Mission Statement

The first, and probably the most difficult, task in producing a business plan is to write a company’s Mission Statement. Mission statements encapsulate a company’s purpose, aims, and standards into a few words. It provides those who serve a company with the standard of service they are expected to give and those who are served by a company with the standard they can expect to receive. This makes it paramount that time and effort is put into writing a good one.

A mission statement has been quoted as being a cross between a slogan and an executive summary. Just as slogans and executive summaries can be used in many ways, so too can a mission statement. An effective mission statement should be clear, concise and able to relate a company’s story and ideals in less than 30 seconds.

Here are some of the basic guidelines in writing a mission statement:

• A mission statement should say who the company is, what it does, what it stands for and why it does it.
• An effective mission statement is often best developed by including everyone in the company in the construction of its content.
• Keep the statement brief, sticking to two or perhaps three sentences and no more than fifty words.
• Include details of quality standards by all means, but avoid self praise.
• Have a look at other companies’ mission statements, but ensure that the final statement relates to the company and not some other company.
• Ensure that the members of the company actually believe in the completed mission statement and positively ‘buy into it’. If they don't, it’s an untrue statement, and it won’t be long before the company’s customers will realise it.