State Your Purpose
Mission statements with kick
You wouldn't leave for a trip to an unfamiliar city without
a map, so why would you start a business without a mission
statement-your guide for all that comes after?
A mission statement is the "bone-deep reason your
organization exists," says Dick Barnett, a Beaverton, Oregon,
business consultant with Barnett & Kutz Inc. and author of
Reignite Your Business (Confident Leader Press). A strong
mission statement shouldn't be a lengthy tome; ideally, the
founder should be able to summarize his mission in a few words. One
restaurateur's mission, for instance, is "to serve people
with love."
Granted, it may take several hours of conversation with others
before you can strip down the meaning of the business to its
essence. Barnett starts conversations with clients by asking what
they really want. Usually, the first answer is something
superficial like "I want to make a lot of money." Barnett
then asks why that's important and continues the discussion,
asking why each of the answers is important, until entrepreneurs
finally reach the core mission of the business-the one that will
drive them forward in good times and bad.
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How do you know when you've stumbled on the real mission of
your business? "When you hit on it," Barnett says,
"you'll recognize it because no one else has that answer.
It's uniquely yours."
Pamela Rohland often writes about the joys and tribulations
of entrepreneurship for a variety of regional and national business
publications.
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