How to Write Your Own Mission Statement

Learn to express to readers what you do, and why you do it. Beyond that basic necessity, having a written mission statement can help internally too— keeping your brand or company on track, and communicating the core purpose, philosophy, and values you uphold.

Where Should You Begin?

If you’re more of a macro-level thinker, or have an easy time identifying a robust vision of where you are now and where you want to be as an organization, start with those first two direct questions. 

Jot down everything you do or offer to people, and find the common denominator. That singular thing is what you do. Now, try to answer the why. 

Since most people have a difficult time talking about themselves objectively, making that kind of jump is daunting. You can break that journey down with a few leading questions that’ll help shape up the rest of the story. 

What challenge does your company solve?

Why are you in business?

Why do your clients choose you over a competitor?

What do your customers take away from the experience?

What emotions do people have when looking at your logo?

How do you services build toward your business goals?

What differentiates your brand from the others in your industry and region?

Take some time thinking about each of those questions, and respond with anything that comes to mind. At this step, there are no wrong answers. Don’t hesitate too much, just brainstorm. In fact, the more you come up with, the better. 

If you’re struggling with a question, go ahead and let yourself wander and write to where your thoughts lead you. These are guiding questions, meant to spark inspiration.

Finding Your Mission Statement

Take what you’ve written down, or print it out. For me, I like working in the physical world at this step with pens and highlighters… but if you’re more comfortable in a word processor or tablet that’s good too. 

Reference the list of questions again, and try to circle, underline, or highlight only the direct answers to each of them. 

The elements of your mission statement are in there, you just need to weed out the extra scaffolding that helped you make the connection. 

This is also the time where you can reflect on the philosophical aspects of what drive your responses. What principles came to mind when you wrote down your answers?

As you’re identifying these core aspects, don’t try to re-write or strikethrough anything just yet. We’re still in the discovery phase. 

You might think about the unique solutions your organization provides, or how you approach a problem the public has in a way that’s different from others in your sector. These are important too. 

If you can imagine your market the way it is today, and then erase your company from it, what would be missing? 

When the now chaotic piece of paper or document is filled with circles, notes, highlights, and comments— take a break. 

Look At What Everyone Else is Doing

The hard work is done. You can leave all of that aside for now, and do some research. 

Analyze some examples of mission statements from brands you like, well-known industry leaders, and some of the local companies or organizations near you.

Don’t look for just brands in your business, but reach out for the companies that you find most attractive. 

There are all sorts of formats you can adopt; long narrative mission statements with a few paragraphs of copy, short and brief messages that stick to action, or even some that are focused only on niched solutions. 

If all of the work you’ve put in brainstorming and refining your own message is like water, looking at examples of mission statements you like will help you pick the right container to shape it. 

Refining Your Vision

Open up a new document on your word processor of choice (in my case that’s Apple’s Pages). 

No ink and quill here, you’ll want to see what it’ll look like on a screen. Set your font to a typeface that’s powerful, and a pt size that’s large. Aligning your text to center or justified will help too. 

While working from your notes, start writing your mission statement. 

Piece together the actual phrasing you wrote, in your own words, and adjust from there. Make any changes or revisions as you type. 

With written copy this short, every word matters. Not only to convey the right message, but to choose vocabulary that holds the emotional weight you’re looking for. 

Make sure it doesn’t read like a fact sheet— you want this to come across naturally, be easy to understand, and showcase some of the personality and flair that make your organization and team members come to life. 

I understand in certain B2B environments, trade talk and jargon is hard to avoid. Use it minimally. 

I hesitate to say not to use trade talk and buzzwords at all, because those terms often help establish a bridge of understanding to prospective leads. If that’s the case, remember to be strategic about it. 

Imagine your existing competition, businesses like yours in other regions, or any future start-ups that can step on your market share. If they can copy some lines from your mission statement and have them be true… then it shouldn’t exist in yours. 

Don’t Set It and Forget It

Once you’re finished and happy with your mission statement, share it. 

Hopefully this process you’ve taken was a collaboration with your key stakeholders, but share it with the rest of your team members. Ask for opinions, input, and advice. 

You can even reach out to your trusted clients or customers, the ones that know you the best, and ask how they feel about it. 

The three pillars of your mission statement represent your own team members, how you treat your existing customers, and how the public views your brand. 

Since those factors can change over time as you grow (positively), your mission statement is never a set it and forget it thing. Feel comfortable with amending it, or adding to it as powerful circumstances shape the philosophies that push your business forward.