business plan for mission statement

How to Write a Mission Statement + 10 Great Examples

17 min. read

Updated May 10, 2024

Why is an effective mission statement so valuable? It’s worth taking a minute to ask what it is about certain brands that keep us coming back. What is it about them that makes us spend more time, money, or effort over other options? Is it the price? Maybe the convenience? Or is it something more?

The brands and businesses that we really connect with do more than just supply a product or service . They showcase a purpose, a mission that we can get behind. This can be displayed in how they interact with customers, the organizations and communities they support, and even the way they develop their products.

And there’s no better way for a business owner to showcase this purpose, than through a well-written mission statement.

On this page

• What is a mission statement?

Mission statement or vision statement?

• Why write a mission statement?
• How to write a great mission statement
• 10 Examples of Great Mission Statements

A mission statement is a simple action-oriented statement that explains your company’s purpose. It summarizes what your company does for customers, employees, and owners, and typically includes general descriptions of your organization, its core function, and its goals. In short, you’re explaining what you do and why you do it within a mission statement.

Depending on the focus of your business, your mission statement may be even broader. Explaining not just how you serve your customers and employees, but your community and the world at large. Some businesses even opt to separate this larger aspiration into what’s known as a vision statement.

A vision statement is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a vision for the direction of your company and what it aspires to be. 

These two statements aren’t really interchangeable. They both reflect the purpose and goals of your business, but serve completely different purposes. Your mission statement is the roadmap to achieve your vision. Your vision statement is a much broader picture of the aspirations for your business. 

These can be completely separate written statements for your business, or they can be combined into a more comprehensive mission statement. Having all three does allow you to utilize them for different business purposes, so it may be worth developing variations over time.

Speaking of variations, it’s important to note that your mission statement will likely evolve over time as your business grows and changes. So, don’t be afraid to make adjustments when it seems necessary, and avoid looking for the perfect version of your mission statement. 

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I’ve had a 30-year love-hate relationship with mission statements. I’ve read thousands. I love it when a mission statement defines a business so well that it feels like strategy—which does happen—and I hate it when a mission statement is generic, stale, and completely useless. 

Just because a traditional business plan often includes a mission statement isn’t a reason to do one. If it’s not going to be useful for you and help guide your business, don’t bother. The vast majority of the mission statements are just meaningless hype that could be used to describe any business.

Don’t fall into the trap of writing a mission statement just because some checklist or expert said you had to. There are actually sites that poke fun at how most mission statements use vague, high-sounding phrases to say nothing. You should write a mission statement if you want to add clarity to your business goals and you want to get your employees, investors, and customers to understand what your organization is all about. 

Developing your company’s first mission statement, or writing a new or revised one, is your opportunity to define the company’s goals, ethics, culture, and norms for decision-making. The daily routine of business gets in the way sometimes, and a quick refresh with the mission statement helps you take a step back and remember what’s most important: the organization has a purpose. 

So how do you make a useful mission statement? Over the decades I’ve spent reading, writing, and evaluating business plans , I’ve come up with a process for developing a useful mission statement, and it boils down to these five steps.

1. Start with a market-defining story

A really good market-defining story explains the need, or the want, or—if you like jargon—the so-called “why to buy.” It defines the target customer or “buyer persona .” And it defines how your business is different from most others, or even unique. It simplifies thinking about what a business isn’t, what it doesn’t do.

Imagine a real person making the actual decision to buy what you sell. Why do they want it? How did they find your business? What does it do for them? The more concrete the story, the better. And keep that in mind for the actual mission statement wording: “The more concrete, the better.”

This isn’t literally part of the mission statement. Rather, it’s an important thing to have in your head while you write the mission statement. It’s in the background, between the words. If you’re having trouble getting started, make a quick list of what your company does and doesn’t do.

2. Define what your business does for its customers

Start your mission statement with the good you do. Use your market-defining story to suss out whatever it is that makes your business special for your target customer .

Don’t undervalue your business: You don’t have to cure cancer or stop global climate change to be doing good. Offering trustworthy auto repair, for example, narrowed down to your specialty in your neighborhood with your unique policies, is doing something good. So is offering excellent slow food in your neighborhood, with emphasis on organic and local, at a price premium.

This is a part of your mission statement, and a pretty crucial part at that—write it down.

If your business is good for the world, incorporate that here too. But claims about being good for the world need to be meaningful, and distinguishable from all the other businesses. Add the words “clean” or “green” if that’s really true and you keep to it rigorously. Don’t just say it, especially if it isn’t important or always true.

For example, Apple Computer’s 2020 mission statement is:

“Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms—iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS—provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it..”

That one obviously passes the test of defining the company with flying colors. Nobody could mistake that mission for generic hype. And it’s an interesting change from the early mission as defined by founder Steve Jobs:

“To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind.”

Ikea, on the other hand, starts its mission statement with something that could be any company anywhere. “Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the [sic] many people.” To its credit, it goes on to define a “rest of the mission” that could only be IKEA:

“We make this possible by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.”

And note, in this mission statement, how Sweetgreen incorporates a world vision into a product-oriented mission statement:

“Founded in 2007, Sweetgreen is a destination for delicious food that’s both healthy for you and aligned with your values. We source local and organic ingredients from farmers we know and partners we trust, supporting our communities, and creating meaningful relationships with those around us. We exist to create experiences where passion and purpose come together.”

3. Define what your business does for its employees

Good businesses are good for their employees too or they don’t last. Keeping employees is better for the bottom line than turnover. Company culture matters. Rewarding and motivating people matters. A mission statement can define what your business offers its employees.

My recommendation is that you don’t simply assert how the business is good for employees—you define it here and then forever after make it true.

Qualities like fairness, diversity, respect for ideas and creativity, training, tools, empowerment, and the like, actually really matter. However, since every business in existence at least says that it prioritizes those things, strive for a differentiator and a way to make the general goals feel more concrete and specific.

Don’t worry about being fully unique

With this part of the mission statement, there’s a built-in dilemma. On the one hand, it’s good for everybody involved to use the mission statement to establish what you want for employees in your business. On the other hand, it’s hard to do that without falling into the trap of saying what every other business says.

Stating that you value fair compensation, room to grow, training, a healthy, creative work environment, and respect for diversity is probably a good idea, even if that part of your mission statement isn’t unique. That’s because the mission statement can serve as a reminder—for owners, supervisors, and workers—and as a lever for self-enforcement.

If you have a special view on your relationship with employees, write it into the mission statement. If your business is friendly to families, or to remote virtual workplaces, put that into your mission.

You may not need to focus on employees

And this is rare in mission statements. The vast majority are focused on messaging for customers. My recommendation here is not the norm. I include it because it’s good practice, even though not common.

While I consulted for Apple Computer, for example, that business differentiated its goals of training and empowering employees by making a point of bringing in very high-quality educators and presenters to help employees’ business expertise grow. That was part of the culture and, to my mind, part of the mission; but it wasn’t part of the mission statement. It could have been.

American Express, however, includes the team in its mission:

“We have a mission to be the world’s most respected service brand. To do this, we have established a culture that supports our team members, so they can provide exceptional service to our customers.”

4. Add what the business does for its owners

In business school, they taught us that the mission of management is to enhance the value of the stock. And shares of stock are ownership. Some would say that it goes without saying that a business exists to enhance the financial position of its owners, and maybe it does. However, only a small subset of all businesses are about the business buzzwords of “share value” and “return on investment.”

In the early years of my business, I wanted peace of mind about cash flow more than I wanted growth, and I wanted growth more than I wanted profits. So I wrote that into my mission statement. And at one point I realized I was also building a business that was a place where I was happy to be working, with people I wanted to work with; so I wrote that into my mission statement, too.

However, this element too, as with the suggestion about including employees, is unusual. Few mission statements do it. That’s understandable, since most mission statements are outward-facing only, aimed at customers and nobody else.

Still, some of the best mission statements incorporate a much broader sense of mission that includes, or at least implies, the mission of ownership.

Warby Parker, an eyewear company, does a great job at voicing a higher mission that includes customers, employees, and owners.

“Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially-conscious business.”

5. Discuss, digest, cut, polish, review, and revise

Good mission statements serve multiple functions, define objectives, and live for a long time. So, edit. This step is worth it.

Start by considering developing a full mission statement for internal use and using a customer-facing subset for general publication. That’s common. Many companies have segmented mission statements, with sections set aside and categorized by type or goal. Use bullet points or sections if that works for you. Part of the reason people confuse mission with mantra and vision is that many businesses use them together, and many others also redefine them to fit their context. So what a company does for customers is often called vision, despite the formal definition.

Remember, form follows function, in mission statements, as in all business writing. Make it work for your business. Or don’t do it at all. If you want to call it a vision, and that works for employees and customers, then do that.

Cut out general terms

As you edit, keep a sharp eye out for the buzzwords and hype that everybody claims. Cut as much as you can that doesn’t apply specifically to your business, except for the occasional special elements that—unique or not—can serve as long-term rules and reminders. Unique itself, the word, means literally, the only one in the world. Use it sparingly. Phrases such as “being the best possible,” “world-class,” and “great customer service” mean little because everybody uses them. Having great customer service is way harder than writing that into a mission statement.

Read other companies’ mission statements, but write a statement that is about you and not some other company. Make sure you actually believe in what you’re writing—your customers and your employees will soon spot a lie.

Then, listen. Show drafts to others, ask their opinions and really listen. Don’t argue, don’t convince them, just listen. And then edit again.

And, for the rest of your business’s life, review and revise it as needed. As with everything in a business plan, your mission statement should never get written in stone, and, much less, stashed in a drawer. Use it or lose it. Review and revise as necessary, because change is constant.

• Great Mission Statements: 10 Examples

If you’re looking for some inspiration to get you started on your own mission statement, here are a few of my favorites.

1. Southwest Airlines

“The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.”

What’s most interesting about Southwest’s mission statement is that they don’t mention anything about getting from point A to point B. Their mission is all about how they differentiate what, these days, can be seen as a commodity experience. They also focus on their own employees and the “spirit of the company”, not just the customer experience.

2. Urban Outfitters

“A lifestyle retailer dedicated to inspiring customers through a unique combination of product, creativity and cultural understanding. Founded in 1970 in a small space across the street from the University of Pennsylvania, Urban Outfitters now operates over 200 stores in the United States, Canada, and Europe, offering experiential retail environments and a well-curated mix of women’s, men’s, accessories and home product assortments.”

Urban Outfitters focuses on the experience that they deliver and the focus on what they do. Their mission drives what their stores look like and what their goal is: to inspire. They also nod to their heritage of starting small and growing.

“At Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) we believe a life outdoors is a life well-lived. We believe that it’s in the wild, untamed and natural places that we find our best selves, so our purpose is to awaken a lifelong love of the outdoors, for all.”

REI’s mission focuses mostly on what it wants to do for its customers, but hidden in the mission statement is a mission to preserve the environment as well. Their focus on “getting outside” is what creates a connection between them and their customers.

4. Starbucks

“To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”

Starbucks expands on its mission statement by stating its core values. This is really an extension of the mission statement and explains how they focus on their customers, how they grow their company, and how they work with employees. You can read their values here .

5. Walgreens

“Walgreens’ mission is to be America’s most-loved pharmacy-led health, well-being, and beauty retailer. Its purpose is to champion everyone’s right to be happy and healthy.”

Walgreen’s mission really defines their goals: what they want to achieve and in what product categories they want to achieve it in. They also bring in their broader purpose when they talk about “everyone’s right to be happy and healthy.”

“Make work-life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.”

While Slack’s mission statement is short, it implies a lot. “Work” doesn’t just mean their customer’s work, it means their own work at their company. Their mission statement serves them both internally and externally.

7. The Coca Cola Company

“Refresh the world. Make a difference.”

Coca Cola takes a slightly different approach with a statement of purpose and then a vision statement. Their purpose is essentially their mission statement and says a lot for being so short. They want to refresh people in both body and spirit while making a positive impact on the world. Their vision also implies their goal of serving the entire world’s population which hits on their corporate and shareholder goals.

8. Patagonia

“We’re in business to save our home planet.”

Another short mission statement that says so much more than you would think at first glance. First and foremost, Patagonia doesn’t say that they are a non-profit – they state that they’re a business. And, this implies that they need to be a strong, healthy business to meet their goal of saving the planet. Their mission applies to their employees, their customers, their products, and their activism.

9. charity: water

“charity: water is a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries.”

charity: water’s mission statement is clear and to the point – it simply describes what it does and who it does it for. For most non-profit mission statements, this is enough.

 10. Asana

“Asana’s mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly.”

Similar to other mission statements, Asana blends a message about what they do with a higher goal of enhancing the world outside of their company. Yet, they still hint at their target market and goals of being a world-wide company, thus improving the lives of their employees and shareholders.

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.

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• Inspiration , Operations

Mission statement examples: 16 of the best to inspire you

• 15 Jun 2021

More than just a planning exercise, a mission statement focuses your leadership team, inspires employees, and communicates your core values to the larger world.

All in a single sentence. Magic.

A mission statement is one of the most important documents in your company’s arsenal, but it’s also one of the most difficult to craft. We’ve gathered 16 of the best company mission statement examples to help get your creativity flowing.

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What is a mission statement?

A mission statement sums up the core of who your company is and why it exists. It’s  raison d’etre , if you want to get fancy and speak a little French.

Company mission statements are typically short and sweet, only a sentence or two. And the best mission statements are anything but boring.

When done right, your company’s mission statement acts as a powerful driver that informs every aspect of your organization, from daily operations, to customer loyalty, to employee satisfaction. When done wrong, a mission statement is just another line of jargon everyone pretty much ignores.

Take the Starbucks company mission statement as an example:  To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

Starbucks could have said:  To challenge the predominant infrastructure of coffee culture and develop a network of coffeehouses in every major market.

Did your eyes glaze over on that second one? Ours too. While technically true, our made-up example of a company mission statement is full of dreaded corporate-speak. It belongs deep in the bowels of a strategic plan, not as it’s headline.

On the other hand, the real Starbucks mission statement makes us want to be a part of it all. And even more than that, it conveys a sense of the beating heart behind the company.

The best mission statements do just this — clearly convey a company’s reason for existing, in language that is exceedingly human.

Mission statements vs. vision statements — what’s the diff?

It’s easy to confuse vision statements and mission statements. But there are a few important differences.

A vision statement is aspirational. It outlines where your company strives to be in the future — whether that is one year from now or ten. In contrast, a mission statement spells out where your company is right now.

Think of your company’s vision statement as a long-term goal post. The end point towards which you are working. If your vision statement is a goal post, then your mission statement is what drives you toward that goal post.

Why your company mission statement is important

You’ll probably write your company mission statement during your strategic planning because it’s a valuable tool that helps your leadership team make big-picture decisions. Chances are, you’ll even look at examples of other company mission statements to help you craft your own.

But the purpose of a mission statement goes far beyond strategic planning.

Consumers value mission-driven companies

It’s no secret that today’s consumer values a company with, well, values. These values don’t have to be centered around saving the world. But they do need to be clear, focused, and genuine.

A 2020 study  by global communications agency Zeno Group found that if consumers think a company has a strong purpose, they are:

• 4 times  more likely to purchase from the company
• 4.5 times  more likely to recommend the company to family and friends
• 6 times  more likely to defend the company in the wake of public criticism

Think about this in terms of your personal life. The more you connect with a person, the more likely you are to invite them over for coffee, introduce them to your other friends, and come to their defense. The same is true for the companies we buy from.

We humans value connection and a shared sense of purpose. All things equal, your company’s mission statement can be a powerful differentiator.

Employees want a sense of purpose

Just as your company mission statement makes an impact on consumer sentiment, the same can be said about employee sentiment.

According to a recent Gallup poll  Gen Z and millennials (who make up nearly half of the full-time workforce in the US) value belonging to a company with a strong moral compass. They appreciate ethical leadership, and they want to know that their own work has a positive impact on the world at large.

The more effectively human resources and the rest of the leadership team communicates the company’s mission to rank and file employees, the better.

But it doesn’t stop there. It is equally important to put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. If your company mission places value on the environment, do you give your employees opportunities to act upon these values in their everyday work life?

The most effective company mission statements are clear and actionable, from the products a company makes all the way down to the food in the employee cafeteria.

How to write an effective mission statement without a lot of headache

Understanding mission statements is one thing. Actually sitting down to write your company’s own mission statement is quite another.

But if you take the time to do it right, the process is a really useful exercise. Think of this as a chance to clarify and fine tune your purpose so you can point the company in the right direction for years to come.

Brainstorming your company mission statement

To get started, gather your leadership team and brainstorm answers to these four questions. If you are the solo founder of a fledgling company, gather key stakeholders or a handful of your professional mentors instead.

Aim for a short paragraph on each question.

• Why does our company exist?
• What value do our products or services bring to consumers?
• What core beliefs guide our work?
• What makes our company different, better, or more inspiring than our competitors?

After you brainstorm answers to these questions, review your answers and highlight the concepts that are central to your company. You might also pick a few company mission statement examples from businesses you admire and use those to help guide you.

If this brainstorming discussion took place with a group of people, now’s the time to send one or two individuals off to winnow the answers down to a couple of sentences.

Task this pair with writing several drafts of a mission statement, so the final decision makers have choices to work with.

This group process might seem cumbersome, but remember, your company mission statement is a core document. It should reflect the thought processes of as many stakeholders as possible.

Finalizing your work

After you land on a mission statement, do one final check to make sure it meets these criteria:

Plausibility:  Your mission statement is big-picture, but it should ultimately tie back to your everyday business operations. At least in a broad sense.

Readability:  No corporate speak or jargon. Avoid unnecessarily big words or complex sentences. Keep it simple.

• Voice:  Now isn’t the time to be dry and boring. Use language that’s active and compelling. Your mission statement should reflect the unique voice and culture of your company.

Pro-tip:  Give your mission statement more reach by creating both a text and video version. The video can be simple, just an eye-catching background, animated text, and a soundtrack.

Include your mission statement video as part of hiring announcements or other  HR video communications . Or send it over to your marketing team to use as a Facebook cover, website content, and more.

Company mission statement examples: 16 of the best

How do other leading companies tackle their mission statements? We searched far and wide for the best company mission statement examples.

1. Starbucks: Inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

The Seattle-based coffee giant originated in 1971 and has since become ubiquitous around the world.

Starbucks mission statement :   Inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

Why it works:  We touched on the Starbucks mission statement earlier, but we’ll elaborate more here. We included this example of the Starbucks company mission statement because it works well for two reasons: it’s ambitious without being overreaching, and it uses down-to-earth language.

Inspiring and nurturing the human spirit isn’t directly related to coffee. But considering the role the company played in reviving coffee house culture in the US, the human spirit and a sense of community doesn’t seem like too big of a stretch. The second part of the statement is exceedingly tangible. It paints a small-scale picture of the company and its work.

2. Honest Company: Meaningful transparency and thoughtful design. We’re on a mission to change the world, one product at a time.

Honest Company made headlines when it went public in mid-2021, with founder Jessica Alba as the youngest-ever Latina to list a company on the New York Stock Exchange.

Honest Company mission statement :   Meaningful transparency and thoughtful design. We’re on a mission to change the world, one product at a time.

Why it works:  As a company committed to creating “clean” baby products, a mission of meaningful transparency and thoughtful design is two-fold. It’s a necessary part of their business practices, and it also speaks to consumers looking for a higher standard in their products.

Being on a “mission to change the world” might be a bit of a stretch. But considering the  baby products market  is projected to be worth $88.72 billion US dollars worldwide by 2026, maybe it isn’t such a huge stretch after all.

3. Patagonia: We’re in business to save our home planet

The outdoor apparel and equipment company is known for its social and environmental activism.

Patagonia mission statement :   We’re in business to save our home planet.

Why it works:  Patagonia is often used as a good company mission statement example, and for a reason. Although it’s wildly lofty, the company really does put their money where their mouth is.

Patagonia originally began as a scrappy company specializing in steel pitons for rock climbing. But when the founders realized their gear damaged the rock face they so loved, they pivoted to low-impact aluminum chocks.

From the moment Patagonia pivoted to aluminum chocks, it became an environment-first company with far-reaching efforts built into every aspect of their business practices.

4. Microsoft: To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more

The software giant is currently valued at  approaching $2 trillion .

Microsoft mission statement :   To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Why it works:  Notice, Microsoft’s company mission statement makes no mention of software, or PCs, or technology at any level.

This isn’t to say the company is focused on something other than tech. But by concentrating on the “why” not the “what” of the business, this mission statement example remains flexible and agile. No matter where the market moves, Microsoft aims to increase productivity with it’s products.

5. Square: Everyone should be able to participate and thrive in the economy.

Square’s point-of-sale and online payment platforms came out on top during the pandemic. But even before that time, the company was a leader in POS products.

Square mission statement :   Everyone should be able to participate and thrive in the economy.

Why it works:  The company’s extended mission statement goes on to say: No one should be left out of the economy because the cost is too great or the technology too complex.

Similar to Microsoft’s mission statement, Square leaves room for agility here. It aims to produce simple, low-cost payment products, regardless of where the market takes it. We also appreciate Square’s focus on who the company serves and why.

6. Pinterest: Bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love.

Ah, Pinterest. Inspiration central for crafters everywhere, but also a valuable tool for businesses looking for new marketing platforms.

Pinterest mission statement :   Bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love.

Why it works:  More than the words it uses, we appreciate how Pinterest discusses the ways its mission evolved along with the company.

According to Pinterest, the platform was originally conceived as “a tool to help people collect the things they were passionate about online.” It quickly became clear that people most enjoy using the site to get inspiration from others. And with this, Pinterest’s current mission was born.

7. Target: Help all families discover the joy of everyday life

Fun fact: According to Target’s website, 75% of the US population lives within 10 miles of a store. And why not? Everyone loves a trip to good old Target.

Target mission statement :   Help all families discover the joy of everyday life.

