Virgin Atlantic Airways... to embrace the human spirit and let it fly."

Tesla : "Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy."

Facebook : "Founded in 2004, Facebook's mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what's going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them."

Starbucks : "To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time."

Ready to get started?

• Inspiration , Operations

Mission statement examples: 16 of the best to inspire you

• 15 Jun 2021

More than just a planning exercise, a mission statement focuses your leadership team, inspires employees, and communicates your core values to the larger world.

All in a single sentence. Magic.

A mission statement is one of the most important documents in your company’s arsenal, but it’s also one of the most difficult to craft. We’ve gathered 16 of the best company mission statement examples to help get your creativity flowing.

Level up with a mission statement video:  Deliver your mission statement with the most engaging communication medium — video. Turn your company’s mission statement into a video with Biteable. Start with a brandable  mission statement video template  and let Biteable’s smart editing features do all the heavy lifting for you.

Create videos that drive action

Activate your audience with impactful, on-brand videos. Create them simply and collaboratively with Biteable.

What is a mission statement?

A mission statement sums up the core of who your company is and why it exists. It’s  raison d’etre , if you want to get fancy and speak a little French.

Company mission statements are typically short and sweet, only a sentence or two. And the best mission statements are anything but boring.

When done right, your company’s mission statement acts as a powerful driver that informs every aspect of your organization, from daily operations, to customer loyalty, to employee satisfaction. When done wrong, a mission statement is just another line of jargon everyone pretty much ignores.

Take the Starbucks company mission statement as an example:  To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

Starbucks could have said:  To challenge the predominant infrastructure of coffee culture and develop a network of coffeehouses in every major market.

Did your eyes glaze over on that second one? Ours too. While technically true, our made-up example of a company mission statement is full of dreaded corporate-speak. It belongs deep in the bowels of a strategic plan, not as it’s headline.

On the other hand, the real Starbucks mission statement makes us want to be a part of it all. And even more than that, it conveys a sense of the beating heart behind the company.

The best mission statements do just this — clearly convey a company’s reason for existing, in language that is exceedingly human.

Mission statements vs. vision statements — what’s the diff?

It’s easy to confuse vision statements and mission statements. But there are a few important differences.

A vision statement is aspirational. It outlines where your company strives to be in the future — whether that is one year from now or ten. In contrast, a mission statement spells out where your company is right now.

Think of your company’s vision statement as a long-term goal post. The end point towards which you are working. If your vision statement is a goal post, then your mission statement is what drives you toward that goal post.

Why your company mission statement is important

You’ll probably write your company mission statement during your strategic planning because it’s a valuable tool that helps your leadership team make big-picture decisions. Chances are, you’ll even look at examples of other company mission statements to help you craft your own.

But the purpose of a mission statement goes far beyond strategic planning.

Consumers value mission-driven companies

It’s no secret that today’s consumer values a company with, well, values. These values don’t have to be centered around saving the world. But they do need to be clear, focused, and genuine.

A 2020 study  by global communications agency Zeno Group found that if consumers think a company has a strong purpose, they are:

• 4 times  more likely to purchase from the company
• 4.5 times  more likely to recommend the company to family and friends
• 6 times  more likely to defend the company in the wake of public criticism

Think about this in terms of your personal life. The more you connect with a person, the more likely you are to invite them over for coffee, introduce them to your other friends, and come to their defense. The same is true for the companies we buy from.

We humans value connection and a shared sense of purpose. All things equal, your company’s mission statement can be a powerful differentiator.

Employees want a sense of purpose

Just as your company mission statement makes an impact on consumer sentiment, the same can be said about employee sentiment.

According to a recent Gallup poll  Gen Z and millennials (who make up nearly half of the full-time workforce in the US) value belonging to a company with a strong moral compass. They appreciate ethical leadership, and they want to know that their own work has a positive impact on the world at large.

The more effectively human resources and the rest of the leadership team communicates the company’s mission to rank and file employees, the better.

But it doesn’t stop there. It is equally important to put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. If your company mission places value on the environment, do you give your employees opportunities to act upon these values in their everyday work life?

The most effective company mission statements are clear and actionable, from the products a company makes all the way down to the food in the employee cafeteria.

How to write an effective mission statement without a lot of headache

Understanding mission statements is one thing. Actually sitting down to write your company’s own mission statement is quite another.

But if you take the time to do it right, the process is a really useful exercise. Think of this as a chance to clarify and fine tune your purpose so you can point the company in the right direction for years to come.

Brainstorming your company mission statement

To get started, gather your leadership team and brainstorm answers to these four questions. If you are the solo founder of a fledgling company, gather key stakeholders or a handful of your professional mentors instead.

Aim for a short paragraph on each question.

• Why does our company exist?
• What value do our products or services bring to consumers?
• What core beliefs guide our work?
• What makes our company different, better, or more inspiring than our competitors?

After you brainstorm answers to these questions, review your answers and highlight the concepts that are central to your company. You might also pick a few company mission statement examples from businesses you admire and use those to help guide you.

If this brainstorming discussion took place with a group of people, now’s the time to send one or two individuals off to winnow the answers down to a couple of sentences.

Task this pair with writing several drafts of a mission statement, so the final decision makers have choices to work with.

This group process might seem cumbersome, but remember, your company mission statement is a core document. It should reflect the thought processes of as many stakeholders as possible.

Finalizing your work

After you land on a mission statement, do one final check to make sure it meets these criteria:

Plausibility:  Your mission statement is big-picture, but it should ultimately tie back to your everyday business operations. At least in a broad sense.

Readability:  No corporate speak or jargon. Avoid unnecessarily big words or complex sentences. Keep it simple.

• Voice:  Now isn’t the time to be dry and boring. Use language that’s active and compelling. Your mission statement should reflect the unique voice and culture of your company.

Pro-tip:  Give your mission statement more reach by creating both a text and video version. The video can be simple, just an eye-catching background, animated text, and a soundtrack.

Include your mission statement video as part of hiring announcements or other  HR video communications . Or send it over to your marketing team to use as a Facebook cover, website content, and more.

Company mission statement examples: 16 of the best

How do other leading companies tackle their mission statements? We searched far and wide for the best company mission statement examples.

1. Starbucks: Inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

The Seattle-based coffee giant originated in 1971 and has since become ubiquitous around the world.

Starbucks mission statement :   Inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

Why it works:  We touched on the Starbucks mission statement earlier, but we’ll elaborate more here. We included this example of the Starbucks company mission statement because it works well for two reasons: it’s ambitious without being overreaching, and it uses down-to-earth language.

Inspiring and nurturing the human spirit isn’t directly related to coffee. But considering the role the company played in reviving coffee house culture in the US, the human spirit and a sense of community doesn’t seem like too big of a stretch. The second part of the statement is exceedingly tangible. It paints a small-scale picture of the company and its work.

2. Honest Company: Meaningful transparency and thoughtful design. We’re on a mission to change the world, one product at a time.

Honest Company made headlines when it went public in mid-2021, with founder Jessica Alba as the youngest-ever Latina to list a company on the New York Stock Exchange.

Honest Company mission statement :   Meaningful transparency and thoughtful design. We’re on a mission to change the world, one product at a time.

Why it works:  As a company committed to creating “clean” baby products, a mission of meaningful transparency and thoughtful design is two-fold. It’s a necessary part of their business practices, and it also speaks to consumers looking for a higher standard in their products.

Being on a “mission to change the world” might be a bit of a stretch. But considering the  baby products market  is projected to be worth $88.72 billion US dollars worldwide by 2026, maybe it isn’t such a huge stretch after all.

3. Patagonia: We’re in business to save our home planet

The outdoor apparel and equipment company is known for its social and environmental activism.

Patagonia mission statement :   We’re in business to save our home planet.

Why it works:  Patagonia is often used as a good company mission statement example, and for a reason. Although it’s wildly lofty, the company really does put their money where their mouth is.

Patagonia originally began as a scrappy company specializing in steel pitons for rock climbing. But when the founders realized their gear damaged the rock face they so loved, they pivoted to low-impact aluminum chocks.

From the moment Patagonia pivoted to aluminum chocks, it became an environment-first company with far-reaching efforts built into every aspect of their business practices.

4. Microsoft: To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more

The software giant is currently valued at  approaching $2 trillion .

Microsoft mission statement :   To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Why it works:  Notice, Microsoft’s company mission statement makes no mention of software, or PCs, or technology at any level.

This isn’t to say the company is focused on something other than tech. But by concentrating on the “why” not the “what” of the business, this mission statement example remains flexible and agile. No matter where the market moves, Microsoft aims to increase productivity with it’s products.

5. Square: Everyone should be able to participate and thrive in the economy.

Square’s point-of-sale and online payment platforms came out on top during the pandemic. But even before that time, the company was a leader in POS products.

Square mission statement :   Everyone should be able to participate and thrive in the economy.

Why it works:  The company’s extended mission statement goes on to say: No one should be left out of the economy because the cost is too great or the technology too complex.

Similar to Microsoft’s mission statement, Square leaves room for agility here. It aims to produce simple, low-cost payment products, regardless of where the market takes it. We also appreciate Square’s focus on who the company serves and why.

6. Pinterest: Bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love.

Ah, Pinterest. Inspiration central for crafters everywhere, but also a valuable tool for businesses looking for new marketing platforms.

Pinterest mission statement :   Bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love.

Why it works:  More than the words it uses, we appreciate how Pinterest discusses the ways its mission evolved along with the company.

According to Pinterest, the platform was originally conceived as “a tool to help people collect the things they were passionate about online.” It quickly became clear that people most enjoy using the site to get inspiration from others. And with this, Pinterest’s current mission was born.

7. Target: Help all families discover the joy of everyday life

Fun fact: According to Target’s website, 75% of the US population lives within 10 miles of a store. And why not? Everyone loves a trip to good old Target.

Target mission statement :   Help all families discover the joy of everyday life.

Why it works:  This company mission statement example is equal parts broad and super-specific, depending on how you look at it.

It speaks to Target’s affordable products, geared toward everyday people. But this mission statement can also easily extend to the company’s focus on community giving, corporate responsibility, and creating a positive employee experience.

8. Southwest Airlines: Connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel

The smallest of the “big four” US airlines, Southwest is known for its friendly crew and affordable ticket prices.

Southwest Airlines mission statement :   Connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel.

Why it works:  Maybe you can chalk it up to the company’s southern roots, but Southwest consistently ranks high for customer service. Its mission of connecting people to what’s important in their lives touches on this value.

Southwest sees itself as doing more than just moving people from point A to point B.

9. Spotify: To unlock the potential of human creativity — by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it

The Swedish audio streaming platform currently has 356 million users across 178 markets.

Spotify mission statement :   To unlock the potential of human creativity — by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it.

Why it works:  We included this example because, technically speaking, this is a mission statement and a vision statement combined into one.

When you write your mission statement, it’s important not to confuse the two. But for marketing purposes, wrapping a mission statement and a vision statement up into one shiny package sometimes works very well.

10. Google: Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful

This one needs no introduction. After all, to Google is officially listed in Merriam-Webster as a transitive verb. If that isn’t a sign of a powerful company, we don’t know what is.

Google mission statement :   Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Why it works:  Google’s effectiveness is centered around its algorithms. At its heart, an algorithm is a system for organizing information. So Google pretty much nailed it here.

We also appreciate the focus on making information “universally accessible and useful.” Google is arguably the most powerful search engine in the world, yet it’s simple enough for anyone to use. Universally accessible and useful sums that up nicely.

11. Nike: Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete

The Oregon-based footwear, apparel, and sports equipment company was founded in 1964 and is now synonymous with athletics.

Nike mission statement :   Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.

Why it works:  We admit, we like the asterisk more than we like the actual mission statement. Nike outfits some of the biggest names in professional sports, but its mission specifies “if you have a body, you are an athlete.” The word “inclusion” doesn’t appear in the company’s mission statement, but it says it — and then some — in so many words.

12. CVS: Helping people on their path to better health

Founded as a drugstore in 1963 by brothers Stanley and Sidney Goldstein and partner Ralph Hoagland, CVS bills itself as a “health care innovation company that is reinventing pharmacy.”

CVS mission statement :   Helping people on their path to better health.

Why it works:  This isn’t one of the most inventive examples of a company mission statement, and it also seems somewhat obvious for a drugstore. But CVS embodies its mission in some pretty bold ways. In 2014, it became the  first national pharmacy in the US  to stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products.

