BlodgettVentures.com

Most good businesses have adopted a Mission Statement, a one or two sentence or short paragraph that describes the firm's overarching purpose for being in business. I like establishing a Mission Statement as it's also a vital step to branding. It usually defines not only what you plan to do with your business, but also it encompasses your attitude and company culture.

Here's one that I've had for many years:

As a Brand of One, I Share and Implement Meaningful Information that Builds Businesses, Enriches Lives and Benefits Humanity while giving me the opportunity to Make an Excellent Income Enjoying my Expression of My God-Guided Talent.

When you establish a written mission statement, it becomes a filter for the activities and direction of your business. My statement is personal as well as universal. I "enjoy" as a result of doing good works that positively affect life on earth. That's simply what I love to do. My Mission Statement leaves plenty of room to change the strategies I employ to accomplish my mission. I'm not a creature of habit; I love change. So I'm always looking for new ways to fill needs and deliver my services.

I have helped hundreds of individuals and businesses over the years make healthy progress toward realization of their personal and company goals. I have done this through the passionate application of my natural gifts supported by energy, enthusiasm, inspiration and experience. It has become such an integral part of who I am that I live my mission all of the time. I am my brand, my brand is me.

Here's a little exercise that will help you determine your Mission. First, do this exercise:

Define the business you are starting or operating. Describe the markets you are targeting. How do you see your company, and yourself, when you are operating at full strength? How do you feel while you are doing this? Write it down as if had already been accomplished so that it is a present tense description of how you see yourself in the future.

It can be quite interesting to look at other businesses and see what they've chosen as their mission. You'll find it enlightening to look at statements of your competitors. You may be able to find a company's mission statement on their website or in a brochure.
I generally don't broadcast my mission public; on the other hand, it pervades everything I do, say and am.  I no longer feel a need to state it.

The best idea on mission statements is to keep writing them until you're quite clear that the statement embodies what you do, how you do it, what it means to you, and . . . it gives you a rush when you say it or think it!