Why it works:  This company mission statement example is equal parts broad and super-specific, depending on how you look at it.

It speaks to Target’s affordable products, geared toward everyday people. But this mission statement can also easily extend to the company’s focus on community giving, corporate responsibility, and creating a positive employee experience.

8. Southwest Airlines: Connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel

The smallest of the “big four” US airlines, Southwest is known for its friendly crew and affordable ticket prices.

Southwest Airlines mission statement :   Connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel.

Why it works:  Maybe you can chalk it up to the company’s southern roots, but Southwest consistently ranks high for customer service. Its mission of connecting people to what’s important in their lives touches on this value.

Southwest sees itself as doing more than just moving people from point A to point B.

9. Spotify: To unlock the potential of human creativity — by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it

The Swedish audio streaming platform currently has 356 million users across 178 markets.

Spotify mission statement :   To unlock the potential of human creativity — by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it.

Why it works:  We included this example because, technically speaking, this is a mission statement and a vision statement combined into one.

When you write your mission statement, it’s important not to confuse the two. But for marketing purposes, wrapping a mission statement and a vision statement up into one shiny package sometimes works very well.

10. Google: Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful

This one needs no introduction. After all, to Google is officially listed in Merriam-Webster as a transitive verb. If that isn’t a sign of a powerful company, we don’t know what is.

Google mission statement :   Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Why it works:  Google’s effectiveness is centered around its algorithms. At its heart, an algorithm is a system for organizing information. So Google pretty much nailed it here.

We also appreciate the focus on making information “universally accessible and useful.” Google is arguably the most powerful search engine in the world, yet it’s simple enough for anyone to use. Universally accessible and useful sums that up nicely.

11. Nike: Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete

The Oregon-based footwear, apparel, and sports equipment company was founded in 1964 and is now synonymous with athletics.

Nike mission statement :   Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.

Why it works:  We admit, we like the asterisk more than we like the actual mission statement. Nike outfits some of the biggest names in professional sports, but its mission specifies “if you have a body, you are an athlete.” The word “inclusion” doesn’t appear in the company’s mission statement, but it says it — and then some — in so many words.

12. CVS: Helping people on their path to better health

Founded as a drugstore in 1963 by brothers Stanley and Sidney Goldstein and partner Ralph Hoagland, CVS bills itself as a “health care innovation company that is reinventing pharmacy.”

CVS mission statement :   Helping people on their path to better health.

Why it works:  This isn’t one of the most inventive examples of a company mission statement, and it also seems somewhat obvious for a drugstore. But CVS embodies its mission in some pretty bold ways. In 2014, it became the  first national pharmacy in the US  to stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products.

13. Harley Davidson: More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul

Harley-Davidson was founded in Milwaukee in 1903, and it remains one of the most popular motorcycle brands.

Harley Davidson mission statement :   More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul.

Why it works:  Harley-Davidson is known not only for its iconic design and distinctive engine sound, but also for the unique subculture of Harley riders.

Although Harley enthusiasts might balk at the idea, the company is as much a lifestyle brand as it is a motorcycle manufacturer. And that lifestyle delivers just what is promised in the company’s mission statement: adventure and freedom. And a whole lot of leather.

14. Dove: Help women everywhere develop a positive relationship with the way they look, helping them raise their self-esteem and realize their full potential

What started as a single product — the Dove Beauty Bar — grew into a major line of personal care products used by women around the world.

Dove mission statement :   Help women everywhere develop a positive relationship with the way they look, helping them raise their self-esteem and realize their full potential.

Why it works:  The company’s mission statement combines seamlessly with their vision statement, which says, “We believe beauty should be a source of confidence, and not anxiety.”

Dove delivers on this promise with its far-reaching body positivity campaigns, research initiatives, and self-esteem projects.

15. Livestrong: Which everyday cancer problem will we fix today?

Livestrong is a nonprofit organization that supports people living with or affected by cancer.

Livestrong mission statement :   Which everyday cancer problem will we fix today?

Why it works:  Because selling products and services to consumers isn’t part of the equation, nonprofit mission statements differ from those of their for-profit counterparts. But we included Livestrong here, because it has such a unique mission statement.

Very few mission statements are in the form of a question. This was very intentional on the part of Livestrong. As the company puts it on their mission page, “We have a Mission Question, not a Mission Statement, because we believe that we can only achieve the best solutions through asking the right questions.”

16. TED: Spread ideas.

The media company solicits keynote-style talks from some of the best minds and makes these available, for free, via video and through their podcast,

Ted mission statement :   Spread ideas.

Why it works:  This is another company mission statement example that makes the rounds on the best-of lists. You can almost imagine the lengthy thought process that transpired as TED execs winnowed their mission statement down to just two words. Two words! But that’s all they need.

This mission statement doesn’t say they are “creating opportunities for…” or “gathering the brightest minds to…” They do all of these things as well. But at the very core of the organization, their mission is to spread ideas.

In those two words, they say it all.

FAQs about company mission statements

These company mission statement examples are just a sample of what’s possible when a company really takes the time to craft a thoughtful mission statement. To help you write yours, here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about mission statements.

What should a company mission statement include?

A company mission statement should include one or two strong, well-written sentences that talk about why a company exists, the value it brings to its customers, the core beliefs that drive its work, and what sets it apart from other companies doing similar work.

What are the 3 parts of a mission statement?

The three parts of a mission statement are:

• Mission and purpose:  the main reason a company exists. Its purpose in a broad sense.
• Values:  the core values that drive everyday decisions and behavior in the company.
• Goals:  what the company hopes to achieve by sticking close to its mission and values.

What is a strong mission statement?

A strong mission statement is short and actionable. The strongest company mission statements are written in accessible language (no corporate speak) that reflects a company’s unique culture and voice. A good mission statement is lofty, but also ties back to a company’s everyday business practices.

What is Coca Cola’s mission statement?

Coca Cola’s mission statement is  “to refresh the world in mind, body, and spirit, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness through our brands and actions, and to create value and make a difference.”

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84 Mission Statement Examples That Define Companies and Inspire Customers

Plus a guide on how to write a mission statement.

Some skeptics are eager to criticize mission statements. They see them as generic and platitudinous , another startup box that founders need to check.

 Turns out, though, a mission statement’s success depends on how it’s written.

What Is a Mission Statement?

In his influential 1998 research article , consultant and business professor Chris Bart found “a significant and positive correlation” between organizational performance and mission statements when managers were satisfied with those statements . He also found a correlation between performance and the process used to develop statements. Simply having a mission statement was a non-factor, but one created with real buy-in delivered the goods.

Related Reading Tips for Effective Business Storytelling

Mission Statement Examples

Later, we’ll tease out what exactly makes a mission statement effective and explore tips for writing one. But first, here are some examples to fuel your inspiration.

• Apple: “To bring the best user experience to customers through innovative hardware, software and services.”
• Procter & Gamble: “To provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come.”
• Reddit: “To bring community and belonging to everyone in the world.”
• Nike: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

TurboTenant

Mission statement: “At TurboTenant, our mission is to provide the software and processes to make managing their rentals efficient and professional so they can spend less time managing their properties while hitting their financial goals.”

Scaled Agile, Inc.

Mission statement: “To be the trusted provider of the system that enables our customers to achieve and sustain business agility.”

Mission statement: “We’re passionate about powering safe, informed, and efficient communities. Our mission is to innovate with heart by building intuitive COA software solutions that foster transparency, efficiency, and collaboration for everyone who calls an association home.”

Mission statement: “We help people in crisis get life-changing aid.”

Geode Capital Management

Mission statement: “To manufacture precision building blocks to help our clients efficiently achieve their investment objectives.”

Piaggio Fast Forward

Mission statement: “Our mission is to build technology products that move the way people move.”

Supernova Technology

Mission statement: “At Supernova, our mission is to enable investors to achieve financial wellness.”

Jabra Hearing

Mission statement: “We empower people with hearing loss to connect with their world through effortless technology and delightful care.”

Mission statement:  “At Hivebrite, our mission is to help organizations build vibrant communities.”

Mission statement: “Humanizing brands to move people.”

Bectran, Inc

Mission statement: “Our mission is to reshape the credit industry and disrupt traditional processes. We believe in leading our business partners into the digital age to adapt to the tools and technologies that will allow them to remain at the forefront of their industries. Here at Bectran, we are committed to helping businesses leverage the power of SaaS solutions to save time and money and actualize their full growth potential through innovated, automated software.”

Mission statement:  “To save lives and minimize loss by identifying active threats globally and facilitating timely communications when an emergency situation threatens personal safety and business continuity.”

Mission statement: “We help people secure their future and protect the ones they love.”

Mission statement:  Make a difference: Improve community health and safety through the power of data.

Mission statement: “We’ve built the nation’s leading social care network with a clear focus on our mission — to connect people to the help they need with dignity and ease.”

Mission statement: “In a world rife with complex relationships and hidden risk, we stand as torchbearers of corporate transparency, aiming to illuminate the intricate connections that exist between businesses, people, supply chains and the inner workings of a globalized economy.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is simple: To provide employers with a uniquely fair, predictive, and easy-to-use assessment that helps them identify the candidates most likely to succeed in all their open roles.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to make the best care possible for all pets.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to help financial institutions win and keep customers by delivering flawless customer experiences. Pinwheel’s activation and lifecycle management solutions remove friction, increase transparency, and help create a fairer financial ecosystem for all.”

Mission statement: “Founded on the mission to simplify healthcare and improve outcomes.”

Mission statement: “Our mission: deliver powerfully-simple email marketing software for small businesses that does 90 percent of the work for you. We leave the last 10 percent for you to have fun!”

Bridge Legal

Mission statement: “At Bridge Legal, our mission is simple: To improve access to legal services in America.”

Mission statement:  “At Personio, our mission is to help HR focus on what matters most: people.”

GrayMatter Robotics

Mission statement: “Our mission is to help your people and your industrial assets become smarter and more visible.”

Inspira Financial

Mission statement: “We solve complex problems for countless strategic partners and thousands of employers. We help millions of individuals to thrive today, tomorrow and into retirement.”

Scythe Robotics

Mission statement: “To provide the most advanced and sustainable autonomous technology for maintaining off-road environments safely, effectively, and responsibly.”

Biz2Credit Inc.

Mission statement: “Our mission is to provide small businesses with the best funding options for each and every project or capital need, with technology that makes business financing easy to understand and easy to access.”

Gradient AI

Mission statement: “Gradient AI is on a mission to increase precision and automation throughout the insurance industry.”

Mission statement: “At Inato, we’re on a mission to bring clinical research to each and every patient, regardless of who they are and where they live.”

Formation Bio

Mission statement: “Our mission is to bring new treatments to patients faster and more efficiently. We are a tech-driven, AI-native pharma company changing the way drug development is done.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to empower every homeowner. We’re creating a world where home ownership comes with ease, security, and financial know-how.”

Bilt Rewards

Mission statement: “Renting should be rewarding.”

Mission statement: “FPFX Tech delivers technology solutions that bridge the gap between what brokers offer and what traders want, with innovative products and applications that create points of differentiation and client loyalty.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to make authentication and authorization simple and secure for every developer.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to place the right person in the right shift, every time.”

Invoice Home

Mission statement: “We strive to maximize business efficiency with an affordable and easy-to-use billing and invoicing service. We cater to time-strapped small businesses and freelancers who seek to grow their business and build their brand.”

LoanStreet Inc.

Mission statement: “Our mission is to provide the most efficient, transparent and robust tools for financial institutions to manage their balance sheets, connect with partners and effectively share risk.

Mission statement: “Meetup’s mission is to help people grow and achieve their goals through real-life, human connections. From professional networking to craft brewery crawls to coding workshops, people use Meetup to get out of their comfort zones, meet new people, learn new things, pursue passions, and find supportive communities that will help them thrive.

Gogo Business Aviation

Mission statement: “To keep your passengers, pilots and planes seamlessly and continually connected worldwide.”

Snap! Mobile

Mission: “To empower coaches and educators in their dedication to develop the leaders of tomorrow. Our vision is to strengthen developing programs through technology-driven, community-first solutions that support dedicated leaders and champion the next generation.” 

VelocityEHS

Mission statement: “Making the world’s best workplaces safer and more sustainable.”

OTR Solutions

Mission statement: “OTR’s mission is to create exceptional value for our clients by providing industry leading financing and back-office solutions. Three pillars that are crucial to supporting that mission are outstanding customer service, technology that creates efficiency for ourselves and our customers and a culture that provides the opportunity for employees to achieve greatness.”

Mission statement: “To be a trusted partner in providing homeowners and their families safety, enjoyment, convenience, and peace of mind through innovative, professionally installed solutions that protect the condition and grow the value of their homes.”

GameChanger

Mission statement:  “Help families elevate the next generation through sports.”

Mission statement:  “We exist to advance the economic power of people living and working in the real world.”

Mission statement: “Always with you, building a more confident future. MetLife contributes to a more confident future as an employer, an investor and a provider of financial solutions and expertise. Our purpose is at the heart of our virtuous circle of delivering for our colleagues, our communities, our customers and our shareholders.”

Mission statement:  “We bring together brands and their audience to make connections that matter.”

Mission statement:  “For over a decade, we’ve been building tech for food people, so restaurant owners can save money, staff members can save time, and diners can order better. Because when restaurants thrive, they can keep serving food that gives your community its unique flavor. We want to keep it that way.”

MobilityWare

Mission statement: “Bringing joy to others one game at a time.”

Mission statement:  “We empower everyday people to move forward on the path to a better financial future.”

First Entertainment Credit Union

Mission statement:  “We build lifelong financial relationships with the people in entertainment based on a deep understanding of how they live and work.”

Mission statement: “Our mission is to rebuild the infrastructure of the travel industry in order to bring freedom, simplicity, and trust to travelers everywhere. We are bringing change to an industry that has been held back by outdated technology and complicated financial incentives that solve for the needs of middlemen instead of providing the best experience to users. Travel matters when communication is essential to building trust, commitment, and a shared sense of purpose. In essence, business travel is a necessity any time success depends on the strength of human connections.”

PatientPoint

Mission statement:  “ PatientPoint is on a mission to make every doctor-patient engagement better, and that goal is at the core of everything we do. We are the patient engagement platform for every point of care. Our digital solutions impact 750 million patient visits every year, helping drive better health outcomes that enable people to live longer, healthier lives.”

Mission Statement:  “At Trupanion , we’re on a mission to help loving, responsible pet owners budget and care for their pets.”

Mission Statement :  “We’re on a mission to simplify the complexities of payments to help you grow.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to bring the best user experience to customers through innovative hardware, software and services.”

Mission Statement : “To help humanity thrive by enabling the world's teams to work together effortlessly.”

Mission Statement : “To be the most trusted and convenient destination for pet parents (and partners), everywhere.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to increase economic freedom in the world. Everyone deserves access to financial services that can help empower them to create a better life for themselves and their families. If the world economy ran on a common set of standards that could not be manipulated by any company or country, the world would be a more fair and free place, and human progress would accelerate.”

Mission Statement : “DoorDash is a technology company that connects people with the best of their neighborhoods across the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Germany. We enable local businesses to meet consumers’ needs of ease and convenience, and, in turn, generate new ways for people to earn, work, and live. By building the last-mile logistics infrastructure for local commerce, we’re fulfilling our mission to grow and empower local economies.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to design a more enlightened way of working. Dropbox helps people be organized, stay focused and get in sync with their teams.”

Bright Horizons

Mission Statement :  “Dedicated to the highest quality education and care; making a lasting difference, one child, one student, one teacher, one family, and one employer at a time.”

EFFECT Photonics

Mission Statement : “To interconnect humanity through fast, affordable, sustainable, and effective communication technologies.”

Mission Statement:  “Our mission is to build the most popular car subscription platform. Our aim is to help anyone who loves driving a car of their own but fears the struggle, commitment, and intransparent costs associated with ownership to get behind the wheel.”

Mission Statement : “The Fivetran mission is to make access to data as simple and reliable as electricity. The invention of the lightbulb spawned generations to change the world through electricity, creating millions of new products, devices and services. We’re empowering future ‘Thomas Edison’s’ to transform the way the world makes decisions through our always-on access to accurate data. This helps drive better data-driven decisions in pursuits like discovering new drugs, serving humanity in ways big and small (think: banking the underbanked, keeping hospital records up to date, and more!), and enabling social good organizations to do what they do best by improving lives everywhere.”

Mission Statement : “It is GitLab’s mission to make it so that everyone can contribute. When everyone can contribute, users become contributors and we greatly increase the rate of innovation.”

Intel Corporation

Mission Statement : “We create world-changing technology that improves the life of every person on the planet.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to ensure the Internet is a global public resource, open and accessible to all. An Internet that truly puts people first, where individuals can shape their own experience and are empowered, safe and independent.”

NBCUniversal

Mission Statement : “To be the premier content provider for television and digital platforms, spanning all television.”

Mission Statement : “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.

*If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

The Pokémon Company International

Mission Statement : “At Pokémon, our mission is to become an entertainment leader and bring the fun of Pokémon to people around the world!”

Procter & Gamble

Mission Statement : “We will provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come. As a result, consumers will reward us with leadership sales, profit and value creation, allowing our people, our shareholders and the communities in which we live and work to prosper.”

Mission Statement : “Our mission is to bring community and belonging to everyone in the world.”

Mission Statement : “We help people achieve independence by making it easier to start, run, and grow a business. We believe the future of commerce has more voices, not fewer, so we’re reducing the barriers to business ownership to make commerce better for everyone.”

Mission Statement : “At Smartsheet, our mission is to empower anyone to drive meaningful change — for themselves, their businesses and even for the world.”

Warby Parker

Mission Statement : “To inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose, and style.”

Mission Statement : “We’re empowering everyone to create for the web — and leading impactful, fulfilling lives while we do it.”

Mission statement: “To unite everyday people to unlock their financial progress. By eliminating unnecessary fees and simplifying the credit building process, we’ve empowered millions of everyday people to take control of their finances.”

Mission statement: “Restaurants sit at the heart of communities. It’s our mission to strengthen their roots, deepen their connections, and increase the positive impact they have on people and society.”

Blueprint Test Prep

Mission statement: “To provide the most personalized and innovative experiences to help our learners achieve their goals.”

Clean Power Research

Mission statement: “Our mission is to power the worldwide energy transformation with trusted, adaptable and efficient software.”

Mission statement: “To empower insurance to communicate simply, build trust and protect what people love.”

How to Write a Mission Statement

When it comes time to draft your company’s mission statement, consider the following:

Tips for Writing a Mission Statement

• Make it simple, aspirational and memorable.
• Direct it toward stakeholders, but don’t prioritize shareholders.
• Keep employees — current and future — top of mind.
• Avoid saying you’re “the best.”
• Leave room for the mission to evolve.

Make it Simple, Aspirational and Memorable

A successful mission statement has three important traits, according to Jeffrey Abrahams, author of 101 Mission Statements From Top Companies . They are simplicity, aspiration and memorability.

There’s no magic word count, but experts agree that concision is best. Abrahams recommends aiming for a single-sentence statement. “That has greater impact and can be communicated easily, both within the company and to the target audience,” he said.

Bart, meanwhile, recommends capping at around 70 words. And Inés Alegre, a professor at the business school of the University of Navarra who led a 2018 review of mission-statement research, told Built In that three sentences or so is appropriate.

Your precise mileage may vary, but the “KISS” recommendation put forward by Bart in his 1998 paper still seems appropriate: Keep it simple and straightforward.

It’s common to find an organization’s mission statement posted on an “About” page, but it doesn’t have to be merely descriptive; incorporate some ambition, Abrahams suggested. He invoked Microsoft’s statement: “Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”

Memorability

Action verbs, wariness of jargon and bizspeak — these are a CEO’s allies when drafting a statement. It should be organization-specific, too. 

“If the mission statement could be used by a number of companies, especially competitors, it’s not going to be either memorable or serve the company very well,” said Abrahams. “You want it to be distinctive.”

Direct It Toward Stakeholders

“Missions describe why an organization exists, but in particular, they should describe the relationships that the organization wants to have with the stakeholders upon whom it depends for survival, growth and sustainability,” Bart said.

According to him, an effective mission statement should at least speak to two audiences: customers and employees. He cited Southwest Airlines as an illustrative example:

“The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride and company spirit.   To our employees: We are committed to provide our employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, employees will be provided the same concern, respect and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest customer.”

In addition to customers and employees, a strong statement will also often address shareholders and the community at large, Bart said. Here’s one he helped draft for a casino resort that directly targets all four groups:

“Our mission is to provide every guest with a ‘blow away experience’ that is inspired by a celebration of the sea and the myth of a lost civilization. We accomplish this by bringing the myth of Atlantis to life by offering warm, positive, engaging service.   At Atlantis, we are a team of individuals who are passionate and committed in everything that we do. We continuously strive for perfection. We are proud to work at Atlantis because we are a caring and learning organization, which rewards accomplishment and promotes teamwork, respect and innovation.   At Atlantis, we are the pride of our community while providing enduring value for our shareholders. When Atlantis succeeds, we succeed as individuals, and we contribute to the success of the Bahamas.”

… But Avoid Prioritizing Shareholders

It may be more obvious today — after the rise of sustainable investing , office-perk culture that caters to employee happiness and the fact that we’re in the midst of a job seekers’ market — but the thrust of the mission can’t simply be shareholder yield.

Statements that center the returns of the investor class will align approximately zero employees to an organization’s mission. “Shareholder value was the typical mission in the nineties — not anymore,” said Alegre.

One possible symptom of such misalignment? Jargon creep. “When buzzwords and platitudes happen, they usually happen when the focus of the company moves from customer to shareholder,” wrote entrepreneur and Built In expert contributor Joe Procopio.

Read Next 3 Reasons to Prioritize Mission Over Profit in Tech

Resist the Superlatives

As mentioned, mission statements should have an air of the aspirational. But, especially in this era of superlative fatigue , beware of “the biggest,” “the boldest” and “the best.” They’ll inspire more shrugs than hearts, especially when unsupported.