13. Harley Davidson: More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul

Harley-Davidson was founded in Milwaukee in 1903, and it remains one of the most popular motorcycle brands.

Harley Davidson mission statement :   More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul.

Why it works:  Harley-Davidson is known not only for its iconic design and distinctive engine sound, but also for the unique subculture of Harley riders.

Although Harley enthusiasts might balk at the idea, the company is as much a lifestyle brand as it is a motorcycle manufacturer. And that lifestyle delivers just what is promised in the company’s mission statement: adventure and freedom. And a whole lot of leather.

14. Dove: Help women everywhere develop a positive relationship with the way they look, helping them raise their self-esteem and realize their full potential

What started as a single product — the Dove Beauty Bar — grew into a major line of personal care products used by women around the world.

Dove mission statement :   Help women everywhere develop a positive relationship with the way they look, helping them raise their self-esteem and realize their full potential.

Why it works:  The company’s mission statement combines seamlessly with their vision statement, which says, “We believe beauty should be a source of confidence, and not anxiety.”

Dove delivers on this promise with its far-reaching body positivity campaigns, research initiatives, and self-esteem projects.

15. Livestrong: Which everyday cancer problem will we fix today?

Livestrong is a nonprofit organization that supports people living with or affected by cancer.

Livestrong mission statement :   Which everyday cancer problem will we fix today?

Why it works:  Because selling products and services to consumers isn’t part of the equation, nonprofit mission statements differ from those of their for-profit counterparts. But we included Livestrong here, because it has such a unique mission statement.

Very few mission statements are in the form of a question. This was very intentional on the part of Livestrong. As the company puts it on their mission page, “We have a Mission Question, not a Mission Statement, because we believe that we can only achieve the best solutions through asking the right questions.”

16. TED: Spread ideas.

The media company solicits keynote-style talks from some of the best minds and makes these available, for free, via video and through their podcast,

Ted mission statement :   Spread ideas.

Why it works:  This is another company mission statement example that makes the rounds on the best-of lists. You can almost imagine the lengthy thought process that transpired as TED execs winnowed their mission statement down to just two words. Two words! But that’s all they need.

This mission statement doesn’t say they are “creating opportunities for…” or “gathering the brightest minds to…” They do all of these things as well. But at the very core of the organization, their mission is to spread ideas.

In those two words, they say it all.

FAQs about company mission statements

These company mission statement examples are just a sample of what’s possible when a company really takes the time to craft a thoughtful mission statement. To help you write yours, here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about mission statements.

What should a company mission statement include?

A company mission statement should include one or two strong, well-written sentences that talk about why a company exists, the value it brings to its customers, the core beliefs that drive its work, and what sets it apart from other companies doing similar work.

What are the 3 parts of a mission statement?

The three parts of a mission statement are:

• Mission and purpose:  the main reason a company exists. Its purpose in a broad sense.
• Values:  the core values that drive everyday decisions and behavior in the company.
• Goals:  what the company hopes to achieve by sticking close to its mission and values.

What is a strong mission statement?

A strong mission statement is short and actionable. The strongest company mission statements are written in accessible language (no corporate speak) that reflects a company’s unique culture and voice. A good mission statement is lofty, but also ties back to a company’s everyday business practices.

What is Coca Cola’s mission statement?

Coca Cola’s mission statement is  “to refresh the world in mind, body, and spirit, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness through our brands and actions, and to create value and make a difference.”

Give your mission statement wings with Biteable

Is your mission statement falling flat? Give it wings by turning mission inspiration into video sensation. Biteable is the video maker designed with business communications in mind. With hundreds of workplace-ready templates and brandable video scenes, you can create your first video in less time than it takes to ask “What is our purpose, anyway?”

Need other business, HR, or  internal comms video  ideas? We’ve got loads more where this came from.

Make stunning videos with ease.

Take the struggle out of team communication.

Try Biteable now.

• No credit card required
• No complicated design decisions
• No experience necessary

• Product overview
• All features
• Latest feature release
• App integrations

CAPABILITIES

• project icon Project management
• Project views
• Custom fields
• Status updates
• goal icon Goals and reporting
• Reporting dashboards
• workflow icon Workflows and automation
• portfolio icon Resource management
• Capacity planning
• Time tracking
• my-task icon Admin and security
• Admin console
• asana-intelligence icon Asana AI
• list icon Personal
• premium icon Starter
• briefcase icon Advanced
• Goal management
• Organizational planning
• Campaign management
• Creative production
• Content calendars
• Marketing strategic planning
• Resource planning
• Project intake
• Product launches
• Employee onboarding
• View all uses arrow-right icon
• Project plans
• Team goals & objectives
• Team continuity
• Meeting agenda
• View all templates arrow-right icon
• Work management resources Discover best practices, watch webinars, get insights
• Customer stories See how the world's best organizations drive work innovation with Asana
• Help Center Get lots of tips, tricks, and advice to get the most from Asana
• Asana Academy Sign up for interactive courses and webinars to learn Asana
• Developers Learn more about building apps on the Asana platform
• Community programs Connect with and learn from Asana customers around the world
• Events Find out about upcoming events near you
• Partners Learn more about our partner programs
• Asana for nonprofits Get more information on our nonprofit discount program, and apply.

Featured Reads

• Business strategy |
• How to write an effective mission state ...

How to write an effective mission statement (with free template)

A mission statement explains your company’s purpose. You should write a mission statement when starting a business so you have a clear idea of what you stand for. Read on to learn how to write an effective mission statement that can help you tackle company goals.

It’s natural to face challenges when leading teams and managing projects, and one way to push forward despite the hard times is to remember your “why.” Your company mission defines why you do what you do, who you do it for, and the impact you’ll create by doing it. When you know your mission, you’ll feel good about where your company is going, even through ups and downs. 

What is a mission statement?

A mission statement is a brief declaration of your company’s what, who, and why. You should share this statement with everyone in your organization so team members understand your collective goals. While a mission statement isn’t specifically for marketing, you’ll likely share it externally as well. This is why it’s important to write it eloquently.

Your mission statement is a foundational piece of content you can use as a jumping-off point for various other materials, including:

Value propositions

Business plans

Company vision statement

Once you’ve solidified your core values and initiatives, you’ll have an easier time expanding on those ideas and getting the message out to your audience.

5 steps to write a mission statement

Your mission statement isn’t something you can craft by yourself. Before you sit down to draft it, recruit other senior and executive leaders at your company who have a sense of what you’re aiming for. Together, use the steps below to get to the root of what your company stands for and the message you want to spread.

1. Answer fundamental questions

To figure out what your mission statement should say, you’ll need to answer fundamental questions about your business. 

What do we do?

What do we create?

Who is our audience?

How do we make a difference?

Once you’ve answered the basics, consider questions that can help you craft a strong mission statement.

How do we differ from others in the industry?

How can we make our mission statement stand out from our competitors?

Can we use other mission statements for inspiration?

Consider having each member of your mission statement tiger team answer these questions separately, then pool your answers together. Your mission statement should be evergreen, so think about it in a way that incorporates business growth. It’s important to consider what your company’s purpose is in the context of what your future might be. 

2. Use your answers to brainstorm copy

Now that you have the ideas for your mission statement, you need the right words. Use brainstorming techniques to help you and the other leaders at your company come with creative ways to express yourselves. The goal is to inspire your team without sounding cliché or overly complex.

Some helpful brainstorming techniques include:

Mind-mapping: Mind mapping is a visual brainstorming technique you can use on your own or with your team. Start with one word or idea and use it to inspire other ideas. You’ll need a large piece of paper or whiteboard to write down a topic. Then, draw lines connecting tangential words or ideas to it.

Brain-netting: Brain-netting is great for remote collaboration , and it involves brain dumping ideas virtually, whether on a Slack channel, Google Doc, or through your project management tool . Team members can add ideas whenever inspiration strikes, and the list will be ever-evolving. 

3. Write your first draft

Now that you have solid ideas about what to put in your mission statement and creative ways to express those ideas, you can start experimenting with what sounds best. The following formulas can help you get started:

To [contribution/goal] so [impact] .

Our mission is to [contribution/goal] by [what you offer/how you do it] for [target audience] so [impact] .

To build/offer [what you offer/how you do it] for [target audience] to [contribution/goal] and [impact] .

For example, if you work for a content marketing company, here’s how your first draft might look:

To increase the value and visibility of content so companies can build strong relationships with their audiences . 

Our mission is to increase the value and visibility of content by offering content marketing services for companies so they can build strong relationships with their audiences . 

To offer content marketing services for companies to increase the value and visibility of their content and help them build strong relationships with their audiences. 

4. Ask for feedback

Draft a few versions of your mission statement so you can ask for feedback from current team members. Because the mission statement applies to everyone, it’s nice to include everyone in the feedback process—even if executive feedback gets slightly more weight. Don’t rush through the writing process. Take your time and get your mission statement to a place everyone is comfortable with.

Collaborate with your team by holding a Q&A session or by sending out surveys to ask which version of the mission statement resonates with them most. That way, once you complete your statement, you’ll feel confident that the result was a team effort. 

5. Revise and share

After collecting feedback, revise your mission statement as needed. Then, finalize it and share it with the rest of the organization. You can also include it in your business plan and share it on your website. 

Your mission statement explains your company’s purpose to those working for the company, stakeholders who may get involved with the company, and customers or clients who may spend money at the company. While you shouldn’t craft your mission statement for selling, it’s something you should be proud of and will likely want to display.

Examples of mission statements

Most companies share their mission statements with the public, either front and center on their websites, or in an easily searchable location. By making your mission statement visible to the clients and customers, companies show what they stand for and what they strive to achieve—both as an internal workforce and with the products or services they sell.

“To help humanity thrive by enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly.” 

At Asana , our mission statement explains who we serve and what we want our impact to be on the world. While we have various goals we work toward as a company, our mission statement is our guiding principle among all others. 

Let's do great things together. Join our team.

“To build the web’s most convenient, secure, cost-effective payment solution.” 

PayPal’s statement is more product-focused, but it’s still effective. Businesses may imply the impact they hope to make by explaining the unique features of their product offering. PayPal’s mission is to create the best product possible for customers because doing so will improve lives.

3. Patagonia

“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” 

Patagonia’s mission statement is complex, but it shows that their company has many layers beyond the clothing they sell. While on the surface, Patagonia offers outdoor gear, they set themselves apart from other companies by keeping the environment front of mind in all they do. 

Free mission statement template

Using a mission statement template can help you centralize your company’s most important information. Below, you’ll see how a content marketing company would’ve answered fundamental questions about their business and used those answers to design their mission statement with the provided formula.

Use the free mission statement template below to answer relevant questions about your company’s values and goals.

Why is a mission statement important?

Your mission statement is a building block for everything your team does. When you get it right, it leads to a stronger team dynamic in the workplace , more successful projects, and happier customers. Your mission statement should:

Define your brand to team members: Give your team clarity on what product you’re creating, why you’re creating it, and who you’re creating it for.

Present your brand to others: Tell others outside of your company what your team strives for everyday. 

Uphold values and objectives: Refer to your mission statement when you need to hold yourself and your team accountable to your ultimate goals.

Mission statement vs. vision statement

Many people use a mission statement and vision statement interchangeably, and while some companies combine the two, they have different meanings. A mission statement is your company’s “why” statement—in other words, your company’s purpose. Consider your mission statement as what you’re currently trying to achieve.

A vision statement can be a “how” statement or a future-focused statement. It should paint a broad picture of how you want to achieve your mission. Sometimes, companies incorporate the vision statement within their mission statement so they can state and explain their mission simultaneously. 

For example, Google's combined mission and vision statement is:

“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” 

Mission statement: To organize the world’s information…

Vision statement: ...and make it universally accessible and useful.

While LinkedIn has separate mission and vision statements:

Mission statement: Connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.

Vision statement: Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.

Use a mission statement to drive company success

Your mission statement is the launchpad for your company’s success. It states what you want to achieve and serves as a constant reminder of your purpose. But the only way to accomplish your mission is with small, everyday actions. A goal is just a dream until you put a process in place.

With work management software , you can set up workflows , schedules, and tasks that align with your mission statement and make your purpose a reality. Asana helps you create a purposeful and productive work experience for all your team members by giving them the clarity they need to achieve their goals.

Related resources

15 creative elevator pitch examples for every scenario

How Asana streamlines strategic planning with work management

How to create a CRM strategy: 6 steps (with examples)

What is management by objectives (MBO)?

