Business Plan – Part 5

Mission Statement

Second only to a vision statement, is a statement of mission. While a vision statement exposes what the business will become, what impact it will have on the world, the mission statement explains what the business is and what the business does. In effect it answers the question “What business are we in?”

A mission statement expresses the purpose of the business, stated in the present tense. A mission statement should be simple, succinct, and differentiate you from your competition. The mission statement can be an expression of future goals, but expressed as though they exist today. It explains the purpose of the business – why it exists.

A mission statement should be succinct and define what the company is and what makes it unique.

A lawn maintenance service might say that it is in the “lawn beautification business”.