How to write mission and vision statements

A guide and example to help you find your purpose, set your vision, and craft your mission

What mission are you on?


That shouldn’t be a tricky question, but it is. I was on a webinar the other day when a small business owner was asked this. They were put on the spot and didn’t have an answer.

Missing mission statements are too common. That’s unsurprising. Thinking deeply about ourselves and why we do what we do is really challenging, making it easy to put off.


On the other hand, it’s strange as all the entrepreneurial advice tells us it’s critical.


Mission and vision statements may be maligned, ignored or meaningless in large companies. Yet, in small businesses, they inject a bottomless well of energy and focus, helping reinvigorate on the hard days and making the day-to-day feel easier.


I doubt any small business doesn’t have an ambitious dream, especially when this fuelled the journey in the first place. So, what’s with the missing mission statements? Put simply, if it’s not written down, it won’t be top of mind. And that means the business is missing out on some pretty significant benefits.

The benefits of a clear and memorable statement

  • It’s a focal point that makes decisions easier
  • An energy boost whenever it’s needed
  • It’s the reason customers care
  • Aligns and focused the team
  • Acts as a benchmark as to how far you’ve come


We’ve worked with businesses that are two days old and 20 years young to help them find theirs. It’s not easy. But it’s worth it.

Five steps to uncover yours

1. Get going. Don’t put it off until you find some quality thinking time. We all know that’s never. Get together with those that have a vested interest in your business. Shut the door and turn off the phones for, say 90mins. Bring along a load of Post-It notes. And most importantly, take off your business hats – lose the job titles, put yourselves in others’ shoes, and engage your beginner’s minds.


2. Start broad. Note down all the attributes that make your businesses what it is. And what it isn’t. Ask what your audiences care about. Interrogate the brand and business, your broadest competitor set and the market and cultural context. Note down each point on a separate piece of paper.


3. Drill down. To find the sweetest spot, line up the different points and see what connections can be made. Mix up brand, product/service, audience and market insights in a complicated game of matching pairs. Then filter them till the most compelling and impressive appear at the top. Try writing out ten different versions of statements starting with ‘We exist to….’

Sleep on all of this work and see what sticks the following day.


4. Refine. When you’ve settled on one or two statements. Make them bigger by asking: What if you were changing the industry? How about the world? What’s the ambitious dream that’ll always be out of reach yet stirs a fire in the belly? The one that excites you and makes you slightly uncomfortable will the one. By way of due diligence, check what your competitors are saying, and give it a Google to see what comes up.

5. Craft. Finally, it’s time to craft the words. Go for the unexpected or alliterative. Play with the language. You’re aiming for a set of memorable words that you can own. Don’t skip this step. It’s the reason people recall their mission or vision twenty years on.

An example of brave mission

A successful coaching business with a new service asked us to help them update their mission. Working with the founder, we dug deep into their strengths and differences. The exploration covered what the new programme could offer, possible business models, competitors offers, customer outcomes and what people value. We pushed against the challenges we could see: Why does the world need more coaching services? Why is this service worth paying for, especially when so much self-help is free? What will help people feel like this is a proven service when it’s new?


After long-listing many, the human truth we settled on was ‘change feels like a lonely endeavour, but it doesn’t happen alone’. The difference only this brand could deliver 'surround yourself with bravery with the coaching, research and connections that will make your change happen'.


The ambitious statement was distilled down to: We exist to help women become collectively braver. And the memorable mission was crafted into four words: Professionally Guided, Collectively Powered.

What’s in a name

There’s a myriad of names and definitions for a mission statement. In essence, it’s a short description of a business’s purpose, goals and values – the ambition that makes people care they exist.


A corporate will have a mission and vision statement. Some have a purpose as well. I’ve always wondered the point of having two or three statements, especially when one will do. Call it your purpose, your mission, the reason you exist, your BHAG or your advantage; that’s up to you. Whatever you call it, get it on paper.


The best are short, clear, ownable and energising. And written down. Find it, craft it and live it. When you do, it feels like a shot of caffeine every morning. And you'll never be put on the spot again.

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