“When a company says its mission statement is to be the best [category here] company in the world — the best steel company in the world or the best clothing company in the world, it’s too general,” said Abrahams. “It needs to be backed up by strongly worded core values, a vision, and guiding principles and beliefs.”

Think of It as a Management Tool

Even though mission statements address multiple audiences, they shouldn’t pretend to think each audience is listening with equal attention.

“There’s a question of prioritization of stakeholders — is it the clients, employees, suppliers, investors? You probably cannot satisfy all at the same level,” said Alegre.

That begs a question: Should companies think of mission statements more as an internal compass for culture and strategy, or an external branding — or even recruiting — element? That is, are they management or marketing? 

“My answer is yes,” said Abrahams. 

Ideally, it can serve as both, experts told Built In, but it should be considered first and foremost a management tool. (Indeed, most research on the topic is published in management, not marketing, journals.) “My impression is that it’s much more useful as an internal alignment tool than external branding,” said Alegre.

Think of the statement primarily as something for employees, Bart said, a true north against which the workforce can always orient itself.

Reinforce the Mission Statement in All Your Communications

Once the statement is finalized, think of it as a muscle: Exercise it often to prevent it from losing definition. Reference the mission during onboardings, training, team meetings, board reviews of key projects and wherever else reinforcement makes sense. Post it on your website, of course, but also your wall. “I work in a business school where the first thing you see after the entrance is the mission,” Alegre said.

Mission statements are especially important during times of uncertainty, such as early in an organization’s life or during growth pushes, Alegre said. Still, lean on them in times of greater stability, too. That provides room for the mission to organically evolve.

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How to Write a Business Plan Mission and Vision Statement [Sample Template]

Are you currently writing a business plan? If YES, here’s an in-depth guide and sample template on how to write a workable mission & vision statement for a business. A vision and mission statement are some of the most important requisite for business success and sustainability, but unfortunately, most entrepreneurs and small business owners run their business without these two thing out of ignorance.

What is a Mission and Vision Statement?

A mission and vision statement ( more commonly called a mission statement or a vision statement ) is a brief sentence that declares the goals that a business plans to achieve in the future. Like a compass guides a ship, it guides a business to success by providing continuously inspiring its stakeholders in their daily operations and strategic moves.

A mission statement helps you plan your business effectively. It provides the destination for your journey to business success. Of course, without a destination, you can’t plan a route. Before we discuss the steps involved in developing a mission statement for your business, let’s look at the components of a mission statement and why you really need a mission statement for your business.

Today, I will be sharing with you an underground secret to building a business from scratch. This secret is one of the contributing factors to the success of any business; yet, it’s often ignored. This secret is nothing more than a “ Business Mission Statement. ”

“The thing I really care about is the mission; making the world open.” – Mark Zuckerberg

The importance of a mission statement can never be over emphasized. I have seen so many startups without a mission; even some established firms also make the mistake of operating without a mission.

“Being an entrepreneur, I have come to realize that all successful businesses are driven by three fundamentals. One is the cash flow, two is the team and three is the mission. Of these three, the mission is the most important.” – Ajaero Tony Martins

Now what has a mission statement got to do with building a business? What’s the impact of a mission statement on an entrepreneur undergoing the entrepreneurial process? Is a mission statement a source of ? While I am not going to answer these questions directly, the following points will help you further understand why you need to develop a mission statement for your business?

Why Your Business needs a Mission Statement

1. The mission is the foundation on which your business will be built. It’s the true purpose of your business and that purpose is reflected in the mission statement. Without a strong mission statement, you don’t have a true business. All you have is just a profit making venture that will soon be wiped out with time.

“To turn really interesting ideas and fledging ideas into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines.” – Steve Jobs

2. The entrepreneurial spirit is found in the mission statement. When I look at the mission statement of any business, I get a peep into the life of the entrepreneur that founded that business. The entrepreneurial spirit is what drives the entrepreneur forward. If the mission is strong, your spirit will be strong towards the pursuit of your goal.

“The IKEA spirit is strong and living reality. Simplicity in our behavior gives us strength. Simplicity and humbleness characterize us in our relations with each others, our suppliers and our customers.” – Ingvar Kamprad

3. Your mission statement is the bond binding you, your team, employees and your customers to the business. Take away the mission and other key elements will fall apart. Your mission also has the power to attract other like-minded individuals and entities to your cause. The reason is that people with the same mission align together; more like birds of the same feather flocking together.

4. With a strong mission, your business will weather any storm. Take a look at businesses that has been around for over 100 years and you will see businesses with a strong mission. As an example:

• General Electric has stood the test of time because the spirit of its founder “ Thomas Edison ” continues to guide the company through its mission.
• Henry Ford’s mission statement was: “ To democratize the automobile ” and that mission has kept the Ford Motor Company going.
• Aliko Dangote’s mission statement goes: “ Providing your basic need ” and this mission drives the Dangote Group to dominate the commodities market of
• The Rich Dad Company; founded by Robert Kiyosaki keeps waxing strong because of its mission, which is “ To elevate the financial well being of humanity .”

By contrast; I have come to observe that when a company forgets its mission, its starts to lose its relevance. The bond holding the business will be broken and good customers will leave, employees will resign and the business will dwindle. Just as the case of the Dot com burst, many profitable Dot com companies went under because they forgot their mission.

3 Components of a Mission and Vision Statement

1.  a vision.

This, simply put, states the impact you envision your business having on the world in years to come. You can have more than a single statement in here, but don’t go beyond three. Gloss it over to make sure anyone who reads it feels at least one of inspiration, hope, commitment, and awe.

In addition, your vision statement must be compelling, detailed, and reflective of the intended end outcome. Avoid one that is bland, generic, uninspiring, or unreasonable. An example of a good vision statement is that of Amazon:

“Our vision is to be earth’s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

2.  A mission statement

This is a brief statement that states the important goal or purpose that your business is poised to achieve. In other words, it’s a single sentence stating why your business exists in a convincing manner. Keep your mission statement specific and concise ( the shorter it is, the better ), make it connect with both employees and stakeholders, and make it highlight your value proposition. Don’t make it too long, generic, or confusing. An example of a good mission statement is that of Nike:

“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”

Here’s another example of a mission statement:

“To contribute to development of value-added agricultural businesses . ”

3. Core values

These outline the principles and values that the stakeholders in a business will follow in their bid to achieve their vision. They also specify the bounds or limits that the stakeholders must watch while trying to actualize the mission. The following are examples of core values:

• Respect and protect the environment
• Offer high quality products that are safe for consumers
• Meet the ever-changing needs of consumers
• Practice highly ethical business standards

If your business is going to stand the test of time, then you will have to build it upon a strong mission. With the above in mind, let’s now look at the steps involved in developing a mission and visions statement.

How to Write a Mission and Vision Statement for a Business Plan

Please bear in mind that you are learning as much of yourself each day as you are about your customer. So, don’t feel that anything you state here is etched in stone and cannot be changed. The more you understand your customer and the market, the more necessary it would become for you to shift grounds accordingly. But you need to state here what you have to offer at the moment. This will be a starting point for any changes you may need to effect later ( as your business grows ).

1.  Sit down in a quiet spot and reflect upon your thoughts

Ask yourself what drives you forward? What keeps you motivated? When you have figured out the answer to these questions, put it down in writing.

2.  Ask yourself how best you can serve your customers

What will your business stand for in the heart of your customers? What will be the ultimate benefit your customers can derive from your business? When you figure the answer to these questions out, put it down in writing.

3. Brainstorm for your vision statement

The vision is the most important component of your mission statement. Simply put, this is a picture or idea of what you plan to achieve in future . A vision statement is always concise and easy to remember, and for this reason, every stakeholder in a business can easily focus on it; and their decisions and activities are directed towards achieving the vision. Here is a good example of a vision statement:

“ Creating a vibrant rural economy driven by value-added agriculture. “

Once you get one down, then getting other components becomes very easy. To find the best vision statement for your business, simply ask yourself the question, “Why does this business exist?” Present answers from various angles, and you will find your mission statement among them.

4.  Get down your mission statement

As stated earlier, your mission statement is that action sentence that describes how you will achieve your vision. Finding this is much easier once you have found your vision statement. If you are stuck, just do it this way: If your vision is “A diabetes-free society” , then simply add the word “ To ” and another suitable verb to convert it to an action sentence. And there you will have your mission statement.

Using the same vision, you will get “To bring about a diabetes-free society .” You can go further by tweaking it, so that you will have something like: “To manufacture products that can cure diabetes effectively and permanently.” You get it now?

5.  List your core values

First off, you need to clarify your values. This means taking into account all the various stakeholders that your business is ( or will be ) accountable to—including investors, customers, employees, and suppliers. Now, consider how you would like to ideally conduct business with each of these stakeholders. Start making a list and your core values should start to emerge.

These are the various steps you will follow in your quest to achieve your vision. Brainstorm for as many as possible, list them down, and the prune your list down to as few as possible without leaving out any important ones. Now, let’s look at some additional tips that you will need to keep in mind when preparing your mission and vision statement.

4 Extra Success Tips for Developing a Business Plan Mission and Vision Statement

• Your mission statement must be brief and simple. Being succinct as demanded by a mission statement isn’t easy. And you may need to go through several hours of tweaking and editing before arriving at the perfect sentence. Though short, your mission statement must capture the very essence of what your business plans to achieve. The fewer words the better. Use just only the few words needed to pass the message without leaving out any vital details.
• Your mission statement must be in tune with your vision, and both sentences must blend to form a single thought.
• There’s no rule that says you must get it perfectly at once. You can keep review your mission statement later, if necessary.
• Your mission and vision statements must give the reader an insight, a covert one, at least into what you offer. This is more important if the name of your business doesn’t suggest what products or services you’re offering.

If you follow the guidelines I shared in this post, you will prepare a perfect vision and mission statement that will drive your business to success. Now I want you to know that no one can help you develop a mission statement. You alone can develop your mission and as a final note, it’s worthwhile you know that of the entire business system, the mission is the most important.

• Go to Chapter 8 Part C: Writing your Business Plans Goals and Objectives
• Go Back to Chapter 7 : H ow to Write a Business Plan Executive Summary
• Go Back to Introduction and Table of Content

More on Business Plans

Small Business Trends

30 mission statement examples and how to write one for your business.

There’s even a template to follow at the end that’ll help you write your company mission statement in no time at all. By crafting a compelling mission statement, you can articulate your business’s purpose, values, and direction, setting the foundation for your company’s success and differentiation in the competitive market.

Table of Contents

30 Amazing Mission Statement Examples

Tesla’s mission statement reflects the company’s focus on sustainability and its commitment to driving change in the energy sector. It inspires stakeholders to work towards a shared goal of creating a more sustainable future.

Amazon’s mission statement emphasizes its focus on the customer and reflects the company’s commitment to innovation and technology. It communicates the company’s purpose in a memorable way.

The Walt Disney Company

Microsoft’s mission statement emphasizes its focus on innovation and technology, while also reflecting its commitment to helping people and organizations achieve their goals.

Ben & Jerry’s

“To make, distribute and sell the finest quality all-natural ice cream and euphoric concoctions with a continued commitment to incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients and promoting business practices that respect the Earth and the Environment.”

General Electric

General Electric’s mission statement reflects its commitment to innovation and technology, while also emphasizing its focus on improving people’s lives. It communicates the company’s values and purpose in a memorable and inspiring way.

Procter & Gamble

Southwest airlines.

Southwest Airlines’ mission statement reflects its commitment to providing affordable and friendly air travel. It communicates the company’s values and purpose in a memorable and inspiring way.

“To connect the world through the most innovative, reliable, and secure payment network – enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive.”

Apple’s mission statement reflects its focus on innovation and technology, while also emphasizing its commitment to improving people’s lives. It communicates the company’s values and purpose in a memorable and inspiring way.

American Express

Universal health services, inc..

Universal Health Services, Inc.’s mission statement reflects its commitment to providing quality healthcare services that meet the needs of patients, physicians, purchasers, employees, and investors. It communicates the company’s values and purpose in

What is a Mission Statement?

Why your company’s mission statement is so important.

Just like a mission statement, a business needs to establish a process for putting down plans on paper to make sure they are carried out. Creating a one-page marketing plan and even conducting a SWOT analysis are all part of this process. If you establish these disciplines early, you will continue to improve your business and better chance of ensuring the success of your business.

How to Write a Good Mission Statement

A company mission statement should be crafted with your target audience in mind. Consider who your company serves and what problem you’re solving for them. Your mission statement should be clear and concise, using language that resonates with your target audience.

Common Mistakes to Avoid Writing Your Company’s Mission Statement

One common mistake when writing a company’s mission statement is being too broad or generic. A mission statement that is too general or lacks specificity may fail to communicate the unique value proposition of the company, and may not inspire or motivate stakeholders.

Benefits of Having a Mission Statement

Challenges of developing a mission statement, mission statements vs. vision statements.

Mission and vision statements are essential components of any company’s identity and strategic direction. While both are designed to guide decision-making and communicate the company’s values and goals, there are distinct differences between the two. Here are some key differences between mission statements and vision statements:

Use this Mission Statement Template to Create Your Own

The first step in creating a mission statement is to define your company’s purpose. This includes what your company does, why it exists, and the impact it seeks to have on the world. A clear understanding of your purpose is essential for crafting an effective mission statement.

After drafting your mission statement, review it carefully and seek feedback from stakeholders. Revise and refine as necessary, ensuring that it accurately reflects your company’s purpose, target audience, and values. A well-crafted mission statement is an essential tool for communicating your company’s identity and inspiring stakeholders to work towards a shared goal.

The Template in Action

Integrating your mission statement into business operations, start writing your mission statement today.

A compelling mission statement is a defining piece of a business plan, articulating the company’s purpose, values, and goals. It sets the direction for the organization, guides decision-making processes, and communicates its purpose to stakeholders.

Remember that a mission statement is a dynamic expression of your company’s ethos, and revisiting and refining it over time can ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness in guiding your business toward a bright and prosperous future.

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How to write an effective mission statement (with free template)

A mission statement explains your company’s purpose. You should write a mission statement when starting a business so you have a clear idea of what you stand for. Read on to learn how to write an effective mission statement that can help you tackle company goals.

It’s natural to face challenges when leading teams and managing projects, and one way to push forward despite the hard times is to remember your “why.” Your company mission defines why you do what you do, who you do it for, and the impact you’ll create by doing it. When you know your mission, you’ll feel good about where your company is going, even through ups and downs. 

What is a mission statement?

A mission statement is a brief declaration of your company’s what, who, and why. You should share this statement with everyone in your organization so team members understand your collective goals. While a mission statement isn’t specifically for marketing, you’ll likely share it externally as well. This is why it’s important to write it eloquently.

Your mission statement is a foundational piece of content you can use as a jumping-off point for various other materials, including:

Value propositions

Business plans

Company vision statement

Once you’ve solidified your core values and initiatives, you’ll have an easier time expanding on those ideas and getting the message out to your audience.

5 steps to write a mission statement

Your mission statement isn’t something you can craft by yourself. Before you sit down to draft it, recruit other senior and executive leaders at your company who have a sense of what you’re aiming for. Together, use the steps below to get to the root of what your company stands for and the message you want to spread.

1. Answer fundamental questions

To figure out what your mission statement should say, you’ll need to answer fundamental questions about your business. 

What do we do?

What do we create?

Who is our audience?

How do we make a difference?

Once you’ve answered the basics, consider questions that can help you craft a strong mission statement.

How do we differ from others in the industry?

How can we make our mission statement stand out from our competitors?

Can we use other mission statements for inspiration?

Consider having each member of your mission statement tiger team answer these questions separately, then pool your answers together. Your mission statement should be evergreen, so think about it in a way that incorporates business growth. It’s important to consider what your company’s purpose is in the context of what your future might be. 

2. Use your answers to brainstorm copy

Now that you have the ideas for your mission statement, you need the right words. Use brainstorming techniques to help you and the other leaders at your company come with creative ways to express yourselves. The goal is to inspire your team without sounding cliché or overly complex.

Some helpful brainstorming techniques include:

Mind-mapping: Mind mapping is a visual brainstorming technique you can use on your own or with your team. Start with one word or idea and use it to inspire other ideas. You’ll need a large piece of paper or whiteboard to write down a topic. Then, draw lines connecting tangential words or ideas to it.

Brain-netting: Brain-netting is great for remote collaboration , and it involves brain dumping ideas virtually, whether on a Slack channel, Google Doc, or through your project management tool . Team members can add ideas whenever inspiration strikes, and the list will be ever-evolving. 

3. Write your first draft

Now that you have solid ideas about what to put in your mission statement and creative ways to express those ideas, you can start experimenting with what sounds best. The following formulas can help you get started:

To [contribution/goal] so [impact] .

Our mission is to [contribution/goal] by [what you offer/how you do it] for [target audience] so [impact] .

To build/offer [what you offer/how you do it] for [target audience] to [contribution/goal] and [impact] .

For example, if you work for a content marketing company, here’s how your first draft might look:

To increase the value and visibility of content so companies can build strong relationships with their audiences . 

Our mission is to increase the value and visibility of content by offering content marketing services for companies so they can build strong relationships with their audiences . 

To offer content marketing services for companies to increase the value and visibility of their content and help them build strong relationships with their audiences. 

4. Ask for feedback

Draft a few versions of your mission statement so you can ask for feedback from current team members. Because the mission statement applies to everyone, it’s nice to include everyone in the feedback process—even if executive feedback gets slightly more weight. Don’t rush through the writing process. Take your time and get your mission statement to a place everyone is comfortable with.

Collaborate with your team by holding a Q&A session or by sending out surveys to ask which version of the mission statement resonates with them most. That way, once you complete your statement, you’ll feel confident that the result was a team effort. 

5. Revise and share

After collecting feedback, revise your mission statement as needed. Then, finalize it and share it with the rest of the organization. You can also include it in your business plan and share it on your website. 

Your mission statement explains your company’s purpose to those working for the company, stakeholders who may get involved with the company, and customers or clients who may spend money at the company. While you shouldn’t craft your mission statement for selling, it’s something you should be proud of and will likely want to display.

Examples of mission statements

Most companies share their mission statements with the public, either front and center on their websites, or in an easily searchable location. By making your mission statement visible to the clients and customers, companies show what they stand for and what they strive to achieve—both as an internal workforce and with the products or services they sell.

“To help humanity thrive by enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly.” 

At Asana , our mission statement explains who we serve and what we want our impact to be on the world. While we have various goals we work toward as a company, our mission statement is our guiding principle among all others. 

Let's do great things together. Join our team.

“To build the web’s most convenient, secure, cost-effective payment solution.” 

PayPal’s statement is more product-focused, but it’s still effective. Businesses may imply the impact they hope to make by explaining the unique features of their product offering. PayPal’s mission is to create the best product possible for customers because doing so will improve lives.

3. Patagonia

“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” 

Patagonia’s mission statement is complex, but it shows that their company has many layers beyond the clothing they sell. While on the surface, Patagonia offers outdoor gear, they set themselves apart from other companies by keeping the environment front of mind in all they do. 

Free mission statement template

Using a mission statement template can help you centralize your company’s most important information. Below, you’ll see how a content marketing company would’ve answered fundamental questions about their business and used those answers to design their mission statement with the provided formula.

Use the free mission statement template below to answer relevant questions about your company’s values and goals.

Why is a mission statement important?

Your mission statement is a building block for everything your team does. When you get it right, it leads to a stronger team dynamic in the workplace , more successful projects, and happier customers. Your mission statement should:

Define your brand to team members: Give your team clarity on what product you’re creating, why you’re creating it, and who you’re creating it for.

Present your brand to others: Tell others outside of your company what your team strives for everyday. 

Uphold values and objectives: Refer to your mission statement when you need to hold yourself and your team accountable to your ultimate goals.

Mission statement vs. vision statement

Many people use a mission statement and vision statement interchangeably, and while some companies combine the two, they have different meanings. A mission statement is your company’s “why” statement—in other words, your company’s purpose. Consider your mission statement as what you’re currently trying to achieve.

A vision statement can be a “how” statement or a future-focused statement. It should paint a broad picture of how you want to achieve your mission. Sometimes, companies incorporate the vision statement within their mission statement so they can state and explain their mission simultaneously. 

For example, Google's combined mission and vision statement is:

“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” 

Mission statement: To organize the world’s information…

Vision statement: ...and make it universally accessible and useful.

While LinkedIn has separate mission and vision statements:

Mission statement: Connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.

Vision statement: Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.

Use a mission statement to drive company success

Your mission statement is the launchpad for your company’s success. It states what you want to achieve and serves as a constant reminder of your purpose. But the only way to accomplish your mission is with small, everyday actions. A goal is just a dream until you put a process in place.

With work management software , you can set up workflows , schedules, and tasks that align with your mission statement and make your purpose a reality. Asana helps you create a purposeful and productive work experience for all your team members by giving them the clarity they need to achieve their goals.

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Ownr Blog  > Ownrship 101  > Business Stages  > Managing Your Business  > Marketing  > How to Write an Effective Mission Statement for Your Business

How to Write an Effective Mission Statement for Your Business

Writing a mission statement is a fundamental step for any business. A good mission statement effectively communicates to customers, investors, employees, and other businesses who you are, what you do, and why you do it. In this guide, we describe what a mission statement is, provide some mission statement examples to inspire you, and walk you through how to create a mission statement for your own business.

• What is a Mission Statement?

A mission statement is a clear, succinct explanation of the purpose of a business. You already know exactly what your business does and why, but your mission statement needs to summarize all of that information into a single sentence or short paragraph. 

Unless your company changes drastically, a business mission and mission statement usually don’t change too much over time.

• What are the 3 Purposes of a Mission Statement?