• Contact sales

Start free trial

How to Write a Mission Statement (Definition & Examples Included)

Table of Contents

What is a mission statement, mission statement vs. vision statement.

• How to Write a Mission Statement

25 Best Mission Statement Examples

Mission statements faq.

• ProjectManager & Mission Statements

When you’re creating a company or working on a business plan , the first thing you should do is create a mission statement. Your mission statement is the base for your company values, vision statement, slogan, value proposition and everything else.

A mission statement is a short action-based declaration that describes the purpose of an organization. Mission statements explain what companies do and are a very important part of their culture, along with the core values and vision statement . Mission statements are an internal guide for organizations, but they also need to be appealing to customers.

Before we learn how to write a mission statement, let’s explain the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement, two very important parts of a business plan.

There are several differences between a mission statement and a vision statement. The main difference between them is that a mission statement explains the purpose of a company, while the vision statement indicates where the company wants to accomplish in the future. Mission statements and vision statements are different but they need to complement each other to provide a clear base for strategic planning.

If you need help creating and delivering a plan for your business, then consider a project management software like ProjectManager . ProjectManager helps organizations plan, execute and track projects and tasks across teams. Make a long term plan on a roadmap, then execute the day-to-day tasks on task lists or kanban boards. It’s easy to collaborate, stay aligned and reach your goals. Get started today for free.

How to Write a Mission Statement in 6 Steps

We know that every organization needs a mission statement, but how do you create one? There’s no standardized method to writing a mission statement, but there are some guidelines that you should consider.

Follow these steps to help you with the process of writing a mission statement.

1. Define your Company Culture

The mission and vision statements are elements of your company culture. For this reason, before writing your company mission statement, you’ll need to define the core values or guiding principles of your company culture. Don’t forget to ask yourself what your team members expect from the company too.

Related: Free Team Charter Template

2. Set Goals

Your company mission defines the purpose of your organization, and where it stands now, but that’s only part of the business plan. You’ll also need to define company goals and a long-term company vision.

3. Define your Ideal Customer Profile

It’s impossible to think about a business that doesn’t care about its customers. Before writing a mission statement or a business plan altogether, you need to understand who are your customers and how you can help them. That’s why you must define your ideal customer profile through market research .

4. Create a Value Proposition

Once you have a clear idea of what your ideal customer profile looks like, you need to think about the value proposition that will differentiate you from your competitors.

5. Select a Type of Mission Statement

Every mission statement is unique, but there are some recognizable types of mission statements. The most common ones are:

• Customer-oriented mission statements
• Socially conscious mission statements
• Environmentally conscious mission statements
• Product-oriented mission statements

6. Add the Mission Statement to Your Business Plan

Now that you’ve thought about all these key aspects of your business, you can start drafting a mission statement for your business plan. Remember to think about how that company mission fits with the other elements of your business plan.

You probably know a lot of mission statements without realizing it. We’ve gathered 25 of the best mission statement examples available in the world to help you create a great mission statement for your business plan.

1. Microsoft

“To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”

“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

3. Facebook

“To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.”

4. Southwest Airlines

“Dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.”

5. LinkedIn

“To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”

“To entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe.”

“To continually raise the bar of the customer experience by using the internet and technology to help consumers find, discover and buy anything, and empower businesses and content creators to maximize their success. We aim to be Earth’s most customer-centric company.”

8. Patagonia

“We’re In Business To Save Our Home Planet.”

9. Life is Good

“To spread the power of optimism”

10. Coca-Cola

“To refresh the world, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness, and to create value and make a difference.”

11. The Humane Society

“Creating animals, confronting cruelty.”

“We reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.”

13. Smithsonian

“The increase and diffusion of knowledge.”

14. American Express

“We work hard every day to make American Express the world’s most respected service brand.”

15. Nordstrom

“To give customers the most compelling shopping experience possible.”

16. JetBlue

“To inspire humanity – both in the air and on the ground.”

“To build the web’s most convenient, secure, cost-effective payment solutions.”

18. Kickstarter

“To help bring creative projects to life.”

“To deliver information on the people, ideas and technologies changing the world to our community of affluent business decision-makers.”

“To be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity.”

“Shape the future of the internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors and ecosystem partners.”

“To attract and attain customers with high-value products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America.”

“To create a better everyday life for the many people.”

“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”

1. How long Should a Mission Statement be?

A good mission statement is short, to the point and memorable. It’s like a tagline in advertising, something that sticks with a person when they hear or read it. In a true sense, the mission statement is an ad in that it identifies your company as one that a customer would want to work with or support.

2. What Is the Difference Between a Mission Statement and a Vision Statement?

Vision statements are about the future. Mission statements stay firmly in the present: who you are and what’s important to you, now. Be timely, explain who you are today and do so clearly.

ProjectManager Turns Your Mission Statement Into a Reality

A mission statement is an idea, but to get there, you need a plan. ProjectManager  is an award-winning tool that organizes your teams and projects to work more effectively. Use our cloud-based software to get real-time data and make your mission statement a mission accomplished.

Build Action Plans with Gantt Charts

Once you have a project approved, you can use the online Gantt chart to schedule your tasks. It’s a visual tool that creates a timeline that shows you the entire project in one place. Some tasks are dependent on others to start or finish. Use our tool to link these task dependencies and avoid having them cause bottlenecks later on in the project.

Track Progress with Dashboards & Reports

Another way to monitor your progress and performance is with our real-time dashboard. It’s made up of six project metrics displayed in easy-to-read graphs and charts. Our tool automatically calculates time, workload, costs and more and gives you a high-level instant status report to help you meet the goals of your mission statement.

ProjectManager has a company mission too. It’s to deliver reliable project management software that helps managers and their teams plan, monitor and report with ease for high levels of efficiency. Our cloud-based tool has a real-time dashboard for live data reporting,  online Gantt charts for effective scheduling and a collaborative platform that frees teams to work more productively. See how it can help your mission by taking this free 30-day trial .

Deliver your projects on time and on budget

Start planning your projects.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES

How to write a mission statement in 5 steps

• Joanna Kramer
• Feb 19, 2019

A mission statement is one of the most powerful tools you have for leading your business or organization to success. The trick is knowing how to craft the perfect one, before you start posting it around your office or on your business website . There are a few tips and tricks to nailing exactly the right wording to articulate your vision and values - to yourself, to your employees, and to your target audience. Let’s jump in and review what makes an effective mission statement and how to write one for your business or organization regardless of whether you're just starting your business or scaling. Plus, we’ve included seven excellent mission statement examples at the end for your very own inspiration.

What is a mission statement?

Let’s start with the basics. You’ve probably heard that a mission statement is the lifeblood of your business. But what really is it? A mission statement takes the ‘why’ of what you do and consolidates it into about one to two sentences (and no, a run-on sentence that’s the length of a paragraph does not qualify). This abbreviated expression of your values and purpose helps everyone who encounters your work to immediately understand what you’re all about (much like your elevator pitch ). It's different from an executive summary but still important to your business. And it serves to remind you and your employees why you continue walking in the door each morning.

A strong mission statement will contain four key elements:

Inspiration

Plausibility

Specificity

As in, readers will walk away understanding the value your works adds to the world or to their lives, feeling inspired to join your mission, convinced that your goal is achievable, and crystal clear on the nature of your business or organization. Once these four components are present, you’ve got yourself a mission statement that is dressed to impress.

Why your business needs a mission statement

The mission statement ingredients sound all well and good, but why exactly is it important for you to adopt one? There are both inward and outward-facing reasons. Internally, it acts as a guiding statement to frame all of your strategic business decisions. It’s easy to reference every time you need a reminder of the values you embody as a company, or the vision you are pursuing. Furthermore, it becomes an important contributor to workplace morale, serving up a dose of inspiration every time your declared purpose starts fading behind administrative emails and fundraising campaigns. Those are the moments when you write your mission statement down on a little sticky note and post it on your computer screen.

Externally, this expression is a critical figure in the landscape of brand identity . Readers will associate your tone and register key words you select, and values you highlight with the larger persona of your company. The mission statement, then, communicates to outsiders who you are, and what you will do to guarantee quality business to your clients. In its concise form, its task is to explain how to foster a connection with the curious minds viewing its several sentences, and explain why yours should be the right business or organization for them to choose.

How to write a mission statement for your business in 5 steps

1. Ask yourself three fundamental questions

2. Hold a brainstorming session

3. Narrow down your choices

4. Refine your words into sentences

5. Review what you've written

01. Ask yourself three fundamental questions

What does your business do? How does it do it? And why? With the first question, evaluate your response through the lenses of your customers or beneficiaries, your employees, and - of course - yourself. When relevant, you can widen the perspectives to also define what your business does for your community, or even for the world. The exercise of answering these three questions will help you tease out your purpose, clarify the value you offer, and reconnect to your motivating passion.

02. Hold a brainstorming session

Either by yourself or with your team, throw around words and phrases that convey the answers you generated in the previous step. Of course, we know each of those questions could give way to an essay - sometimes even a book. Yet, here, brevity comes above all. Try instead for “snapshot words” that capture the sentiment of your business’ value and purpose. Don’t hold back here: All ideas are acceptable at this point, and you never know when a phrase that’s slightly off can spark the suggestion of the phrase that’s exactly right.

03. Narrow down your choices

Either through a group voting process or by soliciting the feedback of a few people you trust, whittle down the list you generated in step two. At the end of this step, you should emerge with a curated list of your favorite words and phrases that are fitting and truly reflect your brand.

04. Refine your words into sentences

Set aside a few hours, a quiet area, and put on your best ‘eureka moment’ playlist. It’s time to start massaging your list of chosen words and phrases into one to two complete sentences, keeping in mind all the key elements we reviewed earlier. Check in frequently with those four criteria to ensure you’re on the right track. Finally, remember to write in the present tense. This an active proclamation of what you do - not what you hope to do someday.

05. Review what you’ve written

The editing stage is best done with fresh eyes, after you’ve had some time away from your first draft. Notice points where you can tighten the phrasing, or make your wording even more precise. Run through potential future developments for your business. Will the statement you’re crafting now stand the test of time and an evolving business strategy? Take care to build some of this flexibility into your final version (without losing sight of the specificity, of course). Lastly, cut out the fluff. Big words that sound fancy but don’t add much value or clarity for your readers should be directed straight to the trash can. What survives your editing annotations will be the strong, durable, and exact material that quality missions statement examples are made of.

Where to display your mission statement

Once you have your mission statement polished and gleaming, it’s time to debut it to your colleagues and target audience . Find a place to print and proudly display it in your workplace so you and all of your team members can look to it as a source of guidance whenever a big decision is in front of you, or you need an inspirational boost.

Additionally, your new mission statement should appear across all of your marketing and promotional materials, from printed brochures to your beautiful website. Due to its short length, it also makes for an excellent bio lines on your social media channels. It’s a snappy answer to people’s initial question of ‘What is this?!’ after they stumble across your profile - and on the Internet, it’s important to keep information flowing fast to keep a web visitor’s attention engaged. Your mission statement makes your point quickly and succinctly, giving your online traffic a reason to stick around. Now, that’s good for business!

P.S. One little hint from us to you: Keep a note of all places where you feature your mission statement. In the event you update it, you will want to be able to make an easy sweep of your office and your online presence to implement the new edits across the board.

Get inspired by these mission statement examples

Enjoy some of these examples of great mission statements that have hit the ball out of the park with their bold precision:

Amp’d: “To provide people with limb loss/difference resources that allow them to live to their fullest potential.”

Southwest Airlines: The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.

Honest Tea: Honest Tea seeks to create and promote great-tasting, healthy, organic beverages. We strive to grow our business with the same honesty and integrity we use to craft our recipes, with sustainability and great taste for all.

S’well: It’s S’well’s ongoing mission to create products that are both beautiful and eco-friendly, that infuse innovation with inspiration, and that continue to give back to communities in need.

Girl Scouts of the United States of America: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

Snap Inc.: Snap Inc. is a camera company. We believe that reinventing the camera represents our greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. We contribute to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together.

The New York Times: We seek the truth and help people understand the world. This mission is rooted in our belief that great journalism has the power to make each reader’s life richer and more fulfilling, and all of society stronger and more just.

Related Posts

How to start an LLC in Tennessee in 7 steps

How to start a food prep business in 5 steps

How to start an LLC in Virginia in 7 steps

Was this article helpful?

