Do you know the purpose of your business? Do you clearly understand why you started your business? Have you communicated this purpose to all those who work with you? Have you documented the purpose? If the answer to any of these is ‘no’ then you are probably finding it difficult to stay on course as you are bombarded by the day to day surprises lurking in your future. The solution lies in the Power of Purpose.
The Power of Purpose packs a punch when you take all of the reasons for your business and distill them into a precise, meaningful statement telling us what the company does, who it serves and what sets it apart from the competition. The result is called the Mission Statement.
Your first step in creating a powerful Mission is to answer the following questions:
- Why did you start this business?
- What is your market place?
- Who are your customers? What is your group of customers?
- What is so special about you as individuals that adds value to your business?
- What is so special about your business and your products?
- How are you different from your competition?
- How do you and/or your products add value to your customers’ businesses?
- What is your vision?
- What image do you want to portray?
To write a Mission Statement that is precise, succinct and comprehensible is very difficult. So take your time and put in the effort because the results will be very beneficial. Do not concern yourself with writing eloquent prose that brilliantly captures the very core of your purpose; that will come later. We are much more concerned with content.
As you work through this keep in mind that a good Mission Statement is:
- Concise
- Understandable
- Known by everyone
- Provides focus
- Memorable
- General in scope
- NOT about making money
If you find yourself jumping from one business opportunity to another; if you are constantly adding products without thought to the right product mix; if you are on an endless treadmill of crisis after crisis; then you are probably in need of the Power of Purpose; you need a Mission Statement.
