How to Write a Mission Statement for a Business Plan
A mission statement is an integral starting point when drafting a business plan. The purpose of the statement is to think through the scope of your business and create a short, but broad, statement of business aspirations. Creating a broad statement of purpose may seem like a daunting and overwhelming task, but if you break it down into multiple categories of specific considerations, it becomes manageable and fulfilling.
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Instructions
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Gather the owners and managers of the business together in one room. These are the people who must collaborate and make important decisions regarding the direction of the business. Pass out notepads and pencils to each participant. If you are the sole owner of your business, you can perform the following exercise on your own.
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2
Instruct participants to write down five to ten words or phrases that describe each of the following:
1) Business function (services and products that you provide)
2) Ideal image from a customer's perspective
3) Ideal image from the owner(s) or management's perspective
4) Market opportunities
5) Customer needs that should be addressed
6) Description of your target customer
7) Measures of success -
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3
Share the lists. Once each participant creates a list that addresses each of the points in Step 2, share the lists with the group and collectively narrow things down to the top three points for each of the seven topics listed in Step 2.
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Use the words and phrases that you narrowed down in Step 3 to craft your mission statement. Play with the wording and arrange the points in a way that makes sense. It is important to remember that your mission statement is not set in stone. It can and probably should change over time. Your mission statement does not have to be perfect, but it must provide enough clarity to assist in the development of the remainder of your business plan.
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Tips & Warnings
Because a mission statement is a concise picture of your business that you can refer to at a glance, keep it to as few words as possible--25 words or less is ideal.