Productivity

How to Write a Mission Statement for Your Business

January 12, 2023

10 min read

by Agata Chydzinski

Senior Business Advisor

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

From retail and food manufacturing, Aggie moved into the world of commercial laundry. As COO and partner of a top producer of laundry equipment, she helped substantially scale the company by growing the team, decreasing expenses, and developing a customer-centric approach.

July 27, 2022

When it comes to defining the purpose of your company, you’ll want to put together an effective mission statement. This is important for your business plan.

When you’re starting your company, you have a bigger picture in mind. When it comes to defining the purpose of your company and what makes it stand out, you’ll want to put together an effective mission statement. This is an important facet of your business plan that outlines why you founded your company and what you’re hoping to achieve. When written properly, your mission statement can serve as a guiding light and a marketing tool.

How to write a mission statement isn’t as complicated as it may seem. Let’s take a look at the definition of a mission statement and the recommendations of our Cultivate Advisors experts to help you write your own.

What Is a Mission Statement for a Business?

Business mission statements outline the purpose and the core values of a business. It helps to set the stage for where you currently are as a business and it only needs to be a few sentences long. The majority of effective mission statements outline what a company does, how it does it, and the reasoning behind the mission.

It’s not uncommon for a mission statement to include information on where a company is based in addition to its target audience or market. While some may include generalized statements about company goals, others may include a company’s core values, philosophy, and noteworthy competitive advantages.

Why Does Your Business Need a Well-Thought Mission Statement?

Whether you’re writing a new mission statement or updating one that you currently have in place, it might cross your mind as to how necessary a mission statement is for your business. In reality, well-written and strategic mission statements are beneficial to both your internal employees as well as your target audience.

A company mission statement provides a framework and jumping-off point when you’re building your brand and helps differentiate yourself from your competitors. From a company morale standpoint, well-written mission statements are an easy way to unite your team and can attract and retain talent . Think of your mission statement as a guide to your employees to show them where you want to take the company.

What Makes a Good Mission Statement?

At this point, you may be wondering how to write a mission statement for a business. The length doesn’t need to be more than a couple of sentences and it shouldn’t be too specific. When thinking of what makes a good mission statement, keep in mind that it should have some sort of employee buy-in to help get them excited about your organization and make them happy to work there.

If you currently have core values that govern how you operate your company, this is a good starting point. Consider what your business is, how you are operating your business, and for whom you’re doing it. Finally, mission statements can change so don’t be afraid to approach them like a living, breathing document.

How to Write a Mission Statement for a Business

At Cultivate Advisors, we like to approach mission statements with a strategic visioning exercise. Here’s an example of how we would help you curate your mission statement.

• Write a sentence that outlines what your company does in the most basic terms. For example, if you own a catering company, your sentence could be something like “we are a catering company in Chicago”.
• Next, you’ll want to outline your core values. Your core values are a representation of what is the most important to your company and often include examples such as integrity, teamwork, accountability, diversity, etc. If you don’t yet have core values established, you’ll want to do so before moving forward with the mission statement writing process.
• Now that you have your core values in mind, the next step in creating a mission statement for a business is to write a sentence that explains how your company does what it does. Then comes writing a sentence that explains why your company does what it does. In the case of a catering company, the “why” could be something like “We want to make catering a simple, enjoyable, and affordable experience”.
• Finally, reflect on the three sentences that you’ve written and try to combine them so your mission statement is as to the point as possible.

This might not happen overnight and it could take some trial and error to get the statement to a point that you’re happy with, stay patient!

Mission Statement Examples

Sometimes, it’s easiest to see mission statement examples to help inspire you. We’ve outlined three mission statement examples for business owners below.

One great mission statement is Southwest Airlines. It reads: “The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedicated to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.” As you’ll notice, the company doesn’t say that they’re an airline or will help you get from one location to another. They focus on a commodity experience and put their employees at the forefront.

Starbucks has another interesting mission statement: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.” Again, there is no mention of coffee but rather an emphasis on inspiration and a larger company mission.

Glasses Company Warby Parker has another great example of a mission statement: “To offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.” This mission statement outlines its offerings and unique selling point without being too specific.

Tips for Writing a Mission Statement

Mission statements are not one-size-fits-all and there are different approaches to creating them. There are, however, some dos and don’ts to keep in mind when you’re writing yours:

• Keep it short: You’ll only want to use a few sentences to write your mission statement. Anything longer and your audience will quickly lose interest.
• Make it memorable: It’s tempting to write an essay that conveys why your company is so great and why people should care about you, but the most memorable mission statements are short and punchy.
• Think ahead: Remember that a mission statement is like an investment in the future of your company. You’ll want to keep it open-ended enough that you can tweak it to reflect your long-term goals.
• Don’t make it too limiting: Don’t get too specific in terms of the service area of offerings. You’ll want to appeal to a larger audience than just your current town.
• Loop in your employees: Mission statements should include the opinions of your employees so you get their buy-in and so they become passionate about what your company stands for.
• Don’t be afraid to make changes! Things are always changing in the world of business. If you pivot or expand, your mission statement can as well.

Mission Statement Help Is a Phone Call Away!

Although it might take some time and thought, developing and writing a mission statement is an integral part of your brand identity and appeal. Our leadership development advisors are highly skilled in helping companies like yours develop impactful mission statements. If you’re interested in seeing how we can help, please reach out to our team of experts, we’re happy to help!

Related posts

How to Value a Small Business

13 min Read

Entrepreneurship Should Not be an Individual Undertaking

August 05, 2022

9 Ideas on How to Find a Market Gap for Your Small Business

April 13, 2023

10 min Read

Get the Plan, Partner, and Process to Confidently Grow Your Business

Set up a quick call to learn more about the Cultivate Advising process and how it applies to your business.

More From Forbes

Business planning: how to craft your vision and mission statement.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Shutterstock

A rudderless ship is vulnerable to the strongest blowing wind. So too is your business if you're focused only on the here and now, and your operation is perpetually reacting instead of proacting. Leading professionals know that looking forward drives growth.

Here, we'll examine how to build a strong foundation. Now that you’ve spent time examining your "why" and the legacy you'd like to leave behind, we'll discuss in detail how to craft your vision and mission statement. With this, you'll have a blueprint for success and a target on the horizon to strive for.

Your mission statement is a set of words that defines and communicates the purpose of your business. It shows how you define success, make business decisions and ensure that everyone involved in the company is on the same, inspired track.

Google ’s mission statement is a great summation of what the company does: “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Here's  Microsoft 's: “We believe in what people make possible. Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”

Step 1: Establish The Framework

Define your purpose. 

• Why did you choose this line of business?

• What is the best part of your business, and what keeps you going?

Who do you serve? 

• Who is your ideal buyer?

• Who are your customers?

• How do you treat your customers and employees, and why is that important to you?

Establish your reputation. 

• What do you do better than anyone else? Why should people buy from you ?

• What do you want your legacy to be? What do you want to be known for?

• What keeps your competition up at night — what’s your “secret sauce?"

• What do you stand for?

Measure your success. 

• What does success look like to you?

• What kind of goals have you established to make your business succeed? How will you measure them and how will you know when you've arrived?

Step 2: Refine Your Mission Statement

Now that you have broad objectives, it’s time to start narrowing them down. Ideally, your mission statement should be three to four sentences that capture your goals, purpose and your "why."

Ask for input from your employees, and make it personal. It should be something everyone can buy into. Go for the big picture; the sky is the limit.

Keep in mind mission statements can evolve over time. Try different combinations until you find one that resonates with you and your employees. Use actionable words. It can be helpful to include goals in your mission statement, like “95% of the time we will …”

Remember, there are no wrong mission statements. If it resonates with you and your employees, your mission statement is complete.

Step 3: Create Your Business Vision

Now that you know what you stand for, it’s time to build the blueprint to get there. Here are key steps to follow:

Start with your history.

You have to look back to move forward -- you can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.

• When did you start in business, and how many employees did you have?

• Write all your company's significant milestones on a piece of paper with a brief description of each, and turn it into a line graph with peaks and valleys. What are the positive and negative milestones and turning points, and when did they occur?

• What are the achievements you are most proud of to date? Any awards or innovations? Include big and small achievements.

• What are your favorite parts of the business? What are your passions?

• What other details need to be included in the history of your business for a complete picture?

Now, pretend your business history belonged to a third party. What do you notice? What are significant positive or negative business decisions and what was the outcome? What's holding you back from moving forward? What were the obstacles and how did you overcome them?

Look at the present.

• What does your business look like currently?

• What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?

• What is your value proposition?

• What do you need to get to your goals? Resources, finances, income, employees, training, product launches?

• Do you have work-life balance?

• How is the company’s financial health? Sales, payables, loans, inventory?

• Is your technology current? Do you have a website, social media presence, infrastructure?

• Do you have key employees? Do they need development or training? If so, where are you going to obtain it and what is the return on investment?

• If you could make two or three changes to have an immediate impact, what would they be and how would you do it?

Plan for the future.

Picture your business three months, six months, one year, three years, five years and ten years down the line.

• What are your top short- and long-term goals, in order of priority?

• How can you best leverage your top three strengths?

• How do you define short-term and long-term success?

• What impactful ideas do you have that have not yet been implemented? What would it take to act on them? What's holding you back?

• What should you start doing, stop doing or find a different way of doing?

• If you put energy into it, where could your business shine that it isn’t already?

• What three things would make your business a success in the coming year? How can you achieve that?

• What are secondary goals for success? How can you achieve them? What will the business look like if you do? What resources are required?

It's a lot to think about, but it's worth the investment of your time to create a clear vision for your company. Where you are and where do you want it to be?

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

• Customer Reviews
• Net 30 Account
• Wise Services
• Steps & Timeline
• Work at a Glance
• Market Research at a Glance
• Business Plan Writing Services
• Bank Business Plan
• Investor Business Plan
• Franchise Business Plan
• Cannabis Business Plan
• Strategic Business Plan
• Corporate Business Plan
• Merge and Acquisition Business Plan (M&A)
• Private Placement Memorandums (PPM)
• Sample Business Plans
• Professional Feasibility Study
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Pitch Deck Presentation Services
• Business Plan Printing
• Market Research
• L-1 Business Plan
• E-2 Business Plan
• EB-5 Business Plan
• EB-5 Regional Centers
• Immigration Attorneys
• Nonprofit Business Plan
• Exit Business Planning
• Business Planning
• Business Formation
• Business License
• Business Website
• Business Branding
• Business Bank Account
• Digital Marketing
• Business Funding Resources
• Small Business Loans
• Venture Capital
• Net 30 Apply

How to Write a Mission Statement

A mission statement serves as a concise summary of a company’s purpose and its aspirations for a positive influence. It’s a powerful tool that businesses employ to articulate their goals and values, allowing their audience to grasp a deeper understanding of their mission. Knowing what to incorporate into this statement can assist a brand in not only drawing in new customers but also expanding its clientele.

In this article, we emphasize the significance of a mission statement, detail the process of crafting one, offer advice on creating an impactful one, and furnish a template and examples to guide you through the process.

Why is a mission statement important?

A mission statement is essential as it outlines a company’s ambitions, goals, and why it matters. It provides employees with ethical guidelines, offers insights into the company’s values, and clarifies its purpose. Key elements within a mission statement include:

• Objectives: Defining company goals unifies the organization, guiding employees toward success and fostering efficiency.
• Values: Mission statements define a company’s culture, ethics, and values, signaling expected behavior to the public.
• Purpose: They communicate the company’s role in benefiting the community and explain why it exists, setting it apart from others.

The Essential Components of a Mission Statement

• Value – What does the business offer that benefits both customers and employees?
• Inspiration – Why would individuals aspire to be part of this company?
• Plausibility – Ensure it sounds realistic and attainable.
• Specificity – Connect it directly to the business’s core.

What should a mission statement accomplish?

A mission statement should explain why a business is here and what makes it special.

• Why they’re here: To stop and ease human suffering during emergencies.
• What makes them special: They get volunteers to help and people who want to give things help too.

6 Steps Mission Statement Template

Download The Mission Statement Template as a Word,   PDF , Or Excel  file

When you write a mission statement, it’s important to make it clear and concise and address all the key elements. Here are steps for writing an effective mission statement:

1.Explain the Company's Goal

• Start by describing why the company exists.
• Highlight what makes the company different from competitors.
• For instance, a restaurant’s goal could be to serve locally sourced, organic ingredients in all its dishes, promoting sustainability and supporting local farmers.

