Crafting a mission statement is no easy task. Some small business owners and operators spend months going back and forth in the effort to come up with a sentence or phrase that clearly and powerfully states its most important goal.
If you’re struggling with this issue yourself, here are a few mission statement examples that can help to inspire a statement that best explains the desired direction of your business.
Home Depot Mission Statement
If you’ve ever handled your own home updates or repairs, you are likely at least familiar with Home Depot. You can go to this company’s online or physical store to order tools and materials to complete almost any home improvement project.
Home Depot’s mission statement is “to provide the highest level of service, the broadcast selection of products and the most competitive prices.” This tells employees (and consumers) what the top priorities are for this business. They are customer service, a wide product selection, and appealing price points.
What are the top two or three things you want people to know about how you do business? Center your mission statement around these goals or strategies to help direct your staff to make decisions that are aligned with these key missions.
In-N-Out Mission Statement
In-N-Out has been serving hamburgers, fries, and shakes in the western and southwestern U.S. since 1948. It started as a drive-thru stand, where guests could order from the comfort of their cars to now offering the ability to also eat inside. And it’s one of the few fast-food joints that is not franchised since the founding family still owns and operates each location.
In-N-Out’s mission statement is to “give customers the freshest, highest quality foods and provide them with friendly service in a sparkling-clean environment.” Eat at an In-N-Out and there’s no denying that they meet every aspect of this mission, even when they are remarkably busy. This shows the value of living by your mission and making it easy to spot in the way that you do business.
If you’re struggling to come up with your mission statement, think about the things that you do well or the areas in which you tend to out-perform your competitors. Put another way, what are the top two or three compliments your customers or consumers often say when talking about your business? Include these in your mission statement and show that your words match your actions.
Stitch Fix Mission Statement
Stitch Fix offers consumers access to a personal clothing stylist via the convenience of a mobile app. Just go on the site and schedule a one-time or reoccurring “fix” and, for $20, you will receive a handful of clothing items and accessories on a predetermined date. Keep what you want and send the rest back (at no additional cost), with the styling fee applied to the clothes you decide to keep.
Stitch Fix’s mission statement is “to change the way people find clothes they love by combining technology with the personal touch of seasoned style experts.” What’s inspiring about this statement is that it provides a clear image of what the company does (changes the clothes-shopping experience) as well as how it does it (integrating technology and a personal touch).
Incorporate this same strategy when creating your mission statement. Think about what you do and how you do it. Develop a statement that says something about both.
Galora Mission Statement
Galora is an internet-based business that connects people within certain neighborhoods or geographical areas so they can share their resources and talents. These resources and talents can be shared by giving them away or by trade. For example, if you bake a mean apple pie, you can trade your pie with a neighbor who has mastered the art of making authentic spaghetti sauce. You can also give away or trade garden items, homemade brews, and even talents, such as teaching others how to dance hip-hop style or meditate.
Galora’s mission statement is simply “to share neighborhood bounty.” Normally, having a vague statement such as this is discouraged because it lacks any real clarity. However, in Galora’s case, being somewhat vague is valuable because it leaves it up to users to decide what type of bounty they want to share. It prevents limits from being placed on what people want to give or trade with their neighbors.
Consider creating a mission statement that provides clear expectations where necessary but also allows room for interpretation in areas where you want people to craft their own experience. Keeping a mission statement vague in the right places can inspire creativity in your staff and consumers.
Do Your Own Mission Statement Search
It can also be helpful to make a list of the businesses that you like and because you like them, you either use them fairly regularly or it’s always the first one you call if you have a problem or emergency. Include retail stores, service-based businesses (plumbers, electricians, landscapers, pest control, etc.), restaurants, and any other company that brings a smile to your face when you think about them.
Next, go to each of these company’s websites and read its mission statement, if it has one. Sometimes this is listed as its purpose or primary goal. Pay attention to how its statement makes you feel and how it could potentially impact decisions you’d make if you were an employee. Use that inspiration to help you craft a mission statement that evokes the feelings and decisions you want within the staff at your business.
Additional Mission Statement Examples
Want more mission statement inspiration? Check out these statements from a few bigger, well-known businesses:
The one thing about inspiration is that you never know when it will strike. Hopefully one of these companies will help inspire your small business mission statement. If it does, then it was well worth the search.
