Writing For You Now

Clarify Your Mission Statement

More Small Business Tips from this Author

If you are a CEO or any type of business director, ask yourself when was the last time you read your company’s mission statement? It’s interesting to note that many businesses start out with very good intentions and take up many hours of discussion in creating a mission statement for their company; however it’s also true that many of these statements are not very clear.

If you haven’t looked at your mission statement lately, you may want to pull it out to see if it answers the following basic questions.

Does your mission statement…

• Clarify your values? These values refer to your company’s accepted standards or principles of service your business promises to adhere to. These values also take into consideration the high regard you promise to place on your customers by placing importance on their interactive aspect of your business.
  
• Declare the purpose of your business? State the reason for which your business exists. Your business purpose must also include your intention and determination with a clear objective to function in the least resistant manner.
  
• Provide direction of where your business is headed? In order for your mission statement to carry some weight it’s important to include a sense of purpose that defines a goal or goals your company is set out to accomplish.

By now you may be asking, what are some business values, what is a business purpose, or even just what direction should my business take? No, you will not just be left hanging, keep reading so you may have access to some samples of the above points.

Clarify your values by stating that you promise to provide:

• Excellent value for money invested
  
• Respectable service
• Exceptional service or product quality

Declaring the purpose of your business may include:

• Understanding individual customers or clients
  
• Training for success
• Maintaining consistent business profit and return

Providing direction of where your business is headed may include:

• Creating successful business partnerships
  
• Expanding internationally
  
• Combining people and technology
  

The above questions and sample values, purpose, and direction that your mission statement provides are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

Never underestimate the power of a mission statement, though putting one together is a time-consuming endeavor, the rewards of a well-done statement speaks for itself. By clarifying your values, declaring the purpose of your business, and providing the direction your business is headed you are better able to solidify your business with a clearer picture, not only for your own business, but also for your customers.