2.Detail How the Company Achieves Its Objectives

• Express how the company goes about its work.
• Outline the company’s main principles and beliefs.
• Company values can include providing equal access to resources or delivering top-notch products to customers.
• For example, a tech company may specialize in creating innovative, eco-friendly gadgets, designing them with recyclable materials and energy-efficient technology to reduce environmental impact.

3.Consider the Motivation Behind the Company's Actions

• Incorporate the company’s passion and the reasons behind its actions.
• Reflect on why the company was founded and its purpose.
• If you’re creating a mission statement for a bakery, their motivation could be to delight customers with delicious, freshly baked goods while fostering a sense of community through shared culinary experiences.

4.Review and Improve the Mission Statement

• After drafting the mission statement, read it aloud and check for grammar or spelling errors.
• Consider rephrasing it for greater clarity if needed.
• Periodically revisit the mission statement to ensure it remains accurate and aligned with the company’s goals and values.

Mission Statement Writing Tips

Here are some easy ways to make your company’s mission statement better:

• Be short and clear: Keep your mission statement under 150 words. Use strong words to show what your company wants to achieve.
• Think about the future: Make sure your mission statement talks about what your company will do in the future. Even if things change, your mission statement should still fit.
• Ask for help: Talk to your co-workers about your mission statement. They might have good ideas to make it better.

What makes a good mission statement?

A good mission statement is concise, clear, and inspiring. It should succinctly convey the core purpose of your organization and why it matters, while also reflecting your values and unique approach. The best mission statements motivate and guide both internal teams and external stakeholders, making them feel connected to your vision and goals.

Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Mission Statements

Experts believe that many companies have mission statements that are too vague, unrealistic, or are just a collection of meaningless business jargon. The following are some tips for avoiding the common pitfalls of mission statements.

Accuracy is key- A mission statement should be accurate and only include aspects of your business that are relevant to your business. Don’t just use phrases that sound nice. If you do that, it may sound catchy, but it may lose its value as a guide for your company.

Don’t be unrealistic -Your mission statement should be both ambitious and realistic. Mission statements that set unattainable goals will not be taken seriously by employees. As a result, it can discourage employees by reminding them how far they are behind.

Make yourself unique – Avoid writing a generic or vague mission statement. A handy trick is to ask yourself if one of your competitors could use the same mission statement. It will help you focus on your unique purpose, goals, and values.

Using Buzzwords and Jargon – Common mistake companies commit when crafting their mission statements is bogging them down with buzzwords and jargon. The best mission statements consist of simple, clear language that communicates a company’s purpose directly. Focus on concrete descriptions and aspirations rather than vague phrases such as the following:

• The best in the world
• Excellent customer service
• Maximizing investor returns
• Satisfactory
• Highly valued

Identify other generic words that you can delete from your message.

Now you know what goes into crafting a mission statement.Therefore, put these tips into practice and you’ll be able to produce a clear and concise statement that will keep your business on track.

An effective mission statement can serve several purposes. First of all, it can help keep your business on track.

Your business is something you can always come back to whenever you’re setting goals or making big decisions. By looking at a clear, concise statement of purpose for your business, you can decide what is the best way to achieve that purpose.

Essentially, a mission statement is a foundation for all that your business does. It can help you with:

• Planning your business.
• Assessing your performance.
• Guidance for employees.
• Ensure that all stakeholders work towards the same goals.
• Giving employees a sense of belonging.

Mission Statement vs Vision Statement

The vision statement focuses on tomorrow and what the organization wants to become. It lets the public know what the company makes, who it makes it for, and why it does it.

A vision statement is a way for a brand to look toward the future and define what it strives to accomplish through its mission statement.

Despite the fact that companies commonly use mission and vision statements interchangeably, it is important to have both.

Basically, a mission statement and a vision statement differ in the following ways:

• A vision statement describes a company’s long-term goals. The same elements from the mission statement can be found in the vision statement but will be defined in the future tense.
• A mission statement describes the current purpose of an organization. Mission statements typically include information about the company’s purpose, target audience, and key offerings.

Now that we know what they are, let’s take a look at some examples from different industries.

Examples of Great Mission Statements

It’s often easiest to understand how mission statements work by looking at examples. Here are a few of my favorites fictional examples to help you better understand how you can structure and present your own mission statement:

"To put people at the center of enterprise software"

“Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.* If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

“To be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.”

“To make unique sports cars that represent the finest in Italian design and craftsmanship, both on the track and on the road.”

“Offering all women and men worldwide the best of cosmetics innovation in terms of quality, efficacy and safety”

“To refresh the world…To inspire moments of optimism and happiness…To create value and make a difference.”

“To reimagine commerce in ways that build a more fulfilling and lasting world. We are building a human, authentic and community-centric global and local marketplace.”

“We save people money so they can live better.”

“To help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessly.”

“To attract and attain customers with high-valued products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America.”

“We work hard every day to make American Express the world’s most respected service brand.”

“To deliver information on the people, ideas and technologies changing the world to our community of affluent business decision makers.”

“To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

“To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential.”

Helpful Resources

A mission statement is a concise statement that defines the purpose, values, and goals of an organization. It captures the essence of what the organization aims to achieve and guides its actions and decision-making.

A mission statement is important as it serves as a guiding principle for an organization. It helps align employees, stakeholders, and customers by communicating the organization’s core values, purpose, and direction. A well-crafted mission statement can inspire and motivate individuals while providing clarity and focus for the organization’s activities.

A mission statement should include the organization’s purpose, its target audience or customers, the value it provides, and its unique selling proposition or competitive advantage. It should also reflect the organization’s core values and future aspirations.

A mission statement should be concise and easily understood. Ideally, it should be no longer than a few sentences or a short paragraph. Keeping it concise ensures that it is memorable and effectively communicates the organization’s essence.

A mission statement should be periodically reviewed to ensure it remains relevant and aligned with the organization’s goals and values. It may need to be updated if there are significant changes in the organization’s direction, market conditions, or strategic objectives. However, it is not necessary to review it too frequently if the organization’s core purpose remains consistent.

A mission statement generator streamlines the process by offering templates and prompts, helping entrepreneurs articulate their organization’s purpose and values in their business plan with ease.

To make your mission statement unique, focus on what sets your organization apart, your values, and the specific positive impact you aim to achieve.

Yes, involving key stakeholders, such as employees and leadership, can provide diverse perspectives and ensure the mission statement resonates with everyone.

A mission statement defines the organization’s purpose and values, while a vision statement describes its long-term goals and aspirations.

Yes, mission statements can evolve over time to align with changing goals, values, and priorities as the organization grows and adapts to new challenges and opportunities.

A mission defines the fundamental purpose and values of an organization, answering ‘why’ it exists, while objectives are specific, measurable goals that outline ‘what’ the organization aims to achieve within a set timeframe.

Quick Links

• Investor Business Plans
• M&A Business Plan
• Private Placement
• Feasibility Study
• Hire a Business Plan Writer
• Business Valuation Calculator
• Business Plan Examples
• Real Estate Business Plan
• Business Plan Template
• Business Plan Pricing Guide
• Business Plan Makeover
• SBA Loans, Bank Funding & Business Credit
• Finding & Qualifying for Business Grants
• Leadership for the New Manager
• Content Marketing for Beginners
• All About Crowdfunding
• EB-5 Regional Centers, A Step-By-Step Guide
• Logo Designer
• Landing Page
• PPC Advertising

• Business Entity
• Business Licensing
• Virtual Assistant
• Business Phone
• Business Address
• E-1 Visa Business Plan
• EB1-A Visa Business Plan
• EB1-C Visa Business Plan
• EB2-NIW Business Plan
• H1B Visa Business Plan
• O1 Visa Business Plan
• Business Brokers
• Merger & Acquisition Advisors
• Franchisors

Proud Sponsor of

• 1-800-496-1056

• (613) 800-0227

• +44 (1549) 409190

• +61 (2) 72510077

• Starting a Business
• Growing a Business
• Small Business Guide
• Business News
• Science & Technology
• Money & Finance
• For Subscribers
• Write for Entrepreneur
• Tips White Papers
• Entrepreneur Store
• United States
• Asia Pacific
• Middle East
• United Kingdom
• South Africa

Copyright © 2024 Entrepreneur Media, LLC All rights reserved. Entrepreneur® and its related marks are registered trademarks of Entrepreneur Media LLC

How to Write Your Mission Statement Summing up your business's mission helps you focus on the steps you need to take to succeed. Here's how to create a mission statement that's uniquely yours.

Oct 30, 2003

A mission statement is a key tool that can be as important as your business plan . It captures, in a few succinct sentences, the essence of your business's goals and the philosophies underlying them. Equally important, the mission statement signals what your business is all about to your customers, employees, suppliers and the community.

The mission statement reflects every facet of your business: the range and nature of the products you offer, pricing, quality, service, marketplace position, growth potential, use of technology, and your relationships with your customers, employees, suppliers, competitors and the community.

"Mission statement help clarify what business you are in, your goals and your objectives," says Rhonda Abrams, author of The Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies .

Your mission statement should reflect your business' special niche. However, studying other companies' statements can fuel your creativity. One sample mission statement Abrams developed:

"AAA Inc. is a spunky, imaginative food products and service company aimed at offering high-quality, moderately priced, occasionally unusual foods using only natural ingredients. We view ourselves as partners with our customers, our employees, our community and our environment. We aim to become a regionally recognized brand name, capitalizing on the sustained interest in Southwestern and Mexican food. Our goal is moderate growth, annual profitability and maintaining our sense of humor."

Or consider the statement one entrepreneur developed for her consulting business: "ABC Enterprises is a company devoted to developing human potential. Our mission is to help people create innovative solutions and make informed choices to improve their lives. We motivate and encourage others to achieve their own personal and professional fulfillment. Our motto is: Together, we believe that the best in each of us enriches all of us."

The Write Words To come up with a statement that encompasses the major elements of your business, start with the right questions. Business plan consultant David Tucker says the most important question is, What business are you in? Since you have already gone through the steps of creating your niche, answering this question should be easy for you.

Answering the following questions will help you to create a verbal picture of your business's mission:

• Why are you in business? What do you want for yourself, your family and your customers? Think about the spark that ignited your decision to start a business. What will keep it burning?
• Who are your customers? What can you do for them that will enrich their lives and contribute to their success--now and in the future?
• What image of your business do you want to convey? Customers, suppliers, employees and the public will all have perceptions of your company. How will you create the desired picture?
• What is the nature of your products and services? What factors determine pricing and quality? Consider how these relate to the reasons for your business's existence. How will all this change over time?
• What level of service do you provide? Most companies believe they offer "the best service available," but do your customers agree? Don't be vague; define what makes your service so extraordinary.
• What roles do you and your employees play? Wise captains develop a leadership style that organizes, challenges and recognizes employees.
• What kind of relationships will you maintain with suppliers? Every business is in partnership with its suppliers. When you succeed, so do they.
• How do you differ from your competitors? Many entrepreneurs forget they are pursuing the same dollars as their competitors. What do you do better, cheaper or faster than other competitors? How can you use competitors' weaknesses to your advantage?
• How will you use technology, capital, processes, products and services to reach your goals? A description of your strategy will keep your energies focused on your goals.
• What underlying philosophies or values guided your responses to the previous questions? Some businesses choose to list these separately. Writing them down clarifies the "why" behind your mission.

Putting It All Together Like anything with lasting value, crafting a mission statement requires time, thought and planning. However, the effort is well worth it. In fact, most start-up entrepreneurs discover that the process of crafting the mission statement is as beneficial as the final statement itself. Going through the process will help you solidify the reason for what you are doing and clarify the motivations behind your business.

Here are some tips to make your mission statement the best it can be:

• Involve those connected to your business. Even if you are a sole proprietor, it helps to get at least one other person's ideas for your mission statement. Other people can help you see strengths, weaknesses and voids you might miss. if you have no partners or investors to include, consider knowledgeable family members and close friends, employees or accountants. Be sure, however, to pick only positive, supportive people who truly want to see you succeed.
• Set aside several hours--a full day, if possible--to work on your statement. Mission statements are short--typically more than one sentence but rarely exceeding a page. Still, writing one is not a short process. It takes time to come up with language that simultaneously describes an organization's heart and soul and serves as an inspirational beacon to everyone involved in the business.
• Plan a date. Set aside time to meet with the people who'll be helping you. Write a list of topics to discuss or think about. Find a quiet, comfortable place away from phones and interruptions.
• Be prepared. If you have several people involved, be equipped with refreshments, extra lists of topics, paper and pencils. Because not everyone understand what a mission statement is about, explain its meaning and purpose before you begin.
• Brainstorm. Consider every idea, no matter how silly it sounds. Stimulate ideas by looking at sample mission statements and thinking about or discussing the questions in the previous section. If you're working with a group, use a flip chart to record responses so everyone can see them. Once you've finished brainstorming, ask everyone to write individual mission statements for your business. Read the statement, select the best bits and pieces, and fit them together.
• Use "radiant words." Once you have the basic idea in writing, polish the language of your mission statement. "Every word counts," says Abrams. The statement should create dynamic, visual images and inspire action. Use offbeat, colorful verbs and adjectives to spice up your statements. Don't hesitate to drop in words like "kaleidoscope," "sizzle," "cheer," "outrageous" and "marvel" to add zest. If you want customers to boast about your goods and services, say so--along with the reasons why. Some businesses include a glossary that defines the terms used in the statement.

