Writing a Mission Statement

One of the hardest things for people to write in a business plan is the mission statement. Mission statements can tell a lot about your business, so it's important to take time, look at some mission statement examples, and put effort into writing a good one.

What is a Mission Statement?

You should think of a mission statement as a cross between a slogan and an executive summary.

Just as slogans and executive summaries can be used in many ways so too can a mission statement. An effective mission statement should be able to tell your company story and ideals in less than 30 seconds.

How should I write a Mission Statement?

Here are some basic guidelines in writing a mission statement:

• A mission statement should say who your company is, what you do, what you stand for and why you do it.
• An effective mission statement is best developed with input by all the members of an organization.
• The best mission statements tend to be 3-4 sentences long.
• Avoid saying how great you are, what great quality and what great service you provide.
• Examine other company's mission statements, but make certain your statement is you and not some other company. That is why you should not copy a statement.
• Make sure you actually believe in your mission statement, if you don't, it's a lie, and your customers will soon realize it.

For more information on mission statements, see our sample mission statements below or use Business Plan Pro, which helps you write a mission statement as well as containing over 500 example mission statements.

Business Plan Pro If you're looking for help with writing your mission statement or other parts of your business plan, Business Plan Pro can save you lots of time and headaches. It contains over 500 sample business plans which can be used to help create your own plan.

Sample Mission Statements

The links below take you to the mission statements of some of our sample business plans that were created with Business Plan Pro.