A mission statement explains a business’s objectives, and in doing so, fulfills the following 3 specific purposes:

• 1. Communicate Business Values

The main purpose of a mission statement is to clearly express what your business is all about, including your company values. A unique, memorable mission statement can provide you with a competitive advantage by differentiating you from the competition.

• 2. Connect with Customers and Team Members

A good mission statement fosters genuine connection with potential customers and employees, which in turn can lead to growth in reputation, brand loyalty, and overall profitability.

• 3. Guide Business Decisions

Being a business owner means having to make all kinds of decisions constantly, both big and small. Your mission statement should act as a guide you can refer back to for all manner of business decisions, as well as a means of evaluating how your company performance is measuring up to the goals you set.

• Mission Statement Examples

To give you a better idea of exactly what mission statements involve, here are some mission statement examples from leading companies:

• 1. Starbucks

To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time.

Why it works: Starbucks is more than a utilitarian coffee shop where you go to get your caffeine fix and leave. They “inspire and nurture the human spirit” by inviting customers to linger and relax in coffee shops outfitted with art and inspiring images and stories about their coffee growers – their “partners”. To create a sense of community and provide a personal touch they ask for customers’ names, making customers feel welcome “one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” We get a strong sense of Starbucks’ “why” from this mission statement.

To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. *If you have a body, you are an athlete.

Why it works: Nike provides an excellent example of how you can employ your brand’s tone of voice effectively even in something as brief as a mission statement. Here, their famous commitment to being innovators in the sports apparel space is clear. This mission statement communicates that one of their core “whys” is to inspire. The best part, though, is the cheeky and unexpected asterisk accompanied by the inclusive declaration that “if you have a body, you are an athlete.” This perfectly communicates that Nike is committed to empowering all people, regardless of body type or athletic ability, in an unexpected mission statement structure that is both memorable and on-brand. 

To enrich the lives of everyone in WestJet’s world. We’re proud to have won awards that show us you think we do.

Why it works: This is a great example of a mission statement that reflects a commitment to both customers and employees. By stating that its mission is to “enrich the lives of everyone in Westjet’s world,” Westjet conveys its commitment to provide a satisfying work environment for employees, as well as a rewarding travel experience for customers. By using the word “world” instead of, say, community, it invokes the idea of travel and exploration, reminding us that “Westjet’s world” spans the globe. The second line offers proof their mission statement isn’t just empty words. Not only has the company won awards, they indicate gratitude to the reader for helping them with that achievement. 

To make work life simpler, more pleasant and more productive.

Why it works: Slack’s “why” is all about keeping things uncomplicated, and achieving more with ease. This mission statement shows that brevity can be very effective. It’s short even by mission statement standards, but it reflects the experience that Slack wants its users to have on the platform: simple, pleasant, and productive. The choice of the term “work life” instead of just “life reminds us that work is a major part of life, so we should aim to make it less stressful and complicated, something Slack achieves with their product. Finally, their stated aim to make work life “more pleasant”, evokes their generally positive outlook about work and their mission to make it even better.   

To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

Why it works: Tesla is a car manufacturer known for its pioneering electric vehicles. Tesla is certainly a car manufacturer with a mission, and even people who don’t know much about cars can associate the name with electric vehicles. Their mission statement reflects a commitment to reducing the world’s reliance on fossil fuels by speeding up a transition that is already underway. Notice that they don’t even mention cars in their mission statement, but rather allude to driving with the word “accelerate”. It’s great copy that is subtle and clearly demonstrates their vehicles are a means to a greener world. 

To create a better everyday life for the many people

Why it works: Ikea’s products have changed the way people furnish their homes by offering sleek, innovative solutions for every room at an affordable price. Their mission statement indicates their broad range of products with the phrase “better everyday life”. And “the many people” conveys their mission to serve as many people in the world as possible. The slightly awkward use of “the” in “for the many people” cheekily invokes their Swedish origins and their often idiosyncratic ads, typically delivered in a Swedish accent. This mission statement is uncomplicated, just like their products. 

To be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity. 

Why it works: Since Sony makes such a wide range of electronics and technologies, from cameras and gaming consoles to robotics and AI, they keep it simple by focusing on one thread that runs through their enterprise: curiosity. Whether it’s curiosity about the world, art, music, technology, or entertainment, Sony conveys that their products will not only inspire their customers’ curiosity but also provide the means to fulfill it through innovative products, themselves the result of curiosity and ingenuity.  

• 8. Microsoft

To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential

Why it works: Microsoft’s mission statement is clear, simple, and to the point: their products are made for people and businesses, and by using Microsoft’s suite of products, individual and corporate customers can reach their full potential.  

To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Why it works: Google’s concise statement reveals an enormous mission: to catalogue all of the world’s information so that it can be accessed by anyone, anytime. This statement indicates Google’s commitment to democratizing access to information in an organized and easy-to-use manner. 

• 10. Ben and Jerry’s

To create fantastic ice cream (for its own sake). 

Why it works: Ben and Jerry’s is known for its delicious, ever-expanding variety of ice cream flavours. Its mission statement explains what they do in simple terms: make fantastic ice cream. This clearly indicates their commitment to a delicious, high-quality product. The unique use of parentheses to explain why they do this—”for its own sake”—keeps the tone light and fun, and cheekily affirms that ice cream, itself, is inherently reason enough (as if to say, who doesn’t like ice cream?)

• 11. sweetgreen

“Building healthier communities by connecting people to real food.”

This mission statement concisely informs the audience of the type of products they provide, while tying into sweetgreen’s broader commitments to animal welfare and becoming carbon neutral.

“Discover and spread ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding, and drive meaningful change.”

TED’s mission statement effectively communicates their core idea: that sharing ideas can change the world for the better. It’s a lofty goal, but it seems more achievable because of the way they break it down.

“The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.”

In their mission statement, Disney makes a point of first emphasizing the power of storytelling before moving on to graciously acknowledge and bring attention to the brands, employees, and technology that sets them apart from the competition.

“Giving people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.”

Meta makes it clear right off the bat that they are all about empowering their customers, giving them the ability to connect with consistent innovation and development.

• 15. Penguin Random House

“To ignite a universal passion for reading by creating books for everyone. We believe that books, and the stories and ideas they hold, have the unique capacity to connect us, change us, and carry us toward a better future for generations to come.”

With their initial statement, Penguin Random House emphasizes that they serve everyone. They go on to explain how they believe that books can connect and change present and future generations. These values can be seen in their focus on equity, inclusion, and amplifying diverse voices.

“Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon.”

Amazon opts for a lengthier mission statement that lists their business principles before expressing their desire to be not only the most customer-centric company, but also the best employer and safest place to work. They then list a number of innovations which may be recognizable to consumers, emphasizing their impressive market share. 

• 17. YouTube

“Our mission is to give everyone a voice and show them the world. We believe that everyone deserves to have a voice, and that the world is a better place when we listen, share and build community through our stories.”

YouTube keeps their mission statement relatively simple, focusing on giving everyone a voice while providing access to all of the other voices around the world. They take it a step further by expressing the belief that sharing our stories and listening to others makes the world a better place.

“Keep Commerce Human Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. It’s home to a universe of special, extraordinary items, from unique handcrafted pieces to vintage treasures. In a time of increasing automation, it’s our mission to keep human connection at the heart of commerce. That’s why we built a place where creativity lives and thrives because it’s powered by people. We help our community of sellers turn their ideas into successful businesses. Our platform connects them with millions of buyers looking for an alternative – something special with a human touch, for those moments in life that deserve imagination. As a company, we strive to lead with our guiding principles and to help spread ideas of sustainability and responsibility whose impact can reach far beyond our own business.”

Etsy’s statement is unique since they choose to summarize their mission in three words, before going into detail about what their business offers the consumer and how they support their sellers, all while emphasizing the human touch.

“We are revolutionizing commerce globally. With this mission as our North Star, we are aligned around one central vision: to make sending and receiving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure. Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day.”

This statement immediately expresses PayPal’s mission to revolutionize commerce around the world, going on to provide further context by mentioning what services they offer, emphasizing  keeping the experience simple and safe, and stating that these values guide their everyday operations. 

• 23. Alzheimer’s Association 

“The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.”

The Alzheimer’s Association’s mission statement speaks to their future goal of eradicating Alzheimer’s and dementia, while succinctly stating the methods they use at present to achieve these goals. 

• Why are Mission Statements Important?

A great mission statement can be a valuable tool to keep your business on track, especially when setting goals or making big decisions, ensuring your efforts remain aligned with what you want your business to accomplish. The ability to maintain a clear vision for your business approach is a trait that distinguishes the most successful businesses . 

In addition to helping guide business decisions, a mission statement can also serve to provide guidance and a sense of identity to employees.

• Not Just for Internal Use

Potential customers, employees, or investors may look at your mission statement when determining whether to work with you. A well-written mission statement can make all the difference.

• What to Include in Your Mission Statement

Your mission statement should be unique to your business, and what you include will depend on your particular focus and values. Typically, a mission statement includes a basic description of the company, its purpose, its goals, and can also cover how the business serves customers, employees, the community, and the world.

That said, here are the 3 main things you should include in a mission statement:

• 1. What your Business Does

Anyone reading your mission statement should be able to tell what type of business you do.

• 2. How your Business Achieves its Goals

Make sure to address what you’re doing differently and why people should choose your business over your competitor.

• 3. Why you Do What you Do

Give people something to root for by talking about your larger purpose and why it matters.

• How to Write a Mission Statement

Here’s a step-by-step process to help you create a mission statement:

• Write some bullet points about what your business does, the product or service you offer, and your target audience .
• List some of your core values, including what motivated you to start this business, and what principles guide your decision making.
• Bring the two together by defining how your offering aligns with the values you’ve identified.
• Finally, take what you’ve written and condense it into a straight-to-the-point mission statement. 
• Keep it Concise

Part of the challenge of mission statement writing is figuring out how to say everything you want while keeping it brief. Remember, you can include additional information elsewhere: many leading companies have sections on their websites that go into further detail than the initial mission statement.

• Mission Statement vs Vision Statement

A mission statement differs from a vision statement, although some companies may lump them together. While a mission statement focuses on the company’s fundamental purpose, a vision statement typically outlines where the company plans to be in the future and can provide more details on its strategy to get there.

If you’re looking to craft a vision statement, the Vision Statement module of Ownr’s free business plan generator, Blueprint contains examples to kickstart your imagination and help you build a compelling vision statement for your business.

Here are some vision statement examples to help you tell the difference:

• Vision Statement Examples
• 1. LinkedIn

“Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.”

• 2. Alzheimer’s Association 

“A world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia®”

• 3. American Express

“Provide the world’s best customer experience every day.”

• Mission Statement vs Purpose Statement

Some organizations write purpose statements in addition to mission statements. A purpose statement focuses on why a business came into existence in the first place. This may include mentioning a problem the business seeks to solve or a unique opportunity the business is leveraging. It can also be a bit longer and provide a brief summary of how the business came to be. 

• How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Mission Statements

According to some experts, many companies have mission statements that are too vague , unrealistic, or contain too much business jargon. 

Here are some tips on how to avoid these common pitfalls:

• Be Accurate

Don’t include words just because they sound good. You may end up with a mission statement that sounds catchy, but serves no use as a guide for your company.

• Be Realistic

It’s good to be ambitious, but your mission statement should be realistic. If the mission statement sets a purpose and goals that are clearly unobtainable, it won’t be taken seriously.

Avoid writing a mission statement that’s generic or vague. One useful trick is to ask yourself if one of your competitors could use the exact same mission statement. This will help you focus on being more specific about your unique purpose, goals, and values.

Now you know what it takes to craft an effective mission statement. Put these tips into practice and you’ll have a clear and concise statement that keeps your company on track.

This article offers general information only, is current as of the date of publication, and is not intended as legal, financial or other professional advice. A professional advisor should be consulted regarding your specific situation. While the information presented is believed to be factual and current, its accuracy is not guaranteed and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the author(s) as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by RBC Ventures Inc. or its affiliates.

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How to Write a Mission Statement for Business Plan With Examples

Mission and Vision Statement Templates

• December 15, 2023

Every business is as unique as its audience. Each one strives to put its best foot forward, especially when it comes to customers.

While there are countless marketing strategies—social media, content, email—all of the above marketing materials are linked to the business’s common purpose.

This is where a mission statement comes in. A business plan mission statement displays the purpose and values of a business, giving a clear message to customers about what your business is about.

But writing a mission statement that’s catchy and concise is a task. So, in this article, let’s see how to write a mission statement and why you need it.

What is a mission statement?

A mission statement is a short actionable statement that specifies your company’s core purpose, principles, and goals. It states the value your company creates for your customers, employees, stakeholders, and owners.

In short, it’s a snippet representing why your business exists and what it does.

People often use mission and vision statements interchangeably, but they are different. Let’s see how.

Mission statement vs. vision statement

Your mission statement focuses on what you do and how you do it. It details the organization’s current purpose, core values, and primary objectives. This provides a framework for the organization’s day-to-day operations.

In contrast, a vision statement describes where you aim to reach in the future. It outlines the long-term goals and the desired future position of the company. A clear vision statement inspires and motivates stakeholders by offering a clear and compelling future direction.

Now that we’ve clarified the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement, let’s dive into why the mission statement is so important.

Why is a mission statement important?

Mission statements are necessary for any business. They not only guide internal operations but also communicate the company’s purpose to external people.

Here are some of the reasons why you need to have a great mission statement in a business plan:

Gives clear direction

A mission statement outlines the company’s purpose. Thus, it acts as a guiding star for decision-making and strategic planning, ensuring that all actions align with the company’s core values and primary goals.

Inspires and motivates employees

A well-crafted mission statement can inspire and motivate employees by providing them with direction. It also helps them understand how their roles will contribute to the company’s goals, especially the larger ones, encouraging unity among them.

Engages customers

A concise mission statement communicates the business’s values and company’s goals to customers, helping to build trust and loyalty. It tells customers what the organization stands for and why they should choose its products or services over competitors.

Supports marketing efforts

A mission statement can enhance branding and marketing efforts by clearly conveying the business’s identity and purpose. It helps create a strong, recognizable brand that resonates with customers, investors, and other audiences, boosting the business’s market position.

Now that you know the importance of the mission statement, let’s dive deep into learning how to write one.

How to write a mission statement for your business plan?

A company’s mission statement is barely three sentences long. But, ironically, its simplicity makes it so tricky to write.

Here are the following steps that make it easy for you to write a mission statement:

Step 1: Ask the right questions

Before you begin the mission statement writing process, understand your business in its entirety. Articulating the answers to the following questions can be helpful:

• In what industry are you working?
• Who’s your target audience?
• What are your offerings?
• What are your unique selling propositions (USPs)?
• What customer problems do you solve through your offerings?
• What’s the value you deliver through your product or services?
• What’s your brand personality?
• What are your competitive advantages?

Want to Generate a Mission Statement for Your Business?

Craft a strong and purposeful mission statement in minutes with our easy-to-use Free AI Mission Statement Generator .

Step 2: Organize the answers

After answering all the above questions, organize them into the following categories:

The value you add to your customers

List down how you make your customers’ lives better. It can be through your products, the methods you use to deliver them, or through non-profit work and community service.

For instance, if you own a green tea brand, you add value to your customers by providing healthy beverages. Additionally, if you support recycling, you provide a sense of ethical consumerism.

The value you add to your employees

Here, write down how you create value for your employees.

These could be the:

• Employee retention strategies you employ
• Benefits and perks you offer
• Work culture in your company
• Training programs you offer

The value you add to your owners

Here’s the thing: Not many mission statements talk about the owners and stakeholders.

However, it can be beneficial to state how your business adds value to them. Why? Doing so can be a subtle indication to prospective investors that they might want to be associated with your company.

For example, “ Our mission is to deliver exceptional value to our customers while ensuring significant returns and growth opportunities for our owners and stakeholders. ”

The impact you want to create

Here, state the mission you want to achieve in the long run through your offerings. State the impact you aim to create via value addition for your target audience, employees, owners, and stakeholders.

Remember the green tea brand example? The goal of such a company could be to promote a healthy lifestyle and advocate for sustainability.

Step 3: Draft, edit, and review

Once you have organized all the answers, start creating drafts of your mission statement. Don’t make it a lengthy essay; remember, a good mission statement is supposed to be short and simple. Below are the components you need to incorporate in your mission statement.

Key elements of a great mission statement

• Core values: Mention how you create and deliver value to your customers, employees, investors, and society at large.
• Inspiration: Define the motive for people to follow you. Why do they want to buy from you, work with you, or invest in you?
• USP: Highlight the unique aspects that make the organization distinct and valuable.
• Target audience: Identify the primary stakeholders or target audience the organization serves. This could include customers, employees, shareholders, or the community.

Without a mission statement, you may get to the top of the ladder and then realize it was leaning against the wrong building. – Dave Ramsey

Step 4: Update when needed

It’s necessary to keep updating your mission statement to align with your company’s current situation.

As your business grows and evolves, so do your company’s goals , target audience, and guiding principles. Therefore, regularly revisiting and revising your mission statement ensures that it reflects the current company’s vision and direction.

A strong and concise statement can keep your investors hooked and inspire your team. Don’t just write buzzwords. A mission statement should be accurate, ambitious, ethical, and achievable.

Make it a practice to review your mission statement frequently—at least once a year or whenever significant changes occur in your business. This proactive approach helps maintain alignment between your mission and your company’s path forward.

Mission statement examples of popular brands

A well-written mission statement tells everything about your company. Here are some examples of well-crafted mission statements by famous companies:

1. Starbucks

To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.

In the first part of the statement, Starbucks describes the work culture it promotes and the customer service delivered. The second part points to its mission of growing and expanding.

To provide the best in cosmetics innovation to women and men around the world with respect for their diversity.

L’Oréal’s mission statement is simple and direct focusing on two aspects.

One: Provide the best products.

Two: Promote inclusivity by creating products for a diverse population.

To bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, businesspersons, and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.

Apple’s mission statement doesn’t have much wordplay and clearly conveys the point. It emphasizes three key aspects: its products, its audience, and its scope of business.

To be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.

Amazon aims to satisfy customers the most by providing a vast selection of products and making shopping easy. This is exactly reflected in the company’s mission statement.

5. Microsoft

To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Microsoft’s mission statement is simple yet powerful. It concentrates on empowering individuals and organizations by providing them with the technology to reach their full potential.

To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.

Nike’s mission statement focuses on inspiring all levels of athletes and the inclusivity of everyone as an athlete. Besides that, they also emphasis innovation in sportswear.

To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

This statement is about forward-thinking. It’s all about speeding up the use of sustainable energy solutions.

To entertain, inform, and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds, and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.

Disney’s mission statement emphasizes its commitment to creating magical experiences for audiences worldwide. Through their iconic brands, creative talents, and innovative technologies, Disney aims to delight and inspire people of all ages, shaping the entertainment world.

To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Google’s mission statement is loud and clear. It emphasizes organizing all the information available globally and making it accessible to everyone.

To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.

Meta’s mission statement is empowering and inclusive. It emphasizes providing people with the tools to build communities and fostering connections to bring the world closer together.

In summary, a mission statement is the essence of a business in under 30-40 words. It shows what your business is all about and why it matters.

However, creating a mission statement along with a solid business plan is necessary yet challenging. Consider using software like Upmetrics to ease your journey of business planning and financial forecasting.

Upmetrics guides you step-by-step, helping you create a clear and effective mission statement with a business plan that sets you up for success.

Start crafting yours today with Upmetrics and see where it takes you!

Build your Business Plan Faster

with step-by-step Guidance & AI Assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who decides the mission statement.

Founders, the CEO, or the chairperson frame a mission statement. Many times, such people even team up to develop a mission statement. This team consists of senior and board members who know the company inside out.

Can we change the mission statement?

Changing a mission statement is uncommon but possible. So yes, if the mission changes over the course of years, companies may change their mission statements. The change could be for rebranding purposes, a change of product or services, a change of target audience, a change of authority, or so on.

If the company changes, does the mission statement change too?

If the company’s mission has changed, then yes. However, the company’s change can mean many things, like:

• Has the product and services changed?
• Has the target audience changed?
• Has the authority changed?

Sometimes, the change of the company also means the presence, absence, or change of a merger and/or association. In any case, the company can change its mission statement.

How important is it to have a mission statement?

An effective mission statement is a necessity. Through it, you answer some of the most important business questions like why does your company exist? What change is it trying to make in society? How does the world benefit from its existence? Answers to such questions keep you and your team on track.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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More Like this

Mission statements, what is a mission statement.

Your mission clearly states why your organization exists. A company’s mission statement helps clearly articulate your core purpose. It is the summation of your organization’s core reason for being, answering the question, “Why are we here?” A mission needs to boldly state why you exist, and what impact you hope your organization has on the world. The best mission statements clearly express these things to your customers in a way that resonates and engages with them.

When developing your strategic plan, it is important to not overlook the foundation of your plan, including your mission statement. Every organization should have one! Crafting a mission statement may be challenging at first, but with the help of our guide, you’ll be well on your way to making your own great mission statement!

Free Canvas & Guide to Creating a Mission Statement

Whether you’re writing a new mission statement or revisiting your old one as part of a strategic planning process, we’ve created a canvas you can use to create a mission statement that inspires your team. Get started on creating your mission statement today, and download our guide for free!

Why Are Mission Statements Important in Strategic Planning?

A good mission statement is a foundational element in any strategic plan because it helps define your organization’s core purpose, serving as a vantage point from which to look down the road. Combined with your vision statement , it helps define why your organization exists and what you stand for.

Mission statements are sometimes confused and grouped with different kinds of foundational statements or forgotten about entirely. Some of the common planning elements that mission statements get mixed up with are vision statements and value statements.

All three are closely linked but serve entirely different functions and roles in your strategic framework. Below, we explain how the vision and values elements compare against a mission statement, and how they can all be used together to complement your mission statement for a strong foundation to your strategic plan.