Once your mission statement is complete, start spreading the word! You need to convey your mission statement to others inside and outside the business to tell everyone you know where you are going and why. Post it in your office, where you, employees and visitors can see it every day. Print it on company materials, such as brochures and your business plan or even on the back of your business cards.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick Red Arrow

• His Ex-Boss Issued Him a Cease-and-Desist Order . Neither Man Expected What Happened in a Parking Lot Next: 'I Bleed This Business. It's Cold-Blooded.'
• Lock 8 Evening Routines With Surprising Effects on Your Ability to Get Things Done
• Why Are Nvidia Earnings So Important? They Could Be a 'Market Mover,' Says Expert.
• Lock I Sent My Role Model a DM, Never Imagining She'd Respond — Then This Happened
• Lock This Couple's Weekend Side Hustle Began With a $50 Facebook Marketplace Purchase — Now It Earns Millions of Dollars a Year: 'You Don't Need Money to Start'
• Walmart and Burger King's New Partnership Is Poised to Give a Boost to Franchise Traffic

Most Popular Red Arrow

How to motivate your sales team to keep your customers happy and business growing.

From the acquisition right through to the point of sale, the process of building an impenetrable sales team isn't complex but it is calculated.

What Is Elon Musk's New Master Plan For Tesla? Original Blueprint Disappears From Tesla's Website After 18 years

Tesla seems to have removed Musk's original master plan (and the follow-up) from its website.

A Pool Scouts Franchise Offers a Low Investment and Highly Scalable Opportunity

The pool service industry is a high growth market with more than 10 million residential pools in the USA.

Apple Just Conducted a Rare Round of Layoffs. Here Are the Teams and Roles Affected.

Apple has over 160,000 employees.

This Low-Cost, Low-Effort Growth Strategy Could Transform Your Company Into an Innovation Powerhouse

How participating in startup competitions can spur corporate growth.

How Brutal Honesty Saved My Business From Going Under (Twice)

Here's why saving face should come second to honesty and transparency when your company runs into trouble

Successfully copied link

• Start A Project

How to Write a Mission Statement (+43 Examples)

A mission statement is essential for any business hoping to compete in the modern marketplace.

Your mission sets a strategic agenda for your company and bolsters confidence in your most important stakeholders.

But what is a mission statement exactly? What role does it play in the strategic growth of your business? What do you stand to lose by not defining your mission? And who all needs to be aware of it?

In this post, we’ll answer all of these questions and more.

We’ll unpack a mission statement definition, look at dozens of mission statement examples, and give you tips for writing a mission statement of your own.

You’ll come away with a rock-solid foundation of knowledge on all things mission, so you can craft a strong mission statement for your brand.

What is a Mission Statement?

The difference between a mission statement and a vision statement, the power of a mission-driven business, how to write a mission statement, how to get the most out of your mission statement, 43 mission statement examples, the takeaway.

A mission statement is a strategic piece of messaging that describes how a company plans on achieving its vision. A good mission statement outlines what a company does, how it does it, and whom it does it for.

What are the practical offerings your business provides? How does it deliver those offerings in a unique way? Who are the most important customers your business serves?

The answers to these important questions should be clearly defined in your mission statement. A good mission statement is both strategic and inspiring.

Also known as a business mission, organizational mission, or company mission, a mission statement is an essential component of the brand compass , a strategic messaging system that also includes purpose , vision , and values .

So, what’s the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement?

Where a vision statement describes the desired end-state your organization hopes to bring about, a mission statement describes how you plan to achieve it. If your vision statement is your ultimate destination, your mission statement is a strategic roadmap for how to get there.

As we’ll see, a mission statement is usually more detailed than a vision statement, including what you do as an organization, how you do it, and whom you’re doing it for.

Your mission statement is your chance to spell out in detail the strategic direction of your business. It’s the what, how, and whom that drive everything you do.

Where your purpose statement should be profound and your vision statement should be inspirational, it’s important that your mission statement is clear and confident.

Your mission statement should bolster confidence in employees, shareholders, and customers alike. It should boldly declare to the world why your business is qualified to do what you do.

Defining your mission is about clearly outlining the problems your company was created to solve, explaining how you solve them, and identifying who benefits from those solutions.

Let’s take a look at why having a clear, confident mission statement is so important for today’s businesses.

The Brand Compass Course

Learn the secret to defining your company's Purpose, Vision, Mission & Values.

Establish Clear Strategic Direction

For many organizations like nonprofits, a mission statement is non-negotiable. It’s often built into an organization’s charter by the board of directors, making it a prerequisite for operations.

Now, there must be a reason why mission statements are a must-have for so many organizations. This is because a mission is a clear, comprehensive summary of your organization’s purpose and positioning .

It’s where any member of your key stakeholders—from customers to employees to investors—can go to quickly understand your business’s goals and plan of action.

And today’s customers are looking for brands that are more honest and transparent. A study by Accenture found that no fewer than 74% of consumers crave greater transparency from companies.

Improve Customer Trust

Beyond the clarity that it provides both internally and externally, a well-articulated mission statement is an important cornerstone of customer trust.

Research shows that mission is one of the top reasons customers are more likely to return to a brand. The only reasons that ranked higher than mission were quality, ethics, and brand name—all of which are outlined in a good mission statement.

The customer trust that is engendered by a solid mission statement leads to brand loyalty . And brand loyalty is one of the best says to measurably increase sales and revenue.

Boost Employee Loyalty

Mission is also important when it comes to recruiting and retaining top industry talent.

LinkedIn found that a whopping 71% of professionals say they would be willing to take a pay cut to work for a company that has a mission they believe in.

And when it comes to the employees already on your team, they have been shown to be more productive if they have a clear understanding of your mission

A study by Gallup found that employee productivity is directly linked to clear communication about an organization’s mission.

When it comes to your business, there aren’t many things that are more important than loyal customers and loyal employees. A mission statement that clearly communicates the strategic direction of your business is essential for both.

So how do you write a mission statement that confidently captures the essence of your business’s strategic direction?

As we’ve seen, your mission can be broken down into three essential elements: the what, the how, and the whom. Accordingly, one of the easiest ways to go about crafting a compelling mission statement is to answer each of these questions, one at a time.

Let’s take a look at how to answer the three questions that are central to any good mission statement.

Define What You Do

The first question you need to answer is what you do as a business. Seems straightforward enough, but there are a few important things to keep in mind when addressing your what.

Always frame your mission in terms of the impact you have on the world. Counter to some people’s impressions, a good mission statement is not about business growth or maximizing shareholder value.

Rather, your mission should address the problems your company was created to solve, and what you’re doing to solve them.

In the plainest terms, what does your business do or offer? It might be one thing, like “a revolutionary fintech platform,” or it might be three things, like “audit, accounting, and tax solutions.”

Do some brainstorming on the clearest way to summarize what you do and write the winning idea on a whiteboard.

Articulate How You Do It

Once you think you’ve answered the question of what you do, the next step is to address how you do it.

There are a couple different ways to think about the how. The first is how you’re different. How have you defined your brand’s competitive differentiation ? What is the competitive advantage you have over other brands in the space?

The other way to think about your how is to ask how you help those you serve. How do you help your customers solve their most pressing problems? How do your products or services make their lives easier?

Decide which is the “how” that’s most central to what you do and add it to your whiteboard alongside your what.

Identify Whom You Serve

The final variable in the mission statement equation is the whom. This is arguably the most important part of your mission, as the best mission statements are centered on whom the brand helps with its work.

So, who do serve as a business? What types of people and/or businesses comprise your primary target audience? Whether you serve expectant mothers, aspiring athletes, young professionals, or small businesses, honing in on your whom is key to crafting a powerful mission statement.

Sometimes it’s enough to be general with your answer. There are many brands that are relevant to broad swaths of individuals, such that a term like “people” is accurate.

But if you’re able to specific with your whom, you should do so. As is the case with most writing, the more specific and grounded the better.

Add your whom to your whiteboard alongside your what and how and move on to the final step.

Put It All Together

The final step of in crafting your mission statement is to collect your answers to the above questions and put them together in a coherent and compelling statement. Your mission should clearly state what you do as a business, how you do it, and whom you do it for.

Need a bit more structure to work with? Use the following mission statement template as a jumping off point:

To [what you do] to help [who you serve] do/by [how you help them].

Of course, this mission statement template is only meant to serve as inspiration for the process.

There’s no right or wrong way to write a mission statement, as long as you’re clearly communicating the strategic direction of your business in a way that bolsters confidence in both your team and your customers.

The following tips will help you get the most out of your mission statement. This goes for both crafting the message itself and bringing it to life across your organization.

Think Inspiring Yet Strategic

As we’ve seen, your mission is a confident assertion of your plan as a business. It’s designed to bolster confidence in employees, shareholders, and customers alike.

For this reason, your mission should be both inspiring yet strategic. It should boldly declare to the world why your business is qualified to do what you do in a way that appeals to both the left and ride sides of the brain.

In addition to clearly outlining the problems your company was created to solve, explaining how you solve them, and identifying who benefits from those solutions, it’s important that your mission statement strikes an emotionally rousing tone.

Avoid Jargon & Buzzwords

Key to ensuring a confident yet grounded mission statement is avoiding jargon and buzzwords. This is a common pitfall for many mission statements—especially when it comes to large, corporate brands.

As we’ve already mentioned, a good mission statement isn’t about spearheading business growth or maximizing shareholder value. These types of internally facing, jargony phrases only serve to undermine the emotional impact of your mission.

As a rule, the more jargon you use in your mission statement, the less emotionally interesting it becomes. And the practical value of the statement is directly tied to whether or not people are interested in reading it.

End on a High Note

A good way to ensure your mission statement is confident, inspiring, and interesting is to end it on a high note.

Think of the last few words of your statement as an opportunity to paint a picture of the better world you help to create for those you serve.

Just look at mission statement examples from a few Fortune 500 brands to see how ending on a high note can make all the difference:

Forbes: “To convene, curate and cover the most influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world.”

Microsoft: “To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”

Starbucks: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.”

While it is ultimately a strategic piece of brand messaging , the best mission statements include a bit of creativity and inspirational flourishes.

Ending your mission statement on a high note is a great way to drive home the positive change your brand brings about through its products or services.

Incorporate Your Mission Across Your Business

Of course, the final test of any effective mission statement is whether or not it’s implemented across your organization. This means clearly communicating your mission statement in the appropriate forums and using it to inform strategic decisions.

Most brands include their mission statement in their website copywriting , usually on the About page. It’s also essential for formal documents like your corporate charter and annual reports.

Your mission statement often forms the basis of your company’s boilerplate description, which is a standardized description of your business that usually appears at the bottom of documents like press releases.

At the end of the day, the most important role your mission plays is as a strategic plan. Because it’s a detailed account of your strategic direction, it can be referred to in tactical situations, to ensure you’re staying the course when it comes to the growth of your business.

Because your mission describes your commitment to a strategic course of action that will ultimately lead to the world you’ve described in your vision statement, your mission should be the ultimate metric by which you measure your progress along the way.

Let’s take a look at how some of the world’s most successful brands have articulated their mission to bolster confidence in employees, customers, and investors alike.

Some of the following mission statement examples are more successful than others, but seeing the full spectrum of quality should give you a better sense of what to try to emulate—and what you should aim to avoid.

Amazon: “To be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.”

Asana: “To help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessly.”

Nike: “Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. *If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

JetBlue: “To inspire humanity—both in the air and on the ground.”

Tesla: “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

LinkedIn: “To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”

PayPal: “To build the web’s most convenient, secure, cost-effective payment solution.”

Nordstrom: “To give customers the most compelling shopping experience possible.”

