Having 'Vision' Is Easier Said Than Done. Six Founders Share How They Find It. These entrepreneurs share how they boil down a big concept into an every day practice.
This story appears in the March 2023 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
1. Vision is the answer to your mission.
"Having a vision is the why behind the mission. Our mission is to empower confident reproductive and vaginal health decisions at home. Why? Because we want to be the place women turn during their most vulnerable health moments. That vision hasn't changed, but how we get there changes nearly every week. For example, we started as a strictly DTC business, but as we learned more about what our customer needs, we started selling on places like Gopuff and Amazon." — Jamie Norwood, cofounder and co-CEO, Stix
2. A vision can broaden over time.
"I think of a company's vision as their North Star for the next three to five years. Harry's first vision, when we were only a brand of razors sold online, was: Build a global omnichannel grooming brand. The second vision was: Build a family of disruptive omnichannel CPG brands. We wanted to apply what we learned from building Harry's to other DTC brands, so we incubated Flamingo and Cat Person, and acquired Lumē. Our third vision is: Do big, better. Our positive impact is now measured by the number of people we reach. — Jeff Raider, cofounder and co-CEO, Harry's
Related: Vision: The Driver Of Entrepreneurship
3. A vision translates on many levels.
"What's changed is my ability to articulate my vision — 'to bring beauty to your home' — and instill it into our company's daily decision-making. Getting granular about how our customers interact with our website doesn't feel glamorous, but a shopping platform that saves users time helps inspire their homes. When we're designing products, we look at how they hold up to ensure their beauty won't fade with wear. Beauty comes in all sorts of ways." — Sara Sugarman Brenner, founder and CEO, Lulu and Georgia
4. Your vision may look different than you envisioned.
"Our vision was always for every person to have a seat at the table, no exclusions. But when we started the brand in 2016, we had a very punk aesthetic due to my and my cofounder Hayley's backgrounds. We quickly realized that the punk-esque packaging looked like it was for punk rock or emo lovers only. So in 2018, we completely redesigned the brand. We've since launched in Sally Beauty, Walmart, and Target. It feels amazing that our products are accessible to everyone." — Brian O'Connor, cofounder and CIO, Good Dye Young
Related: Ideas Are Crap Without Execution and Follow-Through
5. A vision needs measurable milestones.
"We empower even the busiest people to eat clean without sacrificing flavor or convenience. This vision coalesces our team around an aim that's bigger than any one of us. But practically speaking, we break this down into specific, achievable milestones. We homed in on 'center-of-the-plate,' protein entrées first, because we felt that was the hardest meal challenge of the day. From there, we've added more milestones with the same vision, like 'heat and eat' sides and other culinary shortcuts like simmer sauces." — Kevin McCray, cofounder and president, Kevin's Natural Foods
6. Visions are waiting in the white space.
"Vision, to me, is a compass. It's not fixed, but directional. It makes decision-making and prioritization simpler. Finding your vision means identifying the space you want to enter, and who you want to reach. My instinct is to always go where the silence is, because that's where the richness lives. Building in that silence — or what many call 'white space' — can have immeasurable impact." — Jessica Robertson, cofounder and chief content officer, Togethxr
Related: How to Create a Personal Vision That Lets You Lead Fearlessly and Drive Success
