How To Write A Mission Statement For Your Startup

Writing a mission statement is one of the first steps towards building a successful business plan for your startup business or nonprofit organization. To learn additional tips, strategies, and effective tools make sure to subscribe(use the form below) to the Journal Squad, an informative email group, and connect with me as we venture this business planning journey together. 

A mission statement should be clearly defined and concisely written in one sentence.  In today’s blog post, I want to share how to strategically write a mission statement for your startup business or nonprofit organization. Specifically, you will learn how to use five key questions to develop your mission statement. Let’s get started!

The Purpose of A Mission Statement

A mission statement serves several purposes including the following two:

• It establishes the direction of the company. The mission statement will provide guidance in planning the “what”, “when,” and “how” of your company. And as your company evolves over time, it is important to ensure that the direction of the business and the mission remain parallel.
• It provides information for the public. When you introduce your company to the public, people want to know why you exist. Your mission statement will provide an abbreviated description of who you are as a company.

Developing Your Mission Statement

A strategically written mission should provide a short expressive statement that answers five key questions about your business or nonprofit. Grab your favorite journal or a notebook and begin writing answers to the following questions.  Combine your answers to the five questions and develop a one-sentence mission statement, making as many revisions as you find necessary.  

1- What type of business or nonprofit are you seeking to start? (e.g. a plant-based restaurant)

2- For what purpose will the business or nonprofit exist? (e.g. offer healthy food alternatives to fight disease)

3- How would you describe the overall work of the business or nonprofit? (e.g. provide organic, plant-based options in rural communities)

4- Whom will you serve? (e.g. people who are seeking healthy food alternatives)

5- Where will you serve? (e.g. targeting rural communities)

Mission Statement Examples

• Asana: To help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessly.
• Honest Tea: To create and promote great-tasting, healthy. organic beverages.
• Warby Parker: To offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.
• Life is Good: To spread the power of optimism.
• IKEA: To create a better everyday life for the many people.
• Tesla: To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
• JetBlue: To inspire humanity- both in the air and on the ground.
• Nordstrom: To give customers the most compelling shopping experience possible.
• LinkedIn: To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.
• PayPal: To build the web’s most convenient, secure, cost-effective payment solution.

Next Steps

There are currently two product options available to help you write your mission statement and your overall business plan. Download your copy of The Ultimate Journal Planner for Starting Your Nonprofit if you are looking to start a nonprofit organization or get a copy of The Ultimate Journal Planner to Start Your Business.

Questions to Consider

What are your thoughts? Please share your answers to the following two questions in the comments section below. Thanks!

1- How do you plan to use the information from this blog post?

2- What additional questions or informational tips would be helpful to you in starting your profitable business or nonprofit organization?