American Express: “We work hard every day to make American Express the world’s most respected service brand.”

Patagonia: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

Workday: “To put people at the center of enterprise software.”

Warby Parker: “To offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.”

IKEA: “To offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low, that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.”

Invisible Children: “To end violence and exploitation facing our world’s most isolated and vulnerable communities.”

Google: “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

American Red Cross: “To prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.”

MoMA: “To share great modern and contemporary art with the public.”

Peace Corps: “To promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals: To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women. To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.”

The Walt Disney Company: “To entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.”

Twitter: “To give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly without barriers.”

Airbnb: “To create a world where anyone can belong anywhere and we are focused on creating an end-to-end travel platform that will handle every part of your trip.”

Casper: “To awaken the potential of a well-rested world.”

Prezi: “To reinvent how people share knowledge, tell stories, and inspire their audiences to act.”

Sony: “To fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity.”

Facebook: “To give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.”

BBC: “To enrich people’s lives with programs and services that inform, educate and entertain.”

Kickstarter: “To help bring creative projects to life.”

Cisco: “Shape the future of the Internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors, and ecosystem partners.”

Adobe: “To move the web forward and give web designers and developers the best tools and services in the world.”

Intuit: “To improve its customers’ financial lives so profoundly, they couldn’t imagine going back to the old way.”

Genentech: “To develop drugs to address significant unmet medical needs.”

Caterpillar: “To enable economic growth through infrastructure and energy development, and to provide solutions that support communities and protect the planet.”

Home Depot: “To provide the highest level of service, the broadest selection of products and the most competitive prices.”

DuPont: “To create shareholder and societal value while reducing the environmental footprint along the value chains in which we operate.”

Doctors Without Borders: “To help people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from health care.”

Southwest Airlines: “To connect People to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel.”

Hyatt: “To deliver distinctive experiences for our guests.”

Toyota: “To attract and attain customers with high-valued products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America.”

Ford: “To help build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.”

USAA: “To facilitate the financial security of its members, associates, and their families through provision of a full range of highly competitive financial products and services; in so doing, USAA seeks to be the provider of choice for the military community.”

A well-crafted mission statement is one of the best ways to bolster customer trust and build brand loyalty. By identifying what you do, how you do it, and whom you do it for, you can chart a strategic course toward achieving your organization’s vision.

So, be confident, be strategic, be inspirational. As we’ve seen with the many mission statement examples listed above, there’s nothing like a grounded yet rousing mission statement to reinforce confidence in your brand’s most important audiences.

The Ultimate Guide to Rebranding

Everything you need to know about rebranding your business-and avoiding costly mistakes.

Brian Lischer

The Ultimate Guide To Rebranding

Everything you need to know about rebranding your business - and avoiding costly mistakes.

About Ignyte

We help businesses grow by transforming their brands into valuable business assets that inspire employees, motivate customers, and generate lasting economic value.

Subscribe to Brand Thinking

Get our latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

Brand Coaching

Fuel Your Brand’s Growth with 1-on-1 Coaching from Ignyte Founder, Brian Lischer.

Brand Architecture: A Blueprint for a Better Brand

How to Write a Vision Statement for Your Company (+27 Examples)

Corporate Rebranding Dos & Don’ts

Our Recommendations

• Best Small Business Loans for 2024
• Businessloans.com Review
• Biz2Credit Review
• SBG Funding Review
• Rapid Finance Review
• 26 Great Business Ideas for Entrepreneurs
• Startup Costs: How Much Cash Will You Need?
• How to Get a Bank Loan for Your Small Business
• Articles of Incorporation: What New Business Owners Should Know
• How to Choose the Best Legal Structure for Your Business

Small Business Resources

• Business Ideas
• Business Plans
• Startup Basics
• Startup Funding
• Franchising
• Success Stories
• Entrepreneurs
• The Best Credit Card Processors of 2024
• Clover Credit Card Processing Review
• Merchant One Review
• Stax Review
• How to Conduct a Market Analysis for Your Business
• Local Marketing Strategies for Success
• Tips for Hiring a Marketing Company
• Benefits of CRM Systems
• 10 Employee Recruitment Strategies for Success
• Sales & Marketing
• Social Media
• Best Business Phone Systems of 2024
• The Best PEOs of 2024
• RingCentral Review
• Nextiva Review
• Ooma Review
• Guide to Developing a Training Program for New Employees
• How Does 401(k) Matching Work for Employers?
• Why You Need to Create a Fantastic Workplace Culture
• 16 Cool Job Perks That Keep Employees Happy
• 7 Project Management Styles
• Women in Business
• Personal Growth
• Best Accounting Software and Invoice Generators of 2024
• Best Payroll Services for 2024
• Best POS Systems for 2024
• Best CRM Software of 2024
• Best Call Centers and Answering Services for Busineses for 2024
• Salesforce vs. HubSpot: Which CRM Is Right for Your Business?
• Rippling vs Gusto: An In-Depth Comparison
• RingCentral vs. Ooma Comparison
• Choosing a Business Phone System: A Buyer’s Guide
• Equipment Leasing: A Guide for Business Owners
• HR Solutions
• Financial Solutions
• Marketing Solutions
• Security Solutions
• Retail Solutions
• SMB Solutions

Business News Daily provides resources, advice and product reviews to drive business growth. Our mission is to equip business owners with the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions. As part of that, we recommend products and services for their success.

We collaborate with business-to-business vendors, connecting them with potential buyers. In some cases, we earn commissions when sales are made through our referrals. These financial relationships support our content but do not dictate our recommendations. Our editorial team independently evaluates products based on thousands of hours of research. We are committed to providing trustworthy advice for businesses. Learn more about our full process and see who our partners are here .

How to Write the Perfect Mission Statement (With Examples)

Learn what a mission statement is, why you need one and how to write the perfect one for your business.

Table of Contents

Developing a mission statement is a lengthy process that involves the input of team members who fully understand your business, employees, customers, industry, and the products and services your company provides.

Once completed, your organization can share its mission statement so consumers, employees, investors and other stakeholders know precisely what your organization does (or doesn’t do), what it values and why it exists. Often a mission statement can help clarify an owner’s ideas about their business’s “whats” and “whys.”

We’ll explore mission statements, why companies need them, and how to craft the perfect mission statement for your organization. 

What is a mission statement?

A mission statement is a declaration of what your company does and why it exists. This message is designed for internal and external audiences; it should ignite interest in the organization as it builds its brand .

The best mission statements have two primary objectives: 

• Educate: Mission statements educate by sharing what the organization does, how it does it and why.
• Inspire: If it’s a well-written mission statement, its second objective is to inspire. The best mission statements energize people to learn more about the brand and become supporters.

How to create a mission statement

When creating your mission statement, you’ll need to understand its essential components and ask probing questions to define precisely what your organization does and how. Finally, you’ll need to outline your organizational mission so it’s clear to everyone reading it. 

1. Include three essential components. 

According to Chris Bart, a retired professor of strategy and governance at McMaster University, a well-written mission statement has three essential components. Address each of these components when creating your mission statement:

• The business’s key market: Who is your customer base ? What industry does your business serve?
• The company’s contribution, or “what”: What product or service does your business offer? How does it better your local community or humanity?
• Distinctions between your solution and competing ones: What makes your product or service unique? Why should your audience buy your product over the competition’s?

2. Dig deeper to uniquely portray your business. 

While incorporating the essential elements, ask yourself – and your team – probing questions to truly understand who your business serves, what your organization does and how it works. Here are some questions to start with:  

• Why do we exist?
• What do we do?
• How do we use our products – or services – to achieve our goals?
• Who do we serve?
• How do we serve them?
• What do we do better than anyone else?
• What differentiates us from our competitors?
• How do our customers describe us?

3. Define your organizational mission. 

Creating an accurate, inspiring mission statement isn’t purely a philosophical exercise. It has to be practical, too. A mission statement must make sense to those who read it, whether they know about your organization or not.

Keep these four tips in mind as you define your organizational mission:

• Make the connection obvious: People unfamiliar with your company who read your mission statement should come away with a clear, concise understanding of what your organization does and why it exists.
• Be brief, yet informative: Keep the statement under 25 words. If it’s longer, people won’t read it or remember your company.
• Talk to stakeholders: Before finalizing your mission statement, speak to as many stakeholders as possible to see if it makes sense to them. Encourage feedback by seeking out board members’, long-time customers’ and trusted vendors’ opinions.
• Develop a long-term mission: This may be one of the more challenging aspects of writing a mission statement because defining what your organization is about today can be easier than providing predictions. However, you can update your long-term goals as  events and changes occur. 

Avoid common mission statement mistakes

Since your mission statement helps define your business, getting it right is crucial. Avoid these typical mistakes: 

• Using elaborate language: Avoid the pitfalls of “fancy” writing and using ambiguous words. Aim for clarity and brevity, and don’t make your mission statement overly formal. You want people to relate to it, not misunderstand it.
• Failing to update your statement as your business evolves . Revisit your mission statement over time to ensure it still resonates with your company’s current purpose. While it may seem like a clear, concise mission statement should cover all your bases – like any business-defining feature – it must also evolve as your business grows.

What do effective mission statements have in common? 

Effective mission statements are succinct and thoughtful.  

• Succinct: The more succinct your mission statement, the more likely it will resonate with audiences. A lengthy mission statement that’s challenging to remember can fall flat. A good test to see if your mission statement hits the mark is if your employees can recite it. For example, the mission statement of media organization TED, famous for its TED Talks, is “Spread ideas.” In two short words, TED outlines what it does and why people might be interested in learning more about it.
• Thoughtful: Other companies take a more creative, thoughtful approach. LEGO, whose mission statement, “Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow,” clearly defines what the company does – inspire and develop – and who its target customers are – the builders of tomorrow. In 2009, LEGO’s CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp said, “We make very clear the values we promise everyone we interact with – whether they are colleagues, partners in retail, the wider community, or – most important of all, of course – the children we deeply care for.” Its mission is woven through the entire organization, which is when mission statements come to life.

When companies don’t have well-constructed mission statements (or any mission statement), customers, potential customers and the public are forced to identify for themselves what the company is and why it exists.

What’s the difference between mission and vision statements?

Mission statements and vision statements are both crucial, but they have different objectives. A mission statement is focused on today, while a vision statement is focused on the future – what you want to become and how you want to impact people. 

Here are some questions that will define your vision statement:

• What are the organization’s goals and dreams?
• What will the world look like if we are successful?
• What problem(s) is the organization solving for the greater good?
• Who and what are we inspiring to change over the long term?

To help understand how mission statements and vision statements differ, compare Airbnb’s mission and vision statements.

• Airbnb’s mission statement: “Belong anywhere.” This mission statement is short and to the point. The message conveys that you can stay anywhere in the world and feel included when doing business with Airbnb.
• Airbnb’s vision statement: “Tapping into the universal human yearning to belong – the desire to feel welcomed, respected, and appreciated for who you are, no matter where you might be.” This message taps into a larger picture of what a future could look like when the global community imbues Airbnb’s philosophy.

Examples of effective mission statements

Here are examples of effective mission statements from well-known brands. These mission statements briefly define the organization, its purpose and its impact on humanity:

• Nike: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.”
• JetBlue: “To inspire humanity – both in the air and on the ground.”
• Warby Parker: “To offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially conscious business.”
• Tesla: “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
• LinkedIn: “Connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”
• Microsoft: Early days: “A computer on every desk and in every home.” Now: “To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”
• Disney: “To entertain, inform, and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling.”
• Ford: “To help build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.”

Finding your mission statement language

To get started, start tossing around words with trusted stakeholders. However, remember that you’re not looking for what “sounds good” as much as gaining clarity about what your business does. Brainstorm with others in low-stake sessions and see what language resonates with your brand. 

Remember that sounding good is important, but first you must define yourself. If your mission statement includes a nod to your business’s philosophy, values and culture of ethical behavior , the more benefits you’ll reap.

As with any other business plan or project, you may need to explore dozens of ideas before landing on your best fit. 

Patrick Proctor contributed to the writing and reporting in this article.

Building Better Businesses

Insights on business strategy and culture, right to your inbox. Part of the business.com network.

How To Write A Vision And Mission Statement For Startups

mins read ⋅

February 20, 2023

Vision and mission statements are a way of defining your company’s purpose, goals, and brand. Unlike “hard,” tangible value drivers (e.g., your coding team and financial assets) or “soft” drivers (e.g., a marketing strategy and management team), these statements are an intangible driver of value for any business. These intangibles are difficult to quantify and often seem to be driven by feeling rather than anything substantiated.