Mission Statements Versus Vision Statements – The Differences

While a company’s future vision statement describes the organization’s future state, the mission directly relates to the vision by articulating the greater reason why that vision matters. A powerful mission keeps the organization on track and rallies around the direction the organization is headed. Learn how to write your mission statement here .

Mission Statement – Why You Exist

• States why your organization exists and articulates your core purpose.
• Written in the present tense.
• Helps define the area where you play.

Vision Statement – Where You’re Going

• States your organization’s bold vision for the future and why that is important.
• Written in a future tense.
• Helps create the roadmap for the future.

Pro Tip: Language Matters. We always recommend mission statements be written in present tense using concrete language. Writing in present tense allows your mission to be easily deciphered from your vision statement, which is written in future tense . Solid language leaves little room for interpretation of what exactly your mission statement means.

How Your Vision and Mission Statement Informs & Creates Strategy

Mission and vision statements are really two sides of the same coin. Your mission statement tells them where you are and why you exist, while your vision statement describes your desired future state or aspirational impact.

These two elements combine to inform and create your strategy, which is your plan for how to overcome your current and potential future competitors. The mission and vision are essentially your corporate aspirations, and your strategy is your meticulous plan for achieving it. Because these two statements used in tandem define why you exist now and what you aspire to offer in the future, this can make it easier to pinpoint your unique value proposition within the market.

A vision statement also helps you outline the actions and steps you need to take to make your vision a reality. If you can anchor your plan to your mission and vision, you’ll never lose your direction, even if you must pivot your strategy periodically to respond to different market or environmental conditions and customer feedback.

Mission Statement Versus Core Values Statement

As we’ve stated earlier, a business’s mission statement is all about defining the company’s purpose and objectives. It’s a concise statement that outlines what the business is trying to achieve and how it aims to achieve it.

A value statement , on the other hand, is focused on the core values and beliefs that are central to the organization’s culture. While these statements may serve different purposes, they are not in opposition of one another. Ideally, mission and values statements should be created in tandem, as they complement each other quite well.

For example, an organization’s mission statement may be focused on growth and expansion, while its values might include ideals such as honesty and fairness. By combining these two statements, you get a clear picture of what the organization hopes to achieve and how it aims to do so, while also highlighting the values it holds dear.

Mission Statements – Why You Exist

• Are usually written in the present tense.

Values Statements – How You’ll Live Out Your Mission

• Clarifies what your organization stands for, what it believes in, and how you expect your team to behave.
• Are typically written in present tense.

How Your Mission and Value Statements Complement Each Other

Value statements are the guiding principles your organization has chosen to live by, which give direction to the company culture and behaviors. Core values help businesses remain true to their mission and purpose by providing a framework for decision-making and actions.

A mission statement provides a sense of direction, whereas values give employees a sense of pride and purpose in working to achieve that mission. So, while your mission statement helps to guide the direction of your company, your value statement creates the behaviors that keep you in line with your mission.

Together, these statements complement one another and form a solid foundation for any successful organization. The mission statement outlines the company’s primary objectives, while the core values ensure that the company is meeting its goals the right way. By aligning a organization’s mission statement with its core values, everyone involved in the company, from the management down to the customers, can easily understand its objectives and what it stands for.

Mistakes to Avoid When Drafting Your Mission Statement

Crafting the perfect mission statement can be challenging and potentially lead to pitfalls when not approached carefully. Here are some mistakes to avoid when creating a mission statement:

Being Too Vague or Generic

It’s important to make sure you’re writing a mission statement that is unique to your organization and sets you apart from your competitors. Avoid generic and bland statements like “highest standards” or “quality customer service delivered.” Instead, explain what those statements would mean in the context of your organization.

Pro Tip: You may also want to avoid phrases that feel particularly jargon-y or industry specific. Your mission statement is meant to be public-facing, so ensure that your mission statement is understandable to the general public.

Focusing Solely on Profits

We get it. Of course, we all want to make money and ensure that our business or organization is successful and turning a profit. But is that really what your mission is? Your mission should, ideally, be impact driven. Think about the needs you identified that needed to be fulfilled that inspired you to start your organization in the first place. That’s what your mission statement should stem from.

Forgetting to Consider Stakeholder Input

Unless you’re running a one-person operation, your team and stakeholders should have input in the mission. Interview or conduct surveys with your employees to gain their insight and opinions. You can then elect a smaller, more central committee to come together and find consensus on common themes and craft your mission statement from there.

Neglecting to Update the Mission Statement as the Organization Evolves

Your mission statement needs to reflect your organization’s purpose, above all else. Although you wouldn’t change your mission statement yearly or even bi-yearly, don’t be afraid to update or make tweaks on your mission statement. If your organization grows or changes to the point where your original mission statement doesn’t quite fit anymore, don’t be afraid to update!

Not Reflecting Your Company’s Values

This should go without saying, but a mission statement should clearly express and reflect your organization’s values and purpose in a way that resonates with your team and your customers. Make sure your mission statement describes and accurately reflects your company’s identity.

By being mindful of these potential missteps, your organization can create a mission statement that accurately reflects your values and goals while inspiring your team and community.

What Makes Mission Statements Powerful?

Mission statements help your entire organization clearly understand its core purpose and why you do what you do. As a leader, it’s important to have clarity and a cohesive understanding of why your organization exists. Great leadership requires connecting your organization’s core purpose and vision of the future to your team’s day-to-day activities.

As leaders, we are put under a lot of undue stress to generate a perfect, short, sing-songy mission statement. The result is meaningless drivel, leaving everyone irritated and underwhelmed. The goal is to bring inspiration and innovation to the company for the long term. Don’t let being pragmatic get in the way of this important stage of building a strong foundation of consensus for the organization.

Video Transcript – Video Title XYZ

Hi, my name is Erica Olsen.

Today’s whiteboard session is on how to write a mission statement. Mission statements are foundational to any strategic plan. You normally build one after you develop your SWOT. And before you go into the rest of your planning process, it’s foundational because it answers the question, “Why do we exist.”

It clearly explains the space that we play in what’s in and what’s out of what we do. And it’s not where we’re going, which is vision. So, let’s break it down.

We’ll use this example to explain the components of a mission statement. We’ll use this checklist to talk about what makes a good mission statement. And we’ll walk through a simple process to create yours.

So let’s jump in.

The example we have up here is Google’s. And we love using Google’s Google’s examples because they’re, they’re great. And why not borrow from the best.

So, starting with our mission, I like to start with our mission, because it gives us a place to go and keeps us thinking about mission, you might get rid of it later, but start it there. It has a verb with present tense to organize. We explain what we do organize the world’s information for whom, in this case, the world?

And what’s the benefit to us existing, what’s the benefit to the world to make information universally accessible, and useful? Really straightforward. We know mission statements are not that easy to write. So, here’s a checklist to make sure that yours is great.

Starting with, it needs to be original. This is really clearly original to Google; they didn’t rip it off from somebody else. It doesn’t sound like anybody else’s mission statement. It sounds like Google’s mission statement. So, make sure yours is original.

Connect with staff, a great mission statement. And you know, yours is great when every single staff member wakes up in the morning and knows that their purpose and the reason, they come to work every day is expressed in your mission statement.

And to do that, it needs to be memorable. Memorable means short and concise. And of course, that’s the balance to strike with a great mission statement. So, here’s your litmus test. It needs to fit on a t shirt, and your staff would wear it that achieves those two goals, you know, you’ve got a great mission statement.

So how do you write one, sometimes it can be hard. So it’s great to get input or ideas from your organization. So, gather staff input, if you’d like via survey, or maybe focus groups, take all that information, synthesize it down and create a couple of versions, you can do it yourself or use one of those folks in your organization who loves to copyright and have them write a couple of different versions.

Take those versions and either have your planning team pick one or put them out to your organization and have people vote on them. So that simple process will help you not go in all kinds of different directions and spend forever doing mission statement development.

With that, I hope this helps you write yours. Thanks for tuning in.

If time isn’t dedicated to articulating your mission on the front-end before developing strategy, the result will likely be goals and objectives without a crystal-clear strategic direction.

A Good Mission Statement the Following Elements:

• Label: We like to start with “Our mission…”
• Verb: Use an action verb in the present tense.
• For Whom: Describe who you do it for.
• Result: What is the result or benefit of your work?
• What You Do: Briefly state what you do and how.

Mission Statements Answer At least One of These Core Questions

What is our organization’s reason for existing.

A mission helps clearly articulate your organization’s reason for existing. At the absolute minimum, your mission statement should answer this question above all else: What’s your core purpose?

Example: “LinkedIn – To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”

Why Is It Special to Work for This Organization?

The best way to answer this question is to connect to the heart of your employees, customers, or the population you serve. Be compelling, and let people understand and connect with your core purpose. How does your reason for existing impact people in a special way, or why do your employees show up to work every day?

Example: “Tesla – To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

What Is Our Business and What Are We Trying to Accomplish on Behalf of Whom?

Some mission statements benefit from clearly stating who benefits from your business, or what you’re setting out to accomplish on behalf of whom. Who does your purpose impact the most and why?

Example: “Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

More mission statement examples can be found here.

Checklist for Good Mission Statements

When evaluating the quality of your current or newly drafted mission statement, it’s important your company’s mission statement meets these four simple criteria:

• Your Mission Must Be Foundational: It clearly states why your organization or business exists.
• It’s Original: It’s unique to your organization. If you were to read the mission statements of all the organizations in your industry, yours would be different than your competition.
• It’s Memorable: Memorable = motivating to employees, prospective employees and customers.
• It Fits on a T-Shirt: Peter Drucker famously advised that your mission statement should be short and compelling enough to fit on a t-shirt your staff would actually wear.

Other Mission Statement Tips

If you are refreshing your mission statement, complete your swot first.

Mission statements should be developed after completing the SWOT analysis , and before going into the rest of the planning process. This allows your team to be grounded and in alignment with where your organization is today and what the organization’s strengths and contributions are.

The mission statement motivates and inspires staff. Every single staff member knows that their purpose is defined in the mission statement. (e.g. Starbucks’ mission: To inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.)

A Great Mission Statement Can Be Easily Recited at a Party

Develop the mission statement on a “party level”—it can quickly and briefly be understood by people at a party or on an airplane. The statement gives a profoundly simple focus for everything the team does as an organization. (e.g. Marine Stewardship Council’s mission: To safeguard the world’s seafood supply by promoting the best environmental choices.)

Now that you’ve finished your mission statement, writing your core values and vision is up next.

Get Started on Creating Your Mission Statement

Mission Statement FAQs

What questions do you need to answer to create a mission statement?

Answering these three questions will help create a mission statement:

• What is our organization’s reason for existing?
• Why is it special to work for this organization?
• What is our business and what are we trying to accomplish on behalf of whom?

What are the 5 elements of a mission statement?

The five parts of a mission statement are Label + Verb in Present Tense + Who You Serve + Result You Wish to Achieve or Reason for Existing + What You Do

What is a mission statement?

The definition of a mission statement is a concise description of your organization’s core purpose, answering the question, “why do we exist?”. A mission needs to boldly state why you exist, and why you do what you do. The best mission statements express your core purpose and why you exist with clarity.

How are mission statements and vision statements different?

A mission statement defines why your organization exists. A vision statement expresses where your organization is going in the future. They work together to express your reason for existing and how you’re setting out to change the world.

How do you know if you have a good mission statement?

Patrick Lencioni said that a mission statement should be able to fit on a t-shirt, and that your staff would want to wear that t-shirt.

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How to Write a Mission Statement (Definition & Examples Included)

Table of Contents

What is a mission statement, mission statement vs. vision statement.

• How to Write a Mission Statement

25 Best Mission Statement Examples

Mission statements faq.

• ProjectManager & Mission Statements

When you’re creating a company or working on a business plan , the first thing you should do is create a mission statement. Your mission statement is the base for your company values, vision statement, slogan, value proposition and everything else.

A mission statement is a short action-based declaration that describes the purpose of an organization. Mission statements explain what companies do and are a very important part of their culture, along with the core values and vision statement . Mission statements are an internal guide for organizations, but they also need to be appealing to customers.

Before we learn how to write a mission statement, let’s explain the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement, two very important parts of a business plan.

There are several differences between a mission statement and a vision statement. The main difference between them is that a mission statement explains the purpose of a company, while the vision statement indicates where the company wants to accomplish in the future. Mission statements and vision statements are different but they need to complement each other to provide a clear base for strategic planning.

If you need help creating and delivering a plan for your business, then consider a project management software like ProjectManager . ProjectManager helps organizations plan, execute and track projects and tasks across teams. Make a long term plan on a roadmap, then execute the day-to-day tasks on task lists or kanban boards. It’s easy to collaborate, stay aligned and reach your goals. Get started today for free.

How to Write a Mission Statement in 6 Steps

We know that every organization needs a mission statement, but how do you create one? There’s no standardized method to writing a mission statement, but there are some guidelines that you should consider.

Follow these steps to help you with the process of writing a mission statement.

1. Define your Company Culture

The mission and vision statements are elements of your company culture. For this reason, before writing your company mission statement, you’ll need to define the core values or guiding principles of your company culture. Don’t forget to ask yourself what your team members expect from the company too.

Related: Free Team Charter Template

2. Set Goals

Your company mission defines the purpose of your organization, and where it stands now, but that’s only part of the business plan. You’ll also need to define company goals and a long-term company vision.

3. Define your Ideal Customer Profile

It’s impossible to think about a business that doesn’t care about its customers. Before writing a mission statement or a business plan altogether, you need to understand who are your customers and how you can help them. That’s why you must define your ideal customer profile through market research .

4. Create a Value Proposition

Once you have a clear idea of what your ideal customer profile looks like, you need to think about the value proposition that will differentiate you from your competitors.

5. Select a Type of Mission Statement

Every mission statement is unique, but there are some recognizable types of mission statements. The most common ones are:

• Customer-oriented mission statements
• Socially conscious mission statements
• Environmentally conscious mission statements
• Product-oriented mission statements

6. Add the Mission Statement to Your Business Plan

Now that you’ve thought about all these key aspects of your business, you can start drafting a mission statement for your business plan. Remember to think about how that company mission fits with the other elements of your business plan.

You probably know a lot of mission statements without realizing it. We’ve gathered 25 of the best mission statement examples available in the world to help you create a great mission statement for your business plan.

1. Microsoft

“To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”

“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

3. Facebook

“To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.”

4. Southwest Airlines

“Dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.”

5. LinkedIn

“To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”

“To entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe.”

“To continually raise the bar of the customer experience by using the internet and technology to help consumers find, discover and buy anything, and empower businesses and content creators to maximize their success. We aim to be Earth’s most customer-centric company.”

8. Patagonia

“We’re In Business To Save Our Home Planet.”

9. Life is Good

“To spread the power of optimism”

10. Coca-Cola

“To refresh the world, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness, and to create value and make a difference.”

11. The Humane Society

“Creating animals, confronting cruelty.”

“We reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.”

13. Smithsonian

“The increase and diffusion of knowledge.”

14. American Express

“We work hard every day to make American Express the world’s most respected service brand.”

15. Nordstrom

“To give customers the most compelling shopping experience possible.”

16. JetBlue

“To inspire humanity – both in the air and on the ground.”

“To build the web’s most convenient, secure, cost-effective payment solutions.”

18. Kickstarter

“To help bring creative projects to life.”

“To deliver information on the people, ideas and technologies changing the world to our community of affluent business decision-makers.”

“To be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity.”

“Shape the future of the internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors and ecosystem partners.”

“To attract and attain customers with high-value products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America.”

“To create a better everyday life for the many people.”

“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”

1. How long Should a Mission Statement be?

A good mission statement is short, to the point and memorable. It’s like a tagline in advertising, something that sticks with a person when they hear or read it. In a true sense, the mission statement is an ad in that it identifies your company as one that a customer would want to work with or support.

2. What Is the Difference Between a Mission Statement and a Vision Statement?

Vision statements are about the future. Mission statements stay firmly in the present: who you are and what’s important to you, now. Be timely, explain who you are today and do so clearly.

ProjectManager Turns Your Mission Statement Into a Reality

A mission statement is an idea, but to get there, you need a plan. ProjectManager  is an award-winning tool that organizes your teams and projects to work more effectively. Use our cloud-based software to get real-time data and make your mission statement a mission accomplished.

Build Action Plans with Gantt Charts

Once you have a project approved, you can use the online Gantt chart to schedule your tasks. It’s a visual tool that creates a timeline that shows you the entire project in one place. Some tasks are dependent on others to start or finish. Use our tool to link these task dependencies and avoid having them cause bottlenecks later on in the project.

Track Progress with Dashboards & Reports

Another way to monitor your progress and performance is with our real-time dashboard. It’s made up of six project metrics displayed in easy-to-read graphs and charts. Our tool automatically calculates time, workload, costs and more and gives you a high-level instant status report to help you meet the goals of your mission statement.

ProjectManager has a company mission too. It’s to deliver reliable project management software that helps managers and their teams plan, monitor and report with ease for high levels of efficiency. Our cloud-based tool has a real-time dashboard for live data reporting,  online Gantt charts for effective scheduling and a collaborative platform that frees teams to work more productively. See how it can help your mission by taking this free 30-day trial .

Deliver your projects on time and on budget

Start planning your projects.

35 Vision And Mission Statement Examples That Will Inspire Your Buyers

Published: February 28, 2024

Why do you choose to buy products and services from certain brands even when cheaper options exist? It often comes down to a compelling brand mission — like these 35 mission statement examples.

Brands use a mission statement to express their values. As consumers, we like to patronize businesses that have values we believe in.

A strong mission statement makes it easy for consumers to understand your values and feel confident purchasing from you.

Still, loyalty doesn’t happen overnight. Building brand loyalty, like creating mission and vision statements, takes time. You may just find the inspiration that you need in someone else’s mission statement, so we’ve gathered 35 example mission statements to help make your research easy.

If you’re in a bit of a time crunch, use this table of contents to find precisely what you’re looking for to inspire the development of your company’s mission.

100 Mission Statement Examples & Templates

Mission statements from 100 companies and templates to create one for your business.

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Table of Contents

What is a mission statement?

How to write a mission statement, what is a vision statement.

• Mission vs Vision Statements

Mission and Vision Statement Template

Best mission statement examples.

• Best Vision Statements Examples

A mission statement is a simple statement about the goals, values, and objectives of an organization. A mission statement summarizes why a business exists and helps a company respond to change and make decisions that align with its vision.

This brief description helps customers, employees, and leadership understand the organization’s top priorities.

An effective mission statement will naturally change over time. As a company grows, it may reach its early goals, and they’ll change. It’s important to revise mission statements as needed to reflect the business’s new culture as it achieves its goals and develops new targets.

What makes a good mission statement?

A great mission statement combines physical, emotional, and logical elements into one exceptional customer (and employee) experience that you value as much as they do. A good mission statement will not only explain your brand’s purpose but will also foster a connection with customers.

When your brand creates a genuine connection with customers and employees, they’ll stay loyal to your company, thereby increasing your overall profitability.

Mission statements also help you stand out in the marketplace, differentiating your brand from the competition.

I’ve personally observed that there’s more brand recognition for companies when consumers think they have an important mission.

When wearing a pair of TOMS shoes, I’ve noticed that people comment more on my shoes than when I’m wearing Converse or Nike shoes (which are both more well-known brands). TOMS famously created the One for One® model, where they vowed to donate one pair of shoes for every one purchased.

A memorable company mission makes your product more noteworthy.

What are the three parts of a mission statement?

Your mission statement should clearly express what your brand does, how it does it, and why the brand does it. You can quickly sum this up in your mission statement by providing the following:

• Brand purpose. What does your product or service do or aim to offer and for whom?
• Brand values. What does your company stand for? For example, are you environmentally conscious and provide a more sustainable solution to solve a problem? Values are what make your company unique.
• Brand goals. What does your company accomplish for customers? Why should they purchase from you instead of other competitors?

With these three components, you can create a mission that is unique to your brand and resonates with potential customers. Next, we’ll guide you step by step on how to write a proper mission statement to build on as your company evolves.

You understand the importance of a well-crafted mission statement that effectively summarizes a company’s purpose, but how do you write one? Let’s look at the steps to write a good mission statement, and then we’ll dive into mission statement examples to inspire your creativity.

• Explain your company’s product or service offering.
• Identify the company’s core values.
• Connect how your company’s offering aligns with your values.
• Condense these statements into one.
• Refine your mission statement.

1. Explain your company’s product or service offering.

A good mission statement helps prospects understand what your company does in a literal sense. This means explaining your offering in basic, clear terms. Your explanation should answer the most basic questions like:

• Are you selling a product or service?
• Why would customers buy it?
• How does your offering solve for the customer?

Record your answers and focus on how your product or service brings value to your buyer personas , otherwise known as your target audience.

2. Identify the company’s core values.

Now, this is where you can start thinking bigger. You didn’t just make a product or service at random. Instead, you’re most likely motivated by a set of core values . This is particularly important for socially conscious businesses and brands that care about well-being.

Core values are deeply ingrained principles that guide a company’s actions. Take HubSpot’s culture code, HEART , for example:

• Empathetic.
• Remarkable.
• Transparent.

These are principles that not only company employees respect but are principles that our customers appreciate as well. By identifying core values that hold meaning on personal and organizational levels, you’ll have an appealing set to add to your mission statement.

3. Connect how your company’s offering aligns with your values.

So, how can your company offering serve your core values? You need to draw a connection between the two in a way that makes sense to the public.

For example, if one of your core values centers on innovation, you want to frame your product or service as pushing boundaries and explaining how it helps customers innovate their lives or business practices. Essentially, you’re taking the literal benefit of the offering and expanding it to serve a higher purpose.

4. Condense these statements into one.

A mission statement can be as short as a single sentence or as long as a paragraph, but it’s meant to be a short summary of your company’s purpose. You need to state the what, who, and why of your company:

• What — The company offering.
• Who — Who you’re selling to.
• Why — The core values you do it for.

