>>>What’s your mission?
Hi there
Tell me, what do the following statements have in common?
To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy: Tesla
Providing healthy food options without the waste: The Source Bulk Foods
Better food for the people: Chobani
To organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful: Google
To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you’re an athlete: Nike
To empower women solopreneurs to streamline their systems and look after themselves so their business thrives: Jo-Anne Grist; Holistic Business Coach
Yes, they are all mission statements by some of today’s most inspiring and successful businesses, including one particularly special one - yes, my own!
The concept of a mission statement is often overlooked in small business. In the day to day general busyness of business, often the less ‘practical’ and pressing concerns are relegated lower and lower down the priority list.
I work with women solopreneurs to streamline their 6 figure businesses to work strategically to scale a profitable, lifestyle business. However, without a clear and compelling vision, it's virtually impossible to move past the overwhelm of juggling far too many roles, of being everything to everyone.
Clarity around your mission will drive every single aspect of your business. You mission gives direction about who you are as a solopreneur and why, as well as your desired outcomes.
Often, they define your audience (for example, according to their mission, Nike works with athletes of all persuasions) and help define your goals and strategy.
A well-conceived mission is as essential to your business growth and sustainability as your actual products and services. You see, having clarity about your business will enable essential streamlining of your systems and processes to free up your time and allow you to strategically move your business forward.
The terms vision and mission are often used interchangeably; there is a significant difference between the two. A vision details what the business would like to achieve in a future time, whilst a mission outlines the steps and actions required to achieve that vision. Thus, a mission is much more action-based and purpose-driven.
My coaching services are centred on a reset and review of my clients’ business model, systems and processes - these are the ‘actions’ that drive a business forward. They are the blueprint for a person to ‘remove’ themselves from the minutiae of their business and work in their genius zone through streamlining their systems.
A mission creates boundaries and focus. No doubt you’ve heard of shiny object syndrome, where an entrepreneur flits from activity to activity, tactic to tactic, in a well-intentioned but ill-informed and ultimately futile attempt to grow their business.
The problem with chasing shiny objects or following whatever process seems to be popular on Instagram is that sometimes tactics are at odds with your broader mission.
Your mission will give focus to your energy, your tactics and activities and gives you a baseline or a framework to make decisions against as you evaluate implementing new strategies in your business. It gives you the framework to streamline your processes and systems effectively and strategically to drive and scale your business.
People buy from people they like, know and trust. A mission that’s evocative of both your values and the value your business brings builds that connection between yourself as a solopreneur and the people you want to serve.
Like anything that cuts to the core of your passion and purpose, a Mission Statement isn’t always easy to create.
It requires deep thinking and questioning about everything you do in your business, and why.
It requires clarity and perspective, yet when we are so close to our work, it’s difficult to have that distance in order to see the forest for the trees, or the mission from the vision, so to speak. For support in defining your business mission, please contact me.
To your success…