Taking the time to create compelling vision and mission statements is crucial, because they can add more value to your business than you might initially realize. First, the exercise of drafting vision and mission statements forces you to distill why your business exists, what your business does , and the first impression you will make on your all-important first customers. 

Equally important, however, is how pivotal having a compelling and inspiring vision statement and mission statement can be in securing early-stage investors and attracting the best talent to work for you.

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement explains why a company exists, what its future goals are, and the change it’s aiming to create in the world. It’s the company’s single dream or north star that unifies and inspires every employee—and ideally other stakeholders, too. The statement should be aspirational. Though a company may never fully achieve its vision, it is committed to doing everything it can to work towards it every day. Everything a company does—both large and small—should contribute to its vision.

For example, the vision statement of iconic tech brand, Sony, is: “To fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity.” This closely aligns with what we know about Sony—a company that makes products that put aesthetics and quality at the forefront of its work, making it more about premium design than raw tech specs alone.

What is a mission statement?

A mission statement is an equally important statement that is distinct from the vision statement. A mission statement is an articulation of what you do or deliver as a business every day. Though effective mission statements end up looking simple, you’ll be investing a lot of time and effort into achieving that simplicity. By the time you have crafted yours, it will be a short, punchy sentence that explains to the person reading it three things about your company:

1) What the company does.

2) How the company does that.

3) Who (the customers) does that for.

TED’s mission statement is one of our favorites. It’s all of two words: “Spread ideas.” Within that, you can instantly understand the company’s mission, what it does (facilitate the spreading of ideas), how it does that (being a facilitator) and who it’s for (people that want to experience new ideas). 

Most mission statements are longer than two words, but TED’s has an elegant simplicity that offers inspiration as you start to consider drafting one for your startup.

There are important distinctions between vision statements and mission statements. Here are qualities that set them apart:

What is the value of a mission and vision statement—and why does my early-stage company need one?

You might think vision and mission statements are an unnecessary indulgence in the early days of your startup journey. For one thing, as a founder you almost certainly have an unspoken set of goals and drivers behind what you’re doing. That’s generally an extension of a founder’s personal mission and vision, because their startup is often an extension of themselves. And, because a founder is so overwhelmingly the driving energy behind the business, the informal “founder’s vision” can seem like it’s all that’s needed at that startup stage.

However, a founder will need two things to achieve their vision: other people that want to be part of it (i.e., employees, partners, and investors) and customers. If the mission and vision of the startup is locked in the founder’s head, and is a vague “this is what the founder believes in and wants to achieve,” then it’s going to be difficult to get others on board. 

Remember that at this stage you don’t have tangible proof of your business— you haven’t got the MVP or product yet . Investors and other potential stakeholders are going to be relying on clear language to understand your company’s direction and the problems that it will be solving to determine whether it’s worth getting involved.

Some entrepreneurs also struggle to articulate their complex, game-changing ideas succinctly, and so properly defining vision and mission statements is an exercise of cohesion. It takes the jumble of ideas flowing through a founder’s mind and turns them into something understandable, inspiring, and motivating to key audiences.

How to create a mission and vision statement for your startup

Before you put a marker to the whiteboard and start your brainstorming process, the first thing you should do is read as many mission and vision statements as you can. They’re public-facing and easy to find, so choose the companies that inspire you the most, as well as your competitors and successful startups.

What you’ll quickly discover is there aren’t too many fixed rules about drafting these fundamental statements—what matters most is that they are genuine reflections of your own business.  

Three Things To Keep In Mind

Mission and vision statements might be like the TED mission statement, just a couple of words long, or they can be longer. Best practice suggests that they should be one line, but there are good mission statements that are a couple of paragraphs long, too. Here’s Coca Cola’s vision statement, as an example of a longer—but equally impactful—one: 

“Our vision is to craft the brands and choice of drinks that people love, to refresh them in body & spirit. And done in ways that create a more sustainable business and better-shared future that makes a difference in people’s lives, communities, and our planet.” 

Rigidity of messaging

As the business adjusts according to trends, new technologies, growth, and opportunities, what it’s looking to achieve and its goals will naturally shift in kind. For this reason, it’s important that the mission and vision statements are written in broad, long-term language, rather than in immediate-term specifics, to avoid rewriting them on a regular basis. Rewriting these foundational statements regularly signals to the outside world indecision or even instability.

Inspiration and memorability

Your organization’s vision and mission statements are an opportunity to make a big impression. Be sure that they’re easy to recite, and that they’ll rally people around your cause. Slack’s mission statement, for example, is “Make work-life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.” That’s an easy message to get behind.

With those guidelines in place, there are several steps that will help you write both your vision and mission statements:

Step 1: Talk to the initial people involved in the company

At the startup stage, you have a close-knit group of two or three co-founders. This is the perfect opportunity to formalize exactly what attracted each person to the company. You want to know what are they looking to achieve on a personal and professional level with this, and why it means something to them. A good first step is to actively interview one another. You’ll find by asking questions like these, the seeds of your mission and vision statements will start to sprout:

• Why are we in business? 
• Speaking in the plainest English possible, what does the business do?
• Why is our work so essential right now? 
• What unique needs does the business meet for customers?
• What inspired you to found the company?
• What differentiates us from our competitors?
• What will our customers love about us? What will our trademarks be?
• What underlying philosophies and values have shaped the business so far?
• What impact do we want to have on the world around us?
• How will you define success for the company beyond profitability and market leadership?

You can also try talking to family and friends. Explain your idea to them in detail, then ask them what it is about that idea that catches their attention/makes them want to know more. They might not be customers or investors, but they’ll give you an excellent sense of what might catch the customer and/or investor’s attention from your idea and what specific language resonates.

Make sure you talk to as many people as are available to you at this stage of your business. Search their collective answers for similarities that are the building blocks of your mission and vision statements.

Another helpful tactic is to record your conversations and upload them to a tool like otter.ai or Whisper for auto-transcription. In reviewing those transcripts you’ll often notice common threads that you overlooked within each conversation.

Step 2: Take the common themes and turn them into paragraphs

Ideas can naturally be fragmented, incomplete, and disjointed. The second step in crafting your vision and mission statements is to turn ideas into coherent sentences.

At this stage it’s okay to be detailed. You want to capture the full nuance and depth of each idea, so that you have the full context of why it captures who you are, how it’s inspirational, and where your company is heading.

You should have a paragraph reflecting the ideas behind your future vision statement and another paragraph reflecting your future mission statement.

Step 3: Now, distill it down into the vision and mission statements

This is the most challenging and potentially time-consuming stage of the process. Take your red pen and eliminate as much as you can from those previous paragraphs. Remove single words and entire sentences alike, until you arrive at the core of each paragraph. 

It should be not more than three sentences long. If it’s longer, it can be either cut down further or re-written so it’s shorter. If you’re stuck, take a break and come back to look at it with fresh eyes. You will be able to cut it down further.

Your ultimate goal is to whittle the content down to a maximum of 100 characters each for your vision statement and mission statement..

This is not an overnight exercise and it will involve a lot of heartfelt introspection about the purpose and motivations behind your business. Dedicate some serious time to this—give yourself a day in a room with a computer that isn’t connected to the Internet for distraction-free focus. The distillation process in particular will be time consuming, and likely require many (many) reads through the content to understand what words and sentences can be cut or which words best capture the idea and sentiment you want to convey. It’s normal and healthy for there to be vigorous debate among co-founders about these foundational statements. This is tremendously helpful to align you as a leadership team and—quite literally—put you all on the same page to steer the company’s future growth.

Step 4: Examine your draft vision and mission statements side by side.

Your vision statement and mission statement need to work in harmony with each other. Once you have your draft statements ready, compare them both closely and consider whether they are sufficiently distinct. Are there areas of overlap? Have you repeated any key words in each statement, and if so, was that deliberate? Remember that vision and mission statements need to be complementary but should never be repetitive. To review, your vision is your company’s north star—what you are aspiring to be and the change you want to make in the world—while your mission statement is what you are doing right now. By fulfilling your mission day in and day out, you will achieve your vision. If both statements are too similar, you have more refining to do.

Some great examples of a mission statement, a vision statement, and the differences between them

The LinkedIn Story

LinkedIn has an excellent mission and vision statement. It distills the complexity of being a company that helps people do business better into two very distinct and clear statements—an excellent example to consider when writing your own.

LinkedIn’s vision statement is: “Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.” That’s a noble and suitably long-term goal that a company can work towards. The use of “every” makes the statement truly aspirational—while it’s unlikely LinkedIn will achieve this, they signal their intent, which is what matters most.

Its mission statement, meanwhile, is to “connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.” This gives us a better understanding of how specifically the company will go about achieving its vision (by making “connecting people” its mission).

How Netflix Inspired A Media Revolution

Netflix, meanwhile, offers another excellent example of a succinct mission statement: 

“To entertain the world.” 

It’s a simple and elegant mission statement that leaves a lot of room for flexibility. For example, Netflix started out delivering DVDs to people via mail. Then it took advantage of improved Internet speeds across the globe to focus on streaming that material on-demand. Then it saw the opportunity to invest in film production and make its own original content. Its most recent step, to get into game production and distribution, has nothing to do with film at all, and yet still falls within its mission statement (games are entertaining!).

Netflix’s vision statement is “to continue being one of the leading firms of the Internet entertainment era.” Here, too, the recent pivot to games matches the statement, given that games add a new potential demographic and audience to the company and assist it to continue growing.

This also highlights one final significant difference between the mission statement and vision statement: the mission statement is always public facing. This is what you want the public to think about your company. The vision statement, meanwhile, might be public, but it’s a critical driving force internally—this is what you want to motivate your people and drive every idea and decision within the organization. The two are linked and everything you do within the business should “speak” to both statements, but the audience that they’re predominantly for will be different.

Three common mistakes with mission statements and vision statements

Crafting a concise, clear, and memorable vision statement and mission statement is difficult, and a major creative challenge early in the startup cycle. Avoid these three common mistakes to develop compelling statements:

1) The statements don’t inspire.

While one of the main goals of the mission statement is to highlight what your business does, if it reads like a fact sheet line item, it’s not going to be particularly effective. You can only inspire with evocative language and unexpected word choices based on soulful introspection, not by regurgitating dry, textbook-like information. Your vision statement in particular needs to capture the imagination of every employee who joins your organization. A vision statement that falls flat won’t motivate and excite employees in their everyday work.

2) They lack personality and humanity.

The most effective vision statements and mission statements convey a sense of an organization’s values—not only by capturing its raison d'être , but also its strategic priorities and personality. Again, word choice matters hugely. You have an opportunity to overturn expectations and set yourself apart from competitors through the language you select. Consider outdoor apparel company Patagonia’s mission statement—”We’re in business to save our home planet”—that is a very clear expression of its values and environment-first philosophy. 

Your vision and mission also hand you an opportunity to project a sense of humanity—particularly through your vision statement. Why does your work matter to people, potentially around the world? How will it improve the quality of their lives? By weaving these elements into your statements, you generate an impression of considering and caring for the role your business plays in people’s lives.

In both cases, it’s essential for your statements to be genuine. Mimicking other organization’s vision or mission, or feigning a personality never works—audiences will see right through it when their experience does not live up to the promise.

3) They use buzzwords and jargon.

This is particularly relevant to buzzword-heavy sectors like IT. Cut all jargon from your vision and mission. Use plain English at all times. These statements need to be completely accessible and comprehensible from anyone who reads them, regardless of their familiarity with the sector or products that you’re looking to sell.

Create a mission and vision that clarifies and inspires

As your vision statement and mission statement are two of the first formal things you will create as you establish your startup, they can be enormously powerful ways to chart your course—consolidating everything you want to achieve while giving your entire organization direction and purpose. 

The best vision and mission statements will help to focus your business, and provide your customers a next-level experience by articulating the promise you are committed to fulfilling as a company.

Kimberley Tait

Kimberley Tait is a marketing strategist and published her debut novel, Fake Plastic Love, in 2017.

More resources

TAM, SAM & SOM: How To Calculate The Size Of Your Market

Unicorn Companies Explained: How Startups Achieve the $1 Billion Valuation

Defining Your Value Proposition For Early-Stage Startups

Antler insights delivered to your inbox.

Sign up to get relevant information delivered right to your inbox. Learn about Antler and get additional insights on building early-stage companies.