How to Write a Mission Statement?

Missionstatements.com exists to help you write a good mission statement for your business or organization. We have a Mission Statement Tool Kit you can download for $5 here or see the Writing Services Page for help from a professional writer.

Many examples of a good mission statement for businesses can be found in our library.

We’ll try to help you get started with some tips on how we do it with clients here at www.missionstatements.com. Writing a mission statement for an organization can be tough because it requires converting your thoughtful analysis of what you do and why into one or two short sentences. It all starts with thinking and putting your thoughts on paper, typing into a screen, or talking them out to an interviewer.

How to create a mission statement begins with quick answers to the following questions:

1. Why do we exist?
2. What’s the goal of everything that we do as it relates to our community or industry?
3. What geographic area do we serve?
4. What goods or services do we create to meet this goal?
5. What values guide us as we do business?
6. What strategies do we use to meet our goals?
7. What are the tangible results we hope to see as the result of our efforts?
8. What specific responsibilities do we have to the community, shareholders, employees, etc.?

This can seem like a daunting list of questions. Another approach is to treat your mission statement like a traditional news article. Answer who, what, where, when, and why. In one sentence you should relay to a reader easy to understand information about what they can expect from your business or organization. It’s also helpful to use words that describe why your good or service is different or better than others.

Consider the anatomy of a mission statement

Let’s dissect a sample mission statement from Art of Glowing Up.

Here’s their mission statement:

Art of Glowing Up is a woman-owned company inspired by the joy of assisting people on their journey to a better life through mentoring, education, and assistance with credit repair.

Who: 

Art of Glowing Up is a woman-owned company inspired by the joy of assisting people on their journey to a better life

What:

mentoring, education, and assistance with credit repair

Where:

Not geographically bound, so this company did not mention where. It’s implied that the work can be done online but they also work in localized regions. If your work is geographically bound, you should mention that location boundary.

When:

When is not important here because they offer many online resources. When is important if time is of the essence or there are hours of operation that are critical to understanding the good or service.

Why:

inspired by the joy of assisting people

Create a mission statement in three easy steps

A good business mission statement can be set up with a question that gets people to think about some problem you solve or value you add.

If the blank page is daunting, here are three steps that will help you get started. These steps are foundational to writing an “about us” and business plan as well.

One thought, one sentence

Grab yourself a handful of note cards and begin jotting down something about who you are, what you do, why you do it, and where you do it. Put one thought on each card and use only one sentence to describe the thought.

Key word brainstorm

Using notecards, a legal pad, or your computer brainstorm as many words as possible that you think describe what you do and that you think people might type into a search engine if looking for what you do.

Google keyword planner is useful.

Building blocks

Using your notecards and keyword brainstorm, begin typing or writing out descriptions of your businesses mission. Don’t hold back. Write as much as you can without stopping.

From there, go in and highlight the pieces that feel right. Cut and paste them into another section.

Keep going until you see the masterpiece begin to emerge.

We hope this information gets you started. We’re here to help. Contact us at 336-596-7514 or via this contact form here.