How to Write A Mission Statement

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 service does your business provide? Get down to the bare basics and do not add any filler. You will elaborate on this purpose in the next steps.

My company’s purpose is to:

*Build custom homes.

*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 are not looking for a detailed description of your business’s physical operations here. Instead, we are 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’s core competencies when you are 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 is what the first three examples from step one might look like when you add values to them:

My company’s purpose is to:

*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 is 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.

Mission Statement Examples: This is what our three mission statement examples might look like when you add “why” to them:

My company’s purpose is to:

*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 are finished, have another look at your mission statement and see if it captures what you want to say or if there is a better way of phrasing it. Be sure to change the phrase, “My company’s purpose”, to the name of your company.