Mission statement, vision, values, elevator pitch: are these all the same? Well… yes and no. To be honest there’s a lot of noise around all these buzz words when really, it doesn’t matter what you call it.
What matters is that you know where you’re headed, and how you are going to get there. For that, you need a clear vision of what your business stands for so you can share that vision with the world and attract your ideal customers (and a FREE Brand Clarity workbook!).
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This free branding workbook will help you get brand clarity so you can attract the right customers to your shop, make more sales, and talk about your products confidently.
A mission statement is a short proclamation of what your business does, and why people should buy from you. A mission statement helps you clarify your goals and tells your customers what makes your business unique.
Lisa Jacobs from the Energy Shop has done a great job of creating a powerful and meaningful mission statement:
“Energy Shop Jewelry offers Reiki healing gemstones and crystals to enhance your best life. The Energy Shop promotes holistic spiritual solutions, and specializes in zen, power bead bracelets and 108 beaded prayer wrist malas.”
This is a great mission statement because it defines clearly what the shop specializes in (Reiki healing gemstones and crystal jewelry) and stands for (holistic spiritual solutions).
Your mission statement sets the tone for your entire strategy and helps you clarify what makes you stand out from the competition.
Your mission statement is the foundation of your brand. You won’t get brand clarity unless you define exactly what it is you do and why you do it. Everything else flows from there: your ideal customers, your collections, your materials, your price range, everything.
Related: 6 fabulous things brand can do for you + free brand assessment checklist
You mission statement not only helps you become clear on what your business is all about, it also helps your customers identify your core values. This is a must-do to create raving fans and repeat customers that will work at promoting your shop for you.
Lastly, once you have your mission statement, you can speak about what you do with confidence. This means that when someone asks you what you do for a living, you can go from:
” Huh…I sell jewelry on the internet. That like I make myself at home.”
to
” I design and handcraft modern and minimalist jewelry made with opal stones and sterling silver. I use only recycled sterling silver and raw materials and specializes in custom wedding and engagement rings.”
Yea. That sounds much better. Like you know what you’re talking about, so instantly it’s easier for everyone else to understand what you do too.
{And you won’t have sweaty palms anymore when people ask you the dreadful “so what is it you do exactly?” question! }
Now let’s get to the action and write a compelling mission statement together.
I strongly recommend you download and work your way through the Find Brand Clarity Workbook where I guide you through defining your vision, values, mission statement, and help you craft your elevator pitch.
To define your mission statement, you need to start with a little brainstorm.
Forget about finding the right words for now and focus on identifying what you want your shop/business to stand for. Grab a piece of paper and jolt down answers to questions such as:
What are words that come to mind when asked to define your business? What are your brand values? What are you good at? What does your business specialize in? What makes you different? What do you strive to achieve? What positive impact do you want to have?
Now, using the ideas and words you just wrote down, try to answer as simply and succinctly as possible these 3 questions. It will help you reorganize and prioritize what came out of the little brainstorm exercise you just did.
1 – Put as simply as possible, what it is that you do?
eg. I design and sew kids clothing.
2- What makes your products different or special?
eg. I use certified organic cotton fabric. My designs are very colorful.
3- What benefits do your products provide? Or what positive impact does your business strive to have?
eg. I provide an alternative to parents that want to buy cute clothing for their kids while protecting them, the planet, and the factory workers who produce the materials.
Now let’s put these 3 answers together to refine our wording one more time:
” Kiddie Cotton is an online designer boutique selling kids clothing made of 100% organic and sustainable cotton. We aim at offering an alternative to parents who enjoy dressing their kids in trendy and colorful clothing while minimizing their wardrobe footprint.”
This is a great mission statement because it answers clearly:
– What: organic, sustainable, trendy, colorful kids clothing
– Why: minimizing your kids wardrobe footprint
What is your mission statement? I would love to see what you come up with! Let me know in the comments! If you’re stuck, download the Brand Clarity Workbook where I go into more detailed steps to help you figure out your vision, values and mission statement!
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[…] you need help crafting your mission statement, I wrote an article and created a free workbook to help you do just […]
SewSlick HeadArmor Crowns is an online boutique that creates eclectic headwear. We provide an alternative to daily hairstyling for the busy entrepreneur and professional woman who wants to maintain her dopeness.
This is great! Thank you for sharing, Dawn!
SA Online Boutique offers sportswear and swimwear, which Is not only inspired by nature, but also allows us to take our part in caring for the environment. We create our own designer prints and we use Italian materials of highest quality, produced of ECONYL® yarn (rgenerated Nylon which turns waste problems into fashion solutions).
Irian is an innovative sustainable fashion brand. Focusing on fashion accessories made from natural or recycled materials and committed to the principles of sustainable design, we provide an alternative to fashionable women who embrace an environmental lifestyle.
Thanks a wonderful mission statement, Konstantina. Thank you for sharing it with us! We hope our article has helped you craft it!