Condense this to be between one and three sentences long. At this stage of development, it’s often helpful to write several mission statement drafts to help process ideas and experiment.

Once you have successfully conveyed your brand’s message, it’s time to refine and perfect your mission statement.

5. Refine your mission statement.

Above all, your mission statement stands as a marketing asset that is meant to be:

• Free of fluff.

Your mission statement should clearly outline the purpose of your company offering, capture the company spirit, and show the common goals the company is working to achieve.

Have other team members or advisors read your mission statement draft and make adjustments if needed according to their recommendations. This is normally a slow process for brands, and I’ll share ideas and company mission statement examples in a moment to help inspire creativity in the writing process.

A vision statement is aspirational and expresses your brand’s plan or “vision” for the future and potential impact on the world. They often serve as a guide for a brand’s future goals and explain why customers and employees should stick around for the long haul.

What makes a good vision statement?

A good vision statement should be bold and ambitious. It’s meant to be an inspirational, big-picture declaration of what your company strives to be in the future. It gives customers a peek into your company’s trajectory and builds customer loyalty by allowing them to align their support with your vision because they believe in the future of your brand as well.

What are the three parts of a vision statement?

Your company vision is meant to be inspirational while also aligning with the company’s mission. A vision statement should have the following characteristics:

• Aspirational and ambitious. Have a lofty outlook for what you want your business to accomplish? Here’s the place to put it. Your vision statement should be aspirational and showcase how your business will grow in the future.
• Practical and achievable. While your statement should be ambitious, it shouldn’t be impossible. Set a goal that is both challenging and practical.
• General. Your vision should be broad enough to encompass all of your brand’s overall goals. Think of it as an umbrella for your mission statement and company objectives to nest under.

Both mission and vision statements are often combined into one comprehensive “mission statement” to define the organization’s reason for existing and its outlook for internal and external audiences — like employees, partners, board members, consumers, and shareholders.

The difference between mission and vision statements lies in the purpose they serve.

Mission Statement vs. Vision Statement

A mission statement clarifies what the company wants to achieve, who they want to support, and why they want to support them. On the other hand, a vision statement describes where the company wants a community, or the world, to be as a result of the company’s services.

Thus, a mission statement is a roadmap for the company’s vision statement.

A mission statement is a literal quote stating what a brand or company is setting out to do. This lets the public know the product and service it offers, who it makes it for, and why it’s doing it. A vision statement is a brand looking toward the future and saying what it hopes to achieve through its mission statement. This is more conceptual, as it’s a glimpse into what the brand can become in the eyes of the consumer and the value it will bring in the long term.

In summary, the main differences between a mission statement and a vision statement are:

• Mission statements describe the current purpose a company serves. The company’s function, target audience, and key offerings are elements that are often mentioned in a mission statement.
• Vision statements are a look into a company’s future or what its overarching vision is. The same elements from the mission statement can be included in a vision statement, but they’ll be described in the future tense.

Now that we know what they are, let’s dive into some useful examples of each across different industries.

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100 examples and templates of mission statements to help you build your own.

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How to Write a Mission Statement

A mission statement serves as a concise summary of a company’s purpose and its aspirations for a positive influence. It’s a powerful tool that businesses employ to articulate their goals and values, allowing their audience to grasp a deeper understanding of their mission. Knowing what to incorporate into this statement can assist a brand in not only drawing in new customers but also expanding its clientele.

In this article, we emphasize the significance of a mission statement, detail the process of crafting one, offer advice on creating an impactful one, and furnish a template and examples to guide you through the process.

Why is a mission statement important?

A mission statement is essential as it outlines a company’s ambitions, goals, and why it matters. It provides employees with ethical guidelines, offers insights into the company’s values, and clarifies its purpose. Key elements within a mission statement include:

• Objectives: Defining company goals unifies the organization, guiding employees toward success and fostering efficiency.
• Values: Mission statements define a company’s culture, ethics, and values, signaling expected behavior to the public.
• Purpose: They communicate the company’s role in benefiting the community and explain why it exists, setting it apart from others.

The Essential Components of a Mission Statement

• Value – What does the business offer that benefits both customers and employees?
• Inspiration – Why would individuals aspire to be part of this company?
• Plausibility – Ensure it sounds realistic and attainable.
• Specificity – Connect it directly to the business’s core.

What should a mission statement accomplish?

A mission statement should explain why a business is here and what makes it special.

• Why they’re here: To stop and ease human suffering during emergencies.
• What makes them special: They get volunteers to help and people who want to give things help too.

6 Steps Mission Statement Template

Download The Mission Statement Template as a Word,   PDF , Or Excel  file

When you write a mission statement, it’s important to make it clear and concise and address all the key elements. Here are steps for writing an effective mission statement:

1.Explain the Company's Goal

• Start by describing why the company exists.
• Highlight what makes the company different from competitors.
• For instance, a restaurant’s goal could be to serve locally sourced, organic ingredients in all its dishes, promoting sustainability and supporting local farmers.

2.Detail How the Company Achieves Its Objectives

• Express how the company goes about its work.
• Outline the company’s main principles and beliefs.
• Company values can include providing equal access to resources or delivering top-notch products to customers.
• For example, a tech company may specialize in creating innovative, eco-friendly gadgets, designing them with recyclable materials and energy-efficient technology to reduce environmental impact.

3.Consider the Motivation Behind the Company's Actions

• Incorporate the company’s passion and the reasons behind its actions.
• Reflect on why the company was founded and its purpose.
• If you’re creating a mission statement for a bakery, their motivation could be to delight customers with delicious, freshly baked goods while fostering a sense of community through shared culinary experiences.

4.Review and Improve the Mission Statement

• After drafting the mission statement, read it aloud and check for grammar or spelling errors.
• Consider rephrasing it for greater clarity if needed.
• Periodically revisit the mission statement to ensure it remains accurate and aligned with the company’s goals and values.

Mission Statement Writing Tips

Here are some easy ways to make your company’s mission statement better:

• Be short and clear: Keep your mission statement under 150 words. Use strong words to show what your company wants to achieve.
• Think about the future: Make sure your mission statement talks about what your company will do in the future. Even if things change, your mission statement should still fit.
• Ask for help: Talk to your co-workers about your mission statement. They might have good ideas to make it better.

What makes a good mission statement?

A good mission statement is concise, clear, and inspiring. It should succinctly convey the core purpose of your organization and why it matters, while also reflecting your values and unique approach. The best mission statements motivate and guide both internal teams and external stakeholders, making them feel connected to your vision and goals.

Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Mission Statements

Experts believe that many companies have mission statements that are too vague, unrealistic, or are just a collection of meaningless business jargon. The following are some tips for avoiding the common pitfalls of mission statements.

Accuracy is key- A mission statement should be accurate and only include aspects of your business that are relevant to your business. Don’t just use phrases that sound nice. If you do that, it may sound catchy, but it may lose its value as a guide for your company.

Don’t be unrealistic -Your mission statement should be both ambitious and realistic. Mission statements that set unattainable goals will not be taken seriously by employees. As a result, it can discourage employees by reminding them how far they are behind.

Make yourself unique – Avoid writing a generic or vague mission statement. A handy trick is to ask yourself if one of your competitors could use the same mission statement. It will help you focus on your unique purpose, goals, and values.

Using Buzzwords and Jargon – Common mistake companies commit when crafting their mission statements is bogging them down with buzzwords and jargon. The best mission statements consist of simple, clear language that communicates a company’s purpose directly. Focus on concrete descriptions and aspirations rather than vague phrases such as the following:

• The best in the world
• Excellent customer service
• Maximizing investor returns
• Satisfactory
• Highly valued

Identify other generic words that you can delete from your message.

Now you know what goes into crafting a mission statement.Therefore, put these tips into practice and you’ll be able to produce a clear and concise statement that will keep your business on track.

An effective mission statement can serve several purposes. First of all, it can help keep your business on track.

Your business is something you can always come back to whenever you’re setting goals or making big decisions. By looking at a clear, concise statement of purpose for your business, you can decide what is the best way to achieve that purpose.

Essentially, a mission statement is a foundation for all that your business does. It can help you with:

• Planning your business.
• Assessing your performance.
• Guidance for employees.
• Ensure that all stakeholders work towards the same goals.
• Giving employees a sense of belonging.

Mission Statement vs Vision Statement

The vision statement focuses on tomorrow and what the organization wants to become. It lets the public know what the company makes, who it makes it for, and why it does it.

A vision statement is a way for a brand to look toward the future and define what it strives to accomplish through its mission statement.

Despite the fact that companies commonly use mission and vision statements interchangeably, it is important to have both.

Basically, a mission statement and a vision statement differ in the following ways:

• A vision statement describes a company’s long-term goals. The same elements from the mission statement can be found in the vision statement but will be defined in the future tense.
• A mission statement describes the current purpose of an organization. Mission statements typically include information about the company’s purpose, target audience, and key offerings.

Now that we know what they are, let’s take a look at some examples from different industries.

Examples of Great Mission Statements

It’s often easiest to understand how mission statements work by looking at examples. Here are a few of my favorites fictional examples to help you better understand how you can structure and present your own mission statement:

"To put people at the center of enterprise software"

“Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.* If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

“To be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.”

“To make unique sports cars that represent the finest in Italian design and craftsmanship, both on the track and on the road.”

“Offering all women and men worldwide the best of cosmetics innovation in terms of quality, efficacy and safety”

“To refresh the world…To inspire moments of optimism and happiness…To create value and make a difference.”

“To reimagine commerce in ways that build a more fulfilling and lasting world. We are building a human, authentic and community-centric global and local marketplace.”

“We save people money so they can live better.”

“To help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessly.”

“To attract and attain customers with high-valued products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America.”

“We work hard every day to make American Express the world’s most respected service brand.”

“To deliver information on the people, ideas and technologies changing the world to our community of affluent business decision makers.”

“To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

“To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential.”

Helpful Resources

A mission statement is a concise statement that defines the purpose, values, and goals of an organization. It captures the essence of what the organization aims to achieve and guides its actions and decision-making.

A mission statement is important as it serves as a guiding principle for an organization. It helps align employees, stakeholders, and customers by communicating the organization’s core values, purpose, and direction. A well-crafted mission statement can inspire and motivate individuals while providing clarity and focus for the organization’s activities.

A mission statement should include the organization’s purpose, its target audience or customers, the value it provides, and its unique selling proposition or competitive advantage. It should also reflect the organization’s core values and future aspirations.

A mission statement should be concise and easily understood. Ideally, it should be no longer than a few sentences or a short paragraph. Keeping it concise ensures that it is memorable and effectively communicates the organization’s essence.

A mission statement should be periodically reviewed to ensure it remains relevant and aligned with the organization’s goals and values. It may need to be updated if there are significant changes in the organization’s direction, market conditions, or strategic objectives. However, it is not necessary to review it too frequently if the organization’s core purpose remains consistent.

A mission statement generator streamlines the process by offering templates and prompts, helping entrepreneurs articulate their organization’s purpose and values in their business plan with ease.

To make your mission statement unique, focus on what sets your organization apart, your values, and the specific positive impact you aim to achieve.

Yes, involving key stakeholders, such as employees and leadership, can provide diverse perspectives and ensure the mission statement resonates with everyone.

A mission statement defines the organization’s purpose and values, while a vision statement describes its long-term goals and aspirations.

Yes, mission statements can evolve over time to align with changing goals, values, and priorities as the organization grows and adapts to new challenges and opportunities.

A mission defines the fundamental purpose and values of an organization, answering ‘why’ it exists, while objectives are specific, measurable goals that outline ‘what’ the organization aims to achieve within a set timeframe.

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How to Write the Perfect Mission Statement (With Examples)

Learn what a mission statement is, why you need one and how to write the perfect one for your business.

Table of Contents

Developing a mission statement is a lengthy process that involves the input of team members who fully understand your business, employees, customers, industry, and the products and services your company provides.

Once completed, your organization can share its mission statement so consumers, employees, investors and other stakeholders know precisely what your organization does (or doesn’t do), what it values and why it exists. Often a mission statement can help clarify an owner’s ideas about their business’s “whats” and “whys.”

We’ll explore mission statements, why companies need them, and how to craft the perfect mission statement for your organization. 

What is a mission statement?

A mission statement is a declaration of what your company does and why it exists. This message is designed for internal and external audiences; it should ignite interest in the organization as it builds its brand .

The best mission statements have two primary objectives: 

• Educate: Mission statements educate by sharing what the organization does, how it does it and why.
• Inspire: If it’s a well-written mission statement, its second objective is to inspire. The best mission statements energize people to learn more about the brand and become supporters.

How to create a mission statement

When creating your mission statement, you’ll need to understand its essential components and ask probing questions to define precisely what your organization does and how. Finally, you’ll need to outline your organizational mission so it’s clear to everyone reading it. 

1. Include three essential components. 

According to Chris Bart, a retired professor of strategy and governance at McMaster University, a well-written mission statement has three essential components. Address each of these components when creating your mission statement:

• The business’s key market: Who is your customer base ? What industry does your business serve?
• The company’s contribution, or “what”: What product or service does your business offer? How does it better your local community or humanity?
• Distinctions between your solution and competing ones: What makes your product or service unique? Why should your audience buy your product over the competition’s?

2. Dig deeper to uniquely portray your business. 

While incorporating the essential elements, ask yourself – and your team – probing questions to truly understand who your business serves, what your organization does and how it works. Here are some questions to start with:  

• Why do we exist?
• What do we do?
• How do we use our products – or services – to achieve our goals?
• Who do we serve?
• How do we serve them?
• What do we do better than anyone else?
• What differentiates us from our competitors?
• How do our customers describe us?

3. Define your organizational mission. 

Creating an accurate, inspiring mission statement isn’t purely a philosophical exercise. It has to be practical, too. A mission statement must make sense to those who read it, whether they know about your organization or not.

Keep these four tips in mind as you define your organizational mission:

• Make the connection obvious: People unfamiliar with your company who read your mission statement should come away with a clear, concise understanding of what your organization does and why it exists.
• Be brief, yet informative: Keep the statement under 25 words. If it’s longer, people won’t read it or remember your company.
• Talk to stakeholders: Before finalizing your mission statement, speak to as many stakeholders as possible to see if it makes sense to them. Encourage feedback by seeking out board members’, long-time customers’ and trusted vendors’ opinions.
• Develop a long-term mission: This may be one of the more challenging aspects of writing a mission statement because defining what your organization is about today can be easier than providing predictions. However, you can update your long-term goals as  events and changes occur. 

Avoid common mission statement mistakes

Since your mission statement helps define your business, getting it right is crucial. Avoid these typical mistakes: 

• Using elaborate language: Avoid the pitfalls of “fancy” writing and using ambiguous words. Aim for clarity and brevity, and don’t make your mission statement overly formal. You want people to relate to it, not misunderstand it.
• Failing to update your statement as your business evolves . Revisit your mission statement over time to ensure it still resonates with your company’s current purpose. While it may seem like a clear, concise mission statement should cover all your bases – like any business-defining feature – it must also evolve as your business grows.

What do effective mission statements have in common? 

Effective mission statements are succinct and thoughtful.  

• Succinct: The more succinct your mission statement, the more likely it will resonate with audiences. A lengthy mission statement that’s challenging to remember can fall flat. A good test to see if your mission statement hits the mark is if your employees can recite it. For example, the mission statement of media organization TED, famous for its TED Talks, is “Spread ideas.” In two short words, TED outlines what it does and why people might be interested in learning more about it.
• Thoughtful: Other companies take a more creative, thoughtful approach. LEGO, whose mission statement, “Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow,” clearly defines what the company does – inspire and develop – and who its target customers are – the builders of tomorrow. In 2009, LEGO’s CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp said, “We make very clear the values we promise everyone we interact with – whether they are colleagues, partners in retail, the wider community, or – most important of all, of course – the children we deeply care for.” Its mission is woven through the entire organization, which is when mission statements come to life.

When companies don’t have well-constructed mission statements (or any mission statement), customers, potential customers and the public are forced to identify for themselves what the company is and why it exists.

What’s the difference between mission and vision statements?

Mission statements and vision statements are both crucial, but they have different objectives. A mission statement is focused on today, while a vision statement is focused on the future – what you want to become and how you want to impact people. 

Here are some questions that will define your vision statement:

• What are the organization’s goals and dreams?
• What will the world look like if we are successful?
• What problem(s) is the organization solving for the greater good?
• Who and what are we inspiring to change over the long term?

To help understand how mission statements and vision statements differ, compare Airbnb’s mission and vision statements.

• Airbnb’s mission statement: “Belong anywhere.” This mission statement is short and to the point. The message conveys that you can stay anywhere in the world and feel included when doing business with Airbnb.
• Airbnb’s vision statement: “Tapping into the universal human yearning to belong – the desire to feel welcomed, respected, and appreciated for who you are, no matter where you might be.” This message taps into a larger picture of what a future could look like when the global community imbues Airbnb’s philosophy.

Examples of effective mission statements

Here are examples of effective mission statements from well-known brands. These mission statements briefly define the organization, its purpose and its impact on humanity:

• Nike: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.”
• JetBlue: “To inspire humanity – both in the air and on the ground.”
• Warby Parker: “To offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially conscious business.”
• Tesla: “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
• LinkedIn: “Connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”
• Microsoft: Early days: “A computer on every desk and in every home.” Now: “To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”
• Disney: “To entertain, inform, and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling.”
• Ford: “To help build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.”

Finding your mission statement language

To get started, start tossing around words with trusted stakeholders. However, remember that you’re not looking for what “sounds good” as much as gaining clarity about what your business does. Brainstorm with others in low-stake sessions and see what language resonates with your brand. 

Remember that sounding good is important, but first you must define yourself. If your mission statement includes a nod to your business’s philosophy, values and culture of ethical behavior , the more benefits you’ll reap.

As with any other business plan or project, you may need to explore dozens of ideas before landing on your best fit. 

Patrick Proctor contributed to the writing and reporting in this article.

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BUSINESS STRATEGIES

How to write a mission statement in 5 steps

• Joanna Kramer
• Feb 19, 2019

A mission statement is one of the most powerful tools you have for leading your business or organization to success. The trick is knowing how to craft the perfect one, before you start posting it around your office or on your business website . There are a few tips and tricks to nailing exactly the right wording to articulate your vision and values - to yourself, to your employees, and to your target audience. Let’s jump in and review what makes an effective mission statement and how to write one for your business or organization regardless of whether you're just starting your business or scaling. Plus, we’ve included seven excellent mission statement examples at the end for your very own inspiration.

What is a mission statement?

Let’s start with the basics. You’ve probably heard that a mission statement is the lifeblood of your business. But what really is it? A mission statement takes the ‘why’ of what you do and consolidates it into about one to two sentences (and no, a run-on sentence that’s the length of a paragraph does not qualify). This abbreviated expression of your values and purpose helps everyone who encounters your work to immediately understand what you’re all about (much like your elevator pitch ). It's different from an executive summary but still important to your business. And it serves to remind you and your employees why you continue walking in the door each morning.

A strong mission statement will contain four key elements:

Inspiration

Plausibility

Specificity

As in, readers will walk away understanding the value your works adds to the world or to their lives, feeling inspired to join your mission, convinced that your goal is achievable, and crystal clear on the nature of your business or organization. Once these four components are present, you’ve got yourself a mission statement that is dressed to impress.

Why your business needs a mission statement

The mission statement ingredients sound all well and good, but why exactly is it important for you to adopt one? There are both inward and outward-facing reasons. Internally, it acts as a guiding statement to frame all of your strategic business decisions. It’s easy to reference every time you need a reminder of the values you embody as a company, or the vision you are pursuing. Furthermore, it becomes an important contributor to workplace morale, serving up a dose of inspiration every time your declared purpose starts fading behind administrative emails and fundraising campaigns. Those are the moments when you write your mission statement down on a little sticky note and post it on your computer screen.

Externally, this expression is a critical figure in the landscape of brand identity . Readers will associate your tone and register key words you select, and values you highlight with the larger persona of your company. The mission statement, then, communicates to outsiders who you are, and what you will do to guarantee quality business to your clients. In its concise form, its task is to explain how to foster a connection with the curious minds viewing its several sentences, and explain why yours should be the right business or organization for them to choose.

How to write a mission statement for your business in 5 steps

1. Ask yourself three fundamental questions

2. Hold a brainstorming session

3. Narrow down your choices

4. Refine your words into sentences

5. Review what you've written

01. Ask yourself three fundamental questions

What does your business do? How does it do it? And why? With the first question, evaluate your response through the lenses of your customers or beneficiaries, your employees, and - of course - yourself. When relevant, you can widen the perspectives to also define what your business does for your community, or even for the world. The exercise of answering these three questions will help you tease out your purpose, clarify the value you offer, and reconnect to your motivating passion.

02. Hold a brainstorming session

Either by yourself or with your team, throw around words and phrases that convey the answers you generated in the previous step. Of course, we know each of those questions could give way to an essay - sometimes even a book. Yet, here, brevity comes above all. Try instead for “snapshot words” that capture the sentiment of your business’ value and purpose. Don’t hold back here: All ideas are acceptable at this point, and you never know when a phrase that’s slightly off can spark the suggestion of the phrase that’s exactly right.

03. Narrow down your choices

Either through a group voting process or by soliciting the feedback of a few people you trust, whittle down the list you generated in step two. At the end of this step, you should emerge with a curated list of your favorite words and phrases that are fitting and truly reflect your brand.

04. Refine your words into sentences

Set aside a few hours, a quiet area, and put on your best ‘eureka moment’ playlist. It’s time to start massaging your list of chosen words and phrases into one to two complete sentences, keeping in mind all the key elements we reviewed earlier. Check in frequently with those four criteria to ensure you’re on the right track. Finally, remember to write in the present tense. This an active proclamation of what you do - not what you hope to do someday.

05. Review what you’ve written

The editing stage is best done with fresh eyes, after you’ve had some time away from your first draft. Notice points where you can tighten the phrasing, or make your wording even more precise. Run through potential future developments for your business. Will the statement you’re crafting now stand the test of time and an evolving business strategy? Take care to build some of this flexibility into your final version (without losing sight of the specificity, of course). Lastly, cut out the fluff. Big words that sound fancy but don’t add much value or clarity for your readers should be directed straight to the trash can. What survives your editing annotations will be the strong, durable, and exact material that quality missions statement examples are made of.

Where to display your mission statement

Once you have your mission statement polished and gleaming, it’s time to debut it to your colleagues and target audience . Find a place to print and proudly display it in your workplace so you and all of your team members can look to it as a source of guidance whenever a big decision is in front of you, or you need an inspirational boost.

Additionally, your new mission statement should appear across all of your marketing and promotional materials, from printed brochures to your beautiful website. Due to its short length, it also makes for an excellent bio lines on your social media channels. It’s a snappy answer to people’s initial question of ‘What is this?!’ after they stumble across your profile - and on the Internet, it’s important to keep information flowing fast to keep a web visitor’s attention engaged. Your mission statement makes your point quickly and succinctly, giving your online traffic a reason to stick around. Now, that’s good for business!

P.S. One little hint from us to you: Keep a note of all places where you feature your mission statement. In the event you update it, you will want to be able to make an easy sweep of your office and your online presence to implement the new edits across the board.

Get inspired by these mission statement examples

Enjoy some of these examples of great mission statements that have hit the ball out of the park with their bold precision:

Amp’d: “To provide people with limb loss/difference resources that allow them to live to their fullest potential.”

Southwest Airlines: The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.

Honest Tea: Honest Tea seeks to create and promote great-tasting, healthy, organic beverages. We strive to grow our business with the same honesty and integrity we use to craft our recipes, with sustainability and great taste for all.

S’well: It’s S’well’s ongoing mission to create products that are both beautiful and eco-friendly, that infuse innovation with inspiration, and that continue to give back to communities in need.

Girl Scouts of the United States of America: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

Snap Inc.: Snap Inc. is a camera company. We believe that reinventing the camera represents our greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. We contribute to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together.

The New York Times: We seek the truth and help people understand the world. This mission is rooted in our belief that great journalism has the power to make each reader’s life richer and more fulfilling, and all of society stronger and more just.

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When you’re first starting a business, writing a mission statement may seem like a challenge, but it can be pretty simple. Your mission statement is a critical component of your business plan . It articulates why you started your company and what you hope to achieve. And when written well, your mission statement serves as an invaluable marketing tool for your business.

In this article, we’ll show you how to craft an authentic mission statement that resonates with your customers, employees and business peers. Also, be sure to review our mission statement template infographic at the end of this guide — it will help you dive into the writing process with greater clarity and confidence.

What is a mission statement?

Your mission statement explains, briefly and concisely, the mission you first set out to accomplish when you started your business. Your mission statement should also make clear how you’re unique to your competition, hint at your business strategy, reflect your core values and ethics and take your universal or longer-term business goals into account.

If you’re starting a daycare , for instance, your mission might be to provide safe, flexible and affordable child care and children’s education for parents in your community. If you’re starting a wedding planning business , your mission may be to provide hands-on, personalized support to busy spouses-to-be who don’t have the bandwidth to deal with crazy wedding logistics. Your mission statement is simply a polished and cohesive version of your business's essential purpose.

You will usually feature your mission statement on your website in the “About” section or company overview section, and in job postings, marketing supplements and your business plan. It’s one of the business fundamentals that you’ll find will have many uses as you grow your business.

Why you need a mission statement

In his Ted Talk about effective leadership, Simon Sinek says that business leaders should be able to answer these questions: “What’s your purpose? What’s your cause? What’s your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care?”

When you encapsulate your answers in a cohesive mission statement, you tell everybody:

Who you are.

Why you matter.

What you stand for.

This is critical because your mission statement should affect every future business decision — from hiring your first employee to how your brand yourself. Every choice you make should align with your company’s core purpose and beliefs.

Now, let’s move on to the nuts and bolts of writing your mission statement. It will help you create a comprehensive business plan that will guide you in launching, running and growing your business.

How much do you need?

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We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the unique needs of your business.

Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you on the process moving forward.

How to write a mission statement in 5 steps

Now that you understand why a mission statement is essential, we’ll dive into the details about how to write a mission statement.

1. Free write about starting your company

Don’t expect to produce a polished and publishable mission statement as soon as you put pen to paper (or fingers to keys). To overcome any stress or writer's block, try “free writing” about your business instead.

As we’ve mentioned, your mission statement conveys your business’s “why.” What problem did you seek to solve when you started your business? Why was this particular problem important for you to take on? What inspired you to start your business? And how does your product or service solve that problem better than your competition does?

If you have or plan on hiring employees, touch on the vision of the working environment you aim to provide for them, as well. What kinds of people comprise your team, and how do they align with your business’s overall values?

At this stage, you’re simply gathering your thoughts and pointing yourself in the direction of a complete mission statement. The most important thing is to generate the raw material; you can hone and edit from there.

2. Explain what your company does

Next, you can get a little more granular and explain precisely what product or service your company provides, focusing on how your particular product or service offers value for your target customer. This explanation should touch on your broader mission and how your business differs from others like yours, either explicitly or implicitly. Keep this short, concise and specific.

For example, let’s take a look at our hypothetical wedding consultant example. If that’s you, you could write that you provide couples with wedding consulting and planning services, as well as day-of coordination. Personalize your services according to the couple’s particular needs and wishes. This thoughtful, bespoke level of service puts busy couples without the time or desire to handle planning and logistics at ease, so they can truly enjoy their big day.

3. Describe your ideal customer

Learning how to write a mission statement is a critical component of customer-facing marketing material; it must articulate who your business serves, why someone should choose to work with you, and what you can do for your customers.

Start by describing your ideal customer: What are their general demographics? What do their professional and personal lives look like? What problems or challenges are they facing? How do they find new businesses or products (i.e., Instagram, word of mouth, or another marketing tactic)? How do you want your customers to feel when they use your product or service?

On the flip side, you can consider the types of customers your business wouldn’t be best suited for. This is also known as creating a buyer persona, and it’ll help you hone in on who your target market is and how to fashion your mission statement so that it resonates with their particular needs and desires.

This probably won’t appear verbatim in your final mission statement, but it’ll help you hone in on what you do, why you do it and the unique value you bring to your customers’ lives.

4. Define your core values

Your mission statement should convey your business’s values and ethics as much as it does your literal product or service.

Let’s return to our daycare center owner example. Your business’s core values might:

Flexibility.

An accessible price point for parents with demanding or unusual working hours.

Providing children with a creative, nurturing and cooperative environment.

Specializing or focusing on a particular subject, such as art, music, or group projects.

This is as important for your customers to understand as it is for your current and prospective employees, as well as key stakeholders like lenders, investors and other owners. Those core values shape your company culture, offer your current employees both an ethical and goal-oriented guidepost and attract the right employees. You will also help lenders and investors understand your larger, longer-term goals (and why they should invest in your business).

5. Revise and condense your mission statement

We’ve noted that your mission statement should reflect your business’s purpose and goals and that you should be authentic — but don’t mistake your mission statement for an essay, op-ed, or journal entry. At its core, your mission statement is a marketing asset. That means it should be relatively short and concise.

Once you’ve written to your heart’s content, try to cut your statement down to a few paragraphs. Then, try to condense it even further so you can easily use this one- or two-liner in your marketing materials; think of this as the elevator pitch version of a more comprehensive mission statement.

Get some readers on board, too. If you have employees, run your mission statement by them to gauge their opinion (after all, this is as much for them as it is for you and your customers). Also, consider sharing your mission statement with your advisors and even trusted customers to ensure that your statement accurately portrays your business and reflects your long-term goals.

Mission statement examples

If reading about how to write a mission statement still leaves you feeling stuck or lost, you can always consult the brands you admire to get a sense of how they approached their statements. Typically, brands include their mission statements on the “About,” “Our Story” or “Our Mission” page of their websites.

Here are just a few mission statement examples we collected from successful brands. Note that some of these mission statement examples are longer than what we’ve included here, so if one resonates with you, we’d recommend heading directly to their website to read the full statement.

Glossier: “You have now entered a people-powered beauty ecosystem. Here you’ll find products inspired by the people who use them, along with people to be inspired by, and for you to inspire. Glossier was founded on the fact that beauty isn’t made in a boardroom — it happens when the individual is celebrated. Personal choice is the most important decision a brand can never make.”

Spotify: “With Spotify, it’s easy to find the right music or podcast for every moment — on your phone, your computer, your tablet and more. There are millions of tracks and episodes on Spotify. So whether you’re behind the wheel, working out, partying, or relaxing, the right music or podcast is always at your fingertips.”

Patagonia: “At Patagonia, we appreciate that all life on earth is under threat of extinction. We aim to use the resources we have — our business, our investments, our voice and our imaginations — to do something about it.”

SoulCycle: “Our mission is to bring Soul to the people. Our one-of-a-kind, rockstar instructors guide riders through an inspirational, meditative fitness experience that’s designed to benefit the body, mind and soul. Set in a dark candlelit room to high-energy music, our riders move in unison as a pack to the beat and follow the signature choreography of our instructors. The experience is tribal. It's primal. It's fun.”

Casper: “We believe sleep is the superpower that charges everything people do. We’ve spent years studying the magic and science of sleep. The more we learn, the more we’re sure: Great sleep changes everything. It makes us friendlier, faster, smarter… even warmer-and-fuzzier. If we all got great sleep, the world would be brighter.”

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The bottom line

In the beginning, you may be tempted to bump learning how to write a mission statement to the bottom of your very, very long starting-a-business checklist. But the very start of your venture is arguably the most auspicious time to write your mission statement. Right now, you’re deeply in touch with your business’s “why” — otherwise, you wouldn’t be putting in the hard work of starting your business at all. That motivating purpose underlies your mission statement.

As you grow and evolve, you’ll be grateful that you took the time to put that passion and energy into words. Use it as a kind of ethical guidepost as you and your team face increasingly challenging decisions over your business’s lifetime. Plus, your mission statement will be an essential marketing tool that you’ll use both to draw in potential customers and employees.

And keep in mind that your mission statement isn’t an essay — it should be the opposite. Your finished mission statement should be a few paragraphs at most. As you get to work drafting your mission statement, be sure to craft an authentic and memorable story about your company.

This article originally appeared on JustBusiness, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.

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10 Questions to Answer When Writing Your Mission Statement Read this to see what your mission statement should address and how to put it all together.

By Teresa Ciulla Feb 3, 2015

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In their book Start Your Own Business , the staff of Entrepreneur Media Inc. guides you through the critical steps to starting your business, then supports you in surviving the first three years as a business owner. In this edited excerpt, the authors explain the importance of your mission statement and offer guidelines that will help you write one for your new business.

When you're creating a business plan for your new business, you need to include a mission statement. A key tool that can be as important as your business plan, a mission statement captures, in a few succinct sentences, the essence of your business's goals and the philosophies underlying them. Equally important, the mission statement signals what your business is all about to your customers, employees, suppliers and the community.

The mission statement reflects every facet of your business: the range and nature of the products you offer, pricing, quality, service, marketplace position, growth potential, use of technology, and your relationships with your customers, employees, suppliers, competitors and the community.

Your mission statement should reflect your business's special niche. Studying other companies' statements can fuel your creativity. Consider the statement one entrepreneur developed for her consulting business: "ABC Enterprises is a company devoted to developing human potential. Our mission is to help people create innovative solutions and make informed choices to improve their lives. We motivate and encourage others to achieve personal and professional fulfillment. Our motto is: Together, we believe that the best in each of us enriches all of us."

To come up with a statement that encompasses all the major elements of your business, start with the right questions. Answering the following 10 questions will help you create a verbal picture of your business's mission:

1. Why are you in business? What do you want for yourself, your family and your customers? Think about the spark that ignited your decision to start a business. What will keep it burning?

2. Who are your customers? What can you do for them that will enrich their lives and contribute to their success—now and in the future?

3. What image of your business do you want to convey? Customers, suppliers, employees and the public will all have perceptions of your company. How will you create the desired picture?

4. What is the nature of your products and services? What factors determine pricing and quality? Consider how these relate to the reasons for your business's existence. How will all this change over time?

5. What level of service do you provide? Most companies believe they offer "the best service available," but do your customers agree? Don't be vague; define what makes your service so extraordinary.

6. What roles do you and your employees play? Wise captains develop a leadership style that organizes, challenges and recognizes employees.

7. What kind of relationships will you maintain with suppliers? Every business is in partnership with its suppliers. When you succeed, so do they.

8. How do you differ from competitors? Many entrepreneurs forget they're pursuing the same dollars as their competitors. What do you do better, cheaper or faster than competitors? How can you use competitors' weaknesses to your advantage?

9. How will you use technology, capital, processes, products, and services to reach your goals? A description of your strategy will keep your energies focused on your goals.

10. What underlying philosophies or values guided your responses to the previous questions? Some businesses choose to list these separately. Writing them down clarifies the "why" behind your mission.

Putting It All Together

Here are some tips to make your mission statement the best it can be:

Involve those connected to your business. Even if you're a sole proprietor, it helps to get at least one other person's ideas for your mission statement. Other people can help you see strengths, weaknesses and voids you might miss. If you have no partners or investors to include, consider knowledgeable family members and close friends, employees or accountants. Choose supportive people who truly want you to succeed.

Set aside several hours—a full day, if possible—to work on your statement. Mission statements are short—typically more than one sentence but rarely exceeding a page. Still, writing one isn't a short process. It takes time to come up with language that simultaneously describes an organization's heart and soul and serves as an inspirational beacon to everyone involved in the business.

Plan a date. Set aside time to meet with the people who'll be helping you. Write a list of topics to discuss or think about. Find a quiet, comfortable place away from phones and interruptions.

Start smart. Explain the meaning and purpose of a mission statement before you begin—not everyone will automatically know what they're all about.

Brainstorm. Consider every idea, no matter how silly it sounds. Stimulate ideas by looking at sample mission statements and thinking about or discussing the ten questions noted above. If you're working with a group, use a flip chart to record responses so everyone can see them. Once you've finished brainstorming, ask everyone to write individual mission statements for your business. Read the statements, select the best pieces, and fit them together.

Use "radiant words." Once you have the basic idea in writing, polish the language of your mission statement. Your statement should create dynamic mental visuals and inspire action. Use offbeat, colorful verbs and adjectives to spice up your statement. Don't hesitate to drop in words like "kaleidoscope," "sizzle," "cheer," "outrageous" and "marvel" to add zest. If you want customers to boast about your goods and services, say so—along with the reasons why.

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Mission Statement for Business Plan

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on Mission Statement for Business Plan. Here, we delve into the importance of a compelling mission statement in your business plan, explore exemplary real-world examples, provide a step-by-step process for crafting your own, and share essential tips to avoid common mistakes. Let’s embark on this journey to articulate your business’s core purpose and guide its strategic planning.

What is an Example of Mission Statement for Business Plan?

A mission statement for a business plan articulates the company’s core purpose and direction. Here’s an example:

“ABC Tech strives to make innovative technology accessible for businesses of all sizes, empowering them to optimize operations, enhance productivity, and drive growth. Our mission is to provide high-quality, user-friendly solutions that address our clients’ unique needs and help them navigate the digital landscape with confidence and ease.”

This mission statement clearly outlines the company’s purpose (making innovative technology accessible), their target audience (businesses of all sizes), their value proposition (high-quality, user-friendly solutions), and their desired impact (empowering clients to optimize operations and drive growth).

Mission Statement Examples for Generic Business Plan

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Crafting solutions for diverse needs, creating positive impact and driving business growth through innovation and integrity.

• Our mission is to empower businesses with tailor-made solutions, driving growth and sustainability in a dynamic market.
• Committed to fostering a culture of excellence, our aim is to deliver unmatched value to our clients and stakeholders.
• Aiming to create innovative products and services that leave a lasting positive impact on society and the environment.
• Our mission is to be a catalyst for positive change, revolutionizing industries through creativity and cutting-edge technology.
• Striving to be the trusted partner that sets new standards in reliability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
• Passionate about creating a company culture that promotes diversity, collaboration, and a passion for excellence.
• Dedicated to empowering businesses with strategic insights, innovative approaches, and customer-centric solutions.
• Our mission is to be the driving force behind our clients’ success, anticipating market trends and exceeding expectations.
• Aiming to foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and ethical business practices.
• Committed to making a meaningful difference through our commitment to corporate social responsibility.

Mission Statement Examples for Food Business Plan

Serving culinary delights that ignite taste buds and create lasting memories, celebrating the power of food to unite people and cultures.

• Our mission is to delight customers with diverse culinary experiences that tantalize taste buds and create lasting memories.
• Aiming to celebrate food’s power to bring people together and promote cultural appreciation through our flavorful offerings.
• Striving to be a culinary destination known for our dedication to quality, sustainability, and customer satisfaction.
• Committed to using locally sourced ingredients, supporting communities, and promoting environmentally responsible practices.
• Our mission is to be the go-to choice for food enthusiasts seeking authentic flavors and extraordinary dining experiences.
• Passionate about crafting dishes that not only taste delicious but also promote health and well-being.
• Dedicated to promoting food education, fostering a love for culinary arts, and inspiring the next generation of chefs.
• Our mission is to make every meal a moment of joy, enriching lives through our delectable culinary creations.
• Aiming to be the culinary innovator, constantly exploring new tastes, techniques, and culinary traditions.
• Committed to catering to diverse dietary preferences, ensuring everyone can enjoy our delicious offerings.

Mission Statement Examples for Bakery Business Plan

Creating confections that evoke cherished memories, being the neighborhood bakery that feels like home, crafting treats with love and passion.

• Our mission is to create delightful confections that evoke cherished memories and spread happiness one treat at a time.
• Aiming to be the heart of our community, where locals find comfort, joy, and a sense of belonging.
• Striving to use high-quality ingredients, crafting baked goods that taste as good as they look.
• Committed to delivering confections made with love and attention to detail, leaving customers craving more.
• Our mission is to be the bakery known for combining tradition and innovation, celebrating the art of baking.

Mission Statement Examples for Corporate Business Plan

Driving corporate excellence with ethics, customer-centricity, and environmental responsibility, fostering a culture of inclusivity and employee growth.

• Driving corporate excellence through a commitment to ethical practices, employee development, and customer-centricity.
• Our mission is to be the preferred partner, providing innovative solutions that shape our clients’ success.
• Aiming to lead by example, demonstrating that corporate success can coexist with social and environmental responsibility.
• Committed to transparency, integrity, and accountability, earning the trust and loyalty of all stakeholders.
• Our mission is to be a corporate leader that sets new benchmarks for industry best practices and innovation.
• Striving to foster an inclusive and collaborative corporate culture that values diversity and encourages creativity.
• Passionate about making a positive impact in the communities where we operate, giving back and uplifting lives.
• Dedicated to empowering employees, nurturing their growth, and providing a fulfilling and rewarding work environment.
• Our mission is to be a force for positive change, actively contributing to a more sustainable and equitable world.
• Aiming to be the corporate brand synonymous with excellence, integrity, and positive social impact.

Mission Statement Examples for Laundry Business Plan

Making laundry effortless and eco-friendly, providing quality services that surpass customer expectations, striving to be the trusted choice for laundry solutions.

• Our mission is to simplify and streamline laundry services, making life easier and freeing up valuable time for our customers.
• Aiming to provide top-quality laundry services that cater to busy lifestyles, offering convenience without compromising quality.
• Striving to be the laundry service that goes above and beyond, ensuring customer satisfaction with every load.
• Committed to eco-friendly laundry practices, reducing our carbon footprint while providing exceptional services.
• Our mission is to be the trusted laundry partner, providing efficient and reliable solutions for all laundry needs.
• Passionate about delivering laundry services that stand out for their attention to detail and commitment to excellence.
• Dedicated to creating a seamless and enjoyable laundry experience, with easy-to-use platforms and friendly customer support.
• Our mission is to give back time to our customers, letting them focus on what truly matters while we take care of laundry.
• Aiming to be the laundry service that customers can depend on, always delivering quality results and timely service.
• Committed to continuous improvement, exploring innovative technologies and practices to enhance our laundry services.

Personal Mission Statement Examples for Business Plan

Empowering individuals and enhancing lives, leading with integrity, empathy, and a commitment to positive change, building a legacy that inspires others. See more Personal mission statement examples .

• My mission is to create a business that empowers others to pursue their dreams and achieve their full potential.
• Aiming to lead with integrity, authenticity, and compassion, making a positive impact in the lives of my customers and employees.
• Striving to build a business that aligns with my values and brings out the best in everyone it touches.
• Committed to being a force for good, using my skills and resources to make a meaningful difference in the world.
• My mission is to inspire others to discover their passion, take risks, and embrace the journey of entrepreneurship.
• Aiming to create a business that values work-life balance, nurturing a supportive and collaborative work environment.
• Striving to be a role model for innovation and creativity, setting an example of fearlessness and perseverance.
• Committed to building a legacy that leaves a positive and lasting impact on future generations.
• My mission is to build a business that promotes inclusivity, diversity, and equal opportunities for all.
• Aiming to be a leader who leads with empathy, compassion, and a dedication to continuous learning and growth.

Mission Statement Examples for Financial Business Plan

Empowering clients to secure their financial future with personalized strategies, delivering financial expertise that transforms lives and drives prosperity.

• Our mission is to be the financial partner that helps clients achieve their dreams and secure their financial future.
• Aiming to be a trusted source of financial expertise, guiding clients through life’s financial milestones with confidence.
• Striving to be a reliable and transparent financial advisor, prioritizing the best interests of our clients.
• Committed to delivering tailored financial solutions that address individual needs and aspirations.
• Our mission is to empower clients with financial knowledge and resources, paving the way for financial independence.

Mission Statement Examples for Investment Business Plan

Maximizing wealth and minimizing risks through strategic investment solutions, navigating the investment landscape with foresight and expertise.

• Maximizing wealth and minimizing risks for our clients through strategic investment solutions and expert guidance.
• Aiming to be the investment partner that leads clients towards a secure and prosperous financial future.
• Striving to set new benchmarks in investment performance, focusing on long-term value and sustainable growth.
• Committed to navigating the investment landscape with foresight and market expertise.
• Our mission is to be a catalyst for financial success, guiding clients towards their investment goals.

Mission Statement Examples for Product Business Plan

Innovating products that enrich lives, address needs, and inspire creativity, setting new standards with user-centric product offerings.

• Our mission is to be the driving force behind products that enhance lives, address needs, and spark creativity.
• Aiming to create a diverse range of products that cater to a wide range of customer preferences.
• Striving to set new standards in product innovation, design, and functionality.
• Committed to delivering products that exceed customer expectations and inspire loyalty.
• Our mission is to make a positive impact in every product we offer, fostering a loyal customer base.

Mission Statement Examples for Restaurant Business Plan

Creating culinary experiences that delight the senses and create lasting memories, being a destination for food enthusiasts seeking unique dining experiences. See Restaurant mission statement examples

• Creating culinary experiences that delight the senses and create lasting memories for our valued customers.
• Aiming to be the restaurant of choice for food enthusiasts seeking exceptional flavors and unique dining experiences.
• Striving to elevate the dining experience through culinary innovation and personalized service.
• Committed to serving exceptional food with genuine warmth and hospitality.
• Our mission is to be the culinary destination that celebrates diverse flavors and cultures.

Mission Statement Examples for Hotel Business Plan

Providing exceptional hospitality, comfort, and unparalleled experiences, creating a sanctuary of relaxation, style, and top-tier amenities.

• Providing exceptional hospitality, comfort, and memorable experiences for our valued guests.
• Aiming to be the preferred choice for travelers seeking luxurious accommodations and top-tier amenities.
• Striving to create a sanctuary of relaxation and style, making every stay extraordinary.
• Committed to delivering unparalleled service and personalized experiences for each guest.
• Our mission is to be the hotel that guests return to for exceptional hospitality and memorable experiences.

Mission Statement Examples for Construction Business Plan

Building a better world through innovative solutions and sustainable practices, delivering structures that stand as testaments to quality and craftsmanship.

• Building a better world through innovative construction solutions, sustainable practices, and top-notch craftsmanship.
• Aiming to be the construction partner that brings clients’ visions to life, ensuring quality and excellence in every project.
• Striving to set new standards in construction safety, efficiency, and project management.
• Committed to delivering structures that stand as testaments to quality, durability, and aesthetic appeal.
• Our mission is to be a force for positive change in the construction industry, promoting sustainability and innovation.

Mission Statement Examples for Retail Business Plan

Empowering customers through top-quality products and unmatched service, setting new retail trends while preserving personalized care.

• Empowering customers through top-quality products, exceptional service, and an unforgettable shopping experience.
• Aiming to be the go-to destination for unique and diverse products that cater to various tastes and preferences.
• Striving to set new retail trends, combining traditional values with modern innovations.
• Committed to fostering customer loyalty and building lasting relationships through outstanding service.
• Our mission is to be the retail brand that customers trust and turn to for their shopping needs.

Mission Statement Examples for Online eCommerce Business Plan

Making online shopping a pleasure with diverse products and efficient delivery, redefining the eCommerce experience with a user-friendly platform.

• Making online shopping a pleasure by offering a diverse range of products, seamless user experience, and efficient delivery.
• Aiming to redefine the eCommerce experience through a user-friendly platform and exceptional customer service.
• Striving to be the eCommerce leader, offering convenience, value, and a wide selection of products.
• Committed to exceeding customer expectations with prompt delivery and unparalleled customer support.
• Our mission is to be the ultimate online marketplace that caters to every need and desire.

Mission Statement Examples for Startup Business Plan

Revolutionizing industries with innovative solutions and agile practices, nurturing innovation and creativity in a culture of entrepreneurship.

• Revolutionizing industries with innovative solutions, fostering a culture of creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurship.
• Aiming to be the catalyst for groundbreaking ideas, transforming them into successful and impactful ventures.
• Striving to set new standards in business agility, adaptability, and forward-thinking.
• Committed to nurturing innovation and creating a supportive ecosystem for startups to thrive.
• Our mission is to be the go-to incubator for entrepreneurial visionaries, empowering them to shape the future.

Simple Mission Statement Examples for Business Plan

Making life better through products and services, delivering excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction, creating value through ethical practices.

• Making life better through products and services that deliver excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
• Aiming to create value for all stakeholders through ethical practices and sustainable business approaches.
• Striving to be the trusted brand that people turn to first for their needs and aspirations.
• Committed to making a positive impact in every aspect of our business, from product design to customer support.
• Our mission is to embody simplicity in our operations, products, and interactions with customers.

Mission Statement Examples for Marketing Business Plan

Empowering businesses to thrive with strategic marketing solutions and brand building, setting new standards in creativity, ROI, and customer engagement.

• Empowering businesses to thrive through strategic marketing solutions, brand building, and customer engagement.
• Aiming to be the marketing partner that elevates brands and drives growth through creative and data-driven campaigns.
• Striving to set new standards in marketing effectiveness, ROI, and customer-centric strategies.
• Committed to cultivating long-term relationships with clients, understanding their unique needs and goals.
• Our mission is to be the catalyst for brand success, building lasting connections between brands and their audience.

Mission Statement Examples for Coffee Shop Business Plan

Crafting coffee experiences that awaken the senses and foster community, serving exceptional coffee with warmth and enthusiasm.

• Crafting coffee experiences that awaken the senses and foster a sense of community among coffee enthusiasts.
• Aiming to serve exceptional coffee with genuine warmth, creating a welcoming space for coffee lovers.
• Striving to be the go-to destination for quality coffee and moments of relaxation.
• Committed to promoting sustainability by sourcing ethical and locally roasted coffee beans.
• Our mission is to be the coffee shop that enriches lives, one cup of coffee at a time.

Mission Statement Examples for Salon Business Plan

Enhancing beauty and well-being with top-notch services and personalized care, striving to be the go-to destination for beauty needs.

• Enhancing beauty and well-being with top-notch services and personalized care for every customer.
• Aiming to be the go-to salon for exceptional hair and beauty services, nurturing self-confidence and inner beauty.
• Striving to create a welcoming and relaxing environment, making every salon visit a rejuvenating experience.
• Committed to continuous learning and staying updated with the latest beauty trends and techniques.
• Our mission is to be the salon that empowers customers to look and feel their best, inside and out.

Importance of a Mission Statement in a Business Plan

A well-crafted mission statement plays a crucial role in a business plan, providing direction and purpose for the entire organization. It serves as a guiding light, aligning the company’s actions with its core values and goals. Here’s why a mission statement is vital for a successful business plan:

1. Defines Purpose and Identity: A mission statement succinctly outlines the company’s purpose, values, and long-term vision, giving it a unique identity. 2. Guides Decision-Making: It acts as a compass, helping leaders make strategic decisions that align with the company’s mission. 3. Sets Direction: The mission statement establishes clear goals and objectives, guiding the company towards growth and success. 4. Inspires Stakeholders: A well-crafted mission statement inspires employees, investors, and customers, fostering loyalty and trust. 5. Enhances Brand Perception: A strong mission statement enhances the company’s reputation and brand perception in the market. 6. Attracts Top Talent: It serves as a powerful tool to attract and retain top talent who align with the company’s mission and values. 7. Facilitates Resource Allocation: The mission statement aids in allocating resources effectively, maximizing efficiency and productivity. 8. Measures Success: It provides a benchmark to measure the company’s progress and success over time.

9+an Effective Mission Statement for Business Plan

Crafting an effective mission statement requires thoughtful consideration and strategic planning. A compelling mission statement should be concise, inspiring, and reflective of the company’s core values and purpose. Here are the steps to write an impactful mission statement:

1. Understand Your Purpose:

Define the company’s purpose, values, and long-term vision, and identify its unique selling proposition.

2. Keep It Concise:

Aim for simplicity and brevity, ensuring the mission statement is easy to remember and understand.

3. Reflect Company Values:

Align the mission statement with the company’s core values and culture.

4. Consider Stakeholders:

Take into account the interests of customers, employees, investors, and the community.

5. Avoid Jargon:

Use clear and straightforward language to make the mission statement accessible to all.

6. Be Inspirational:

Infuse the mission statement with a sense of purpose and inspiration to motivate stakeholders.

7. Test and Refine:

Gather feedback from key stakeholders and refine the statement to ensure its effectiveness.

8. Stay True to the Brand:

Ensure the mission statement reflects the brand’s identity and communicates its unique value.

Fitting the Mission Statement Seamlessly into Your Business Plan

Integrating the mission statement seamlessly into the business plan is essential to ensure a cohesive and purpose-driven strategy. Here are the key steps to fitting the mission statement into your business plan:

• Introduction: Start the business plan with a brief introduction, highlighting the company’s mission and its importance.
• Mission Statement Placement: Place the mission statement prominently in the executive summary or introduction section.
• Alignment with Goals: Ensure that all business goals and objectives align with the mission statement.
• Strategic Initiatives: Outline specific strategic initiatives that support and fulfill the mission statement.
• Employee Engagement: Emphasize the importance of the mission statement in employee engagement and motivation.
• Market Positioning: Position the company in the market based on the mission statement and unique value proposition.
• Customer Experience: Highlight how the mission statement influences the customer experience and drives loyalty.
• Regular Refinement: Commit to regularly reviewing and refining the mission statement to keep it relevant and impactful.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Mission Statement for Your Business Plan

Crafting a mission statement requires precision and clarity. To ensure its effectiveness, avoid these common mistakes:

• Lack of Clarity: Avoid vague language and unclear statements that don’t communicate the company’s purpose clearly.
• Being Too Generic: A mission statement should be unique to the company and not sound generic or clichéd.
• Overcomplicating: Keep the mission statement concise and straightforward, avoiding unnecessary complexity.
• Neglecting Stakeholders: Consider the interests of all stakeholders while writing the mission statement.
• Ignoring Values: Ensure that the mission statement reflects the company’s core values and principles.
• No Emotional Connection: Craft a mission statement that emotionally resonates with employees and customers.
• Inconsistent Messaging: Align the mission statement with the overall brand message to maintain consistency.
• Lack of Relevance: Ensure the mission statement reflects the current market landscape and business goals.

Revising and Updating Your Business Plan’s Mission Statement

A mission statement should evolve alongside the company’s growth and changes in the market. Here’s how to revise and update your mission statement effectively:

• Regular Evaluation: Periodically assess the mission statement’s alignment with the company’s goals and values.
• Gather Feedback: Seek input from key stakeholders, including employees, customers, and investors.
• Stay Relevant: Update the mission statement to reflect changing market trends and customer needs.
• Capture Growth Aspirations: Revise the mission statement to encompass the company’s future growth plans.
• Refine Language: Reframe the statement using clear and impactful language to strengthen its messaging.
• Ensure Consistency: Confirm that the updated mission statement aligns with the overall business strategy.
• Internal Communication: Communicate the revised mission statement to all employees to ensure a unified vision.
• Celebrate Milestones: Use milestone achievements as opportunities to revise and refine the mission statement.

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Saudi Arabia is on a high-stakes mission to buy the world

• Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is going global.
• The sovereign wealth fund is investing in everything from Uber and Blackstone to Heathrow and LIV Golf.
• The verdict is out on just how successful it will be in its global investment spree.

In the months before Mohammed bin Salman celebrated his 30th birthday nearly a decade ago, the yet-to-be anointed Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was gifted a vital key to unlocking the kingdom's future: full purview of its Public Investment Fund.

Back in 2015, MBS became chairman of the sovereign wealth fund established in 1971 by a former king at a time when it was ready to be transformed. A slow-moving cog of the state no more, PIF was ready to become an investment juggernaut with global presence.

It's a task the fast-rising royal hasn't shied away from. PIF, officially led by governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, has been stepping up its mission to invest in high-profile assets globally in recent years to help fulfill its mission of reducing Saudi Arabia's economic dependence on oil.

That mission, a fundamental part of an ambitious program called Vision 2030 that MBS is in charge of, depends in part on how successful the PIF is in generating returns from its big bets overseas — and leveraging those bets to build hot new industries at home.

"MBS' personal ambition is very much to make Saudi Arabia a highly visible and internationally respected post-oil economy," Steffen Hertog, associate professor at the London School of Economics, told Business Insider. "The PIF is by far his most important vehicle in this endeavor."

But as PIF spreads its wings, it is becoming increasingly unclear as to just how successful it stands to be beyond the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia goes global

A look at the PIF's portfolio presents a show reel of some of the most prolific names in global business.

In the tech sector, it has pumped $3.5 billion into Uber , poured $45 billion into SoftBank's Vision Fund, taken a 60% stake in Tesla rival Lucid, and become majority owner of augmented reality startup Magic Leap.

Beyond that, it has pumped billions of dollars into LIV Golf , led a $415 million takeover of Newcastle United, backed up a Blackstone infrastructure fund with $20 billion and invested in Carnival, the world's biggest cruise operator. In June, PIF expanded its stake in London's Heathrow Airport.

Figures published in July by GlobalSWF , a data firm tracking sovereign-wealth-fund activity, found that PIF deployed more capital in the first half of 2024 than all other state-owned investors, which collectively invested close to $100 billion in the six-month period.

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According to LSE's Hertog, PIF's attraction to high-profile brands isn't just about making itself more visible to the West. "These for the most part are corporates active in sectors that the PIF and MBS see as key for Saudi Arabia's domestic economic diversification."

To make these deals happen, the kingdom has been busy doing a lot of courting.

In February, it backed a two-day conference in Miami, where the likes of Blackstone leader Stephen Schwarzman and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were billed as speakers. In October, the kingdom will be prepared for the global elite to descend on capital city Riyadh for its " Davos in the desert " investment conference​​.

The event, which has previously attracted the likes of JP Morgan and BlackRock CEOs Jamie Dimon and Larry Fink , has proven controversial in the past. MBS's alleged role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, which he denies having involvement in, gave some dealmakers pause for thought.

That said, the world's corporate elite appear to be looking past the incident as time passes — something the Saudis seem to be aware of. This year's theme, "Infinite Horizons," offers a nod to the global scope it has in mind for its future.

For global companies, fund managers, and bankers, Saudi Arabia's wealth has been a big draw at a critical time. While other investors have exercised caution in the face of a higher interest rate environment, the kingdom has kept its money flowing.

That's partly because the fund has set a target of $2 trillion in assets under management by the end of the decade, and is racing against the clock to meet the deadline for its ambitious Vision 2030 program.

Saudi Arabia also finds itself l ocked in a tense rivalry with other economic powerhouses in the region such as the United Arab Emirates, where funds such as Mubadala and G42 have been busy securing their own big international deals . Bragging rights are on the table.

Risky high-stakes game

However, while the Saudis prepare to continue flashing their cash abroad, the PIF faces some risks.

For one, the fund has had to learn the hard reality of going big, as a number of its high-profile investments overseas have struggled financially. Earlier this month, for instance, PIF had to plug a funding gap for Lucid by pumping in an extra $1.5 billion.

The electric vehicle maker first raised more than $1 billion from the Saudis in 2018 after PIF's talks with Elon Musk to take Tesla private fell through , but has struggled with a high burn rate and waning demand for EVs.

PIF has also had to backstop another company. According to filings released in the UK this month, the fund has put $750 million into Magic Leap since the start of 2023, as the company struggles to take its immersive reality headsets mainstream.

For Hertog, though companies like Lucid have "fallen on hard times" — and other bets from PIF on the likes of the SoftBank Vision Fund have "indeed not done well" — it is still too early to say how the overall performance will turn out. The fund did swing to an annual profit in 2023 following an $11 billion loss the previous year, Bloomberg reported, though many bets are still in their early days.

"There are inherent risks in investing in new sectors so what matters is not individual failures but the performance of the whole portfolio," Hertog said.

PIF's tanglings with political figures are also raising concerns. Donald Trump's son-in-law Kushner, who started private equity firm Affinity Partners in 2021, received a $2 billion commitment from PIF for its debut fund, with that commitment now facing an investigation by Senate Finance Committee chair Sen. Ron Wyden.

In a letter published in June , the senator raised concerns that PIF and other Middle Eastern funds were "using payments to Affinity executives as a means to influence Kushner and other politically powerful individuals."

For Abdullah Alaoudh, a director at the Middle East Democracy Center, it seems clear that buying "a lot of influence" — or "whitewashing" as he puts it — is a key part of the fund's dealmaking overseas. If potential partners can gloss over some of its more controversial activities, such as the Kingdom's war in Yemen , it'll have an easier time seeing deals through.

As Hertog notes, it's worth remembering that PIF's main priority remains its domestic portfolio. "While some domestic investments have been pruned, the fund's main ambition is domestic diversification," he said.

Still, Saudi Arabia seems intent on making its mark on the global stage through the PIF. The world will be keeping watch.

The PIF did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

Watch: Photos show Elon Musk hanging out with Jared Kushner at the World Cup final

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U.S. Unveils Price Limits for 10 Costly or Common Medications

The Biden administration said it would have saved $6 billion had the new prices been in effect last year.

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By Noah Weiland and Rebecca Robbins

Noah Weiland covers federal health policy, and Rebecca Robbins covers the pharmaceutical industry.

The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled the results of landmark drug price negotiations between Medicare and pharmaceutical companies, allowing President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to cast themselves as confronting the drug industry on behalf of older Americans at a critical moment in the presidential campaign.

The negotiated prices, which take effect in 2026, are expected to save billions of dollars for Medicare, which is funded by taxpayers. But they will lead to direct out-of-pocket savings for only a subset of the millions of older Americans who take the drugs subject to negotiations.

Other provisions of the law that created the drug negotiation program, such as capping patients’ expenses for insulin and their yearly out-of-pocket drug costs, will do more to save older Americans money at the pharmacy counter.

The 10 drugs subject to negotiations include widely used blood thinners and arthritis medications. Had the new prices been in effect last year, administration officials said, Medicare would have saved $6 billion, which would have reduced its spending on those drugs by 22 percent.

“This is a fight all of us have been fighting for a long time: taking on Big Pharma,” Mr. Biden said at an event in Maryland celebrating the announcement, where he and Ms. Harris had their first joint public appearance since she took over the Democratic presidential ticket.

The negotiations, a longtime aspiration of Democrats, are the first that the federal government has directly conducted with drugmakers on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries. Mr. Biden on Thursday recalled working on legislation as a senator in the 1970s that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate prices directly.

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Know your mission statement: three tips leaders can use to instill purpose.

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Dr. Mary Mason is the CEO and founder of Little Medical School .

Almost 30 years ago, I stood up with my fellow medical students at my medical school graduation and recited the Hippocratic Oath. While the words of this historic oath have been updated and modernized since first enacted in 400 BC , the meaning and intent are the same. It outlines the mission of the practice of medicine and how ethics and professionalism should be embraced by all physicians when interacting with patients. I wonder if the famous Greek physician Hippocrates knew thousands of years ago that not only would he become the "father of Western medicine," but he was also laying the groundwork for adopting business mission statements.

Like all other medical school graduates with a diploma, I knew my mission: I was to take care of my customer— the patient—do no harm and ensure I used my knowledge professionally and ethically for the best possible outcome. That mission has been the same since the day I received my degree and has never changed or wavered. In contrast, new and old employees often need to learn the organization's mission statement in the business world.

PwC’s strategy consulting business, Strategy&, conducted a survey of more than 540 employees worldwide and found that only 28% of respondents felt fully connected to their company's purpose. Only 39% said they could see the value they created, while only 34% thought they strongly contributed to their company's success. Unsurprisingly, many employees today feel unmotivated and disengaged, leading to " quiet quitting ."

You need to understand the purpose of your work and how it fits into your company's overall mission to be excited about coming to work every day and making meaningful contributions. Switching back to the medical world, would you want a physician who needed to understand that their purpose was to use their knowledge and skills to ensure that the patient received high-quality care delivered ethically and professionally? Of course not. So why should we settle in the business world for employees who are just present and are not connected to the "why we do what we do" of the company?

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Often organizations rely on the human resources department to educate employees on the company's mission statement. Unfortunately, this often becomes a "check the box" exercise, where the mission is covered on one or two PowerPoint slides on orientation day between reviewing the organizational structure and signing up for health insurance. No wonder most employees are in the dark about their company's mission and often think making money is the only objective and true mark of success.

Here are some simple ways to make your mission statement more top of mind for employees in their everyday work.

1. Start at the top.

Because you are a senior executive, you may still need to learn your company's mission statement and how it fits into your accountable areas. Workshops and educational exercises for leadership around mission statements are a great way to get everyone—both new and more seasoned executives—on the same page. Then, have those executives conduct the same exercise with their teams.

2. Follow up.

Onboarding and new employee orientation often consist of one or two days of informational overload. Schedule a follow-up day or check-in a few weeks after they have settled in and have learned the ropes of their new position. That is a great time to come back and review the mission statement and have them make the connection between how their assigned task and objectives are supporting the overall goals and success of the company.

3. Make the mission statement visible.

Finding the mission statement for some companies is like a scavenger hunt. It's not on the website or the walls of the boardroom or cafeteria. It may be buried in the employee manual or the company's internet. Boldly remind employees why they come to work daily by displaying the company mission in the break rooms, conference rooms or cafeteria. Every company-wide meeting should start with the mission statement and examples of how strategic initiatives and actions of the company support it.

While we most likely will not have employees recite a Hippocratic-like company oath when they finish their training, forgetting to reinforce and prioritize the company mission statement is a critical mistake in today's business work. Take a lesson from the physician playbook and make it a company mandate that every employee knows the mission and can connect it to their work. In my experience, this simple act can set your company up for great success.

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